Albert Anastasia
Encyclopedia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family
, one of New York City's Five Families
, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia
. He was nicknamed the "Mad Hatter
" and the "Lord High Executioner".
, Calabria
, Italy
– one of nine brothers – (one brother, Anthony
, also joined in a life of crime) Anastasia moved to New York City around 1919.
In 1921, Anastasia and associate Giuseppe Fiorino were convicted of stabbing and strangling to death fellow longshoreman George Turello. They were sentenced to death, but had the conviction tossed, and the indictment ultimately dismissed. He became active in Brooklyn's
waterfront operations and rose to a position of authority in the longshoremen's union, the ILA. It was here that Anastasia first demonstrated his penchant for homicide at the slightest provocation, killing a fellow longshoreman in the early 1920s – an offense which led to an 18-month sentence at Sing Sing
Prison in Ossining, New York
. Early in his organized crime career, Anastasia served in a gang led by Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria
. Anastasia was always a devoted follower of others, primarily Charles "Lucky" Luciano
, Frank Costello
and Jimmy "The Shiv" Destefano.
. Luciano outlined his plot to Anastasia, who joined him and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
in the plot. Anastasia assured Luciano that he would kill everyone for Luciano to reach the top. Anastasia knew that if Luciano ran the National Crime Syndicate
, he would eventually get a "piece of the action." Anastasia was therefore a member in the four-man group that gunned down Masseria in Nuova Villa Tammaro, a Coney Island
restaurant, on 15 April 1931.
With the subsequent murder of Salvatore Maranzano, Luciano became the preeminent mobster in America. To avoid the power struggles and turf disputes that led to the Castellammarese War
, Luciano established the National Crime Syndicate, consisting of the major family bosses from around the country and the so-called "five families" of New York. The Syndicate was meant to serve as a deliberative body to solve disputes, carve up and distribute territories, and regulate lucrative illegal activities such as racketeering, gambling
, and bootlegging
(which came to a close with the repeal of Prohibition
in 1933). The Five Families had their own body, known as the Commission.
, the nation's leading labor racketeer, in control of the Syndicate's enforcement arm, Murder, Inc.
. The troupe, also known as "The Boys from Brooklyn
," was a group of mainly Jewish killers that operated out of the back room of Midnight Rose's, a candy store in the Brownsville
neighborhood of Brooklyn. During its ten years of operation, it is estimated that Murder Inc. committed between 400 and 700 murders, many of which were never solved. Unlike Lepke and many other members of Murder, Inc., Anastasia was never prosecuted for any of these murders. It is doubted by some that he even was involved, since as the underboss of a family, he had his own killers to use if needed. During this period, Anastasia's business card claimed that he was a "sales representative" for the Convertible Mattress Corporation in Brooklyn.
Murder, Inc. maintained its power until the early 1940s. After his arrest, hit man Abe "Kid Twist" Reles
made a deal granting him immunity from prosecution. Reles' testimony helped convict many of the group's hit men, including co-boss Buchalter. In retaliation, Anastasia promised a $100,000 reward for Reles' death. On 12 November 1941, on the eve of his testimony, Reles was killed by either being thrown from, or falling out of, a window from a room guarded by police at the Half Moon Hotel
in Coney Island
. Exactly how Reles died is one of the great unsolved mysteries of American crime.
(reportedly responsible for more than 30 murders); Manhattan's West Side piers were controlled by Mickey Bowers
; Staten Island by Alex DiBrizzi (a close associate of Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano), and all of Brooklyn by the Anastasia brothers - Albert, Anthony and Gerard.
In order to maintain control over the waterfront, Anastasia ordered several executions - including those of Morris Diamond (an ILA dissident), Peter Panto (an ILA official), and even friend Tony Romeo.
convicted Luciano on a pandering
charge. Some observers felt that the charges were depending too much on the testimony of prostitutes and minor criminals. Supposedly Luciano was so high in the mob structure that he would never have dealt with these people as they claimed. Luciano received a 30- to 50-year sentence. During World War II
, Anastasia reportedly originated the plan to win a pardon for Luciano by helping the war effort.
