Editing Sammy Gravano (section)

==Construction magnate==
Like his predecessor [[Carlo Gambino]], Castellano favored emphasizing more sophisticated schemes involving construction, trucking, and garbage disposal over traditional street-level activities such as [[loansharking]], gambling, and hijackings.<ref name="trutv"/> Castellano had a particular interest in the construction business.<ref name="Underboss"/> Gravano entered into the plumbing and [[drywall]] business with his brother-in-law, Edward Garafola.<ref name="trutv"/> 
Gravano's construction and other business interests soon earned him a reputation as a "big earner" within the Gambino organization and made him a multi-millionaire, enabling him to build a large estate for his family in rural [[Cream Ridge, New Jersey]].<ref name="Underboss"/> He invested in [[trotting horse]]s to race at the [[Meadowlands Racetrack]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]. Gravano became the operator of a popular [[discotheque]], The Plaza Suite in the [[Gravesend, Brooklyn|Gravesend]] section of [[Brooklyn]]. He reportedly made $4,000 a week from the Plaza Suite. Gravano owned the building and used the bottom level as his business headquarters.<ref name="trutv"/>

===Simone murder===
Gravano further proved himself to Castellano when he interceded in a [[civil war]] that had erupted within the [[Philadelphia crime family]]. In March 1980, longtime Philadelphia boss [[Angelo Bruno]] was assassinated by his [[consigliere]], [[Antonio Caponigro]], and his brother-in-law Alfred Salerno, without authorization from [[The Commission (mafia)|The Commission]]. The Commission summoned Caponigro to New York, where it sentenced him to death for his transgression. After Caponigro was tortured and killed, [[Philip Testa]] was installed as the new Philadelphia boss and [[Nicodemo Scarfo|Nicky Scarfo]] as consigliere. The Commission subsequently [[contract killing|placed contracts]] on Caponigro's co-conspirators, including John "Johnny Keys" Simone, who also happened to be Bruno's cousin. The Simone contract was given to Gravano.<ref name="Underboss"/>

After befriending Simone through a series of meetings, Gravano, with the assistance of Milito and D'Angelo, abducted Simone from Yardley Golf Club in [[Yardley, Pennsylvania]] (part of suburban [[Trenton, New Jersey]]), and drove him to a wooded area on [[Staten Island]]. 

Gravano then granted Simone's requests to die with his shoes off, in fulfillment of a promise he had made to his wife, and at the hands of a [[made man]]. After Gravano removed Simone's shoes, Milito shot Simone in the back of the head, killing him. Gravano later expressed admiration for Simone as a so-called "man's man", remarking favorably on the calmness with which he accepted his fate.<ref name="Underboss"/>

===Fiala murder===
By the early 1980s, the Plaza Suite was a thriving establishment.<ref name="brotherhoods">{{cite book|last=Lawson|first=Guy|author2=William Oldham |title=The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia|publisher=Pocket|date=August 28, 2007|pages=768|isbn=978-1-4165-2338-3}}</ref> Patrons often had to wait an hour to get in and the club featured high-profile live acts such as singer [[Chubby Checker]].<ref name="brotherhoods"/>

In 1982, Frank Fiala, a wealthy businessman and drug trafficker, paid Gravano $40,000 to rent the Plaza Suite for a birthday party he was throwing for himself. Two days after the party, Gravano accepted a $1,000,000 offer from Fiala to buy the establishment, which was much higher than the property value.<ref name="trutv"/> The deal was structured to include $50,000 cash as a down payment, $650,000 in [[gold bullion]] [[under the table]], and a $300,000 payment at the real estate [[Closing (real estate)|closing]].<ref name="Underboss"/>

Before the transaction was completed, Fiala began acting like he already owned the club. Later, after leaving the Plaza Suite, Gravano called Garafola and set up an ambush outside the club, involving Garafola, Milito, D'Angelo, [[Nicholas Mormando]], [[Michael DeBatt]], [[Thomas Carbonara]] and Johnny Holmes in the plan.<ref name="Underboss"/> Later that same night, Gravano confronted Fiala on the street as he exited the Plaza Suite among a group of people, asking, "Hey, Frank, how you doing?"<ref name="brotherhoods"/> As Fiala turned around, surprised to see Gravano, Milito came up behind him and shot him in the head. Milito stood over the body and fired a shot into each of Fiala's eyes as Fiala's entourage and the crowd of people on the street dispersed, screaming. Gravano walked up to Fiala's body and spat on him.<ref name="Underboss"/>

Gravano was never charged for the crime; he had made a $5,000 payoff to the later discredited and disgraced [[New York Police Department]] homicide detective [[Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa|Louis Eppolito]] to ensure the investigation yielded no leads.<ref name="brotherhoods"/>

