The annual gross from the rackets probably exceed 50 billion dollars in the year
of 1986. That makes the mob's business greater than all U.S. iron, steel, copper and
aluminum manufacturing or about 1.1% of the GNP (Rowan,24). The Gambino Family
is probably the biggest, richest and most powerful crime family in the U.S. It composed
of 550 associates and 250 made men. When you hear of the names Carlo Gambino,
Paul Castellano, John Gotti and other members of the Gambino family people usually
think about what crimes they have done. There is more to their lives, beliefs and crime.
Many of the mobs members are raised in a poor environment or an environment
that consists of the Mafia. Carlo Gambino was born in Sicily into a family that was part
of an honor society, which is where the U.S. Mafioso came from. Carlo was a family
man who kept in touch with his family and looked out for their future. Carlo thought that
the most sacred bond was "di mio sanque" which meant blood of my blood. This is
why he married his cousin Katarn Castellano. Carlo and Katarn had four children.
Carlo wanted his sons Thomas and Joseph to have a good life and wanted his oldest
son to inherit the position of boss in the Gambino family. He had his oldest son
Thomas marry the boss of the Luchese Family's daughter. After they had got married
he had more power in the Luchese Family (Flatherty 106-124). Carlo was a great
father and husband. He never cheated on his wife. When Carlo saw one of his men
cheating on his wife he would probably say "Where's your wife? What are you doing
with this whore in a place like this where you're seen by people who know you and your
wife? Don't you have any shame? Don't you have any pride? Don't you have any
respect for your wife? If you can't be loyal to your family you can't be loyal to La Cosa
Nostra."(Mass 105-130)
Many of the members in the mob were family men. Gotti cared about his family
and treated everyone in his neighborhood with respect and they respected him. One
neighbor said "To the kids, to everyone he is a local hero." another said "People have
more trouble parking than they do with Gotti." (Wallace et al 26) When Gotti went to
trail for the murder of Paul Castellano his neighbors tied yellow ribbons on trees,
telephone poles and door handles. Gotti was close to his children. In 1981, his son
was hit by a car as he darted out of an alley. The motorist was Gotti's next door
neighbor. The motorist did not break any laws. While Gotti was gone on vacation the
motorist disappeared and never seen again (mafia 127-150).
Paul Castellano cared about his family, but he cheated on his wife with his maid.
Even though he cheated on his wife he did love her. Gambino if he was still alive
would not be pleased with his cousin. Castellano wanted the best for his children so
this meant not to follow in their father's foot steps. He did make his sons millionaires
off of the business he started which was the Dial Poultry Co. He gave the best to his
children even though he was the boss of the Gambino Family.
To Gambino his family was not number one, it was La Cosa Nostra, which is
what the mob called itself. La Cosa Nostra became before religion and family for
everyone in the mob. Paul Castellano once said "I don't care if your son has ten
minutes to live you have to be some where for La Cosa Nostra you be there on time."
Gambino believed in not drawing attention to La Cosa Nostra. This meant keeping a
low profile. Gambino lived in a small two story house, dressed in clothes that were not
flashy, and he didn't deal with the press. Many of the older generation of the mob
believed in this. The younger generations, however, loved the attention of the press,
rich clothes, and lived in rich houses.
Castellano ideas of how the family should be run was unlike the younger
generations of the mob. He did not favor holdups, hijacking, narcotics, and extortion.
Castellano was a cross between the older and younger generations of the mob. He
favored the old styles of making money, but he drew attention to himself. He dressed
flashy and built a 3 million dollar mansion. Castellano gave a death sentence to
anyone in the family caught dealing drugs or killing cops. These crimes drew attention
to the family. It also turned the members to turn into informants. Informants led to fall
of the Gambino Family.
Castellano's underboss, Dellecroce, favored holdups, hijacking, narcotics, and
extortion, but he believed that the boss makes the rules and that is the way it will be.
"But I think there the most unracist people in the would. They are just greedy.
The only color they care about is the color green. They do their thing. They don't give
a shit about nationality, religion, or any thing." (Mass 84) The mafia was created on
both legitimate people and illegitimate people. During prohibition the mafia provided
the beer for the legitimate people. Legitimate people also get protection from the
mafia. The mafia also provides legitimate people with lower prices on some products.
So without the legitimate people wants the mafia would not be as powerful as they are.
"I come in this organization on my feet but go out in a coffin,” Sammy Gravano
once said. These words are part of an initiation which is called the code of ometa.
The code of omerta is a sacred code of silence in which every mob believes in. If a
member breaks the code of omerta they will get a death sentence without trail. During
the initiation a saint card is lit and put into the hands of the person getting initiated and
they would say, "If I expose any secrets of the family my soul would burn in hell like the
saint burns in my hands" (Mass 86).
The mob believed that narcotic convictions make their men become informants
for the FBI . That is why they were against narcotics being sold by their men. It also
gave the mob unwanted public attention (Mass 82).
