Editing Sammy Gravano (section)

==Colombo associate==
The Mafia had a longstanding presence in Bensonhurst via the Profaci family, which evolved into the [[Colombo crime family|Colombo family]]. Despite his father's attempts to dissuade him, Gravano, like many of his Ramper colleagues, drifted into La Cosa Nostra. He first became associated with La Cosa Nostra in 1968 through his friend [[Tommy Spero]], whose Uncle Shorty (also named Tommy) Spero was an associate of the Colombo family under future boss, [[Carmine Persico|Carmine "The Snake" Persico]].<ref name="robinson"/> Gravano was initially involved in crimes such as [[larceny]], hijacking, and [[armed robbery]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Arnold H.|last=Lubasch|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/03/nyregion/gotti-confidant-tells-courtroom-of-mafia-family-s-violent-reign.html|title=Gotti Confidant Tells Courtroom Of Mafia Family's Violent Reign|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=New York City|date=March 3, 1992|access-date=May 21, 2019|archive-date=August 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822235417/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/03/nyregion/gotti-confidant-tells-courtroom-of-mafia-family-s-violent-reign.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He quickly moved into [[racketeering]], [[loansharking]], and running a lucrative poker game in the back room of an after-hours club, of which he was part owner.<ref name="robinson"/>

Gravano became a particular favorite of family boss [[Carmine Persico]], who used Gravano to picket the FBI Manhattan headquarters as part of [[Joe Columbo]]’s [[Italian-American Civil Rights League]] initiative.<ref name="Underboss"/><ref name="trutv"/> Gravano's rise was so sudden that it was generally understood that he would be among the first to [[made man|become made]] when the Cosa Nostra's membership books were reopened (they had been closed since 1957).<ref name="Underboss"/><ref name="trutv"/>

In 1970, Gravano committed his first murder—that of Joseph Colucci, a fellow Spero associate with whose wife Tommy Spero was having an affair.<ref name="trutv"/> Gravano described the experience thusly:

<blockquote>As that [[Beatles]] song played, I became a killer. Joe Colucci was going to die. I was going to kill him because he was plotting to kill me and Shorty Spero. I felt the rage inside me. ... Everything went in slow motion. I could almost feel the bullet leaving the gun and entering his skull. It was strange and deafening. I didn't hear the first shot. I didn't see any blood. His head didn't seem to move. I then shot him a second time ... I felt like I was a million miles away, like this was all a dream.<ref name="Underboss"/>
</blockquote>

The Colucci murder won respect and approval from Persico for Gravano.<ref name="trutv"/> Later in life, Gravano became a mentor to Colucci's son Jack, who became involved in the construction industry as a Gambino associate. Jack did not know Gravano had murdered his father until 25 years after the incident.<ref>{{cite web |title=You Don't Know Jack Podcast |website=Amazon |url=https://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Know-Jack-Podcast/dp/B09PMRYCXX |access-date=14 December 2024}}</ref>