Editing Paul Castellano

{{short description|American crime boss (1915–1985)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name               = Paul Castellano
| image              = File:NYPICHPDPICT000059241377.jpg
| caption            = Castellano, {{circa}} 1975
| birth_name         = Constantino Paul Castellano
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1915|6|26|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.<!--No boroughs/neighborhoods, just cities per format.-->
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1985|12|16|1915|6|26|mf=y}}
| death_place        = New York City, New York, U.S.<!--No boroughs/neighborhoods, just cities per format.-->
| death_cause        = Multiple gunshot wounds
| resting_place      = [[Moravian Cemetery]]<br>[[New Dorp, Staten Island]]
| other_names        = "Big Paulie", "PC", "The Pope", "The Chicken Man", "The Beak".
| occupation         = Crime boss
| predecessor        = [[Carlo Gambino]]
| successor          = [[John Gotti]]
| allegiance         = [[Gambino crime family]]
| relatives          = [[Carlo Gambino]] (cousin and brother-in-law)
| spouse             = {{marriage|Nina Manno Castellano|1937}}
| children           = 4
}}
'''Constantino Paul Castellano''' ({{IPA|it|kastelˈlaːno|lang}}; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985) was an American [[crime boss]] who succeeded [[Carlo Gambino]] as head of the [[Gambino crime family]] of [[New York City]]. Castellano ran the organization from 1976 until his murder on December 16, 1985.

== Early life ==
Constantino Paul Castellano was born in [[Bensonhurst, Brooklyn|Bensonhurst]], [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], on June 26, 1915. His parents, Giuseppe and Concetta Castellano ([[maiden name|née]] Cassata), were both [[Italian people|Italian]] [[immigrant]]s; his father was a butcher and an early member of the Mangano crime family, the forerunner of the [[Gambino crime family]].<ref name="Underboss">[[Peter Maas|Maas, Peter]]. ''Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia.'' New York City: [[HarperCollins]], 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-06-093096-7}}.</ref>

Castellano dropped out of school in the eighth grade to learn butchering and collecting [[numbers game]] receipts, both from {{nowrap|his father.<ref name="raab 248">Raab, p. 248</ref>}} In July 1934, 19-year-old Castellano was arrested for the first time in [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut]], for [[robbery|robbing]] a [[haberdasher]].<ref name="miranda balks">{{cite news|last=Feinberg|first=Alexander|title=Miranda Balks at Gang Inquiry|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/12/15/90867282.pdf|access-date=January 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 15, 1957}}</ref> He refused to identify his two accomplices to the police and served a three-month prison sentence. By refusing to break the oath of ''[[omertà]]'' and cooperate with authorities, Castellano enhanced his reputation for mob loyalty.<ref name="raab 248" />

Castellano's sister Catherine had married one of their cousins, future Mafia boss [[Carlo Gambino]], in 1932. In 1937, Castellano married his childhood sweetheart, Nina Manno; the couple had three sons and a daughter.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nina Castellano, Mob Widow, Dies|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/nina-castellano-mob-widow-dies-article-1.837086|access-date=June 7, 2013|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|date=February 27, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225132012/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/nina-castellano-mob-widow-dies-article-1.837086|archive-date=February 25, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Manno died in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/nina-castellano-mob-widow-dies-article-1.837086|title=Nina Castellano, Mob Widow, Dies|date=February 27, 1999|work=Daily News|location=New York|access-date=January 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908164731/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/nina-castellano-mob-widow-dies-article-1.837086|archive-date=September 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He was of no relation to actor [[Richard S. Castellano]] from ''[[The Godfather]]'', despite claims made by Richard's wife after his death.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vN0YEAAAQBAJ&dq=richard+castellano+sister&pg=PA297|title = Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of the Godfather|isbn = 9781982158613|last1 = Seal|first1 = Mark|date = October 19, 2021| publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref>

Castellano often signed his name as "C. Paul Castellano" because he hated his first name, Constantino. His first name at birth has been cited as both Constantino and Costantino.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5nAt6N8iQnYC&q=constantino+paul+castellano&pg=PA248 |title = Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires|isbn = 9781429907989|last1 = Raab|first1 = Selwyn|date = May 13, 2014| publisher=Macmillan }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=25RIDwAAQBAJ&q=costantino+paul+castellano&pg=PT139 | title=A Brief History of Gangsters| isbn=9781472110688| last1=Robb| first1=Brian| date=November 20, 2014| publisher=Little, Brown Book}}</ref>

