Sammy Gravano

Salvatore Gravano was born on March 12, 1945, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to Giorlando "Gerry" and Caterina "Kay" Gravano. At age 13, Gravano joined the Rampers, a prominent street gang in Bensonhurst. He found that some older children had stolen his bicycle and went to fight the thieves. Mafiosi who were watching from a café, saw him take on a few of the older boys at once and they gave Gravano back his bike. As he was leaving, one of the made men remarked on how little Sammy fought "like a bull", hence his nickname "the Bull". Gravano has dyslexia, was bullied, and did poorly in school. In 1964, Gravano was drafted into the United States Army and served in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. While an enlisted man, Gravano worked as a mess hall cook. He rose to the rank of corporal and was granted an honorable discharge after two years. In 1971, Gravano married Debra Scibetta; they had two children. His daughter Karen Gravano appeared on the VH1 reality series Mob Wives beginning in 2011, Gravano is also the brother-in-law of Gambino crime family soldier Edward "Eddie" Garafola. Gravano was a childhood friend of Colombo crime family associate Gerard Pappa, who was also the leader of the Rampers. ==Colombo associate==

The Mafia had a longstanding presence in Bensonhurst via the Profaci family, which evolved into the Colombo family. Despite his father's attempts to dissuade him, Gravano, like many of his Ramper colleagues, drifted into La Cosa Nostra. He first became associated with the Mafia in 1968 through his friend Tommy Spero, whose uncle "Shorty" (also named Tommy) Spero was an associate of the Colombo family under future boss, Carmine "the Snake" Persico. He quickly moved into racketeering, loansharking, and running a lucrative poker game in the back room of an after-hours club, of which he was part owner. In the early 1970s, Colombo soldier Ralph Spero, brother of Shorty, became envious of Gravano's success, fearing that he would become a made man before his son, Tommy. he and the Colombo hierarchy decided that to avoid conflict, it was best for Gravano to be transferred to the Gambino family. ==Gambino soldier==

Now with the Gambinos, Gravano became an associate of capo Salvatore "Toddo" Aurello. Aurello quickly took a liking to Gravano and became his mob mentor. In 1978, boss Paul Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of Gambino associate Nicholas Scibetta. Scibetta was a cocaine and alcohol user who had been in several public fights and had insulted the daughter of Gambino soldier George DeCicco. Since Scibetta was Gravano's brother-in-law, Castellano asked Frank DeCicco to first notify Gravano of the impending hit. When advised of Scibetta's fate, Gravano was furious. However, Gravano was eventually calmed by DeCicco and accepted Scibetta's death as the punishment earned by his behavior. Gravano later said, "I chose against Nicky. I took an oath that Cosa Nostra came before everything." Scibetta was dismembered and his body was never found, other than a hand. Gravano later opened an afterhours club in Bensonhurst, called The Bus Stop. One night, the bar was the scene of a violent altercation, involving a rowdy biker gang intent on ransacking the establishment. A melee ensued, in which Gravano broke his ankle and the bikers were chased off. Gravano then went to Castellano and received permission to "kill them all". Along with Liborio "Louie" Milito, Gravano hunted down the leader, wounding him and killing another member of the gang. Castellano was flabbergasted when he learned the crutch-ridden Gravano personally took part in the hit. ==Construction magnate==