With America needing allies in Sicily to advance the invasion of Italy, and the desire of the Navy to dedicate its resources to the war, Anastasia orchestrated a deal to obtain lighter treatment for Luciano while he was in prison, and after the war, a parole in exchange for the Mafia protecting the waterfront and Luciano's assistance with his associates in Sicily.
had fumed at Anastasia's closeness to Luciano, Costello, and others. Mangano was particularly irked that Luciano and Costello obtained Anastasia's services without first seeking Mangano's permission. This and other business disputes almost led to blows between Mangano and Anastasia, and it was only a matter of time before one or the other was ordered killed. In early 1951, Vincent Mangano went missing, and his brother Phil was murdered. Although Vincent Mangano's body was never found, it is widely presumed that he and his brother were murdered by Anastasia.
After the deaths of the Mangano brothers, Anastasia claimed that they were trying to kill him and claimed control of the family with Costello's active support. With this much clout, the Commission confirmed Anastasia's ascension. He also gained the support of Mangano's old friend, Joe Bonanno, who grew close to Anastasia.
As long as Costello (and before him, Luciano) were in control, they were able to hold Anastasia's violent instincts in check. However, as a crime boss, Anastasia, if possible, turned even more violent than before. For instance, when he saw Arnold Schuster
informing on the whereabouts of Willie Sutton
, Anastasia flew into a rage. "I can't stand squealers!" he screamed. "Hit that guy!" Schuster was gunned down a few days later, even though it was in no way connected to mob business.
cunningly used Anastasia's brutal behavior against him in an effort to woo Anastasia's supporters away. The Schuster murder showed Anastasia to be unstable as in "kill crazy" bringing heat on everyone. Also, and even more audacious, Anastasia had been selling memberships into his crime family for $50,000—a colossal blunder that caused many grumblings throughout the national Mafia. Secretly over the next few years, Genovese won the cooperation of Anastasia's underboss, Carlo Gambino
. Genovese needed to take control of his own family by eliminating his boss, Frank Costello. However, Genovese dared not move against Costello because he would then have a war on his hands with the more than formidable Anastasia. Genovese also received tacit approval from Meyer Lansky
, an influential and brilliant Jewish mob boss. Lansky was very close with Lucky Luciano and at this time was handling the majority of Luciano's business interests for him in the U.S.A. It was Lansky that made sure Lucky's thick envolopes made their way to Italy. Lansky and Genovese were long-standing associates, with involvement dating from the 1920s. Genovese could not make a power play without Lansky's support.
Anastasia's ambition soon drove Lansky to help Genovese. During the 1950s, Lansky was extremely successful in controlling casino gambling in Cuba
, offering other Mafia bosses lesser shares of his profits and interests. When Anastasia forcefully demanded a larger piece of the action, Lansky refused. Anastasia then started establishing his own gambling racket in Cuba. Lansky became increasingly angry with Anastasia; while Lansky preferred watching Anastasia and Genovese battle each other from the sidelines, he now gave active support to Genovese's plan to kill Anastasia.
On the morning of October 25, 1957, Anastasia entered the barber shop of the Park Sheraton Hotel at 870 7th Avenue (now the Park Central Hotel
, on 56th Street and 7th Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan
. Anastasia's bodyguard parked the car in an underground garage and then took a walk. As Anastasia relaxed in the barber chair, two men – scarves covering their faces – rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and fired at Anastasia. After the first volley of bullets, Anastasia allegedly lunged at his killers. However, the stunned Anastasia had actually attacked the gunmen's reflections in the wall mirror of the barber shop. The gunmen continued firing and Albert Anastasia finally fell to the floor, dead. The Anastasia murder remains officially unsolved. It is widely believed that the contract was given to Joe Profaci
, who passed it on to "Crazy Joe" Gallo
from Brooklyn, who then performed the hit with one of his brothers. There have also been rumors over the years that Anastasia's killers were imported from the Patriarca Family in Providence/Boston in order to thwart any chance of the killers being recognized by Anastasia or any of his more loyal followers. This scenario makes more sense in that Genovese had strong ties to Patriarca while at the same time Profaci was an ally of Joe Bonanno who, together with Anastasia, formed a three family foil to the ambitions of Genovese/Costello and Luchesse. By killing Anastasia, Profaci would have been eliminating an ally in favor of a new potenial enemy in Gambino who had even stronger ties to Lucchese, and would then owe his position to Genovese. Either way, for many years reports have been coming out of New England that Anastasia's murderers were led by John (Jackie) "Mad Dog" Nazarian, sent by his boss, Raymond Patriarca. Whether or not those killers reported to Joe Profaci or Vito Genovese will probably never be known for sure.