== Mob life ==
Castellano joined the Mangano family in the 1940s and eventually became a ''[[caporegime]]'' (''capo'', or captain) under [[Albert Anastasia]], the successor to original [[crime boss|boss]] [[Vincent Mangano]]. In 1957, after Anastasia's murder and Gambino's elevation to boss, Castellano attended the abortive [[Apalachin meeting]] in [[Apalachin, New York]]. When the [[New York State Police]] raided the meeting, Castellano was one of 61 high-ranking mobsters arrested. Refusing to answer [[grand jury]] questions about the meeting, Castellano spent a year in prison on [[contempt of court|contempt]] charges. On January 13, 1960, Castellano was sentenced to five years in prison for [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to withhold information.<ref name="apalachin men">{{cite news|last=Perlmutter|first=Emanuel|title=Apalachin Men Sentenced; 15 Get Maximum 5 Years|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 14, 1960}}</ref> However, in November 1960, Castellano's conviction was reversed on appeal.<ref name="conpiracy reversal">{{cite news|title=Texts of Opinions Reversing Conspiracy Conviction of 20 at Apalachin Meeting|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/11/29/archives/texts-of-opinions-reversing-conspiracy-conviction-of-20-at.html?sq=Castellano%2520apalachin&scp=2&st=cse|access-date=January 9, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 29, 1060|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502213240/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/11/29/archives/texts-of-opinions-reversing-conspiracy-conviction-of-20-at.html?sq=Castellano%2520apalachin&scp=2&st=cse|archive-date=May 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Castellano identified more as a businessman than a criminal, taking over non-legitimate businesses and converting them to legitimate enterprises. However, his businesses, and those of his sons, still benefitted from their mob ties. In his early years, Castellano used his butcher's training to launch Dial Poultry, a poultry distribution business that once supplied 300 butchers in [[New York City]]. Castellano used intimidation tactics to force his customers, which included supermarket chains [[Key Food]] and [[Waldbaum's]], to buy Dial's products.<ref name="Underboss"/>

As Castellano became more powerful in the Gambino family, he started to make large amounts of money from concrete in the construction industry. His son Philip was the president of Scara-Mix Concrete Corporation, which exercised a near [[monopoly]] on the concrete supply in [[Staten Island]].<ref name="supplier concrete">{{cite news|last=Raab|first=Selwyn|title=SUPPLIER OF CONCRETE TO CITY HAD LINK TO A CRIME FIGURE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/14/nyregion/supplier-of-concrete-to-city-had-link-to-a-crime-figure.html?scp=1&sq=Castellano%20Scara-mix&st=cse|access-date=January 10, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 14, 1986|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304141104/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/14/nyregion/supplier-of-concrete-to-city-had-link-to-a-crime-figure.html?scp=1&sq=Castellano%20Scara-mix&st=cse|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Castellano handled Gambino interests in the "Concrete Club," a club of contractors selected by [[The Commission (mafia)|The Commission]], the mob's ruling body, to handle contracts between $2 million and $15 million.<ref name="task force">{{cite book|last=director|first=from the New York State Organized Crime Task Force; Ronald Goldstock|title=Corruption and racketeering in the New York City construction industry : final report to Governor Mario M. Cuomo|year=1990|publisher=New York University Press|location=New York|isbn=0-8147-3034-5|pages=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AdTBK9CAJ84C&q=%22Ralph+Scopo%22&pg=PA88|access-date=October 27, 2020|archive-date=January 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104163327/https://books.google.com/books?id=AdTBK9CAJ84C&q=%22Ralph+Scopo%22&pg=PA88|url-status=live}}</ref> In return, the contractors gave a two-percent [[kickback (bribery)|kickback]] of the contract value to The Commission.<ref name="task force" /><ref name="jury">[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/20/nyregion/us-jury-convicts-eight-as-members-of-mob-commission.html?scp=7&sq=%22Ralph%20Scopo%22&st=cse "U.S. JURY CONVICTS EIGHT AS MEMBERS OF MOB COMMISSION"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304232310/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/20/nyregion/us-jury-convicts-eight-as-members-of-mob-commission.html?scp=7&sq=%22Ralph%20Scopo%22&st=cse |date=March 4, 2016 }} By ARNOLD H. LUBASCH New York Times November 20, 1986</ref> Castellano also supervised Gambino control of [[Teamsters Union]] Local Chapter 282, which provided workers to pour concrete at all major building projects in New York and [[Long Island]].<ref name="union charged">{{cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|title=2 IN UNION CHARGED WITH TIES TO MOB|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/22/nyregion/2-in-union-charged-with-ties-to-mob.html|access-date=January 10, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 22, 1991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525231812/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/22/nyregion/2-in-union-charged-with-ties-to-mob.html|archive-date=May 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1975, Castellano allegedly had Vito Borelli, his daughter's boyfriend, murdered because he heard Borelli had compared him to [[Frank Perdue]], the owner and commercial spokesman for [[Perdue Farms]]. In 2004, court documents revealed that [[Joseph Massino]], a government witness and former boss of the [[Bonanno crime family]], admitted to murdering Borelli as a favor to Castellano.<ref name="bonanno boss">{{cite news|last=Marzulli|first=John|title=Bonanno Boss Linked To Old Gangland Slays|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2004-05-12/news/18259314_1_murders-bonanno-crime-family|access-date=January 11, 2012|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|date=May 12, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514074712/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2004-05-12/news/18259314_1_murders-bonanno-crime-family|archive-date=May 14, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Succession ===
On October 15, 1976, Gambino died at his home of [[natural causes]].<ref name="gambino dies">{{cite news|last=Gage|first=Nicholas|title=Carlo Gambino, a Mafia Leader, Dies in His Long Island Home at 74|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/16/archives/carlo-gambino-a-mafia-leader-dies-in-his-long-island-home-at-74.html?sq=%2522Paul%2520Castellano%2522&scp=9&st=cse|access-date=January 7, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 16, 1976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722213722/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/16/archives/carlo-gambino-a-mafia-leader-dies-in-his-long-island-home-at-74.html?sq=%2522Paul%2520Castellano%2522&scp=9&st=cse|archive-date=July 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Against expectations, he appointed Castellano to succeed him over his [[underboss]], [[Aniello Dellacroce|Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce]]. Gambino appeared to believe that his crime family would benefit from Castellano's focus on [[white collar worker|white collar]] businesses.<ref>O'Brien, Kurins, pp. 104–105</ref> Dellacroce, at the time, was imprisoned for [[tax evasion]] and was unable to contest Castellano's succession.<ref>Davis, p. 176</ref>

