Castellano Files

[JogodoBicho]

FBI release some Paul Castellano files in Vault.
https://vault.fbi.gov/costantino-castellano

[Brovelli]

Question: is there a good way to search/find stuff on this FBI Vault website? I've never seen this before but wasn't sure if there's an easy way to find stuff. Thanks!

[TSNYC]

Thanks for posting.

[JogodoBicho]

Question: is there a good way to search/find stuff on this FBI Vault website? I've never seen this before but wasn't sure if there's an easy way to find stuff. Thanks!

It is a very interactive platform, but the search engine is not very accurate. If you search for someone specific, it will tell you if it appears in a file, but it doesn't indicate on which page, you need to look for that.
There are other better platforms, like the Mary Ferrell Foundation

[JogodoBicho]

Reddit user /Wdstrvx posted some interesting notes:

Part 1:

•Physical description from his driver's license in 1957 puts him at 5 ft 11 and 210 lbs (p. 22)

•Attended Public School 163 in Brooklyn from 1921 until he graduated in 1929 (p. 184)

•Details on Castellano's first arrest for armed robbery in Hartford, CT, Aug. 13, 1934; on Jul. 2 that year, Castellano's co-conspirators stuck up a tailor and locked him up in a bathroom after depriving him of $51, afterwards being speeded away by Castellano in his car. Witnesses told police the vehicle's license plate number and it came back to Castellano's Brooklyn home, where he was arrested. He admitted to the robbery after a .32 caliber Colt Police Positive pistol was found in his car, but denied knowing his accomplices by name, stating they were simply hitchikers he picked up en route to Connecticut where he was looking for a vacation destination. Sentenced to one year in prison Sep. 20 (p. 51-52)

•Regarding Castellano's criminal history, the files list arrests for attempted assault in Feb. 1936 (acquitted in March) and an unspecified charge Jan. 1938 (discharged in February) (p. 9)

•Early into his criminal career, Jun. 22, 1942, an informant reported that Castellano owned a chain of butcher shops and was involved with a "group of dangerous racketeers" (p. 10-11)

•Attended the wakes of suspected Gambino Member Joseph Amoruso in Jan. 1956, and Joseph Anastasio, brother of Albert Anastasia in May 1956, both at the Gambino-affiliated Torregrossa Funeral Home (p. 11)

•By the 1950s, his companies included the Allied Retail Butchers Association, B. Castellano and Son Good Meats and the Emcee Meat Market (p. 12)

•The treasurer of the Emcee Meat Market was Thomas Masotto, who later succeeded Castellano as Capo of his Crew (p. 14)

•During investigation of Castellano after Apalachin Meeting, it was concluded he mainly stayed at home in Brooklyn with his family and didn't go on vacation or extended outings outside of weekend trips to Long Island during the Summer (p. 21)

•His successors as Captain, Frank Guglielmeni and Tom Masotto were Castellano's fourth cousins, born to the same mother who remarried after Guglielmeni's birth (p. 47)

•Bureau of Narcotics supervisor John Cusack testified that Castellano's uncle Frank was a powerful Mafia figure and was succeded in the "underworld fraternity" by his son; an informant later corroborated that Frank was replaced as Capodecina by Paul (p. 64, 267)

•On Mar. 28, 1962, he, Paul Gambino and two others greeted Carlo Gambino at the Pennsylvania Station in New York after his trip to Miami (p. 269)

•On Sep. 25, 1962, a confidential informant reported he had heard the Castellano family owned a piece of a newly opened motel called The Palms in Miami Beach (p. 267)

•His employees in the meat business were organized by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union (p. 286)

•Gambino Soldier Edward Quirolo, an undertaker and cousin of one of Castellano's employees, told authorities that he purchased 110 acres of land in Broward County, FL in 1957; subsequently, Angelo Bruno acquired an interest in it and Quirolo and Carlo Gambino met with him in Philadelphia over the subject in Mar. 1962 (p. 291)

•On Feb. 12, 1963, an informant advised Castellano had around 30 or 35 Soldiers in his Crew, including Paul Gambino, Frank Guglielmeni and John Riccobono (p. 302)

•In Mar. 1963, associates of Castellano listed as Paul Gambino, Peter and Willie LoCascio, Angelo Meli, Hugo Rossi and Carmine Galante (p. 391-392)

Part 2:

•Began working as a butcher when he was 15 years old (p. 4)

•Said after Apalachin Meeting, he lost nearly all his poultry shops except for one as a result of the bad publicity from the arrests (p. 5)

•Dr. Nelson LiCalsi, brother of Gambino Soldier Joseph LiCalsi, provided a bail suretyship for Castellano following his arrest at Apalachin (p. 128)

•On why he went to Apalachin; "For a roast beef sandwich and I have not eaten roast beef since" (p. 5)

•Partnered in gravel business with Captain Peter Ferrara (p. 29)