The double dealing did not cease with Anastasia's death in 1957. Carlo Gambino secretly deserted Vito Genovese
, passing along knowledge of Genovese's desires to "rub out" his rivals, Luciano and Costello. Thus, Meyer Lansky
, Luciano, Costello and Gambino conspired to entrap Genovese with a narcotics conviction that would result in a sentence of life imprisonment. In that sense Anastasia was avenged, but it was not with the abrupt finality that the brutal executioner would likely have preferred.
At the time of the murder, Joe Bonanno had been attending a meeting in Sicily with Lucky Luciano
and other major organized crime figures. Bonanno had been seen as a close ally of Anastasia and many felt the timing of the hit had to do with his absence. After the murder, Bonanno grew increasingly spiteful towards Carlo Gambino
and began toying with the idea of killing him. The tension between the two bosses reached its peak in 1963 when Joseph Colombo
revealed Bonanno's plans.
Anastasia was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
. After his assassination, the barber chairs at the Park Sheraton Hotel were turned around to face away from the mirror. During the summer of 2006, the barber chair that Anastasia occupied at the time of his assassination was placed on display in Little Italy, NYC during a public exhibition on the history of Organized Crime. For many years, evidently, the chair had resided in the private collection of comedian Henny Youngman
.
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
, one of New York City's Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
. He was nicknamed the "Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
" and the "Lord High Executioner".
Early years
Born in TropeaTropea
Tropea is a municipality located within the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria .The town is a famous bathing place, situated on a reef, in the gulf of St...
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– one of nine brothers – (one brother, Anthony
Anthony Anastasio
Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio was a New York City mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family who controlled the Brooklyn dockyards for over thirty years...
, also joined in a life of crime) Anastasia moved to New York City around 1919.
In 1921, Anastasia and associate Giuseppe Fiorino were convicted of stabbing and strangling to death fellow longshoreman George Turello. They were sentenced to death, but had the conviction tossed, and the indictment ultimately dismissed. He became active in Brooklyn's
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
waterfront operations and rose to a position of authority in the longshoremen's union, the ILA. It was here that Anastasia first demonstrated his penchant for homicide at the slightest provocation, killing a fellow longshoreman in the early 1920s – an offense which led to an 18-month sentence at Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
Prison in Ossining, New York
Ossining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
. Early in his organized crime career, Anastasia served in a gang led by Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria
Joe Masseria
Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria was an early Mafia don in the United States. He was boss of what is now called the Genovese crime family, one of the New York Mafia's Five Families, from 1922 to 1931.-Early days:...
. Anastasia was always a devoted follower of others, primarily Charles "Lucky" Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
, Frank Costello
Frank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
and Jimmy "The Shiv" Destefano.
Loyalties during the Castellammarese War
In 1930, Luciano finalized his plans to take over the organized crime rackets in New York by destroying the two old-line Mafia factions headed by Masseria and Salvatore MaranzanoSalvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
. Luciano outlined his plot to Anastasia, who joined him and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was an American gangster who was involved with the Genovese crime family...
in the plot. Anastasia assured Luciano that he would kill everyone for Luciano to reach the top. Anastasia knew that if Luciano ran the National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
, he would eventually get a "piece of the action." Anastasia was therefore a member in the four-man group that gunned down Masseria in Nuova Villa Tammaro, a Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
restaurant, on 15 April 1931.