Castellano's succession was confirmed at a meeting on November 24, with Dellacroce present. Castellano arranged for Dellacroce to remain as underboss while directly running traditional mob activities such as [[extortion]], [[robbery]] and [[loansharking]].<ref name="bob 106">O'Brien, Kurins, pp. 106–108</ref> While Dellacroce accepted Castellano's succession, the deal effectively split the Gambino family into two rival factions{{ndash}}Dellacroce's faction in [[Manhattan]], and Castellano's faction in [[Brooklyn]].<ref name="bob 106"/>

In 1978, Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of Gambino associate [[Nicholas Scibetta]]. A [[cocaine]] and [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] user, Scibetta participated in several public fights and insulted the daughter of [[George DeCicco]]. Since Scibetta was [[Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano]]'s brother-in-law, Castellano asked DeCiccio's brother [[Frank DeCicco|Frank]] to first notify Gravano of the impending hit. When advised of Scibetta's fate, a furious Gravano initially threatened to kill Castellano first. However, he eventually calmed down and accepted Scibetta's death as a punishment earned by his behavior.<ref>{{cite web|last=May|first=Allan|title=Living by the Rules|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/gravano/rules_7.html|work=Sammy "The Bull" Gravano|publisher=Crime Library|access-date=January 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424004019/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/gravano/rules_7.html|archive-date=April 24, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

That same year, Castellano allegedly ordered the murders of Gambino ''capo'' James Eppolito and his son, James Eppolito Jr. Eppolito Sr. had complained to Castellano that [[Anthony Gaggi]], another Gambino ''capo'', was infringing on his territory and asked permission to kill him. Castellano gave Eppolito a noncommittal answer, but later warned Gaggi about Eppolito's intentions. In response, Gaggi and [[soldato|soldier]] [[Roy DeMeo]] murdered Eppolito and his son.<ref name=eppolitto>{{cite book|last=Eppolitto|first=Lou|title=Mafia Cop|date=August 15, 2005|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4165-2399-4|page=203|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nsqpP4c25DEC&q=Castellano+Eppolito}}</ref>