Although Gravano evaded criminal charges, he incurred Castellano's wrath over the unsanctioned killing. Afterwards, Gravano attempted to lie low for nearly three weeks, during which time he called his crew together and made the decision to kill Castellano if necessary.<ref name="trutv"/> Gravano and Milito were then summoned to a meeting with Castellano at a Manhattan restaurant. Castellano had been given the details of what Fiala had done, but he was still livid that Gravano had not come to him first for permission to kill Fiala. Gravano was spared execution when he convinced Castellano that the reason he had kept him in the dark was to protect the boss in case something went wrong with the hit.<ref name="trutv"/>

Fiala's murder posed one final problem for Gravano in the form of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS). The high publicity generated by the incident triggered an IRS investigation into Gravano and Fiala's deal for the sale of the Plaza Suite and Gravano was subsequently charged with [[tax evasion]]. Gravano was represented by [[Gerald Shargel]] and was acquitted at trial.<ref name="trutv"/>

D'Angelo was later killed by a [[Colombo crime family|Colombo family]] associate celebrating his having been proposed for membership. The killer was then murdered on orders from the Colombo family.<ref name="trutv"/>

===Aligning with Gotti===
In the aftermath of the Fiala murder, Gravano continued to focus on his construction business by branching out into the lucrative drywall industry. New York City's cement industry was controlled by four of the [[Five Families]], which made millions of dollars by manipulating bids and steering contracts.<ref name="trutv"/> Gravano said in 1998, "I literally controlled Manhattan, literally. You want concrete poured in Manhattan? That was me. [[Tishman (company)|Tishman]], [[Donald Trump]], all these guys—they couldn't build a building without me."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/trump-gravano-gotti-mafia/568273/|title=Donald Trump's Mafia Mind-Set|first=Jeffrey|last=Goldberg|date=August 23, 2018|website=The Atlantic|access-date=January 8, 2019|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108145451/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/trump-gravano-gotti-mafia/568273/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Gravano eventually became embroiled in a dispute with business partner [[Louie DiBono]], a member of another Gambino crew. Gravano and his brother-in-law Eddie had a meeting with DiBono (along with an attorney and an accountant DiBono brought), at which DiBono said only $50,000 was due. Gravano excused the attorney and accountant and, once alone with DiBono, banged him around the room because of the scam. 

Putting hands on another made man is a death penalty in Cosa Nostra. DiBono told his captain, [[Pasquale Conte|Pasquale "Patsy" Conte]], who then told Castellano, and a sit-down was called. Toddo spoke on Gravano; Gambino [[underboss]] [[Aniello Dellacroce|Neil Dellacroce]] intervened on Gravano's behalf. Castellano told DiBono to pay Gravano $200,000 and the two men end their business partnership.<ref name="Underboss" /> Gravano's standing with his boss slipped as a result of the incident. Dellacroce, however, was the mentor to rising star [[John Gotti]], and when word got back to him that Dellacroce had supported Gravano, Gotti and other Gambino members were impressed.<ref name="trutv" />

During this time, the FBI had intensified its efforts against the Gambino family and in August 1983, three members of Gotti's crew – [[Angelo Ruggiero]], [[John Carneglia]], and [[Gene Gotti]] – were indicted for [[heroin]] trafficking. Castellano was against anyone in the family dealing narcotics. Castellano planned to kill Gene Gotti and Ruggiero if he believed they were drug traffickers. Castellano asked Ruggiero for a copy of the government surveillance tapes that had Ruggiero's conversations. To save Gene Gotti and Ruggiero, Dellacroce stalled the demand. Eventually, one of the reasons for Gotti's killing Castellano was to save himself, his brother and Ruggiero. The Ruggiero tapes not only had them talking about drugs, but also the bosses and commission. The FBI had [[covert listening device|bugged]] Ruggiero's house and telephone, and Castellano decided he needed copies of the tapes to justify his impending move to Dellacroce and the family's other capos.<ref name="trutv"/><ref name="tapes">{{cite news|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ny-gotti022692,0,120833.story|title=Tapes Called Gotti Murder Motive|last=Bowles|first=Peter|date=February 26, 1992|work=[[Sun Sentinel]]|access-date=July 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824234435/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ny-gotti022692,0,120833.story|archive-date=August 24, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When Castellano was indicted for both his connection to [[Roy DeMeo]]'s stolen car ring and as part of the [[Mafia Commission Trial]], he learned his own house had been bugged on the basis of evidence from the Ruggiero tapes and he became livid.<ref name="trutv"/> In June 1985, he again demanded that Dellacroce get him the tapes. Dellacroce tried to convince Gotti and Ruggiero to comply if Castellano explained beforehand how he intended to use the tapes, but Ruggiero refused, fearing he would endanger good friends.<ref name="tapes"/>