With the subsequent murder of Salvatore Maranzano, Luciano became the preeminent mobster in America. To avoid the power struggles and turf disputes that led to the Castellammarese War
Castellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
, Luciano established the National Crime Syndicate, consisting of the major family bosses from around the country and the so-called "five families" of New York. The Syndicate was meant to serve as a deliberative body to solve disputes, carve up and distribute territories, and regulate lucrative illegal activities such as racketeering, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, and bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
(which came to a close with the repeal of Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in 1933). The Five Families had their own body, known as the Commission.
Murder, Incorporated
To reward Anastasia's loyalty, Luciano placed him and Louis "Lepke" BuchalterLouis Buchalter
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. After Dutch Schultz' request of the Mafia Commission for permission to kill his enemy, U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey, the Commission decided to kill Schultz in order to prevent the hit...
, the nation's leading labor racketeer, in control of the Syndicate's enforcement arm, Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. was the name given by the press to organized crime groups in the 1920s through the 1940s that resulted in hundreds of murders on behalf of the American Mafia and Jewish Mafia groups who together formed the early organized crime groups in New York and...
. The troupe, also known as "The Boys from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
," was a group of mainly Jewish killers that operated out of the back room of Midnight Rose's, a candy store in the Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
neighborhood of Brooklyn. During its ten years of operation, it is estimated that Murder Inc. committed between 400 and 700 murders, many of which were never solved. Unlike Lepke and many other members of Murder, Inc., Anastasia was never prosecuted for any of these murders. It is doubted by some that he even was involved, since as the underboss of a family, he had his own killers to use if needed. During this period, Anastasia's business card claimed that he was a "sales representative" for the Convertible Mattress Corporation in Brooklyn.
Murder, Inc. maintained its power until the early 1940s. After his arrest, hit man Abe "Kid Twist" Reles
Abe Reles
Abe "Kid Twist" Reles was a New York mobster who was widely considered the most feared hit man for Murder, Inc., the enforcement contractor for the National Crime Syndicate. Reles later turned government witness and sent several members of Murder, Inc...
made a deal granting him immunity from prosecution. Reles' testimony helped convict many of the group's hit men, including co-boss Buchalter. In retaliation, Anastasia promised a $100,000 reward for Reles' death. On 12 November 1941, on the eve of his testimony, Reles was killed by either being thrown from, or falling out of, a window from a room guarded by police at the Half Moon Hotel
Half Moon Hotel
The Half Moon Hotel in Coney Island, New York was a 225-foot-tall, 14-story hotel that opened in 1927 on the Boardwalk at West 29th Street. The hotel was designed by the architectural firm of George B. Post and Sons...
in Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
. Exactly how Reles died is one of the great unsolved mysteries of American crime.
Waterfront Boss
Anastasia rose to power in the New York City mob by controlling the South Brooklyn rackets, including the Brooklyn waterfront - one of the mob's most lucrative rackets. New York City's waterfront was split amongst the mob: Manhattan's downtown piers were controlled by John "Cockeye" DunneJohn Dunne
John Dunne may refer to:*John Dunne *John Gregory Dunne , American author*John William Dunne , British engineer and author of An Experiment with Time...
(reportedly responsible for more than 30 murders); Manhattan's West Side piers were controlled by Mickey Bowers
Mickey Bowers
Allen LaGrant "Mickey" Bowers is a retired American professional baseball player, scout, coach and manager whose entire uniformed career took place in minor league baseball...
; Staten Island by Alex DiBrizzi (a close associate of Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano), and all of Brooklyn by the Anastasia brothers - Albert, Anthony and Gerard.
In order to maintain control over the waterfront, Anastasia ordered several executions - including those of Morris Diamond (an ILA dissident), Peter Panto (an ILA official), and even friend Tony Romeo.
World War II
In 1936, US Attorney Thomas DeweyThomas Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey was the 47th Governor of New York . In 1944 and 1948, he was the Republican candidate for President, but lost both times. He led the liberal faction of the Republican Party, in which he fought conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft...
convicted Luciano on a pandering
Procuring (prostitution)
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. Examples of procuring include:*trafficking a prostitute into a country for the purpose of soliciting sex...
charge. Some observers felt that the charges were depending too much on the testimony of prostitutes and minor criminals. Supposedly Luciano was so high in the mob structure that he would never have dealt with these people as they claimed. Luciano received a 30- to 50-year sentence. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Anastasia reportedly originated the plan to win a pardon for Luciano by helping the war effort.