•In 1964, purchased the Royal Laundry company (p. 103)

•Castellano's uncle Constantino was a close friend of Vincent Mangano (p. 166)

•In Mar. 1965, an informant explained the difference between Albert Anastasia's Faction and Carlo Gambino's Faction as Anastasia relying heavily on Inducting guys left and right in order to win their loyalty, while Gambino's group was more tight-knit and handled matters among themselves effectively, citing an example of an occasion in which a female relative of Gambino was "playing around" with several men in the neighborhood, so Gambino ordered her killed; according to the informant, the woman was stabbed to death in Upstate New York. Later on in the files, this murder is said to have occurred in the Summer of 1943 in Fallsburgh, but the victim's name is redacted (p. 166-167)

•The same informant advised that, when Vincent Mangano disappeared, his brother Philip correctly suspected Anastasia was behind it, and he approached Gambino, telling him that, if Vincent didn't turn up in 24 hours, Philip would kill Anastasia; Gambino, in turn, alerted Anastasia and he had Philip killed, which also cemented the relationship between Gambino and Anastasia (p. 167)

•Angelo Meli and Gandolfo Sciandra were Members in Castellano's Crew (p. 216, 240)

•Owned the General Fat Rendering company (p. 241)

•On Feb. 13, 1967, met with Carlo Gambino, Aniello Dellacroce, Joseph N. Gallo, Santo Trafficante and New Orleans Underboss Joseph Marcello at the Villa Vivola Restaurant in Brooklyn (p. 280)

•Later that year, met with Carmine Lombardozzi at the Dudes and Dolls club in New York's East Side (p. 283)

•In Aug. 1967, Castellano was thinking of getting out of the meat business entirely (p. 299)

•On Sep. 20, 1967, met with Castellano, Dellacroce and Gallo at the Marbona Restaurant (p. 300-301)

•He and the rest of the Gambino Administration attended the wake of Thomas Lucchese at the James Funeral Home in N. Massapequa, LI between Jul. 13 and 15, 1967 (p. 301)

•In Jan. 1968, Castellano's P and H Rendering company was closed down due to health violations (p. 315)

•On Nov. 5, 1968, met with the Gambino Administration and Tom Masotto at the Bonaparte Restaurant (p. 333)

•In Dec. 1969, took over a portion of the Crew of Vincent Corrao after he was knocked back down to Soldier (p. 363)

•On Jul. 27, 1970, Castellano and the rest of the Gambino Administration were set to mediate a dispute between Connecticut Gambino mobsters Frank Piccolo and David Iacovetti (p. 374)

[Brovelli]

Question: is there a good way to search/find stuff on this FBI Vault website? I've never seen this before but wasn't sure if there's an easy way to find stuff. Thanks!

It is a very interactive platform, but the search engine is not very accurate. If you search for someone specific, it will tell you if it appears in a file, but it doesn't indicate on which page, you need to look for that.
There are other better platforms, like the Mary Ferrell Foundation

Appreciate it

[Bing Bang 74]

Reddit user /Wdstrvx posted some interesting notes:

Part 1:

•Physical description from his driver's license in 1957 puts him at 5 ft 11 and 210 lbs (p. 22)

•Attended Public School 163 in Brooklyn from 1921 until he graduated in 1929 (p. 184)

•Details on Castellano's first arrest for armed robbery in Hartford, CT, Aug. 13, 1934; on Jul. 2 that year, Castellano's co-conspirators stuck up a tailor and locked him up in a bathroom after depriving him of $51, afterwards being speeded away by Castellano in his car. Witnesses told police the vehicle's license plate number and it came back to Castellano's Brooklyn home, where he was arrested. He admitted to the robbery after a .32 caliber Colt Police Positive pistol was found in his car, but denied knowing his accomplices by name, stating they were simply hitchikers he picked up en route to Connecticut where he was looking for a vacation destination. Sentenced to one year in prison Sep. 20 (p. 51-52)

•Regarding Castellano's criminal history, the files list arrests for attempted assault in Feb. 1936 (acquitted in March) and an unspecified charge Jan. 1938 (discharged in February) (p. 9)

•Early into his criminal career, Jun. 22, 1942, an informant reported that Castellano owned a chain of butcher shops and was involved with a "group of dangerous racketeers" (p. 10-11)

•Attended the wakes of suspected Gambino Member Joseph Amoruso in Jan. 1956, and Joseph Anastasio, brother of Albert Anastasia in May 1956, both at the Gambino-affiliated Torregrossa Funeral Home (p. 11)

•By the 1950s, his companies included the Allied Retail Butchers Association, B. Castellano and Son Good Meats and the Emcee Meat Market (p. 12)

•The treasurer of the Emcee Meat Market was Thomas Masotto, who later succeeded Castellano as Capo of his Crew (p. 14)

