Robert DiBernardo | |
|---|---|
 Robert DiBernardo | |
| Born | May 31, 1937 |
| Died | June 5, 1986 (aged 49) |
| Other names | "DiB" |
| Allegiance | Gambino crime family |
Robert "DiB" DiBernardo (May 31, 1937 – June 5, 1986) was an American caporegime in the Gambino crime family, who was reputed to control much of the commercial pornography in the US. During the 1984 US presidential election, publicity about DiBernardo having rented business premises from the husband of Geraldine Ferraro embroiled her in damaging media innuendo about organized crime.
By some accounts, DiBernardo was the most dominant figure behind the US adult industry[clarification needed] in his era. He was a relatively capable businessman who did not have a reputation for involvement in violence, but his Mafia links deterred potential competitors and warded off other criminals. He became immensely influential in the US pornography business, and an associate of Reuben Sturman. Whether DiBernardo's relationship with Sturman and others was based on extortion or mutual advantage was never established. DiBernardo was seen as a phenomenal money maker, secretive, and a lone operator (unlike most Mafia members of his status, he did not retain a crew to back him up). All of these traits made him vulnerable to others within Gotti's organization.
DiBernardo, who had been the target of a federal investigation into child pornography, was awaiting sentencing when he was murdered by members of Sammy Gravano’s crew on orders from John Gotti. The body was never found. According to some accounts, Angelo Ruggiero engineered an order from Gotti to kill DiBernardo because he had once told Ruggiero that he was not smart enough to be underboss.