With America needing allies in Sicily to advance the invasion of Italy, and the desire of the Navy to dedicate its resources to the war, Anastasia orchestrated a deal to obtain lighter treatment for Luciano while he was in prison, and after the war, a parole in exchange for the Mafia protecting the waterfront and Luciano's assistance with his associates in Sicily.
Boss
Despite being a mob power in his own right, Anastasia was nominally the underboss of the Mangano crime family. Through the years, boss Vincent ManganoVincent Mangano
Vincent Mangano , born Vincenzo Giovanni Mangano, also known as "The Executioner" as he was named in a Brooklyn newspaper, was the head of the Mangano crime family from 1931 to 1951. His brother Philip Mangano was his right hand man and de facto, or substituto, underboss of the crime family which...
had fumed at Anastasia's closeness to Luciano, Costello, and others. Mangano was particularly irked that Luciano and Costello obtained Anastasia's services without first seeking Mangano's permission. This and other business disputes almost led to blows between Mangano and Anastasia, and it was only a matter of time before one or the other was ordered killed. In early 1951, Vincent Mangano went missing, and his brother Phil was murdered. Although Vincent Mangano's body was never found, it is widely presumed that he and his brother were murdered by Anastasia.
After the deaths of the Mangano brothers, Anastasia claimed that they were trying to kill him and claimed control of the family with Costello's active support. With this much clout, the Commission confirmed Anastasia's ascension. He also gained the support of Mangano's old friend, Joe Bonanno, who grew close to Anastasia.
As long as Costello (and before him, Luciano) were in control, they were able to hold Anastasia's violent instincts in check. However, as a crime boss, Anastasia, if possible, turned even more violent than before. For instance, when he saw Arnold Schuster
Arnold Schuster
Arnold L. Schuster was a Brooklyn, New York, clothing salesman and amateur detective, known for his involvement in the capture of bank robber Willie "The Actor" Sutton and for subsequently being the victim of a gangland murder by the Gambino crime family...
informing on the whereabouts of Willie Sutton
Willie Sutton
William "Willie" Sutton was a prolific U.S. bank robber. During his forty-year criminal career he stole an estimated $2 million, and eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison...
, Anastasia flew into a rage. "I can't stand squealers!" he screamed. "Hit that guy!" Schuster was gunned down a few days later, even though it was in no way connected to mob business.
Death
Vito GenoveseVito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
cunningly used Anastasia's brutal behavior against him in an effort to woo Anastasia's supporters away. The Schuster murder showed Anastasia to be unstable as in "kill crazy" bringing heat on everyone. Also, and even more audacious, Anastasia had been selling memberships into his crime family for $50,000—a colossal blunder that caused many grumblings throughout the national Mafia. Secretly over the next few years, Genovese won the cooperation of Anastasia's underboss, Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
. Genovese needed to take control of his own family by eliminating his boss, Frank Costello. However, Genovese dared not move against Costello because he would then have a war on his hands with the more than formidable Anastasia. Genovese also received tacit approval from Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
, an influential and brilliant Jewish mob boss. Lansky was very close with Lucky Luciano and at this time was handling the majority of Luciano's business interests for him in the U.S.A. It was Lansky that made sure Lucky's thick envolopes made their way to Italy. Lansky and Genovese were long-standing associates, with involvement dating from the 1920s. Genovese could not make a power play without Lansky's support.
Anastasia's ambition soon drove Lansky to help Genovese. During the 1950s, Lansky was extremely successful in controlling casino gambling in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, offering other Mafia bosses lesser shares of his profits and interests. When Anastasia forcefully demanded a larger piece of the action, Lansky refused. Anastasia then started establishing his own gambling racket in Cuba. Lansky became increasingly angry with Anastasia; while Lansky preferred watching Anastasia and Genovese battle each other from the sidelines, he now gave active support to Genovese's plan to kill Anastasia.