In February 1978, Castellano made an agreement between the Gambino family and the [[Westies]], an [[Irish-American]] gang from [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]]. Castellano wanted [[contract killing|hitmen]] that law enforcement could not tie directly to the family. The Westies wanted Gambino protection from the other mob families. The Gambino–Westie alliance was set in a meeting between Castellano and Westies leader [[James Coonan]]. According to Westies gangster [[Mickey Featherstone]], Castellano gave them the following directive:
<blockquote>You guys got to stop acting like cowboys – acting wild. You're going to be with us now. If anyone is going to get killed, you have to clear it with us.<ref name=westies>{{cite news|last=Lubasch|first=Arnold H.|title=Westies Informer Tells of Links to Gambino Mob|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/06/nyregion/westies-informer-tells-of-links-to-gambino-mob.html?scp=43&sq=%22Paul%20Castellano%22&st=cse|access-date=4 January 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 6, 1987|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402101818/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/06/nyregion/westies-informer-tells-of-links-to-gambino-mob.html?scp=43&sq=%22Paul%20Castellano%22&st=cse|archive-date=April 2, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> </blockquote> 
Castellano also forged an alliance with the Cherry Hill Gambinos, a group of Sicilian [[heroin]] importers and distributors in [[New Jersey]], also for use as gunmen. With the Westies and the Cherry Hill Gambinos, Castellano commanded a small army of capable killers.

In September 1980, Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of his former son-in-law, [[Frank Amato]], for physically abusing his wife, Castellano's daughter Connie, when they were married.<ref name="Raab 251">Raab, p. 251</ref><ref name="raab 252" /> According to [[FBI]] documents, DeMeo murdered Amato, cut up his body and disposed of the remains at sea. The following year, Perdue, the alleged cause of the 1975 Borelli murder, approached Castellano for help in thwarting a [[unionization]] drive at a Perdue facility in [[Virginia]]. However, according to Perdue, the two men never made a final agreement.<ref name="kirland faults">{{cite news|last=Noble|first=Kenneth B.|title=KIRKLAND FAULTS JUSTICE DEPT. ON UNION CRIME|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/08/us/kirkland-faults-justice-dept-on-union-crime.html?scp=3&sq=perdue++castellano&st=nyt|access-date=January 7, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 8, 1986|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306102409/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/08/us/kirkland-faults-justice-dept-on-union-crime.html?scp=3&sq=perdue++castellano&st=nyt|archive-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the height of his power, Castellano built a lavish 17-room mansion on a ridgeline in [[Todt Hill, Staten Island|Todt Hill]] on Staten Island. Designed to resemble the {{nowrap|[[White House]]}} in {{nowrap|Washington, D.C.,}} the mansion featured [[Carrara marble]], an [[Olympic-size swimming pool]] and an [[English garden]].<ref name="raab 252">Raab, p. 252</ref> Castellano engaged in an affair with his {{nowrap|live-in}} Colombian maid, Gloria Olarte.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/08/31/the-mobsters-mistress/4a06cf4f-b13a-47b3-86f4-4bc87b9956ff/|title=THE MOBSTER'S MISTRESS|first=Gerardo|last=Reyes|date=August 31, 1991|via=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215090541/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/08/31/the-mobsters-mistress/4a06cf4f-b13a-47b3-86f4-4bc87b9956ff/|archive-date=December 15, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Castellano became a recluse and rarely ventured outside the mansion, requiring his ''capos'' to visit the residence to give information and receive orders. When not entertaining guests, Castellano wore satin and silk [[dressing gown]]s and velvet slippers around {{nowrap|the house.<ref name="raab 271">Raab, p. 271</ref>}}

[[John Gotti]], a former protégé of Dellacroce, became deeply dissatisfied with Castellano's leadership, regarding the boss as being too isolated and greedy.<ref>Davis, p. 187</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 61</ref> Like other members of the family he disliked Castellano on a personal level, feeling he lacked [[street cred]]ibility. Gotti also had an economic interest: he had a long-running dispute with Castellano on the split Gotti took from hijackings at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/nyregion/kennedy-airport-mob-s-candy-store.html|title = Kennedy Airport: Mob's Candy Store|newspaper = The New York Times|date = August 3, 1994|last1 = Raab|first1 = Selwyn}}</ref> Furthermore, Gotti was rumored to be expanding into [[drug dealing]], a lucrative trade Castellano had banned under threat of death.

