Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano (12 March 1945-) was the Underboss of the Gambino crime family whose cooperation with the government and testimony helped to bring down boss John Gotti.
Biography[]
Salvatore Gravano was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York in 1945. He served in the US Army for two years, working in communications in South Carolina during his military service before being honorably discharged in 21. He was originally a mobster for the Colombo crime family, and he was later traded to the Brooklyn faction of the Gambino crime family after he nearly killed a man for lying to his wife that Sammy had tried to seduce his girlfriend. In 1978, the Gambino family had him murder his own brother-in-law Nicholas Scibetta, and Gravano would come to be involved in over 19 murders for the family. He became good friends with John Gotti due to his status as a good earner (he owned his own drywall business) and due to his loyalty, and he helped him with overthrowing Paul Castellano in 1985. After Castellano's death, Gravano became Gotti's underboss, and he made between $5 million and $20 million at the height of his career.
Turning states[]
Gravano on trial
Gravano began to lose Gotti's trust due to his greed and perceived opportunism, as he took over Robert DiBernardo's rackets after having him killed, and as he became more independent of Gotti. In 1990, he was arrested alongside the rest of the Gambino leadership, and he decided to turn states against Gotti after hearing taped conversations between Gotti and Frank Locascio that showed that Gotti had doubts as to where Gravano's loyalties lay. Gravano was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to turn states at that point. Gravano's cooperation with the government led to Gotti and Locascio being sentenced to life in prison, and Gravano was initially in prison for only five years because of his cooperation. However, he served 15 years in prison from 2002 to 2017 for his prior role in drug trafficking, and he was released in 2017.
Gravano was a Republican who staunchly opposed gun control, as he believed that legitimate gun owners could save lives and stop crazed shooters; however, he did express some support for limiting the types of weapons which could be sold (such as assault rifles). He also supported Donald Trump's plan to bring back mental institutions to treat the insane.