On the morning of October 25, 1957, Anastasia entered the barber shop of the Park Sheraton Hotel at 870 7th Avenue (now the Park Central Hotel
Park Central Hotel
The Park Central Hotel is a 31-story, 935-room hotel located at 870 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York.Built in the pre-Depression late-twenties, its grand opening took place on June 12, 1927...
, on 56th Street and 7th Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. Anastasia's bodyguard parked the car in an underground garage and then took a walk. As Anastasia relaxed in the barber chair, two men – scarves covering their faces – rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and fired at Anastasia. After the first volley of bullets, Anastasia allegedly lunged at his killers. However, the stunned Anastasia had actually attacked the gunmen's reflections in the wall mirror of the barber shop. The gunmen continued firing and Albert Anastasia finally fell to the floor, dead. The Anastasia murder remains officially unsolved. It is widely believed that the contract was given to Joe Profaci
Joe Profaci
Giuseppe "Joe" Profaci was a New York La Cosa Nostra boss who was the founder of what is today known as the Colombo crime family. Established in 1928, this was the last of the Five Families to be organized. He was the family's boss for over three decades.-Family ties:Profaci's sons were Frank...
, who passed it on to "Crazy Joe" Gallo
Joe Gallo
Joseph Gallo , also known as "Crazy Joey" and "Joe the Blond", was a celebrated New York City gangster for the Profaci crime family, later known as the Colombo crime family...
from Brooklyn, who then performed the hit with one of his brothers. There have also been rumors over the years that Anastasia's killers were imported from the Patriarca Family in Providence/Boston in order to thwart any chance of the killers being recognized by Anastasia or any of his more loyal followers. This scenario makes more sense in that Genovese had strong ties to Patriarca while at the same time Profaci was an ally of Joe Bonanno who, together with Anastasia, formed a three family foil to the ambitions of Genovese/Costello and Luchesse. By killing Anastasia, Profaci would have been eliminating an ally in favor of a new potenial enemy in Gambino who had even stronger ties to Lucchese, and would then owe his position to Genovese. Either way, for many years reports have been coming out of New England that Anastasia's murderers were led by John (Jackie) "Mad Dog" Nazarian, sent by his boss, Raymond Patriarca. Whether or not those killers reported to Joe Profaci or Vito Genovese will probably never be known for sure.
The double dealing did not cease with Anastasia's death in 1957. Carlo Gambino secretly deserted Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
, passing along knowledge of Genovese's desires to "rub out" his rivals, Luciano and Costello. Thus, Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
, Luciano, Costello and Gambino conspired to entrap Genovese with a narcotics conviction that would result in a sentence of life imprisonment. In that sense Anastasia was avenged, but it was not with the abrupt finality that the brutal executioner would likely have preferred.
At the time of the murder, Joe Bonanno had been attending a meeting in Sicily with Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
and other major organized crime figures. Bonanno had been seen as a close ally of Anastasia and many felt the timing of the hit had to do with his absence. After the murder, Bonanno grew increasingly spiteful towards Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
and began toying with the idea of killing him. The tension between the two bosses reached its peak in 1963 when Joseph Colombo
Joseph Colombo
Joseph "Joe" Colombo, Sr. was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the Cosa Nostra in New York.-Background:...
revealed Bonanno's plans.
Anastasia was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Greenwood Heights is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that takes part of its name from the neighborhood proximity to the Green-Wood Cemetery...
. After his assassination, the barber chairs at the Park Sheraton Hotel were turned around to face away from the mirror. During the summer of 2006, the barber chair that Anastasia occupied at the time of his assassination was placed on display in Little Italy, NYC during a public exhibition on the history of Organized Crime. For many years, evidently, the chair had resided in the private collection of comedian Henny Youngman
Henny Youngman
Henry "Henny" Youngman was a British-born American comedian and violinist famous for "one-liners", short, simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire...
.
Popular culture
- Anastasia's murder, as well as the entire Apalachin MeetingApalachin MeetingThe Apalachin Meeting was a historic summit of the American Mafia held on November 14, 1957, at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara in Apalachin, New York. The meeting was attended by roughly 100 Mafiosi from the United States, Canada, and Italy...
was referenced in Analyze ThisAnalyze ThisAnalyze This is a 1999 gangster comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. The film stars Robert De Niro as a mafioso and Billy Crystal as a psychiatrist...
