I’ve been infatuated with La Cosa Nostra or the Mafia for a long time. I enjoy reading books and watching documentaries about the mob. So I thought it would be cool to put together a Top 5 list of the most badass real mobsters. This is a split article, I took 3 (which are in green) and Roll took 2 (which are in red).
1. Vincent “The Chin” Gigante
Crime Family: Genovese
Born: March 29, 1928
Died: December 19, 2005 (in prison)
Boss of the Genovese family: 1981-2005
The Chin is my favorite Mobster of all time for sure. An ex boxer, Gigante started as a muscle man for the Genovese family. At only 29, Chin was hired by Vito Genovese to kill boss Frank Costello. Genovese wanted to become the boss, although Chin was a terrible shot, they still trusted him to do this big job. Chin botched the hit, only grazing Costello’s head. Costello was a stand up real gangster, he kept his mouth shut although he knew it was Chin that tried to kill him. Shortly there after Costello knew he would be killed, so he stepped down as boss and Genovese took over. Genovese kept Gigante close by as his right hand. Genovese died in prison due to a heartattack, Chin took over as boss shortly after. Gigante was in and out of court, but the feds were never able to convict Chin. Gigante was an absolute genius of keeping under the radar.
His crew would simply touch their chin to reference Gigante to avoid being recorded by law enforcement. Not to mention his infamous “oddfather” shtick where he would roam the streets in an old bathrobe, mumbling to himself to give the perception that he was insane. He got off numerous times due to insanity, he later admitted it was all fake.
2. John “Dapper Don” Gotti
Crime Family: Gambino
Born: October 27, 1940
Died: June 10, 2002 (in prison)
Boss of the Gamino family: 1985-2002
Gotti is the most recognized mobster of the 90-2000’s. Many people think he ruined the entire Gambino crime family, others think he was the last REAL godfather. The other members of the five families looked down on Gotti although he was the boss. They didn’t like that he was in the public eye so much, flashy cars, jewelry, $5,000 suits, smiling for the popparazi cameras. They didn’t like this. “Cosa Nostra” means “this thing of ours.” They felt John was breaking the rules by being so public. But say what you want about Johnny Boy he never flipped, he could have easily snitched in prison to reduce his sentence but never did. Gotti had the boss of the Gambino family Paul Castellano killed on December 16, 1985, this is also against the rules. But he was able to get away with it ultimately because few people in the Gamino family actually respected Big Paul, they felt John would make a much better boss.
Carlo “Don Carlo” Gambino
Crime Family: D’Aquila gang
Born: August 24, 1902
Died: October 15, 1976 (Heart attack)
Boss of the Gamino family: 1930’s-1976
Carlo was a true gangster, from Italy. He came to America to take over the mob scene. He started the Gambino crime family which is still to this day named after him and one is the most powerful crime families.
Carlo appeared as a sweet gentle old man, but he was a ruthless killer at heart. Many of his soldiers and captains highly respected him and loved working for him. Carlo while on his death bed appointed his cousin in law Paul Castellano to be the new head of the family when he dies. Many are shocked how Don Carlo didn’t get murdered or die in jail, as many crime bosses do. He also was the inspiration for the wildly famous film “The Godfather”.
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