Carmine Tramunti
Encyclopedia
Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti (October 1, 1910 – October 15, 1978) was a New York mobster who was the boss of the Lucchese crime family
. Tramunti helped build the massive French Connection
heroin smuggling ring.
on 107th street in Harlem
. He eventually ran the "Harlem Game", one of the major floating craps
games in New York. Tramunti was a beefy man who stood 5'10, had a triple chin, and bore a remarkable resemblance to comedian
Jonathan Winters
. Tramunti's headquarters was The Stage Delicatessen in Manhattan
. Tramunti lived in Whitestone, Queens
and had a wife and two children. One of Tramunti's sons, Louis, died at age 14.
In 1922, the 12 year-old Tramunti was sent to a Catholic reform school
due to truancy from school.
On December 9, 1930, Tramunti was arrested on charges of robbing a rent collector. However, on December 26th, a judge dismissed the charges due to lack of evidence.
In July 1931, Tramunti was convicted of felonious assault and was sentenced to six to fifteen years at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. He was paroled in 1937, then returned to prison for a violation.
, Tramunti became the official boss of the Lucchese family. Carlo Gambino
, the head of the Gambino crime family, allegedly used his influence to make Tramunti the Lucchese boss. Other sources said that Tramunti was a compromise candidate who was acceptable to the different family factions. A common version is that the Mafia Commission
designated Tramunti as temporary boss until mobster Anthony Corallo
was released from prison
On November 19, 1970, Tramunti was indicted on 14 counts of stock fraud and other charges. The government charged that Tramunti and other mobsters forcibly seized control of a Miami, Florida
investment firm. On December 23, 1971, Tramunti was acquitted of all charges in the stock swindle case.
On November 29, 1972, Tramunti was indicted on criminal contempt charges for lying to a grand jury
about calls he made to capo Paul Vario
. Tramunit was convicted and sentenced on August 6, 1973, to three years in state prison.
case for financing a huge heroin smuggling operation. A former steward at an expresso cafe testified to hearing drug dealer Louis Inglese discuss a deal with Tramunti and seeing Tramunti nod his head in approval. Some observers felt the case was a miscarriage of justice, including crime reporters Jack Newfeld and Murry Kempton. Tramunti always denied the charges, stating "I may be a mobster and may have done bad things but I am not a drug dealer
".
On May 7, 1973, Tramunti was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, the judge stating that he was "dangerous. Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo
succeeded Tramunti as head of the Lucchese family.
.
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. Tramunti helped build the massive French Connection
French Connection
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States. The operation reached its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in the United States...
heroin smuggling ring.
Operating in Harlem
Tramunti was born October 1, 1910, in Manhattan, New York and raised in a tenementTenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
on 107th street in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. He eventually ran the "Harlem Game", one of the major floating craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
games in New York. Tramunti was a beefy man who stood 5'10, had a triple chin, and bore a remarkable resemblance to comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Winters
-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio...
. Tramunti's headquarters was The Stage Delicatessen in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Tramunti lived in Whitestone, Queens
Whitestone, Queens
Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York borough of Queens. Located between the East River to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point, Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Linden Hill, and Murray Hill...
and had a wife and two children. One of Tramunti's sons, Louis, died at age 14.
In 1922, the 12 year-old Tramunti was sent to a Catholic reform school
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
due to truancy from school.
On December 9, 1930, Tramunti was arrested on charges of robbing a rent collector. However, on December 26th, a judge dismissed the charges due to lack of evidence.
In July 1931, Tramunti was convicted of felonious assault and was sentenced to six to fifteen years at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. He was paroled in 1937, then returned to prison for a violation.
Boss of Lucchese family
In 1967, with the death of Lucchese boss Tommy LuccheseTommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
, Tramunti became the official boss of the Lucchese family. 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...
, the head of the Gambino crime family, allegedly used his influence to make Tramunti the Lucchese boss. Other sources said that Tramunti was a compromise candidate who was acceptable to the different family factions. A common version is that the Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission may refer to:*Sicilian Mafia Commission*The Commission *Mafia Commission Trial...
designated Tramunti as temporary boss until mobster Anthony Corallo
Anthony Corallo
Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo was a New York City mobster and boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Early life:...
was released from prison
On November 19, 1970, Tramunti was indicted on 14 counts of stock fraud and other charges. The government charged that Tramunti and other mobsters forcibly seized control of a Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
investment firm. On December 23, 1971, Tramunti was acquitted of all charges in the stock swindle case.
On November 29, 1972, Tramunti was indicted on criminal contempt charges for lying to a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
about calls he made to capo Paul Vario
Paul Vario
Paul Vario was a caporegime of a crew in the Lucchese crime family. In the 1970s Vario held the position of consigliere in the family but later resigned. In 1980, longtime associate Henry Hill became a government witness and testified against Vario and members of his crew...
. Tramunit was convicted and sentenced on August 6, 1973, to three years in state prison.
French Connection conviction
On October 4,1973, as a result of "Operation Shamrock" (now known as the French Connection Case), Tramunti and 43 other mobsters were indicted on narcotics trafficking charges. Ultimately Tramunti was convicted in the famous French ConnectionFrench Connection
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States. The operation reached its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in the United States...
case for financing a huge heroin smuggling operation. A former steward at an expresso cafe testified to hearing drug dealer Louis Inglese discuss a deal with Tramunti and seeing Tramunti nod his head in approval. Some observers felt the case was a miscarriage of justice, including crime reporters Jack Newfeld and Murry Kempton. Tramunti always denied the charges, stating "I may be a mobster and may have done bad things but I am not a drug dealer
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
".
On May 7, 1973, Tramunti was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, the judge stating that he was "dangerous. Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo
Anthony Corallo
Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo was a New York City mobster and boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Early life:...
succeeded Tramunti as head of the Lucchese family.
Death
On October 15, 1978, Carmine Tramunti died of natural causes in prison. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery, QueensCalvary Cemetery, Queens
The Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Queens has the largest number of interments of any cemetery in the United States.The offices of Calvary Cemetery are located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in Woodside in the New York City borough of Queens, New York. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of...
.
In popular culture
- That incident is referenced in the 1990 movie, GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
. In the movie, Lucchese capoCaporegimeA caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Paul Cicero (based on the real life counterpart Paul VarioPaul VarioPaul Vario was a caporegime of a crew in the Lucchese crime family. In the 1970s Vario held the position of consigliere in the family but later resigned. In 1980, longtime associate Henry Hill became a government witness and testified against Vario and members of his crew...
) warns the main character Henry Hill against drug dealing, and brings Gribbs up as an example. - Tramunti may have been the inspiration for the Mafia character Dominic Cattano, played by the Sicilian-AmericanSicilian-AmericanSicilian Americans are American people from Sicily or of Sicilian heritage. They are considered Italian Americans but are sometimes treated as a separate group due to cultural and historical differences between Sicily and the mainland....
actor Armand AssanteArmand Assante-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
, in the 2007 motion picture American Gangster.