=== Legal problems ===
In January 1983, Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of DeMeo, who was found shot to death in the trunk of his [[Cadillac]].<ref name="raab 271" /> Two months later, the FBI obtained a warrant to install [[covert listening device|secret listening devices]] in Castellano's mansion. Waiting until he went on vacation to [[Florida]], agents drugged his watchdogs, disabled his security system, and planted devices in the dining and living rooms. These devices provided law enforcement with a wealth of incriminating information on Castellano.<ref>Blum p. 99</ref>

In August 1983, Gambino members [[Angelo Ruggiero]] and [[Gene Gotti]] were arrested for dealing heroin, based primarily on recordings from a device in Ruggiero's house.<ref name="Davis, p 216">Davis, p. 216</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 77</ref> Castellano demanded transcripts of the tapes,<ref name="Davis, p 216"/><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 79–80</ref> and when Ruggiero refused he threatened to demote Gotti.<ref name="Davis, p 238">Davis, p 238</ref>
[[File:CastellanoMugshot.jpg|thumb|Castellano in a 1984 mugshot]]
On March 30, 1984, Castellano was [[indictment|indicted]] on federal [[racketeering]] charges, as well as [[extortion]], [[drug trafficking]], [[theft]], [[prostitution]] and the murders of Eppolito and DeMeo. He was released on $2 million [[bail]].<ref name="reputed leader">{{cite news|last=Lubasch|first=Arnold H.|title=REPUTED LEADER OF A CRIME FAMILY IS INDICTED BY U.S.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/31/nyregion/reputed-leader-of-a-crime-family-is-indicted-by-us.html?scp=7&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++indicted&st=nyt|access-date=January 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 31, 1984|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522170633/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/31/nyregion/reputed-leader-of-a-crime-family-is-indicted-by-us.html?scp=7&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++indicted&st=nyt|archive-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Castellano's legal challenges mounted in 1985. On February 25 he was one of many mob bosses arrested on charges of racketeering, which was to result in the [[Mafia Commission Trial]];<ref name=initial>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/27/nyregion/us-indictment-says-9-governed-new-york-mafia.html|title=U.s. Indictment Says 9 Governed New York Mafia|first=Arnold H.|last=Lubasch|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 27, 1985|access-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219212505/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/27/nyregion/us-indictment-says-9-governed-new-york-mafia.html|archive-date=December 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> he was released on $3 million bail.<ref>{{cite web |author=Paul Castellano's life of crime |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/paul-castellano-life-crime-gallery-1.2467457?pmSlide=1.2467451 |title=Paul Castellano's life of crime: Daily News |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=February 26, 1985 |access-date=April 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513045835/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/paul-castellano-life-crime-gallery-1.2467457?pmSlide=1.2467451 |archive-date=May 13, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 1 he was indicted on loansharking charges and with tax evasion for not reporting the profits from an illegal racket,<ref name="evasion taxes">{{cite news|last=Seigel|first=Max H.|title=Gambino Brother in Law Cited on Usuary and Evasion of Taxes|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1975/07/02/78255091.pdf|access-date=January 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 2, 1975}}</ref> and pleaded not guilty.<ref name="11 plead">{{cite news|title=11 Plead Not Guilty to Ruling Organized Crime in New York|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/02/nyregion/11-plead-not-guilty-to-ruling-organized-crime-in-new-york.html?scp=18&sq=%22carmine%20Persico%22%20commission&st=cse|access-date=October 19, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 2, 1985|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330205808/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/02/nyregion/11-plead-not-guilty-to-ruling-organized-crime-in-new-york.html?scp=18&sq=%22carmine%20Persico%22%20commission&st=cse|archive-date=March 30, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 4, in a testimony from car thief Vito Arena, Castellano was named the head of the stolen-car ring that employed him, as well as having been connected to five murders.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/05/nyregion/castellano-named-at-car-theft-trial.html|title=Castellano Named at Car-Theft Trial|first=Ronald|last=Smothers|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 5, 1985|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214003218/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/05/nyregion/castellano-named-at-car-theft-trial.html|archive-date=December 14, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Conspiracy ===
Dellacroce died of cancer on {{nowrap|December 2, 1985,<ref name=tplvd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CtxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5927%2C712063 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title='Top level hoodlum' dies of cancer |date=December 4, 1985 |page=12A |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030250/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CtxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5927%2C712063 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} starting a chain of events that led to Castellano's murder two weeks {{nowrap|later.<ref name="dellacrocce dies">{{cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Ralph|title=ANIELLO DELLACROCE DIES AG 71; REPUTED CRIME-GROUP FIGURE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/04/nyregion/aniello-dellacroce-dies-ag-71-reputed-crime-group-figure.html?scp=64&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++indicted&st=nyt|access-date=January 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 4, 1985|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022224031/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/04/nyregion/aniello-dellacroce-dies-ag-71-reputed-crime-group-figure.html?scp=64&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++indicted&st=nyt|archive-date=October 22, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Castellano's failure to attend Dellacroce's [[wake (ceremony)|wake]] was taken as an insult by members of the Manhattan faction.<ref name="Blum 107">Blum, p. 107</ref> Then, Castellano named [[Thomas Bilotti]], a loyalist with little diplomatic skill, as the new underboss. Castellano also hinted that he planned to break up John Gotti's crew.<ref>Blum p. 112</ref>