, a Mafia comedy starring Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and Billy CrystalBilly CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
.
- Some elements of Anastasia's character and life story were included in the fictional character Johnny Friendly (played by actor Lee J. CobbLee J. CobbLee J. Cobb was an American actor. He is best known for his performance in 12 Angry Men his Academy Award-nominated performance in On the Waterfront and one of his last films, The Exorcist...
) in the classic 1954 American film On the WaterfrontOn the WaterfrontOn the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
.
- Mayra MonteroMayra Montero-Biography:Montero was born in Havana, Cuba in 1952. She is the daughter of Manuel Montero, a very successful Cuban comedic writer and actor who made his career in both Cuba and Puerto Rico, where he and his family relocated when Mayra was a young girl. Manuel, whose pen name was "Membrillo",...
's novel Son de Almendra (English Title: Dancing to "Almendra") is the product of an extensive investigation of Anastasia's murder at the Park Sheraton Hotel.
- In The Day of The JackalThe Day of the JackalThe Day of the Jackal is a thriller novel by English writer Frederick Forsyth, about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French terrorist group of the early 1960s, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France....
, a 1973 novel by Frederick Forsyth, a detective considers Marco Vitellino, a fictitious bodyguard who was absent during Anastasia's assassination as one of several suspects who could be an assassin contracted to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. The bodyguard is ruled out because he doesn't fit the description of the assassin.
- Def Jam Records recording artist NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
refers to himself as "The Rap Albert Anastasia" during the guest verse on the Remix for The Pledge, a 2003 song by former Def Jam artist Ja RuleJa RuleJeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
.
- The name "Murder, Inc." was later appropriated by a hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
label run by producer Irv Gotti. In 2003, the label, whose best known artists include Ja RuleJa RuleJeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
and AshantiAshanti (singer)Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
, changed its name to The Inc.
- In the TV series The West Wing Season 4, Episode 10 "Holy Night," Jules Ziegler, the estranged father of White House Communications Director Toby ZieglerToby ZieglerTobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
, visits Toby at the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. Following a query from the Justice Department, Toby asks his father, a former member of Murder, Inc. when Albert Anastasia was killed. Jules answers, "October 1957," and tells his son, "You should know when Anastasia was killed." Toby retorts, "I know when Anastasia was killed!"
- In the M*A*S*H episode "Soldier of the Month", after Klinger takes shots of answers to "soldier of the month" quiz. And in the episode titled "Out of Sight Out of Mind" Hawkeye and B.J. entering the post op, and seeing sleeping orderly. Hawkeye jokingly notes "He used to be Albert Anastasia's doorman." These are anachronistic errors, as the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
ended in 1953, four years before the Anastasia murder.
- In an episode of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, Uncle Junior says that he wishes the mob were like they were in the fifties when it was peaceful. Tony replies by saying he remembered seeing the picture of Anastasia "all amicably" in a pool of blood on the barbershop floor.
- Rapper Rick RossRick RossRick, Ricky or Richard Ross may also refer to:* Rick Ross , American rapper* Richard J. Ross, a Massachusetts State Senator* Richard Ross , an American photographer...
will release "The Albert Anastasia EP" in 2010 as a pre-release to the Teflon DonTeflon Don (album)Teflon Don is the fourth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross, released July 20, 2010 on Maybach Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including Clark Kent, No I.D., The Olympicks, J.U.S.T.I.C.E...
LP, a reference to John GottiJohn GottiJohn Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
.
- Italian movie of 1973 with Alberto SordiAlberto SordiAlberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
: Anastasia mio fratello ovvero il presunto capo dell'Anonima Assassini.
- Anastasia's murder is mentioned in Harold RobbinsHarold RobbinsHarold Robbins was one of the best-selling American authors of all time. During his career, he wrote over 25 best-sellers, selling over 750 million copies in 32 languages....
book, The Raiders. Although in the book the hit is carried out by an obfuscated assassin known only by the pseudonym Milditesta (Italian for a greatly painful headache).