Ralph Galione (31 August 1936 – 20 December 1973) was a Gambino crime family hitman who worked in John Gotti's Bergin crew. He was murdered in retaliation for his killing of James McBratney.
Biography[]
Galione being shot
Ralph Galione was born in New York City, New York in 1936, and he became a hitman for the Gambino crime family. Galione was known to use cocaine, claiming that it sharpened his senses. In 1973, Galione was sent to assist John Gotti and Angelo Ruggiero in the assassination of James McBratney, who was involved in the kidnapping of Emanuel Gambino, the nephew of boss Carlo Gambino. On 22 May 1973, the three of them entered a Staten Island bar, acquiring fake police badges. They ordered patrons to assist them in the arrest of McBratney, and, when a patron refused, Galione pushed the patron, and he accidentally fired the gun. A panicked Galione shot McBratney three times, killing him, and the hitmen left. Galione brought too much heat on the family, so he was shot dead outside of his Brooklyn apartment in December 1973.