Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari - The Former Consigliere Of The Lucchese Family Who Mentored Vic And Gas

[Little_Al1991]

Furnari was born on April 30th, 1924, he is notable for bringing Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso and Vittorio “Vic” Amuso into the Lucchese Family both would later go onto to lead the family as Boss and Underboss, Amuso still is the boss of the Lucchese Family today.Furnari also was the Consigliere of the Lucchese Family from 1981 until 1986 when he was sentenced to 100 years in prison in the Mafia Commission Trial along with his boss Anthony “Tony Ducks” Corallo and Underboss Tom Mix Santoro.

In 1943, a 19 year old Christopher Furnari was sent to prison for an attempted rape.He was released from prison in 1956 and became associated with the Lucchese Family, he became a Made Man in either 1956 or 1957 (the books were closed in 1957) and 2 years later he became a Capo in Brooklyn of what’s known as the 19th hole crew.According to Casso “When I was 21, I became associated with a guy named Chris Furnari of the Lucchese organized crime family. Everyone knows him as "Christy Tick." Gaspipe became a loan-shark enforcer and a bookie for Furnari.In the mid 1970s Casso did his first hit, the contract came from Furnari.

Casso was told by Furnari to kill a drug dealer working for the Lucchese family, Lee Schleifer, who was thought to be cooperating with narcotics agents. Casso lured Schleifer to a social club and shot him straight in the head when they were playing cards
According to Casso he became a made man in 1974 . “Soon after this killing took place,” Casso wrote decades later in a letter to a judge, “Christie had then sponsored me to become a member in the Lucchese crime family, which was at that time one of the highest honors known among our own society.”

Furnari also managed to bring Vittorio “Vic” Amuso into the Lucchese Family after he departed from the Gallo crew.Amuso was with Gallo crew but after Joe Gallo’s murder, the crew split apart and Amuso went over to the Lucchese’s.The 19th Hole, Furnari's social club, was the hub of criminal activity in Bensonhurst. Mobsters from every New York crime family conducted business in the club and socialized over food and drink.Vic and Gas as they later would be known as, quickly rose to the top of Furnari’s crew from there drug business and the Bypass gang which robbed millions from banks and jewellery stores.
Casso and Amuso in the 1970s, did a few hits for Christie Tick, the capo of a Lucchese group known as “the 19th Hole Crew,” named for a Brooklyn bar that was Furnari’s headquarters.Casso, accompanied by Amuso, carried out four other assignments. Wielding pistols, shotguns, and once a machine gun equipped with a silencer, they killed two victims, while two others miraculously escaped despite serious wounds.

According to court documents “fourteen murders committed by members of Furnari's crew during the time he was capo and consigliere. At least five of these occurred after he became consigliere.”
In January 1972, Furnari backed and sanctioned the squad of armed robbers who robbed The Pierre hotel and netted $3 million dollars.This robbery would later be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest, most successful hotel robbery in history.

In 1981, Furnari promoted Vic Amuso into a Capo of the 19th Hole Crew in Bensonhurst.Furnari had to vacate the position because he was now the Consigliere of the Lucchese Family.In 1985, Furnari was indicted in the Mafia Commission Case and in 1986 was sentenced to 100 years in prison.According to Vincent “Fish“ Cafaro a Genovese Family member “Amuso’s mentor was "Christy Tick", who was and still is in prison, who backed Amuso in his bid for power.”According to Cafaro, Furnari backed Amuso in his bid for power and said that after speaking to Sammy Santora the Genovese Family Underboss that Luongo had been murdered by Vic Amuso who he also said was the then Consigliere of the family.

Furnari controlled New York District Council 9.The Union painted and decorated hotels, bridges, and subway stations in New York. Furnari managed the Council through the union secretary and treasurer, James Bishop (later murdered on Vic Amuso‘s orders“ and Bishop's associate, Frank Arnold.This was a huge moneymaker for the Lucchese Family.

Christopher Furnari would then go onto having a legal battle for his release from prison which would finish in 2014, when Furnari would be 90 years old. During his incarceration Furnari was constantly trying to get parole but it was information from Anthony Casso who he mentored that actually set him back and led to the parole board actually denying his release.That must have hurt Furnari emotionally but after going back and forth with the parole board he was able to have Casso’s information regarded as unreliable due to prosecutors ripping up his deal.He also had more issues when information from Thomas "Tommy Irish" Carew (a Lucchese family associate), and Alfonse D'Arco (a former acting Lucchese family boss) implicated him in more murders but somehow in 2014 Christopher “Christie Tick” Furnari was released from federal prison at the age of 90.

In 2018 Christopher “Christie Tick” Furnari 94, passed away peacefully at his Staten Island home on May 28, 2018.His family arranged for Furnari’s wake to be at the Scarpaci Funeral Home.He is survived by his loving wife, Tomasina of 43 years; his children, Sal, Debra, Chris, Anthony (predeceased); his daughter-in-law, Jennifer; and his loving grandchildren, Christa, Isabella, Christopher, Talia and Nicholas.
I first posted this on Reddit under the name of “Little_Al1991”