Would Anthony casso be considered a rat? I say yes without a doubt. But unlike most rats, he's in prison for life. How much money was he making? Is it true he had a $500,000 pinky ring?

Yep, 100% a rat. He got hosed on both ends- fellow mobsters and the feds. His wife was extorted a lot of money from a mobster, as he knew that nobody would come to her aid. This continued until she dropped dead. Gas got screwed since his biggest crime as a government witness was telling the truth about Sammy Gravano and a crooked FBI agent.

As far as his money is concerned....his biography didn't give exact figures, but it was a lot. He specialized in drugs and he would bring them in via shrimp trawlers and ship them across the country in moving trucks. Guys like Sammy Gravano and Burt Kaplan were his wholesale customers.

He didn't even want to be a capo, let alone the boss, because he was making too much money and didn't want to be bogged down by settling disputes with other family members. He was content to report to the consigliere (Christy Tick) and be left alone to focus on his rackets.

He also made a lot off gasoline. He said that the money he made from gasoline was way more than anything else he had.

Personally I think casso might have been exaggerating his wealth to improve his mafia image. But idk for sure I'm just guessing like everyone else of course.

Have u seen his house?

No I've never seen it before. I'm guessing he owns a huge mansion?

Doesn't some politician own it now? I think a State Senator.

Is that the front if his house or the side of it? It looks unusual. But that's huge. That must've cost like 5 to 10 mil. Maybe more. I'm not good at estimating anyway.

Edit: Is it me or did the picture just change to a different view of the house?

Who had more money him or gravano

Here's the front of it. The previous picture looks like the back of the house on the water.

The front of it looks unusual. I wonder how many square feet his house was. Great pics G! And I looked it up and it says a senator does live in there and he's under investigation for bribery or something.

No idea but i think Gaspipe might of had more. But i'm just guessing on that, i really don't know. Sammy was a earner too though.

One crook after another.

Great info. And yeah I heard gravano's house was huge as well. Did anyone ever have a house bigger than Paul Castellano's?

Former mets pitcher John Franco owned it or tried to by the house. Casso killed the builder of the house when the builder wanted to get paid

I think Franco is from brooklyn so maybe he knew casso growing up or something. Interesting piece of info

Franco was tight with a bunch of bonanno guys

I never knew that. Anyone in particular?

Is Gaspipe ever gonna get a deal?

Who was the mobster?, some guy nicknamed "The bug" or something like that wasn't it?

I agree, Casso is a rat.

Say what you will about guys like Carmine Persico and Bruno Indelicato but they are 100% cosa nostra, they didn't rat.

Casso and Massino were both gangsters on the wrong side of the law until it didn't suit their purpose anymore and they flipped.
Same goes for Bill Cutolo's son, he was a gangster until his Poppa got killed and he knew he couldn't do anything about it so he ran to the law expecting help and protection when both he and his father had always operated on the other side of law and order

Franco? Really?....i didn't know that. Guess you really do learn something new everyday.

I read Franco grew up in Bensonhurst though so i'm sure he's most likely had contact with more then a few wiseguys.

Yeah my father used to hang out there all the time and he said that that was a hot spot for wiseguys

Is that the reason why he killed the builder? I figured that he would make up a phony excuse, even if it was BS.

I thought it was because he was having an affair with his wife or something like that?

Hey Giancarlo,

Do you know what neighborhood that is? I could have sworn I see a similar house from the Belt Parkway, around Mill Basin.

Mill Basin

Carmine Lonbardozzi had a huge mansion there as well. Both of them were loaded. Carmine wasn't involved with drugs though from what I know. He made tons of money. They find call him the italian meyer lansky for nothing.

ARe there any pics of cassos house from the inside i would love to see them this house looks strange

^I would love to see them as well. I doubt there are any pics on the web but hopefully there are. I'll try to find them for you.

Why does everyone hate Bill Cutolo Jr so bad ? I mean at least he didn't kill Jackie DeRoss and Little Allie Boy when he had the chance. Like "Wild" Bill told his son : " I wish death before jail."

I'm sure any hidden cash or valuables are removed from that house. I can imagine how much money he had hidden up in that mansion at one point.

^Your pic is Christie Furnari right?

Maybe Casso got screwed by the FBI- But we will never know because we weren't there. But before you go feeling sorry for him just think about all the people Casso screwed- hundreds of them. There were some rumors reported on the forum about him possibly getting transferred to a lower risk prison- anyone know if there is any truth to that or is he still in Colorado???

