Sammy Gravano | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gravano's 1990 mugshot | |
| Born | Salvatore Gravano March 12, 1945 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | "Sammy the Bull" ”The little guy” Jimmy Moran (WITSEC alias) |
| Occupation(s) | Mobster YouTuber |
| Spouse |
Debra Scibetta
(m. 1971; div. 1992) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Nicholas Scibetta (brother-in-law) Eddie Garafola (brother-in-law) |
| Allegiance | Gambino crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking (2002) |
| Criminal penalty | Five years' imprisonment (1994, leniency due to testimony) 20 years' and 19 years' imprisonment to run concurrently (2002) |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Subscribers | 607,234[1] |
| Total views | 119 million[1] |
Last updated: November 20th, 2023 | |
| Website | Official website |
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano (born March 12, 1945) is an American former mobster who rose to the position of underboss in the Gambino crime family. As the underboss, Gravano played a major role in prosecuting John Gotti, the crime family's boss, by agreeing to testify as a government witness against him and other mobsters in a deal in which he confessed to involvement in 19 murders.[2]
Originally an associate for the Colombo crime family, and later for the Brooklyn faction of the Gambino family, Gravano was part of the group in 1985 that conspired to murder Gambino boss Paul Castellano. Gravano played a key role in planning and executing Castellano's murder, along with John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, Frank DeCicco, and Joseph Armone.
Soon after Castellano's murder, Gotti elevated Gravano to become an official captain after Salvatore "Toddo" Aurelio stepped down, a position Gravano held until 1987 when he became consigliere. In 1988, he became underboss, a position he held at the time he became a government witness. In 1991, Gravano agreed to turn state's evidence and testify for the prosecution against Gotti after hearing the boss making several disparaging and untrue remarks about Gravano on a wiretap that implicated them both in several murders.
At the time, Gravano was among the highest-ranking members of the Five Families, but broke his blood oath and cooperated with the government. As a result of his testimonies, Gotti and Frank LoCascio were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 1992. In 1994, a federal judge sentenced Gravano to five years in prison; however, since Gravano had already served four years, the sentence amounted to less than one year. He was released early and entered the U.S. federal Witness Protection Program in Colorado, but left the program in 1995 after eight months and moved to Arizona with his family.
In 1997, Gravano was consulted several times for the biographical book about his life, Underboss, by author Peter Maas. In February 2000, Gravano and nearly 40 other ring members—including his ex-wife Debra, daughter Karen and son Gerard—were arrested on federal and state drug charges.
In 2001, Gravano and his son, Gerard, were indicted on mirror charges with the federal government. In 2002, Gravano was sentenced in New York to twenty years in prison. A month later, he was also sentenced in Arizona to nineteen years in prison to run concurrently. Additionally, Gravano was sentenced to lifetime supervised release and a $100,000 fine. He was released in September 2017.
- ^ a b "About Salvatore Sammy The Bull Gravano". YouTube.
- ^ Cassidy, John (April 13, 2018). "James Comey and Donald Trump Go to War". The New Yorker. New York City. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.