Constantino Castellano
Paul Castellano on March 30, 1984.
Born	June 26, 1915 Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died	December 16, 1985 Manhattan, New York, USA

Constantino Paul Castellano (June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), better known as Paul Castellano (or PC to his family), was a mafia boss in New York. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, then one of New York's largest Mafia families. In early 1985, he was one of many Mafia bosses arrested on charges of racketeering, which was to result in the Mafia Commission Trial; in December of that year, while out on bail, Castellano and an associate were shot to death outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on the orders of John J. Gotti. big paulie castellano mug shot - public record File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... NY redirects here. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Manhattan is a borough of New York City, New York, USA, coterminous with New York County. ... NY redirects here. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The term Mafia (sometimes referred to as Cosa Nostra, Mafioso, or Black Hand, there are differences), refers to Italian criminal secret societies which developed in Sicily most notably developed in the mid-19th century. ... NY redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John Gotti, The Dapper Don The Gambino Crime Family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities based in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or La Cosa Nostra). ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Sparks Steak House is located at 210 East 46th Street between Second & Third Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. ... Manhattan is a borough of New York City, New York, USA, coterminous with New York County. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Early life

He was born in Brooklyn in 1915, to Giuseppe Castellano and Concetta (maiden name Casatu) and logged his first arrest for armed robbery in 1934. The 19-year-old Castellano refused to identify his two accomplices to the police and served a three-month prison sentence on his own, his refusal to co-operate with the authorities giving him a good reputation as a 'stand up guy'. Castellano often signed his name as C. Paul Castellano because he hated his first name, Constantino. Eventually he became known as Paul. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In a show of his true ruthlessness, Castellano called for the assassination of his daughter's boyfriend, Vito Borelli, in 1975 when Castellano heard that Borelli had likened Castellano's appearance to that of chicken magnate Frank Perdue, which was highly uncomplimentary due to Perdue's balding and elderly appearance (which some likened to a chicken), as well as to his comic and awkward mannerisms in his commercials. Ironically, Perdue would later call on Castellano for assistance with union issues at one of his processing plants, a decision Perdue later said that he regretted. Castellano also allegedly murdered his own son-in-law, Frank Amato, a young thug who married his attractive daughter, Connie Castellano, and then took to beating her. In 1980 Amato disappeared and was never seen again. [1] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Frank Perdue (May 9, 1920 – March 31, 2005), born in Salisbury, Maryland, was for many years the president of Perdue Farms, now one of the largest chicken-producing companies in the United States. ...

Rise in the Gambino family

Castellano became boss after Carlo Gambino's death in 1976. While many people wanted the position as boss, it is suspected that Gambino appointed Castellano as his successor because Gambino was married to Castellano's sister and Gambino was a man who believed that family should come first. But Gambino decided at the same time to retain Aniello Dellacroce as his underboss, to prevent a street war. Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... FBI Mugshot of former Gambino family Underboss Anellio Neil Dellacroce. ...

It is said that Castellano tried to run the organization like a company, and his connections expanded to places as far away as Kuwait. As part of an effort to lead a more open life-style, he purchased a large mansion in the prominent Todt Hill neighborhood of Staten Island. Todt Hill (elevation 410 ft) is a small mountain ridge on Staten Island, New York. ... For other uses, see Staten Island (disambiguation) Staten Island, shown in an enhanced satellite image Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located on an island of the same name on the west side of the Narrows at the entrance of New York Harbor. ...

From these changes, some of his captains apparently began to lose respect for his leadership, believing that Castellano had lost touch with the essence of the organization. Dellacroce, however, supposedly wouldn't approve of an attempt on his life, and thus they could not try to harm him.

Later years and assassination

In the early 1980s, Castellano became worried about the ambitions of the ruthless John J. Gotti, and the pair seemed to be on a collision course. Castellano repeatedly made it clear that he would kill anyone who was dealing in narcotics—knowing that Gotti was doing just that—whilst Gotti began to turn mobsters against Castellano, which was not very difficult because many in the Gambino Family did not respect Castellano. They regarded their boss as being too distant. Castellano rarely left his mansion and, although he demanded tribute payments from them, he rarely bothered to mix with the foot-soldiers of the Family, as if they were beneath him. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In early 1985, he was one of many Mafia bosses arrested on charges of racketeering, which was to result in the Mafia Commission Trial. Castellano was released on $3,000,000 bail and rumours were floating about that the 70-year-old might try to cut a deal with the FBI and turn on his criminal associates in order to avoid prison. There were also rumours that he had undergone an operation to cure his impotence in order to help him carry on an affair with his young maid, rumours that Gotti happily spread. Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), serving as both a federal criminal investigative body and a domestic intelligence agency. ...