It shouldn't matter if he got screwed, hes a piece of shit who killed 36 people, he got a taste of his own medicine. If he would of just being an actual cooperating witness instead of fighting the gov he could of been out but he had to be the boss still and start saying Sammy dealt drugs and all. There is no doubt in my mind he would of continued a life of crime on the outside, him and Gravano are exactly where they need to be.

In all fairness though, it was gravano's kids who were involved with the ecstasy ring. He just took the fall for them. But it's karma for the bad things he's done in that past so it evens out.

I dont care if Gravano had 100 kids with bow and arrows through their heads, hes still a piece of shit lol just kidding

Not sure where you got that idea. Gravano was involved in the ring as well, not just his kids.

Lol that's Paulie Walnuts talking about Ralphie Ciffaretto! How I miss that show. I wish they were still running making new episodes today.

That's what Karen said. But we all don't know for sure of course. She said it in her book.

Bill Cutolo Junior would still be with the Colombo's if his Dad hadn't been killed.
Cutolo Senior and Cutolo Junior both operated on the wrong side of the law!
When Wild Bill died, his son went crying to the cops for help.
Bill Junior needs to understand that his Dad died because he was a gangster!
I'm sorry but I cant respect someone who lives as a tough guy gangster then turns his tail and runs to the law for help when things don't go his way!

At least Al Demeo didn't rat on his father murderers.
Al understood that whilst he loved his Dad, Roy had done many hideous things and died as a result of his life.

That's why I have tremendous respect for Sonny Black, I don't like the things he did in life but I respect the man for staying true to what he was, not ratting and going to that final meeting knowing what fate awaited him. The guy had balls that's for sure

Yea if you want to see a true gangster staying to the code Sonny Black was one of them. I'm sure there were others we didn't know about as well that has done the same.

I really want cassos kids to write a book

I herd the same about the ring..I just cant get if you are putting 500,000.00 a day in cash away for years.And i am sure it was more .What do these guys do with cash....Not just him but thousands just like him. I still have the same thousands in a pvc tube for 30 years , and i cut it open like each ten years to see what the money does . And it stays fine under ground .so i do more and more. I use schedule 80 it costs more but it works glue the ends up real good...put them 8" down mow the field no problem

I remember reading in Carlo's book that Gaspipe set up Roy DeMeo using the Gemini Twins and that once they did the work that they were working for him then now on. No mention of this is made in Murder Machine, only that Gaggi, in all probability, killed DeMeo.

Could someone a little more well informed comment on this?

When murder machine came out in 1990 I beleive Casso hadn't flipped yet. So there was only speculation that Nino did it, but than Casso flipped in '94 and revealed it was the twins who did it at patty testas house. Casso wasn't a good witness as we have all come to see so but their really isn't a reason for him to lie with this, so most everyone buys the story the he gave.

This is interesting, because didn't the Twins continue to work for Gaggi after DeMeo was killed? If so, doesn't that sort of negate Gaspipe's claim then?

Yeah it is weired, im sure the immediate aftermath of Demeo's murder they were still considered under Gaggi's thumb, but then in '84 everyone gets indicted so im sure they all layed low after that, than Gaggi gets convicted in '86 and goes to jail the twins don't. It was probably around that time they began to work for Casso as he says they were the shooters of that russian guy in June of '86, and also the shooters of the mistaken Nicky Guido in December of that year. They certinatley worked for Casso theirs pictures of the twins with him, Frank Lastorino, and some other bigwig and that was probably when he was underboss so if you're a couple associates from another family you just don't sit with the top guys from another family.

Thanks for the info.

I think the Twins were given to Gaspipe as a reward for his help.
By the time of Roys death, Henry Borelli and Freddie Dinome were both in jail.
Vito Arena had flipped.
Rosenberg was long dead
The twins were the only core crew members worth anything

Was that Testa who shot the wrong Nicky Guido?

I know Casso had them kill that russian. Testa shot him and Senter was the wheelman.

How many other hits did the Twins do for Gaspipe?

Yep, Testa was part of the Christmas day hit on the innocent guy.
Eppolitio and Caracappa gave the wrong guys details to Gaspipe

Gaspipe is a real character. They really should do a movie on him and the Mafia Cops. I think it would be pretty good. DeNiro could play Casso.

Testa and Senter were also backup shooters in the '87 hit on carmine varile and the other guy i forget, which were the last 2 murders in the botched judge Arnwonald hit done by Joe Waverly. Frank Smith, the shooter flipped in '01 which ultimatley led to Cacace being indicted.

