The Everything Mafia Book (47 page)

Phillip and Vincent Mangano—April 19, 1951
Vincent, the boss of the Mangano crime family (now known as the Gambinos), disappeared the same day as his brother Phillip was gunned down in Brooklyn. Albert Anastasia orchestrated the hit, taking the top spot.

Willie Moretti—October 4, 1951
Moretti was the underboss of the Genovese family and a family relation to Frank Costello. But his mind was going. He was heard babbling on and on about mob business as his mental health eroded (some said from syphilis). Three gunmen took him to lunch and finished him off.

Albert Anastasia—October 25 , 1957
Albert Anastasia was also known as “the Mad Hatter” and “the Lord High Executioner.” He met his demise in a barber chair at the Park Sheraton Hotel.

Gus Greenbaum—December 3, 1958
The manager of the Flamingo and Riviera in Vegas, Greenbaum was handpicked by Meyer Lansky to keep things running smoothly in Sin City. But his womanizing and heavy drinking took its toll. He relocated to Phoenix to stay out of trouble but the mob found him.

Anthony “Little Augie Pisano” Carfano—September 25 , 1959
Augie was out on the town with Janice Drake, a former Miss America contestant. Carfano was a New York–based mobster, but he was instrumental in turning Miami into a gangster’s paradise. But his usefulness was exhausted. He was gunned down in his car. Miss Drake did not survive the assault.

Bernie McLaughlin—October 1961
Bernie was the leader of a Charlestown, Massachusetts, Irish gang, direct competitors to the Winter Hill gang and the Boston Mafia. After an incident on Labor Day, a grudge quickly escalated into all-out war between the McLaughlins and the Winter Hill Gang. Bernie was shot and killed in the middle of a large crowd. No one saw anything.

Charles “Cadillac Charley” Cavallaro—November 23 , 1962
Normally mobsters only kill their own kind or those who cross them in business. But this time, the eighty-second bombing in Youngstown, Ohio, resulted in the death of not only mob figure Cadillac Charley but his eleven-year-old son as well.

Frank Mari and Mike Adamo—September 18, 1969
Mari was a rising star in the Bonanno family and Adamo was his bodyguard. This was the last day either was seen.

James “Jimmy Doyle” Plumeri—September 17, 1971
Plumeri was a Lucchese mobster with ties to the garment industry. He was also part of anti-Castro operations in South Florida and may have been offshore in a boat during the Bay of Pigs invasion. That fact didn’t impress the mobster who strangled Plumeri to death with his own tie.

Joe “Crazy Joe” Gallo—April 7, 1972
Gallo had returned from prison to reignite the Gallo war against the now-Colombo family. While eating seafood at the famous Umberto’s Clam House in Little Italy, gunmen burst in the restaurant and cut him down. Gallo staggered out and died in the middle of the street.

Sam “Mad Dog” DeStefano—April 14, 1973
The Chicago Outfit’s top hit man, Mad Dog DeStefano, was awaiting indictment with his crew for murder. His previous courthouse behavior worried the higher-ups in the Outfit. He was shotgunned to death in his garage.

Jimmy Hoffa—July 30, 1975
The legendary mystery of “where is Jimmy Hoffa buried” started this day. The most plausible explanation is that he was killed by members of the Detroit Mafia and chopped into pieces and/or crushed at a car wrecking plant. He is not, however, buried under Giants Stadium.