Like his predecessor Carlo Gambino, Castellano favored emphasizing more sophisticated schemes involving construction, trucking, and garbage disposal over traditional street-level activities such as loansharking, gambling, and hijackings. Patrons often had to wait an hour to get in, and the club featured high-profile live acts such as singer Chubby Checker. Gravano eventually became embroiled in a dispute with business partner Louie DiBono, a member of another Gambino crew. Gravano and his brother-in-law Eddie had a meeting with DiBono (along with an attorney and an accountant DiBono brought), at which DiBono said only $50,000 was due. Gravano excused the attorney and accountant and, once alone with DiBono, punched him around the room because of the scam. Hitting another made man is a death penalty in Cosa Nostra. DiBono told his captain, Pasquale "Patsy" Conte, who then told Castellano, and a sit-down was called. Toddo spoke on Gravano; Gambino underboss Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce intervened on Gravano's behalf. Castellano told DiBono to pay Gravano $200,000 and the two men end their business partnership. When Castellano was indicted for both his connection to Roy DeMeo's stolen car ring and as part of the Mafia Commission Trial, he learned his own house had been bugged on the basis of evidence from the Ruggiero tapes and he became livid. Gotti and Ruggiero then sought and obtained the approval of key figures from the Colombos and Bonannos, while DeCicco secured the backing of top mobsters aligned with the Luccheses. Castellano's driver, Thomas Bilotti, pulled the car up directly in front of the entrance. As Castellano and Bilotti exited the Lincoln, they were ambushed and killed in a barrage of bullets. As the hat-and-trench-coat-adorned men slipped away into the night, Gotti calmly drove the car past the front of the restaurant to get a look at the scene. Looking down at Bilotti's body from the passenger window, Gravano remarked, "He's gone." ==The new regime==

After Castellano's death, Gambino consigliere Joseph N. Gallo–the only surviving member of the hierarchy–convened a three-man committee to temporarily run the family, comprising himself, Gotti and DeCicco. However, it was an open secret that Gotti was acting boss in all but name, and nearly all of the family's capos knew he had been the one behind the hit. Gotti was formally acclaimed as the new boss of the Gambino family at a meeting of 20 capos held on January 15, 1986. Gotti, in turn, selected DeCicco as his underboss and elevated Gravano to capo after Toddo Aurello announced his desire to step down. Bombs had long been banned by the Mafia out of concern that it would put innocent people in harm's way, leading the Gambinos to initially suspect that "zips" — Sicilian mafiosi working in the U.S. — were behind it; zips were well known for using bombs. "Nicky Cowboy" murder The first person on Gravano's hit list after Castellano's murder was Nicholas Mormando, a former member of his crew. Mormando had become addicted to crack cocaine and was suspected by Gravano of getting friend and fellow crew member Michael DeBatt addicted to the drug. Gravano decided because of Nicky's reckless behavior, including getting DeBatt addicted to crack, he would get permission from Gotti to kill Mormando. with Gotti standing trial alongside Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson (who, despite being exposed as an informant, refused to turn state's evidence), Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria, Anthony "Tony Roach" Rampino, Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo and John Carneglia. At this point, the Gambinos were able to compromise the case when George Pape hid his friendship with Boško Radonjić and was empaneled as juror No. 11. Through Radonjić, Pape contacted Gravano and agreed to sell his vote on the jury for $60,000. On March 13, 1987, they acquitted Gotti and his codefendants of all charges. With DeCicco dead, the Gambinos were left without an underboss. Gotti chose to fill the vacancy with Joseph Armone. In 1987, Gallo was replaced with Gravano as consigliere, and by 1990, Gravano was promoted to underboss to replace the acting underboss Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio. By this time, Gravano was regarded as a "rising force" in the construction industry and often mingled with executives from major construction firms and union officials at his popular Bensonhurst restaurant, Tali's. required his capos to meet with him at the Ravenite Social Club once a week. ==Turning government witness==