"You don’t get released from my crew. You have lived with John Gotti and you
will die with John Gotti" (Mafia127). Gotti believed in the code of silence, but he was
always in the public eye. He was flashy and loved the press. With the press watching
him the FBI started to figure out that Gotti was the boss of the Gambino Family. Gotti
never revealed any of the family secrets as an FBI informant. He did, however, reveal
them on a bugged phone or in his Bergin Hunt and Fishing Club which was also
bugged. With these bugs the FBI found out a lot about the Gambino Family (Mafia,
127-150).
Gravano did not live by the code of omerta. On March 2, 1992, he testified
against Gotti and revealed secrets that the family has kept secret for many years. This
testimony did not only bring the fall of the Gambino Family but helped damage other
families. Gravano’s publication of Underboss brought out more of the mob’s secrets
(Wallace et al 26-31).
The Gambino’s business was a very big and powerful organization. They had
550 associates ranging from the bartender down the corner to the senators in New
York. They also had connections with the other 24 mob families around the U.S. The
Gambino’s connections were unlimited. Carlo Gambino was believed to be good
friends with Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra was part of a group that was called the rat
pack. The rat pack included Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey
Bishop. The rat pack had connections with many of the big Mafia families. The
Kennedy’s, who had mad their fortune on prohibition, also had were believed to have
connetions with the mob (Flathery 104-133). The mobs connections would get started
where there was power and money to be found. The Gambino’s controlled the JFK
International Airport, the New York wharfs and the Trucking industry and the unions.
Through these industries, the Gambino Family could steal items being sent in. At the
wharfs, they could also steal the products being sent in, and they could also smuggle in
many immigrants from Sicily and other countries.
The trucking industry was run by Thomas Gambino. Through his trucks, every
clothing manufactuer in New York had to hire him to send their textiles to the stores. In
New York, everyone hired him because not many wanted to compete against him.
Thomas Gambino had a monopoly with his trucking industry that had earned the mob
about two million dollars a year. The unions were the mobs greatest help. With the
unions the Gambino’s could stop the JFK International Airport and the New York wharfs
employees from working until the mob got paid off. The mob could also steal from
these places and the employees and management would not say a thing. The
Gambino Family also had access to the dues union officials had collected from union
members. Money was everything to the Gambino Family. If anything or anybody got in
the way, they would have it or them eliminated (Flatherty 104-133).
The crimes the Gambino family committed had to be approved by the boss. The
crimes the Gambino’s did in the early part of the century were acceptable. Many of the
harsher crimes that drew attention to the Gambino’s operation and structure are illegal
within the family. When Castellano was boss, cop killings and narcotics where the
most disapproved crimes in the Gambino Family.
The Gambino Family was not considered an illegal operation to the members in
the family, rather a business. This business was not like the legitimate businesses. It
was profitable and if it didn’t earn a profit they would fix the problem any way they
could--even if it was illegal. The murders they did seemed like an everyday chore to
them. The punishment for not doing what they had to do ranged from a warning to
death. This business always came first before your family and your religion. Many of
the mobsters did break all rules in the book and they got away with it, but others did not
(Mob Pages).
The crimes that the Gambino family committed were fueled by many things. The
habits of people, (such as the need for narcotics, alcohol during prohibition, gambling,
and others) did comtribute to most of their wealth and power. The members were
willing to do anything for money and power. The most important thing that helped the
mob were their associates. Many people in the police and Washington had helped the
mob. The mob did not just use these people. They provided them with some money of
help when it was needed.
The Gambion crime family has been considered a bad thing. What is good and
bad? They are merely words that describe this and that. So if the crime families did
both good and bad, what are they considered? They will always be considered as bad.
The Gambino family had survived about one hundred years and it will be around for
many more years if habits of people, money, members and associates continue.
The Gambino family did care about money, but many did give money to
organizations. On October 28, 1997, a sketch belived to be done by John Gotti was
auctioned for $2,500. This money was donated to the starving children of Florida (John
Gotti Tribute Page). The Gambino brothers donated $2 million to a hospital in New
York to better their research in cancer and get equipment that other hospitals cannot
afford. They could be thought of philanthropists, but many think they donated so they
could be spared by the law because of their involvement with organized crime (Mob
Pages).
The organized crime members had to live a double life; one that was with their
family and the other life with La Cosa Nostra.
Even thought they did believe in some good things that doesn’t make them good people, since they did believe in doing bad things theat doesn’t make them bad people. The mob’s actions will be considered bad, but that will be thought until they do more good than bad. The philanthropy and kindness will not be praised of until they clear their name of all their crimes. From the first mob members many of them did think about being legitimate, but they were greedy and loved the money that they had got from what they chose to pursue. The mob is not the only thing that contributes to the crimes’ it is the money and the habits of people. These will be around for centuries to come or until humans are extinct. I chose to praise the mob for their kindness
