Carlo Gambino is called the greatest mafiosi of the 20th century. As head of one of the Five Families of the Italian-American Mafia, he had tremendous power in the United States. His secrecy and caution allowed him to live a long life and die a rare death for a crime boss - from a heart attack.
early years
Carlo was born in 1902 in Sicily. His relatives belonged to the Sicilian mafia. When Gambino was 19 years old, he illegally moved to the United States and settled with his cousins in Brooklyn. The young emigrant joined Cosa Nostra, the largest crime family in New York. Carlo quickly found like-minded people among the "new mafiosi" who were dissatisfied with the leadership and distribution of income by representatives of the old generation. Together with new friends, Gambino was engaged in theft, gambling. After Prohibition was introduced in America, they began an active trade in alcoholic beverages. In 1930, Carlo was accused of theft for the first time, but he managed to escape punishment. A few years later he was arrested again and spent almost 2 years behind bars. But later, having become extremely restrained, he was able to avoid new punishments and build a brilliant career in the criminal world.
War of Castellamarese
The 20s of the last century went down in the history of New York under the name “Wars of Castellamarese”. American gangsters from Italy joined one of the families - Masseria or Maranzano, the tension between which once reached its climax. The bloody massacre, which lasted 4 years, resulted in a large number of victims. It caused great concern in the Gambino group. The war could lead to the loss of power of the Italian mafia and the strengthening of the positions of criminal groups from other countries. Gambino and other "young mafiosi" could not allow this. After Masseria was killed, power passed to his rival. However, Maranzano was also killed less than a year later. All influential Italian mafiosi, among whom was Carlo Gambino, united into a single "crime syndicate".
At the head of the underworld
Carlo began work under the leadership of Mangano, who had been at the head of the clan for 20 years and gained many enemies. After his death, Anastasia took the place of the head, and Gambino became the junior boss in the family. For a time he was an assistant, but this role did not suit the ambitious gangster. Having shot his boss in broad daylight, Gambino led the clan. The Mangano family came under his rule and achieved prosperity. He was a ruthless leader and few dared to challenge him. Carlo was able to take control of San Francisco, Las Vegas and several other American cities.
In 1962, Gambino became the head of one of the five largest criminal clans, under his rule were more than 30 gangs and thousands of people. The Gambino family controlled the port and the lucrative waste collection and disposal business. Money flowed like a river, the family's annual income was $ 500 million. Considering drug trafficking a profitable but dangerous business, Carlo forbade his subordinates to trade heroin and cocaine, he adhered to the principle of "Sell and die" to the end.
Last years
In the 70s, Carlo experienced great health problems, but continued to lead the clans. He spent most of the time in his own mansion with his family. The personal life of the mafioso was very successful. For many years he was married to his cousin Catherine. The wife gave her husband three sons and a daughter.
Gambino's biography ended completely atypical for a mafia, he died in his own bed. The cause of death was a heart attack, which overtook him while watching TV. Thousands of people gathered for the funeral of the famous criminal leader, including many politicians. It's no secret that his power in the United States was greater than that of many state governors.