Gotti, Gravano and LoCascio were often recorded by the bugs placed throughout the Ravenite (concealed in the main room, the first-floor hallway and the upstairs apartment of the building) discussing incriminating events. On December 11, 1990, FBI agents and New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives raided the Ravenite, arresting Gravano, Gotti and LoCascio. Gravano pleaded guilty to a superseding racketeering charge, and Gotti was charged with five murders (Castellano, Bilotti, DiBernardo, Liborio Milito and Louis DiBono), conspiracy to murder DeCavalcante crime family capo Gaetano "Corky" Vastola, loansharking, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, bribery and tax evasion. Based on tapes from FBI bugs played at pretrial hearings, the Gambino administration was denied bail. At the same time, attorneys Bruce Cutler and Gerald Shargel were disqualified from defending Gotti and Gravano after prosecutors successfully contended they were "part of the evidence" and thus liable to be called as witnesses. Prosecutors argued that Cutler and Shargel not only knew about potential criminal activity, but had worked as "in-house counsel" for the Gambino family. Gotti subsequently hired Albert Krieger, a Miami attorney who had worked with Joseph Bonanno, to replace Cutler. The tapes also created a rift between Gotti and Gravano, as they contained recordings of the Gambino boss describing his newly appointed underboss as too greedy and included discussions of Gotti's intent to frame Gravano as the main force behind the murders of DiBernardo, Milito and DiBono. Gotti's attempt at reconciliation with Gravano failed, leaving Gravano disillusioned with the mob and doubtful on his chances of winning his case without Shargel, his former attorney. Gravano ultimately opted to turn state's evidence, formally agreeing to testify on November 13, 1991. He was the first member of the hierarchy of a New York crime family to turn informer, and the second confessed underboss in the history of the American Mafia to do so after the Philadelphia crime family's Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti. Gotti and LoCascio were tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York before District Judge I. Leo Glasser. Jury selection began in January 1992 with an anonymous jury that was, for the first time in a Brooklyn federal case, fully sequestered during the trial due to Gotti's reputation for jury tampering. The trial commenced with the prosecution's opening statements on February 12; prosecutors Andrew Maloney and John Gleeson began their case by playing tapes showing Gotti discussing Gambino family business, including murders he approved, and confirming the animosity between Gotti and Castellano to establish the former's motive for killing his boss. After calling an eyewitness of the Sparks hit who identified Carneglia as one of the men who shot Bilotti, they then brought Gravano to testify on March 2. On the stand, Gravano confirmed Gotti's place in the structure of the Gambino family and described in detail the conspiracy to assassinate Castellano, giving a full description of the hit and its aftermath. Gravano confessed to 19 murders, implicating Gotti in four of them. Krieger and LoCascio's attorney, Anthony Cardinale, proved unable to shake Gravano during cross-examination. After additional testimony and tapes, the government rested its case on March 24. Among other outbursts, Gotti called Gravano a "junkie" while his attorneys sought to discuss his past steroid use. On June 23, 1992, Glasser sentenced Gotti and LoCascio to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and a $250,000 fine. Gotti surrendered to federal authorities to serve his prison time on December 14, 1992. On September 26, 1994, a federal judge sentenced Gravano to five years in prison. However, since Gravano had already served four years, the sentence amounted to less than one year. Gravano had faced up 20 years in prison, but the judge imposed a far more lenient sentence after the government urged him to be lenient. In doing so, they stated as a result of Gravano's testimony, there had been "37 convictions, nine people awaiting trial, eight people resigned from the unions as a result of Gravano's cooperation." They said Gravano was indirectly responsible for even more convictions, as his actions had encouraged others to cooperate against the Mafia. current and former captains Robert "Bobby Cabert" Bisaccia, Thomas Gambino, Pasquale Conte, Joseph "Joe Butch" Corrao, James Failla, Daniel Marino, John Gambino, Ralph Mosca, current and former soldiers Paul Graziano, Anthony Vinciullo, Domenico Cefalù (current Gambino family boss), Francesco Versaglio, Orazio Stantini, Louis Astuto, Dominic Borghese, Joseph Gambino, Peter Mosca, Virgil Alessi, and current and former associates Lorenzo Mannino (current Gambino family acting boss), Joseph Passanante, George Helbig, Peter Mavis, and Barry Nichilo. Apart from the Gambino family, Gravano also testified against Colombo family acting boss Victor "Vic" Orena and consigliere Benedetto "Benny" Aloi, Genovese family underboss Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano, and DeCavalcante family boss Giovanni "John" Riggi. Gravano admitted and confessed to participation in 19 murders, including Joseph Colucci in Queens in 1970, Alan Kaiser in Brooklyn in 1977, Nick Scibetta in Brooklyn in 1978, John Simone in Staten Island in 1980, Frank Stillitano in Philadelphia in 1981, Frank Fiala in Brooklyn in 1982, unnamed person first name Jackie in Brooklyn in 1983, Thomas Bilotti in Manhattan in 1985, Paul Castellano in Manhattan in 1985, Nicky Mormando in Brooklyn in 1986, Robert DiBernado in Brooklyn in 1986, Michael DeBatt in Brooklyn in 1987, Liborio Milito in Brooklyn in 1988, Thomas Spinelli in Brooklyn in 1989, Edward Garofalo in Brooklyn in 1990, and Louis DiBono in Manhattan in 1990. ==Later life==