Gravano suggested killing both Castellano and Bilotti while they were eating breakfast at a diner.<ref>Blum p. 115</ref> However, when DeCicco tipped Gotti off that he would be having a meeting with Castellano and several other mobsters at Manhattan's [[Sparks Steak House]] on December 16, Gotti and the other conspirators decided to kill him then.<ref>Blum p. 128</ref>
[[File:Sparks Steak House Entrance (Manhattan, New York).jpg|thumb|[[Sparks Steak House]] entrance at 210 East 46th Street, the scene of Castellano's murder]]

== Murder ==
On Monday, December 16, 1985, Bilotti drove Castellano to the prearranged early evening meeting at Sparks Steak House.<ref name=mayignt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=skFHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3428%2C3712894 |work=The Day |location=(New London, Connecticut) |agency=Associated Press |title=FBI fears murder of Castellano may ignite war for mob control |date=December 17, 1985 |page=A1 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=January 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104163221/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=skFHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3428%2C3712894 |url-status=live }}</ref> A hit team (consisting of [[Salvatore Scala]], Edward Lino and [[John Carneglia]]) waited near the restaurant entrance; positioned down the street were backup shooters Ruggiero, [[Dominick Pizzonia]] and [[Tony Rampino]].<ref name="answers mafia">{{cite news|last=Capeci|first=Jerry|title=Answers About the New York Mafia, Part 2|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/answers-about-the-new-york-mafia-part-2/?scp=8&sq=castellano%20carneglia&st=cse|access-date=January 11, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213143911/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/answers-about-the-new-york-mafia-part-2/?scp=8&sq=castellano%20carneglia&st=cse|archive-date=December 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Gotti and Gravano observed the scene from a car across the street.<ref name="shot by shot">{{cite news|last=Lubasch|first=Arnold H.|title=Shot by Shot, an Ex-Aide to Gotti Describes the Killing of Castellano|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/04/nyregion/shot-by-shot-an-ex-aide-to-gotti-describes-the-killing-of-castellano.html?scp=2&sq=castellano|access-date=January 7, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 4, 1992|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522173240/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/04/nyregion/shot-by-shot-an-ex-aide-to-gotti-describes-the-killing-of-castellano.html?scp=2&sq=castellano|archive-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

As Castellano was exiting the car at the front of the restaurant at around 5:26 pm, the gunmen ran up and shot him several times.<ref name=ergaprmb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-ttVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3061%2C4363821 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Reputed Mafia boss murdered |date=December 17, 1985 |page=3A |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030317/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-ttVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3061%2C4363821 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=sraphit>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=0klj8wIChNAC&dat=19851217&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=(''New York Daily News'') |title=Crime boss, bodyguard murdered in Manhattan |date=December 17, 1985 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name=upimbbmlbl>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=62APAAAAIBAJ&pg=6746%2C3158237 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=United Press International |title=Mob boss murder leads to bulletin for Lincoln car |date=December 17, 1985 |page=D4}}</ref> Allegedly, Carneglia delivered the fatal shot to Castellano's head.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/archives/|title=Archives &#124; The Philadelphia Inquirer|website=inquirer.com|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811024423/https://www.inquirer.com/archives/|archive-date=August 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Bilotti was shot as he exited from the driver's door. Before leaving the murder scene, Gotti drove over to view the bodies.<ref name="shot by shot"/>