Much as I like DeNiro, he's 70 years old and too old to play Gaspipe

Gas is 73, but i do see your point about playing a younger Casso. Not sure then who i would go with, all my favorite actors are getting up there in age. Shame DeNiro isn't younger, i really think he could of nailed the part.

The movie would be on both Gaspipe and the Mafia Cops. I really think it would do decent boxoffice too. A lunatic gangster and his 2 corrupt homicidal hitmen cops.

Oh yeah...Academy Award winner all the way!!

Bobby as hot as they were ,What do u think Casso the only one crazy unstable to get with them..do u think they were wanted by some other boss.

That's correct!

Im sure their reputations were known by the other bosses and people within the families, especially Brooklyn, but they were also known as heavy drug users so the old timers probably wouldn't want that, certinatley not the Genovese. The Bonnanos probably would of taken them in if they had a chance, someone like Pitera or Bruno Indelicato.

is casso still in jail...just finished reading the book and was curious?

Yes he is still in prison. Heard talk me was moved somewhat recently but I don't think anyone knows the reason behind it.

He's sick. I don't know if it's true or not but heard from the lock of mobility he gets in the prison he's developed a few blood clots and has been moved to a medical wing. Even though he is and will be incarcerated the rest of his life he has filed a civil suit against the B.O.P. for cruel and unusual punishment.

Island is that why he's been at CCM Minneapolis all this time? CCM's are usually halfway houses i thought. Is he in a medical facility? I could never figure out why they moved him from ADMAX to a CCM. I know he was at the Butner medical facility a couple years back but now a CCM?

He generated a disease that's under scrutiny from prisoners that don't get enough movement and develop health problems due to their unsual clock. Your body is a block if you sit around all day and don't move around certain physical elements will occur. Helen hunt comes to visit casso to see if they can get his circulation moving

Thanks, those blood clots can be real trouble if left untreated.

Helen Hunt? The actress? I saw you mentioned her in another thread, does she know Casso?

She went to visit him. I don't care if people call him a rat he was the real deal, he had balls, he got things done, capesh

Yes...capesh! lol

Interesting about Hunt...thanks.

Perhaps Jimmy Hydell's Momma should file a one against him for cruel and unusual punishment!

So Casso files a lawsuit for cruel & unusual punishment. How do you think a jury will see this if they know what a sterling citizen he is ??

This guy did so well everything he touched turned to gold pretty much . then at the end he lost it mentally seamed.I saw a interview i think it was Ed Bradly. And Casso came off stupid had a hard time pronouncing peoples names just weird .I have seen him twice when he was much younger but did not hear him speak.I am not the sharpest tool but i have never ran a crime family either.

Lol yea jimmy was a good boy, he no hurt nobody!

Casso was far worse and he is filing one!

I looked up Casso's explanation on why he had the architect (Anthony Fava) whacked. From Casso's own mouth, but he has been known to fabricate....

This was during the time period when Fat Pete flipped. The architect had also done work on Fat Pete's house. So, Casso figured he knew too much and had him killed. Casso was rolling in dough and spending lavishly at the time, so he could have easily afforded to pay.

That doesn't explain why Fava was brutally tortured before he was whacked. Casso explained that he wasn't supposed to have been tortured but the assassins got carried away. Fava's genitals were mutilated, leading to speculation that there was something inappropriate going on with Lillian (wife), but Casso denied that theory.

The balls being cut off got to make you wonder about the whole affair aspect with his wife, I dont think a guy like casso would ever admit that his wife was fucking around on him.
on a side note casso's son still lives in the neighborhood (mill basin) and hangs around with a lot wise guys, I cant confirm if he has something going on but he has a nice house & rides around in luxury cars and sure does look the part.

How does people know that casso said the Gemini Twins killed DeMeo? Source please?

From his bio, Gaspipe, written by Philip Carlo.

I know this has been covered in another thread, but here's a quick summary, as per Casso...

Castellano assigned the job to murder DeMeo to Gotti. Gotti was unsuccessful and recommended to Big Paul that they use Gaspipe. Paul agreed. Gaspipe's strategy was to recruit the Testa brothers and Anthony Senter. The reward for the Testas was they were going to be made into the Lucchese family. Senter was not 100% Italian.

DeMeo went to Patty Testa's home to collect money and was clipped there. The body was put in the trunk of his car and Anthony Testa drove it to Varras Boat Club in Sheepshead Bay, where his body was discovered a week later.

yes he is still in jail and will not be getting out.