Prior to Castellano's indictment, Gravano was approached by [[Robert DiBernardo]], a fellow Gambino member acting as an intermediary for Gotti. DiBernardo informed him that Gotti and Ruggiero wanted to meet with him in [[Queens, New York|Queens]]. Gravano arrived to find only Ruggiero was present. Ruggiero informed Gravano that he and Gotti were planning to murder Castellano and asked for Gravano's support.<ref name="trutv"/> 

Gravano was initially noncommittal, wanting to confer first with [[Frank DeCicco]]. In conversation with DeCicco, both men voiced concern that Castellano would designate his nephew, [[Thomas Gambino]], acting boss and his driver, [[Thomas Bilotti]], underboss in the event he was convicted and sent to prison. Neither man appeared to Gravano or DeCicco as leadership material, and they ultimately decided to support the hit on Castellano.<ref name="Underboss"/>

===Castellano murder===
Gravano's first choice to become boss after Castellano's murder was [[Frank DeCicco]], but DeCicco felt John Gotti's ego was too big to take a subservient role.<ref name="Underboss"/> DeCicco argued that Gotti's boldness, intelligence, and charisma made him well-suited to be "a good boss" and he convinced Gravano to give Gotti a chance. DeCicco and Gravano made a secret pact to kill Gotti and take over the family as boss and underboss, respectively, if they were unhappy with Gotti's leadership after one year.<ref name="Underboss"/> The conspirators' first order of business was meeting with other Gambino members, most of whom were dissatisfied under Castellano, to gain their support for the hit.<ref name="robinson"/> They also recruited longtime capo [[Joseph Armone|Joseph "Piney" Armone]] into the conspiracy. Armone's support was critical; he was a respected old-timer in the family, and it was believed he could help win over Castellano supporters to the new regime.<ref name="Raab, p. 375"/>

The next step was smoothing over the planned hit with the other families. It has long been a hard and fast rule in the Mafia that killing a boss is forbidden without the support of a majority of the Commission. Indeed, Gotti's planned hit would have been the first off-the-record hit on a boss since [[Frank Costello]] was nearly killed in 1957. Knowing it would be too risky to approach the other four bosses directly, the conspirators got the support of several important mobsters of their generation in the [[Lucchese crime family|Lucchese]], [[Colombo crime family|Colombo]] and [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno families]].<ref name="Raab, p. 375">Raab, pg. 375.</ref> 

Gotti and Ruggiero then sought and obtained the approval of key figures from the Colombos and Bonannos, while DeCicco secured the backing of top mobsters aligned with the Luccheses.<ref name="Underboss" /> They did not even consider approaching the [[Genovese crime family|Genoveses]]; Castellano had especially close ties with Genovese boss [[Vincent Gigante|Vincent "Chin" Gigante]], and approaching any major Genovese figure, even one of their generation, could have been a tipoff. Gotti could thus claim he had the support of "off-the-record contacts" from three out of five families.<ref name="Raab, p. 375" /> With [[Aniello Dellacroce|Neil Dellacroce]]'s death on December 2, 1985, the final constraint on a move by Gotti or Castellano against the other was removed. Gotti, enraged that Castellano chose not to attend his mentor's wake, wasted little time in striking.<ref name="trutv" />

Not suspecting the plot against him, Castellano invited DeCicco to a meeting on December 16, 1985, with fellow capos [[Thomas Gambino]], [[James Failla]], [[Johnny Gamorana]], and [[Daniel Marino|Danny Marino]] at [[Sparks Steak House]] in Manhattan. The conspirators considered the restaurant a prime location for the hit because the area would be packed with bustling crowds of holiday shoppers, making it easier for the assassins to blend in and escape.<ref name="robinson" /> The plans for the assassination were finalized on December 15, and the next afternoon, the conspirators met for a final time on the [[Lower East Side]]. At Gotti's suggestion, the shooters wore long white [[trench coat]]s and black fur [[Russian hat]]s, which Gravano considered a "brilliant" idea.<ref name="Underboss" />

Gotti and Gravano arrived at the restaurant shortly before 5 o'clock and, after circling the block, parked their car across the intersection and within view of the entrance.<ref name="Underboss" /> Around 5:30, Gravano spotted Castellano's [[Lincoln Town Car]] at a nearby intersection and, via [[walkie talkie]], alerted the team of [[hitman|hitmen]] stationed outside the restaurant of Castellano's approach.<ref name="miller">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91571&page=1|title=Gotti, A Mob Icon|last=Miller|first=John|publisher=ABC News|access-date=July 9, 2009|archive-date=August 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822232705/http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91571&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Castellano's driver, Thomas Bilotti, pulled the car up directly in front of the entrance. As Castellano and Bilotti exited the Lincoln, they were ambushed and killed in a barrage of bullets.<ref name="miller" /> As the hat-and-trench-coat-adorned men slipped away into the night, Gotti calmly drove the car past the front of the restaurant to get a look at the scene.<ref name="trutv" /> Looking down at Bilotti's body from the passenger window, Gravano remarked, "He's gone."<ref name="miller" />