Was thinking; What in the world happened with the relationship between Joe N Gallo and Paul Castellano. I heard at one point they were close and had a many decade's long friendship.

Gallo was in his 70's when he started conspiring with guys like Frank DeCicco; Gotti and Gravano to get rid of Castellano.

Even presided over the Gotti "Becoming boss meeting". Only captain not present was Nino Gaggi who refused to show up (Different story there)


Going back on topic; What happened with Joe N Gallo and the Castellano friendship??? Gallo was tooo old to be boss around the mid 80's and had been in the administration for well over a decade. Why support a younger rebellion when you're pretty much already at the top?????

Actually Gallo DID NOT conspire with Gotti/Gravano/Decicco in Paul's murder plot. he was approached about it BUT he did not take part in it. Basically he didn't oppose it but he remained on the sidelines in case it backfired. I don't think their relationship was necessarily bad at that point but Gallo was also dealing with a lot of health issues since 1978. He didn't have much time left as consigliere. I think gotti just kept him on to appease a ot of the older guys but he was out by 87 I think

@JCrusher

Why would Gallo not say anything to Paul??? Those two guys were at the top when Carlo Gambino was nearing his end; etc... They were friends also...

For Gallo to be presiding over "A make me boss ceremony" for Gotti. He knew more then enough.. He was the highest ranking person in the family at that point; Neil; Bilotti and Castellano were deceased. What if all the captains choiced Gallo as boss?? How interesting would that be?? If that occurred at that meeting.

Think Gallo betrayed Paul tbh; but didn't half of the family?

You are right JC. According to Gravano, Joe Piney briefed Gallo and other old timers. and would "control" him and that Gallo would be on their side. Also, after the killing of Castellano and Billotti, Gallo met with Gotti, Gravano, Ruggiero and Deccicco and informed them on Commission rules regarding an unsanctioned hit on a boss and how those responsible can never reveal their participation or they too would be killed.

He might have said that but what did Gallo have to gain from all this????? He was Consigliere for Carlo; and Paul and had been at the top for many years. He must have thought his time was coming to a end and wanted change.

What's interesting is; Gallo never got caught up in the commission trial. What happened with that????? He's been seen at meetings with Paul; and other LCN bosses on surveillance.

Who knows maybe Gallo thought that this was either you went along or you would also be killed. He probably knew Gotti and what kind of guy he was. Good question on the commission, don't know why Rudy didn't name him. Maybe they had nothing on him. I just thought about how Alite claimed in his book that Gotti sent him, yes Alite, to talk to Gallo. So unbelievable.

It's impossible to know what Gallo was thinking at the time. Why didn't he tell paul? Who knows a lot of things were going on at the time. there was the commission case and neil was sick so he must have figured paul was done either way. Im sure gallo didn't want to piss off all the guys that were conspiring to Kill paul either since he was sick at the time and close to being out anyway. That's why he simply stayed out of it

Once the captains and part of administration found out conspirators had backing of other bosses they wisely remained on the sidelines, not risking themselves getting hit. Gallo probably fantasized himself getting the top spot but they grounded him ("You're no Paul").
In essence Castellano was the real deal and was feared as a boss, but not letting (except a handful of people, including Gaggi) anyone into his inner circle and squeezing everyone for money meant he had no hardcore backing of captains when shit was about to hit the fan. Gambino seems to have been more approachable and it's hard to imagine anyone pulling this act in his time.

Read somewhere before gallo asked paul for his help with his son who was locked up in state prison for drugs. Big paul wouldnt ask the colombo family to help gallos son gets a move to a minimum facility or someshit and big paul was rite the guy was a undercover and busted carmine persico and a few others for bribing officials that when carmine went to prison in 1981 for like 2.5 yrs

Gallo went to jail for that bribery case or atleast it was a rico predicate. Gallo played the fence simple n plain. He was in on killing albert A and put carlo in power he new the game. Like people said he was in queens he had along relationship with gotti crew there around the corner from each other. Gotti never broke him down to he went to jail. Gotti on tape how he paid 100k for piney an gallos appeal then he went on to say is this the gambino family or the shargel cutler and pollack family. Thats what got the lawyers disqualified from his future trials

Have no clue but knowing PAUL was going away and those guys that killed him would of done something if Paul was away and they may of started with Gallo or just knocked him down at minimum if he pushed back.