=== Aftermath ===
Castellano was buried in the [[Moravian Cemetery]] in the [[New Dorp]] section of Staten Island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/20/Mourners-of-godfather-Paul-Big-Paul-Castellano-slipped-off/3261503902800/|title=Mourners of godfather Paul 'Big Paul' Castellano slipped off...|website=UPI|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091350/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/20/Mourners-of-godfather-Paul-Big-Paul-Castellano-slipped-off/3261503902800/|archive-date=October 14, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|Archdiocese of New York]] refused to grant him a [[Catholic funeral]], citing his notorious life and death.<ref name=mbdpbms>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FhwhAAAAIBAJ&pg=7124%2C2117375 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=Associated Press |title=Mobster denied public burial mass |date=December 20, 1985 |page=A19}}</ref><ref name=mogp>{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/20/Mourners-of-godfather-Paul-Big-Paul-Castellano-slipped-off/3261503902800/ |work=United Press International |last=Pessin |first=Esther |title=Mourners of godfather Paul 'Big Paul' Castellano slipped off... |date=December 20, 1985 |access-date=January 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091350/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/20/Mourners-of-godfather-Paul-Big-Paul-Castellano-slipped-off/3261503902800/ |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="middle village">{{cite news|last=Feuer|first=Alan|title=Middle Village Journal; Sleeping With the Giants of the Mob|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/22/nyregion/middle-village-journal-sleeping-with-the-giants-of-the-mob.html?scp=10&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++church&st=nyt|access-date=January 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 22, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304150100/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/22/nyregion/middle-village-journal-sleeping-with-the-giants-of-the-mob.html?scp=10&sq=%22Paul+Castellano%22++church&st=nyt|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Two weeks after the murder, Gotti was elected as the new boss of the Gambino family.<ref name="shot by shot" /> [[Vincent Gigante]], the boss of the [[Genovese crime family|Genovese family]], was outraged that Gotti had killed Castellano without following Mafia protocol and solicited the help of [[Lucchese crime family|Lucchese family]] boss [[Anthony Corallo]] in carrying out a hit. On April 13, 1986, a car bomb meant for Gotti exploded outside a Bensonhurst social club, but the only casualty was Frank DeCicco.<ref name="bombing gotti">{{cite news|last=Raab|first=Selwyn|title=Defector Says Bomb That Killed Underboss Was Meant for Gotti|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/24/nyregion/defector-says-bomb-that-killed-underboss-was-meant-for-gotti.html?scp=1&sq=DeCicco%20bombing&st=cse|access-date=January 9, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 24, 1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921062602/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/24/nyregion/defector-says-bomb-that-killed-underboss-was-meant-for-gotti.html?scp=1&sq=DeCicco%20bombing&st=cse|archive-date=September 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=upida>{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/04/17/Scores-of-tearful-friends-and-reputed-mobsters-mourned-the/7005514098000/ |work=United Press International |last=Andrew |first=Dan |title=Scores of tearful friends and reputed mobsters mourned the death of Frank DeCicco |date=April 17, 1986 |access-date=January 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121606/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/04/17/Scores-of-tearful-friends-and-reputed-mobsters-mourned-the/7005514098000/ |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gotti was arrested by the FBI in late 1990 on racketeering charges<ref name=gagnorch >{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qEJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6874%2C3094561 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=(''New York Times'') |title=Gotti arrested again on rackets charges |date=December 12, 1990 |page=7A |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030254/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qEJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6874%2C3094561 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=mbgnb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cm4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=6197%2C3009377 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=wire dispatches |title=Mob boss Gotti nabbed by FBI |date=December 12, 1990 |page=2 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030324/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cm4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=6197%2C3009377 |url-status=live }}</ref> and denied bail 10 days later.<ref name=gtsphij>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XopRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3774%2C526985 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=wire reports |title=Gotti to spend holidays in jail |date=December 22, 1990 |page=A4}}</ref><ref name=jretgbpp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yHEjAAAAIBAJ&pg=3148%2C4118579 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=Associated Press |title=Judge refuses to grant bail for reputed mob boss Gotti |date=December 22, 1990 |page=A8 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030257/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yHEjAAAAIBAJ&pg=3148%2C4118579 |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 2, 1992, with the help of Gravano becoming a government witness, Gotti was convicted of numerous racketeering charges, including the 1985 Castellano murder.<ref name=spcgoguil>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2LgSAAAAIBAJ&pg=6073%2C175434 |work=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Gotti guilty of murder, racketeering |date=April 2, 1992 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name=mtahgcn>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7U5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=6230%2C1348663 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |last=Lubasch |first=Arnold H. |agency=(''New York Times'') |title=Mob takes a hit: Gotti convicted |date=April 3, 1992 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name="gotti guilty">{{cite news|title=John Gotti, Guilty at Last|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/03/opinion/john-gotti-guilty-at-last.html?scp=2&sq=gotti+convicted+castellano+murder&st=nyt|access-date=January 9, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 3, 1992|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301000002/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/03/opinion/john-gotti-guilty-at-last.html?scp=2&sq=gotti+convicted+castellano+murder&st=nyt|archive-date=March 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tflnomil>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=35YWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6570%2C576551 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=news services |title=Teflon no more |date=April 3, 1992 |page=3A }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=tblgv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UFhPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5886%2C609109 |work=Toledo Blade |location=(Ohio) |title=Gotti verdict opens door to rival mob |date=April 3, 1992 |page=1}}</ref> On June 23, 1992, Gotti was sentenced to life in federal prison,<ref name=gglfpsap>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XbkSAAAAIBAJ&pg=5871%2C3046398 |work=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Gotti gets life prison sentence |date=June 23, 1992 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name=mcggls>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aE5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=5710%2C2937663 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=(''Washington Post'') |title=Mob chief Gotti gets life sentence |date=June 24, 1992 |page=A3 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030352/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aE5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=5710%2C2937663 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gotti sentenced">{{cite news|last=Lubasch|first=Arnold H|title=Gotti Sentenced to Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/24/nyregion/gotti-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-the-possibility-of-parole.html?scp=9&sq=gotti+sentenced&st=nyt|access-date=January 9, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 24, 1992|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301000018/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/24/nyregion/gotti-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-the-possibility-of-parole.html?scp=9&sq=gotti+sentenced&st=nyt|archive-date=March 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> where he died of [[throat cancer]] in 2002.<ref name=fmbdip>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gN1WAAAAIBAJ&pg=6649%2C2777222 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=news services |title=Former Mafia boss dies inside prison |date=June 11, 2002 |page=4A}}</ref><ref name=xcbjgdi>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WGZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3817%2C5633 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spkane, Washington) |agency=wire reports |title=Ex-crime boss John Gotti dies |date=June 11, 2002 |page=A1 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220030307/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WGZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3817%2C5633 |url-status=live }}</ref> No one else was ever charged in the Castellano murder.