...for the gemini twins, carnasie was a big lucchese territory, right? murder machine basically says as much and that roy had opportunities with the lucchese's in the junk yards but turned them down, so it's not totally unthinkable that the gemini twins would end up with the lucchese's. At least one of them eventually got made, i know that's been discussed around here somewhere before

Canarsie was where Paul Vario's crew was based, correct?

So senter was never made?

Pretty sure he was and I am also pretty sure that he was 100% Italian, despite the last name.

were all 3 of them made or just patty and senter? or was patty not made and it was joey and senter?

I'm a bit confused.

According to Philip Carlo's biography of Gaspipe: Anthony Senter was not 100% Italian and thus, would not be a made man in the Lucchese family.

According to Wikipedia, both of Senter's parents were immigrants from Italy, which implies Senter was 100% Italian.

This has been answered recently. Will answer it again. Yes, Joey Testa and Anthony Senter were both made with the Luccheses in 1988. Testa´s brother Patty was made in 1991.

Thanks for the info. I've found it safe to assume that Philip Carlo is wrong when there are two different stories....

Where did you find out that the twins where made in 1988?

Let´s just say that Carlo did not do his best work when he wrote the Casso book.



In the new D´Arco book by Jerry Capeci and Tom Robbins.

Thanks for the source, Knuckles.

I'm currently reading D'Arco's book and I somehow glossed over that part where Senter/Testa got their wings at the same ceremony as D'Arco's son. I was focused on the nasty safety pin that Bobby Amuso brought to prick everyone's finger. I remember thinking that this was right after Greg Scarpa was diagnosed with HIV via a tainted blood transfusion and they should have been more careful.

At least Capeci supplies an index, so you can quickly look up info- unlike Carlo.

After his book on the Iceman i'm skeptical on pretty much everything he wrote. And Gas wasn't above spinning the truth so between those 2 you have to wonder what is true and what isn't.

Just my opinion though.

How much did they talk about The Gemini Twins in D´Arco book and gaspipes book?

And are there any new stories of something the twins did?

In Casso's book, he discusses how Testa/Senter were recruited to whack Roy DeMeo, in exchange for getting straightened out. And Gas describes how the hit went down....summarized in one of my previous posts above.

In the D'Arco book, he mentions Senter and Joey Testa getting made in the same ceremony as Joe D'Arco- Al's son. Later, when Al is the acting boss, he presided over a ceremony, where Patty Testa was made. When Vic and Gas were fugitives, Patty Testa was involved with relaying messages from the bosses to the capos, and even supplied homes for meetings to take place. Nothing earth shattering, though. It seems that Senter/Testas were mentioned mostly for the sake of name dropping.

ftp://24.13.148.239/ST3320/Books/Collections/PDF/Criminology/Gaspipe%20-%20Confessions%20of%20a%20Mafia%20Boss%20(2008)%20-%20Philip%20Carlo.pdf

Book in its entirety is here.

im surprised casso and a lot of other lifers arnt trying to publish books to put out there side of the story. a lot of black gansters are wrtitting in books in jail, figure gaspipe wants to clear the air on a lot of stuff or maybe he regrets not taken that 23 yr plea were he would have been out any day and probably boss of the family. regrets regrets.

I think if he took that deal he would have ended up getting whacked upon release. Casso isn't the type to accept the power shifting back to the Bronx. And while he was away, so much of his treachery came to light through other informants. The guys in power now literally hate him, and it's not just because he flipped.

NO WAY the current administration would work with him. NO WAY Casso accepts being broken. They would have had to kill him (even today when murders are rare),

im surprised crea didn't learn from the chin how to have the 3 top guys spread out but theres no press release for who his ub or consign is. but chin had bobby manna the power of new jersey and a guy uptown or down town you know. but after going threw the likes of amuso and casso I see why. tony ducks had a strangle hold on long island you never hear much about that faction of the luchese like the Bronx guys or jersey crew.

You just answered your own question. No press release means he's doing something right. Just because Capeci and the Feds don't know who his underboss and consigliere are, doesn't mean he doesn't have them .

@ older New York based gangsterbb users

In his book about Casso, Carlo said that Irish women put out to Casso easier than Italian women.

Is this true? I thought back in the day Irish women were like choir girls.

Moe wtf are u even talking about

Sometimes, I confuse even myself.

Believe me, Irish girls aren't now and weren't then like choir girls.
Speaking of Casso, does anyone know his current status?? I had read, a while ago and probably on here that he was ill and may have been transferred out of the maxi lockup in Colorado to a place in Minn. True ????