On December 2, 1985, Dellacroce died of lung cancer. Castellano then made two major mistakes. First, he did not attend Dellacroce's funeral - which was viewed as highly disrespectful. Second, Castellano then named his bodyguard, Thomas Bilotti, as the new Underboss. Although Bilotti was a loyal mobster, he was also a brutish loanshark with little of the diplomatic skill required to hold such a high rank within the organization. is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Thomas Bilotti (March 23, 1940 - December 16, 1985) was an underboss of the Gambino Family and driver of Paul Castellanos. ...

Within two weeks of Dellacroce's death, on December 16, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on the orders of John Gotti. They had been lured there supposedly to a meeting with Gotti in order to iron out their differences. December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sparks Steak House is located at 210 East 46th Street between Second & Third Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. ... Manhattan is a borough of New York City, New York, USA, coterminous with New York County. ...

Legacy

Controversy dogged Castellano even in death, as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York refused to grant him the last rites of the church, citing the notorious circumstances surrounding both his life and death, leading many Italian-Americans (including New York State Governor Mario Cuomo) to accuse the predominantly Irish-American archdiocesan hierarchy of applying a prejudicial double standard (citing as an example the case of Brian O'Regan, an allegedly corrupt New York City police officer who, fearing impending arrest, committed suicide in a Long Island motel room the same year as Castellano's death; O'Regan did receive a Mass of Christian Burial despite the fact that a suicide note was found in the room and its authenticity was established beyond any doubt). Castellano was buried in the Moravian Cemetery, a non-sectarian cemetery located in the New Dorp section of Staten Island. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Mario Matthew Cuomo (born June 15, 1932) served as the Governor of New York from 1983 to 1995. ... Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can claim some ancestry originating in the west European island nation of Ireland. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Moravian Cemetery at 2205 Richmond Road in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York is the largest cemetery on the island. ... The approximate area of the neighborhood of New Dorp on Staten Island is shown highlighted in orange. ...

During his life, Castellano was able to set up his sons in successful businesses, making them become multimillionaires themselves, while not becoming Gambino wiseguys (although their companies certainly benefitted from the fact that their father commanded a network of 350+ made members and hundreds of more associates). One such business, Scara-Mix concrete, based in Staten Island, dominates the borough's concrete pouring industry. In 2006, during the racketeering trial of Gotti's son John A. Gotti, former captain Michael DiLeonardo testified that he was the bagman for the family and collected thousands of dollars per year from the brothers Peter and Philip who operated Scara-Mix. John A. Gotti (born 1964) is an alleged mobster in New York City. ... Michael Mikey Scars DiLeonardo (b. ...

The elder Gotti succeeded Castellano as head of the Gambino family, a fact that was confirmed by the testimony of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Gotti's Underboss, when he entered into a plea bargain with the government in 1990. Gotti was later convicted of ordering Castellano's murder, along with a host of other crimes. Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano (born March 12, 1945) was the Mafia underboss of the Gambino crime family in the 1980s under John Gotti. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

Popular Culture

Portrayed by Chazz Palminteri in Boss of Bosses, a 2001 film aired on TNT. Chazz Palminteri (born May 15, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usaul Suspects, A Bronx Tale and Mulholland Falls. ... Boss of Bosses is a 2001 made for TV movie about the life of former Gambino Family boss Paul Castellano. ...

Portrayed by Richard C. Sarafian in the 1996 HBO original movie Gotti, a story of the life of John J. Gotti which climaxed with Castellano's assassination. Richard C. Sarafian (born 28 April 1930 in New York, New York) is a TV and film director. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is an American premium cable television network. ... Gotti DVD cover Gotti was a TV movie made in 1996 starring Armand Assante and many of the actors who would later play mob men on The Sopranos. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Further reading

• O'Brien, Joseph F. and Kurins, Andris. Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather: The FBI and Paul Castellano. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.

External links

• Paul Castellano's Death Certificate
• Paul Castellano's entry at mugshots.com
• American Organized Crime - Gambino Crime Family - Constantine Paul "Big Paulie" Castellano