Officials say the killer shot the year-old six times before fleeing the scene in a pickup truck. It marks the first targeted killing of a Mafia boss in the city since the death of the then head of the Gambino family, Paul Castellano, in Such scenes have long been the fodder of TV dramas and big-budget blockbusters. But after a violent killing in a leafy suburb, is organised crime in New York once more on the rise?
Frank Cali was reputedly the head of the Gambino family. He was reportedly married to Rosaria Inzerillo, who was herself related to the Sicilian Inzerillo family. The Inzerilli fled Sicily for the US in the s after losing a war with rival families. Cali was also related to John Gambino, once leader of the family's Sicilian faction - another link that might explain his rapid rise to leadership of the mob.
The exact number of people in the family is unknown. The families were once vastly powerful, wielding influence over federal and state politicians and holding stakes in entertainment industries, but the US authorities have slowly clamped down on organised crime. A series of major convictions and defections in the s and s crippled their leadership.
Former Gambino boss John Gotti - who planned the murder of his predecessor in outside the Sparks Steak House in Manhattan - was known as the Dapper Don for his expensive suits and flamboyant interviews with the press. Under his tenure the family, made hundreds of millions of dollars a year. But he was convicted of five murders, tax evasion, racketeering, extortion, loansharking and illegal gambling in , and received a life sentence.
He died of throat cancer in a Missouri prison 10 years later. A New York Times report quoted friends who claimed he wrestled with drug addiction. Defense attorney Robert Gottlieb has pointed to right-wing hate speech as playing a factor in the incident, while stopping short of saying his client committed the murder. Other names mentioned include Gene Gotti, the brother of John who recently was released from prison after doing 29 years on drug charges.
Experts say the business of La Cosa Nostra has seen better days. Stateside, it can get messy when it comes to drugs, said Ferrante. And while the days of controlling unions and waste companies are all but over, loansharking and extortion continue to provide a steady stream of income. Staten Island raids land reputed mobsters in custody. The alleged mobsters were charged with racketeering and other offenses, officials announced. Edelman and Kayla C.
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