Roy DeMeo, Gambino soldier

[rayray]

Boss Paul Castellano
Capo Nino Gaggi


Roy DeMeo
-born 1942
-made 1977
-mudered 1983
-HQ's Gemini Lounge

DeMeo crew
-Chris Rosenberg (almost like an adopted son)
-Joseph Guglielmo (cousin)
-Joseph Testa
-Patrick Testa
-Anthony Senter
-Henry Borelli
-Frederick DiNome
-Edward Danny Grillo

Specialties: making money through legitimate and illegitimate enterprises
-loan sharking
-auto theft (international)
-money laundering
-porno
-drugs
-murder

**forming an alliance with James Coonan and the Westies




The thread of unanswered mob questions got me thinking of Roy DeMeo, a huge money maker and killer that always seemed to be an outsider that was reluctantly made into the Gambino family under Paul Castellano in and around 1977. His capo was Nino Gaggi. DeMeo's big down fall, as many as there might be could be snubbing Paul Castellano when he was called into a meeting. With Roy Demeo being around the block more then once and not exactly being liked, in fact looked down upon by Castellano, why snub? He had to know snubbing the boss was a death sentence?

What do you guys know about Roy DeMeo and Crew, including Nino Gaggi who seemed to be close to mob boss Paul Castellano.


-

[Teflon john]

I think when Demeo got indicted on the stolen car thing Big Paul already had legal problems and they didn 't think Demeo could be a stand up guy and that he might flip. That and the fact that Demeo's crew were doing hits that had nothing to do with the Gambino's business. Nino and Big Paul were not happy at all when Roy's crew killed a woman and also when Roy killed the teenage vacuum cleaner salesman. Also some of Roy's crew were involved in drugs and Big Paul didn't like that either. It was a massive number of things that got Demeo in trouble,he probably would have been clipped alot earlier if he wasn't such a huge earner. I've always been fascinated with Demeo and his crew and read everything that i have found on them. I would like to hear what you other guys think though.

[rayray]

Something else I find interesting is Roy's cousin, Joseph Guglielmo, by all sense and purposes it seems logical that they would have killed the guy that he was close and a blood relative of Roy's to prevent flipping or retribution. But in Albert DeMeo's (Roy's son) book he claims that he dropped Joe Guglielmo off at the airport never seeing him again. I also tend to believe Alberts version of the Dracula nickname that he looked like a pale walking corpse rather then the versions of sadistic rituals of those killed. The latter seems too movie fantasy like and not believable, imho. If followed to the airport, both scenario's can be plausible, taken to the airport then killed without Albert knowing the outcome. After all, what would be the advantage of lying about it, taking the guy to the airport.

[johnny_scootch]

I think the main reason Demeo got whacked was because Castellano having legal troubles of his own did not want to get dragged into the auto theft case like John said. The only guy who could connect him to it was Roy so...why take a chance. DeMeo was probably the most feared mafia soldier in NYC while he was alive.

About Roys cousin Guglielmo I believe he had a very minor role in the crews operations. Selling some drugs out of the Gemini and living in the apartment in back of the bar where they lured victims and killed them.

About Nino Gaggi he was a soldier under Castellano and took over his crew when Paul was made boss. The Bensonhurst crew of the Gambino family. Also if I remember correctly Gaggi was involved in the hit on the guy (Squillante?) who killed Frank Scalise, that's how he got straightened out.

[123JoeSchmo]

Not for nothing but I heard Castellano was afraid of DeMeo and so were others who tried to hit him. That's why they had to get members of his own crew to do it

[Teflon john]

Yeah you are right Joe. Gotti and his crew were even afraid of Demeo and the Gemini crew. Roy was probably not an easy guy to set up to be hit either so they had to get Gaggi and the Gemini twins to do it. I have often wondered if Gotti wouldn't have had Big Paul whacked,would Castellano have been a stand up guy if found guilty and went to prison for life or would he have been the first Boss to flip? We will never know but it is hard to imagine Big Paul being able to do life in prison with the luxury lifestyle he was used to.