PAUL must of been really out of it because those guys were in trouble with drugs and he still had no ida .


The Commission was in bad shape same when Skinny from Philly basically told New York to go fuck themselves and is still boss .

They lost everything right then .

I highly doubt there are any real "friends" when you get to that level of LCN. Gallo probably just had a good working relationship with Castellano but was smart enough to see that Gotti etc were coming and it was better to let them do their thing than start a war.

I don't think he was caught up in the Commission trial because they didn't catch him in any of the specific conspiracies they were charging the guys with. He was charged in the Gambino Family case that stemmed from the bug in Castellano's house.

Didn't Paul want a Panel of Tom Bilotti; Thomas Gambino and John Gotti in the event he was going to prison????

Why wasn't Gallo included on the panel???? He wasn't part of the RICO case and was still Consigliere at that point.

gallo was indicted with billotti armonetommy agro and a few others in 85. thats why he went to jail in 87. think jimmy brown was also in that case. he went to trial and won. the case was built on that guy tommy dogs who agro almost beat to death on gallos orders in florida. agro was close to gallo he sponcerd him then put him with armone who they were close. i think again gallo new pauls time was up but didnt help to stop the forces behind. it wasnt just gotti but that guy deccico had a big crew

if you read the book about paul and the recordings from his house he bad mouth galllo to. he was pissed joe went around his back to the colombos to help his son get moved from a rough ny state prison to some nice fed place and it was all a set up. not for nothing but after joe gallos son was released from prison he became a member then took over tommy gambinos place in the garment district and running the trucks. he somehow stayed under the radar and has never been arrested since the drug charges which he did along time for.

That was idea that was floated around. Gotti didn’t like it because he felt he would essentially hold no real power and just put in there to keep things peaceful. However that was early on. Once Neil died Paul planned on breaking Up the Bergin crew and reassigning them, breaking down John into a soldier, and possibly closing down the Ravenite

@Pmac
Writing was on the wall for Paul.... No one was gunna protect him as you stated. DeMeo and Gaggi were the only ones who could have prevented this coup..... Do you think Gaggi could have become Underboss or Boss at some point if he didn't go to prison???????

@JCrusher

Who were the guys that Paul and Tom were meeting at Sparks Steak House????? Tommy Gambino??? Failla???? What do you think that meeting would have been about if Paul went into that Resteraunt and was able to talk to some of the guys there???

Gaggi was a dead man walking paul was gonna have him killed after the stolen car trial which came from demeos crew and got paul pulled into the case also nino shot the cop. Nino probaly was saved with gotti n co. Killing paul

DeMeo died in 1982; I don't think Paul would have murdered Gaggi.

True and in the end was Nino G going to take his lumps from Paul even though he could be getting hit rather then go against the rules or his oath or was he trying to get lucky by staying neutral .

paul and nino and what was left of demeos crew didnt go to trial till 85 long after demeos death but also nino was in state prison from the moment he shot the cop which was what 1982? he got out on appeal in 1985 for shooting the cop. i believe the federal judge had nino on house arrest, so pual was just waiting for the federal stolen car case to be done. he was on trial for the stolen car case the day he was whacked by gotti. nino was convicted of the stolen car shit and was sentenced to 5yrs in march 86 he died in the mcc in april 88. he probaly only had a few months left. i think the house arrest is why he wasnt invited to th ecapo meeting joe gallo held in jan 86 to make gotti boss. i think gaggi had his on problems with the federal case and the state case that was on appeal

Nino shot at the cop in October 1979 after they killed the Eppolitios

@Pmac

Never knew Gaggi was on house arrest the entire time.. Might explain why he wasn't at the capo meeting. Why was he still ordering one of his guys to bring Gotti to him??? Ordering a boss is certain death.... Guess Gotti didn't want the trouble in dealing with him.

If Gaggi was free; Do you think Gotti would have whacked him??