•During investigation of Castellano after Apalachin Meeting, it was concluded he mainly stayed at home in Brooklyn with his family and didn't go on vacation or extended outings outside of weekend trips to Long Island during the Summer (p. 21)

•His successors as Captain, Frank Guglielmeni and Tom Masotto were Castellano's fourth cousins, born to the same mother who remarried after Guglielmeni's birth (p. 47)

•Bureau of Narcotics supervisor John Cusack testified that Castellano's uncle Frank was a powerful Mafia figure and was succeded in the "underworld fraternity" by his son; an informant later corroborated that Frank was replaced as Capodecina by Paul (p. 64, 267)

•On Mar. 28, 1962, he, Paul Gambino and two others greeted Carlo Gambino at the Pennsylvania Station in New York after his trip to Miami (p. 269)

•On Sep. 25, 1962, a confidential informant reported he had heard the Castellano family owned a piece of a newly opened motel called The Palms in Miami Beach (p. 267)

•His employees in the meat business were organized by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union (p. 286)

•Gambino Soldier Edward Quirolo, an undertaker and cousin of one of Castellano's employees, told authorities that he purchased 110 acres of land in Broward County, FL in 1957; subsequently, Angelo Bruno acquired an interest in it and Quirolo and Carlo Gambino met with him in Philadelphia over the subject in Mar. 1962 (p. 291)

•On Feb. 12, 1963, an informant advised Castellano had around 30 or 35 Soldiers in his Crew, including Paul Gambino, Frank Guglielmeni and John Riccobono (p. 302)

•In Mar. 1963, associates of Castellano listed as Paul Gambino, Peter and Willie LoCascio, Angelo Meli, Hugo Rossi and Carmine Galante (p. 391-392)

Part 2:

•Began working as a butcher when he was 15 years old (p. 4)

•Said after Apalachin Meeting, he lost nearly all his poultry shops except for one as a result of the bad publicity from the arrests (p. 5)

•Dr. Nelson LiCalsi, brother of Gambino Soldier Joseph LiCalsi, provided a bail suretyship for Castellano following his arrest at Apalachin (p. 128)

•On why he went to Apalachin; "For a roast beef sandwich and I have not eaten roast beef since" (p. 5)

•Partnered in gravel business with Captain Peter Ferrara (p. 29)

•In 1964, purchased the Royal Laundry company (p. 103)

•Castellano's uncle Constantino was a close friend of Vincent Mangano (p. 166)

•In Mar. 1965, an informant explained the difference between Albert Anastasia's Faction and Carlo Gambino's Faction as Anastasia relying heavily on Inducting guys left and right in order to win their loyalty, while Gambino's group was more tight-knit and handled matters among themselves effectively, citing an example of an occasion in which a female relative of Gambino was "playing around" with several men in the neighborhood, so Gambino ordered her killed; according to the informant, the woman was stabbed to death in Upstate New York. Later on in the files, this murder is said to have occurred in the Summer of 1943 in Fallsburgh, but the victim's name is redacted (p. 166-167)

•The same informant advised that, when Vincent Mangano disappeared, his brother Philip correctly suspected Anastasia was behind it, and he approached Gambino, telling him that, if Vincent didn't turn up in 24 hours, Philip would kill Anastasia; Gambino, in turn, alerted Anastasia and he had Philip killed, which also cemented the relationship between Gambino and Anastasia (p. 167)

•Angelo Meli and Gandolfo Sciandra were Members in Castellano's Crew (p. 216, 240)

•Owned the General Fat Rendering company (p. 241)

•On Feb. 13, 1967, met with Carlo Gambino, Aniello Dellacroce, Joseph N. Gallo, Santo Trafficante and New Orleans Underboss Joseph Marcello at the Villa Vivola Restaurant in Brooklyn (p. 280)

•Later that year, met with Carmine Lombardozzi at the Dudes and Dolls club in New York's East Side (p. 283)

•In Aug. 1967, Castellano was thinking of getting out of the meat business entirely (p. 299)

•On Sep. 20, 1967, met with Castellano, Dellacroce and Gallo at the Marbona Restaurant (p. 300-301)

•He and the rest of the Gambino Administration attended the wake of Thomas Lucchese at the James Funeral Home in N. Massapequa, LI between Jul. 13 and 15, 1967 (p. 301)

•In Jan. 1968, Castellano's P and H Rendering company was closed down due to health violations (p. 315)

•On Nov. 5, 1968, met with the Gambino Administration and Tom Masotto at the Bonaparte Restaurant (p. 333)

•In Dec. 1969, took over a portion of the Crew of Vincent Corrao after he was knocked back down to Soldier (p. 363)

•On Jul. 27, 1970, Castellano and the rest of the Gambino Administration were set to mediate a dispute between Connecticut Gambino mobsters Frank Piccolo and David Iacovetti (p. 374)

Thanks for the credit!