[brianwellbrock]

Yeah you are right Joe. Gotti and his crew were even afraid of Demeo and the Gemini crew. Roy was probably not an easy guy to set up to be hit either so they had to get Gaggi and the Gemini twins to do it. I have often wondered if Gotti wouldn't have had Big Paul whacked,would Castellano have been a stand up guy if found guilty and went to prison for life or would he have been the first Boss to flip? We will never know but it is hard to imagine Big Paul being able to do life in prison with the luxury lifestyle he was used to.

The other bosses convicted in the commission trial lived luxurious lifestyles also. So it wasn't like Big Paul was the only one, and it wouldn't surprise me if Fat Tony and Tony Ducks were richer than him. Big Paul was a gangster all his life it wasn't like he was some rich business man who in his mid 60's happens to become boss because of who his cousin was. And yeah, to answer the "if Gotti didn't kill Paul" question, if Castellano wasn't killed, he had at most 11 months left on the street. He might of even went away in March of '86 but my opinion is he wouldn't of been convicted or hung jury. He would of put somebody obviously loyal to him as acting boss, Tommy Gambino, Jimmy Brown? But their would of been potential for a power struggle by 1987 anyways. So who knows, maybe if Gotti would have waited for Paul to go to jail, he could of done things amicably.

[Pogo The Clown]

According to Gravano, Castellano's plan should he go to prison was to put his nephew Tommy Gambino as Acting Boss and Tommy Bilott as UnderBoss. So it looks like Castellano had evey intention of running the family from prison.


Pogo

[toto]

Yeah you are right Joe. Gotti and his crew were even afraid of Demeo and the Gemini crew. Roy was probably not an easy guy to set up to be hit either so they had to get Gaggi and the Gemini twins to do it. I have often wondered if Gotti wouldn't have had Big Paul whacked,would Castellano have been a stand up guy if found guilty and went to prison for life or would he have been the first Boss to flip? We will never know but it is hard to imagine Big Paul being able to do life in prison with the luxury lifestyle he was used to.

Gravano said Frank DeCicco did it and he used Roy's guys to help him.

[brianwellbrock]

SO Castellano goes away in November '86. By that time Gotti and company are on trial as well. Tommy Gambino is a/b and in March Gotti beats the charges. So this would of been the time of falling in line or causing trouble. But a more interesting scenario would be Gotti and his co defendants get convicted in March '87. Boy how things would be different.

[johnny_scootch]

I thought that DeCicco went to Anthony Casso because he was close to the Testa brothers and he convinced them to clip DeMeo. The Gambino family gave Joey, Patty and Anthony to the Lucchese family as a sort of payment. Is this not the case?

[Teflon john]

Never heard that one before.

[rayray]

I thought that DeCicco went to Anthony Casso because he was close to the Testa brothers and he convinced them to clip DeMeo. The Gambino family gave Joey, Patty and Anthony to the Lucchese family as a sort of payment. Is this not the case?

There must be sometjing to the Lucchese's because I thought DeMeo had some connection to the Lucchese's before he was officially with Nino Gaggi.

Taking out someone like DeMeo surely came from the boss then filtered to DeCicco and Gaggi.

In the Roy DeMeo Documentary, Capeci said to the best sources available that Nino Gaggi summoned DeMeo to a garage where Testa and Senter shot DeMeo several times.

[Rocco]

What about the guy nicknamed Dracula? He just disappeared? Were there any details of this hit?

[joeycigars]

What about the guy nicknamed Dracula? He just disappeared? Were there any details of this hit?

Joseph Guglielmo, He was killed but never found like a lot of DeMeos victims , Roys son's airport story sounds like bull to me . Guglielmo was charged after his death with murder with the rest of the DeMeo crew ,56 years old