Sammy Gravano

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano was born on March 12, 1945, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to Sicilian parents. He was the youngest of three children. His father, who had entered the U.S. illegally after jumping ship in Canada, ran a small dress factory. A relative once said Gravano resembled his uncle Sammy, and the nickname stuck. At 13, he joined the Rampers street gang after confronting thieves who stole his bicycle. Made men watching from a café saw him fight several people at once and returned his bike, with one remarking that little Sammy fought "like a bull"—hence his nickname. Gravano had dyslexia, was bullied, and did poorly in school. Teachers labeled him a slow learner; he was held back twice and punched school officials twice. He was sent to a school for incorrigibles, which refused to keep him past age 16. His father tried to discipline him, including forcing him to attend Mass, but with little success. In 1964, Gravano was drafted into the U.S. Army, served at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, worked as a mess hall cook, rose to corporal, and received an honorable discharge after two years. He married Debra Scibetta in 1971; they had two children. His daughter Karen later appeared on the VH1 reality series *Mob Wives* and released a book in 2013. Later in his mob career, Gravano was ordered to help arrange the murder of his brother-in-law, Nicholas Scibetta. He was also the brother-in-law of Gambino caporegimes Eddie Garafola and Mario Garafola, and a childhood friend of Colombo associate Gerard Pappa.

Gravano first associated with the Mafia in 1968 through his friend Tommy Spero, whose uncle was a Colombo family associate under future boss Carmine Persico. He started with crimes like larceny and hijacking. He originally worked as an associate for the Colombo crime family and later for the Brooklyn faction of the Gambino family. In 1985, he was part of the group that conspired to murder Gambino boss Paul Castellano. Gravano played a key role in planning and executing the hit, alongside John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, Frank DeCicco, and Joseph Armone. After Castellano's murder, Gotti made Gravano a captain when Salvatore Aurelio stepped down. He held that position until 1987, when he became consigliere. In 1988, he became underboss, a role he held when he turned government witness.

In 1991, Gravano agreed to testify against Gotti after hearing the boss make disparaging and untrue remarks about him on a wiretap that implicated them both in several murders. At the time, he was among the highest-ranking Five Families members to break his blood oath and cooperate. His testimony led to Gotti and Frank LoCascio receiving life sentences without parole in 1992. In 1994, a federal judge sentenced Gravano to five years in prison; since he had already served four, the sentence amounted to less than a year. He was released early and entered the Witness Protection Program in Colorado but left after eight months in 1995, moving to Arizona with his family. In 1997, he was consulted for the biographical book *Underboss* by Peter Maas. In February 2000, Gravano and nearly 40 others—including his wife, daughter, and son—were arrested on federal and state drug charges. In 2001, he and his son Gerard were indicted on mirror federal charges. In 2002, Gravano was sentenced in New York to twenty years in prison; a month later, he received a concurrent nineteen-year sentence in Arizona, plus lifetime supervised release and a $100,000 fine. He was released in September 2017.

On the day of his 1994 sentencing, federal authorities stated that his testimony had resulted in 37 convictions, nine people awaiting trial, and eight resignations from unions. They added that his actions indirectly led to even more convictions by encouraging others to become witnesses against the Mafia.