== Media portrayals ==
* Jazz pianist [[Gene DiNovi]] portrays Castellano in the 1994 TV film ''[[Getting Gotti]]''
* [[Richard C. Sarafian]] portrays Castellano in the 1996 [[HBO]] network original film ''[[Gotti (1996 film)|Gotti]]''
* [[Abe Vigoda]] portrays Castellano in the [[NBC]] network TV movie ''[[Witness to the Mob]]'' (1998)
* [[Sam Coppola]] portrays Castellano in the 2001 Canadian-American TV movie ''[[The Big Heist]]''
* [[Chazz Palminteri]] portrays Castellano in ''[[Boss of Bosses]]'', a 2001 film on the [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] network.
* Donald John Volpenhein portrays Castellano in the biopic 2018 ''[[Gotti (2018 film)|Gotti]]'', based on John Gotti Jr.'s 2015 book ''Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father''
* Subject of the ''[[Fear City: New York vs The Mafia]]'' (2020), [[Netflix]] documentary

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
*{{cite book|last=Blum|first=Howard|title=Gangland: How the FBI Broke the Mob|year=1995|publisher=Pocket Books|location=New York|isbn=0-671-90015-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2KKKKEouo9oC&q=Castellano+wake&pg=PA107}}
*{{cite book|last=Davis|first=John H.|title=Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family|year=1993|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|isbn=0061091847|edition=1994 paperback|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mafiadynastyrise00davi}}
*{{cite book|title=Boss of Bosses: The FBI and Paul Castellano|year=1991|publisher=Island Books|location=New York|isbn=0-440-21229-4|author=O'Brien, Joseph F.|edition=1992|author2=Kurins, Andris}}
*{{cite book|last=Raab|first=Selwyn|title=Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires|year=2006|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|location=New York|isbn=0-312-36181-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5nAt6N8iQnYC&q=Amato+Castellano&pg=PA251|edition=1st St. Martin's Griffin}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/castellano-death-certificate Paul Castellano's Death Certificate]
*[http://www.biography.com/people/paul-castellano-329028 Paul Castellano] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127111942/http://www.biography.com/people/paul-castellano-329028 |date=January 27, 2012 }} – [[The Biography Channel|Biography.com]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-other|[[American Mafia]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Neil Dellacroce]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Gambino crime family]]<br />Co-Underboss with Neil Dellacroce|years=1974–1976}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Neil Dellacroce]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Carlo Gambino]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Gambino crime family]]<br />Boss|years=1976–1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Gotti]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Carlo Gambino]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Capo di tutti capi]]<br />Boss of bosses|years=1976–1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Gotti]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Gambino crime family}}
{{American Mafia}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellano, Paul}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:1985 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century American criminals]]
[[Category:American butchers]]
[[Category:American male criminals]]
[[Category:Assassinated American people]]
[[Category:Bosses of the Gambino crime family]]
[[Category:Burials at Moravian Cemetery]]
[[Category:Catholics from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Criminals from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Gangsters from New York City]]
[[Category:Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent]]
[[Category:People of Sicilian descent]]
[[Category:People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Todt Hill, Staten Island]]
[[Category:People murdered by the Gambino crime family]]
[[Category:People murdered in New York City]]