Coupla questions:

Would Gotti still have had Castellano killed if:

If Castellano had made Gotti his Underboss (with Tommy Gambino serving as co-Underboss) and attended Mr. Neil's funeral.

Or, if the above didn't happen but Roy DeMeo and his crew were still alive/active?

Lastly, were there any guys in the Family personally opposed to Gotti taking out Castellano, any guys who liked him, but didn't rise up against Gotti for fear of being killed too?

The firs question is interesting. Supposedly Gotti felt he deserved to be underboss when neil died. there was also discussion of a three man panel that included Gotti Tommy Gambino and Bilotti if Castellano went to jail but Paul scarpped that idea and intended to break John Down to a solider.


The second question is definetly NO WAY. Its common knowledge that gotti was terrified of Demeo and his crew.

The third question is interesting. I'm sure there were those who liked Paul but didn't speak up because they didn't have a leg to stand on anymore. I know Nino gaggi wasn't too happy but he was going to jail anyway.

Hope this helped

Obviously Roy DeMeo was part of Nino Gaggi's crew and Gaggi was definitely a Castellano loyalist, but it didn't seem like DeMeo had any real loyalty to Castellano. I'm sure he could have been brought over to the Gotti side.

Paul thought Gotti was a heroin dealing punk, the tapes would have proved that. Once Neil passed, Gotti would have been killed or shelved.

He had to act first, not much to lose at that point.

Also, didn't they ask James "Jimmy Brown" Failla and Joe Gallo before the hit and they was like "eeh" don't really care ?

According to Gravano, Joe Armone got on board. Armone then asked if Gallo would come in too and he said he wouldn't be part of the move on Castellano but would go along with them afterwards. I don't think Jimmy Brown was in on it. If I remember correctly, he was at Sparks ready to meet Castellano when the hit went down and was afraid they were coming for him too.

paul wanted to kill nino he blamed him for all his troubles. getting him indicted in 1982 83 for the stolen car ring with roy demeo. and it looked real bad nino shot a cop. gravano says on the ravenite tapes he told nino as soon as big paul beat the stolen car ring trials he was gonna have nino whacked but wouldnt as long as he was hes co defendant. gravano told him gotti was his savoir or something like that. if it wasnt for gotti youd be dead. i think nino new it to but he had a few cases going on and never played any role in gottis reighn. he was locked up and died in like 88 89

did gotti break nino as a capo even in 87 88. i dont think he did i think he had a slight admiration for nino who was a shooter even shot a off duty cop and had a crew of killers.

It was Gotti's friend Ruggerio who was caught in a drug deal, and Gotti did not want to give him up. I can't see Castellano calling Gotti. punk or even thinking of him as one. Gotti was not smart enough to be a boss, after he killed Castelallno he should have let someone else take the boss spot while he remained in the background.

I must have forgotten that part from the Ravenite tapes. Thanks pmac.

if i remmember correctly. ... some of the other fams (obviously not Genovese) were actually glad bc Castellano was looked at as the weak link in the commision tapes. as well as the Castellano tapes that were coming out

Tommy Gambino should've been named Boss, or at least Underboss, by Gotti.

tommy was not as respected and i dont think he even wanted it...
tommy was actually at sparks w de cicco and Jimmy failia. it was actually tommy who got visibly shaken once shooting started. de cicco had to tell him he was ok and it's not.about him.

i think after the shooting there was no other option then to almost demote Castellano loyalists

There is no way Castellano would have made Gotti an underboss--Gotti's loyalty to Neil, and the drug dealing, were tremendous liabilities to Paul, especially since he was facing a RICO trial. And, there is no way a co-underboss situation would have worked between Gotti and Bilotti, whose loyalty to Paul was unquestioned.

As for DeMeo: If Gotti had the balls and resourcefulness to whack Castellano without the Commission's approval, he would have been able to deal with DeMeo.

''That zombie Bilotti.. Doberman my ass!!!''

Actually its pretty much a fact Gotti was scared shitless of the demeo crew. Gene Gotti was caught on wiretap saying that he wanted no part of the demeo hit contract. Also Castellano was at his most vulnerable when he was killed. He was facing indictments,the demeo crew was no more, and frank decicco and sammy turned on him so its not like gotti had the balls to do it on his own