Hey bigboy you are right Casso is in Minneapolis at a prison hospital. I think he has cancer or something. Of course having cancer is better than being in ADMAX, IMO.

A lot of them seem to get extremely ill once they get to prison; LoCascio, Massino, Casso, Gravano, Salerno......... Gotti of course died of cancer in 2002 at a relatively young age. Baratta had a lot of dental problems which are minor in comparison.

Anyone know how Amuso and Persico are getting on health wise?

I have heard that Persico has been doing pretty well health wise, especially for his age. Overall he is healthy. I heard Amuso has heart and hypertension problems.

I heard even Christy Tick is doing pretty well and he has been locked up since the 1980s.

Any thoughts on whether the Luccheses still throw Christy Tic's family money on any regular basis?
I'm not suggesting for one minute he has any title other than soldier, but he did stand up as consig and take life for the family. Surely this is worth his actual family getting a little taken care of?

I am no expert but I do not think Christy would be getting anything from the family at this point. He was pretty well off when he went to prison so I would think his family would be okay. Just my opinion though.

Hey pb do the current guys also hate Vic amuso or do they see him as another victim of Casso?Also ive read that book 3 times and one thing i want to know how did the lucheseses finaly decide to get rid of Casso?They were so scared of him then all of a sudden Amuso shelved him and Casso started to rat.

Also even though casso was an evil scumbag i never would of thought in a million years he would of snitched.This guy grew up in the life and was around Genevese family from a young kid unlike gravano.If Casso never got caught and was still out on the streets today he most defiantly would of clipped more of his captains and he either would of wiped them all out and only young guys who are loyaal to casso would be left or after a few more killing the other capos would of gotten together and there would of been an internal war

Not as much as they hate Casso.

Casso manipulated Amuso, no doubt. But in that life (or any walk of life, really), a man is judged by the company he keeps .

Halfway through Carlo's fairytale on Casso and I love how it portrays Amuso as some random guy, "lazy, stupid and greedy" that stumbled into the position of boss and Casso as this calculating, intelligent, handsome (Carlo must have mentioned this at least twenty times so far), virile, square jawed, barrel chested guy that all the bosses respected; when in reality he was a babbling little psychopath that commanded little or no respect; as anyone that watched him rant on 60 minutes can attest to.

Amuso must be sickened by this whitewash of history from a rat like Casso.

Get the name of Vic Amuso's wife wrong.

Calls Frank Lastorino "Frank Lastorono" and "Frank Alstorono".

Barely gives Vic a passing mention despite being the boss of the family.

Filled with blatant lies to make Casso look better.

Something I don't understand... Casso said he didn't want to be boss because he didn't like all the baggage that came with it. Yet he is at pains to point out that Amuso was boss only in name, that Amuso was submissive to Casso and that Casso took over as boss when Amuso was captured.

Also... I'm pretty sure that D'Arco said it was primarily Amuso handing down orders on who to whack and other business decisions.

Is Casso right? Was Amuso just a patsy or is Casso just downplaying his role and throwing him under the bus for what happened in the late 80's/early 90's.

Finally... something else Casso says that doesn't add up is that Corallo wanted to make him boss but Casso insisted on Amuso yet other sources say Corallo wanted to make Buddy Luongo boss but Amuso took him out and strongarmed his way into the role.

It's really hard to believe some of the stuff Casso and D'Arco say. Casso basically calls Amuso a chickenshit for not breaking out of prison. How did all those escape attempts on horseback go for Casso? And D'Arco says Amuso couldn't look him in the eye which sounds like posturing to me. Casso says in the book that Amuso wouldn't look at D'Arco out of disgust after all those botched hits he specialised in and this is when D'Arco began shitting himself about Amuso whacking him.

I got to say I have more respect for Amuso than Casso and D'Arco. Never ratted, did his time, kept his mouth shut and has these two stoolpigeons talking shit about him behind his back.

Gingello- I don't know about that. I had cancer and can assure you it was no picnic. Luckily I have been in remission 5 years. Hasn't he been there 2-3 years ??? As was mentioned above, it sure seems like a lot of them get seriously sick in lockup

It's because you don't get to move around properly.

Anthony casso is like the poster boy for the mob not to turn rat or they'll end up like casso. they fucked him every which you could for a turncoat. all them millions casso hid and had would have gone on to his grandkids and his reputation till this day. I wouldn't want to owe so mob boss kids or friends 100 bucks.