Constantino Paul "Big Paulie" Castellano (26 June 1915 – 16 December 1985) was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1976 to 1985, succeeding Carlo Gambino and preceding John Gotti. He was murdered by Gotti and several rebellious lieutenatns in 1985, leading to several years of instability in the Gambino family.
Biography[]
Constantino Paul Castellano was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York on 26 June 1915, and his first arrest occurred in Hartford, Connecticut in July 1934, when he robbed a haberdasher; his refusal to talk to authorities led to him becoming a respected criminal. The 6'2.5-tall and 270-pound Castellano intimidated other mobsters with his size, and he was nicknamed "Big Paulie". During the 1940s, he joined the Gambino crime family, becoming a capo under Albert Anastasia. In 1975, he became the acting boss for the aging boss Carlo Gambino, and Gambino made Castellano boss on his deathbed in 1976. Castellano was unpopular among his subordinates for being too book-smart and not at all street-smart; he transformed non-legitimate businesses into legitimate enterprises. He also focused on diplomacy with other families rather than empowering the Gambinos (even telling the Colombo crime family about his family's weaknesses), and he built a 17-room mansion for himself on Staten Island. Castellano became a recluse at his mansion, rarely leaving it, and he wore silk dressing gowns and velvet slippers around the house. The last straw for his already annoyed lieutenants was his failure to attend Aniello Dellacroce's wake after his 1985 death. John Gotti, a rebellious caporegime who Castellano had developed a rivalry with (often considering having him killed), conspired with other caporegimes to assassinate Castellano and take over the family.
Death[]
Castellano being shot
On 16 December 1985, the new Gambino underboss Thomas Bilotti drove Castellano to a dinner meeting with Gotti and other family members at the Sparks Steak House in Midtown Manhattan. As Castellano exited his car, hitmen waiting at the entrance of the restaurant ran up and shot him several times, with John Carneglia shooting Castellano in the head. Bilotti was also shot as he exited the driver's door. Gotti was elected the new boss, and his breach of mob rules by killing Castellano without permission from The Commission briefly led to a rivalry with Vincent Gigante that culminated in Gigante's 1986 assassination of Frank DeCicco.