Book and interviews Later in 1994, Gravano was released early and entered the U.S. federal Witness Protection Program. The government moved him to various locations until Gravano left the program in 1995 after only eight months and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he assumed the name "Jimmy Moran" and started a swimming pool installation company. In 1991, his wife Debra divorced him. In 1997, Gravano was consulted several times for the 1997 biographical book about his life, Underboss, by author Peter Maas. In it, Gravano said he became a government witness after Gotti attempted to defame him at their trial. Gravano finally realized that the Cosa Nostra code of honor was a sham. At that time, Gravano also hired a publicist, despite the fact Gravano complained often about the publicity-seeking Gotti. After the publication of Underboss, several families of Gravano's victims filed a $25 million lawsuit against him; however, the families lost that case. In 1997, New York State indicted Gravano on an old RICO case and seized Gravano's profits from the book. During an interview Gravano had with the newspaper The Arizona Republic, he said federal agents he had met after becoming a government witness had become his personal friends and even visited him in Arizona while on vacation. Gravano later said that he did not want The Republic to publish the story, but relented after the paper allegedly threatened to reveal that his family was living with him in Phoenix. The story so incensed his former mob compatriots that they forced the Gambinos to put a murder contract on him. The FBI alleged that Peter Gotti ordered two Gambino soldiers, Thomas Carbonaro and Eddie Garafola, to murder Gravano in Arizona in 1999. Drug conviction By the late 1990s, Gravano had re-engaged in criminal activity. His son, Gerard, became friends with 23-year-old Michael Papa, a Devil Dogs gang leader. Gravano started a major ecstasy trafficking organization, selling over 30,000 tablets and reportedly grossing $500,000 a week. In February 2000, Gravano and nearly 40 other ring members — including his ex-wife Debra, daughter Karen, and Gerard — were arrested on federal and state drug charges. Gravano was implicated by informants in his own drug ring, as well as by recorded conversations in which he discussed drug profits with Debra and Karen. On June 29, 2001, Gravano pleaded guilty in Phoenix to the state charges. In 2002, Gravano was diagnosed with Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder that can cause fatigue, weight loss with increased appetite, and hair loss. On September 7, 2002, after numerous delays, Gravano was sentenced in New York to 20 years in prison. A month later, he was also sentenced in Arizona to 19 years in prison, to run concurrently, but was also granted lifetime supervised release and a $100,000 fine. Gravano served his sentence at ADX Florence in Fremont County, Colorado, part of it being in solitary confinement. Gerard Gravano received nine years in prison in October 2002. Debra and Karen Gravano also pleaded guilty and received several years on probation. In November 2003, Sammy and Karen were ordered to pay $805,713 as reimbursement for court costs and investigative expenses relating to an earlier drug ring judgment. Gravano denied any involvement in Calabro's death and rejected a plea deal, under which he would have received no additional jail time if he confessed to the crime and implicated all his accomplices. The charges against Gravano were dropped after Kuklinski's death in 2006. In August 2015, Gravano's request to leave prison early was denied due to his "long-standing reputation for extreme violence". Gravano was listed as being in the Arizona state prison system, at a CO Special Services unit. He was initially scheduled for release in March 2019; however, he was released on September 18, 2017. Media appearances In 2013, National Geographic Channel dramatized Gravano's ecstasy ring in a scene in the Locked Up Abroad episode "Raving Arizona", televised worldwide. The episode told the story of ecstasy dealer "English" Shaun Attwood, who was Gravano's main competitor in the Arizona ecstasy market. In December 2020, Gravano started a YouTube channel and a podcast titled Our Thing. Conversion to Christianity In May 2025, Gravano became a born-again Christian, following a spiritual encounter where he heard the voice of God after contracting coronavirus. According to Gravano's baptism testimony, he had "always believed in God but this time, it was different... this time, I [Gravano] surrendered." ==See also==