Inside Paul Castellano's net worth and his $18M Staten Island mansion
Paul Castellano's net worth at death was estimated to be $20 million. Nicknamed Big Paul, the Italian-American mafia boss ruled the Gambino crime family from 1976 until his assassination in 1985.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Paul Castellano saw himself as a businessman after taking over the Gambino crime family in 1976, following the death of kingpin Carlo Gambino.
- Castellano built his massive Staten Island mansion to resemble the White House.
- In a violent transition of power, John Gotti orchestrated the assassination of Castellano in December 1985 to become the new kingpin.
Paul Castellano's profile summary
Full name | Constantino Paul Castellano |
Date of birth | June 26, 1915 |
Place of birth | New York City, New York, United States |
Date of death | December 16, 1985 |
Age at death | 70 years old |
Resting place | Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island |
Wife | Nina Manno Castellano (1937 to 1985) |
Children | Constance Castellano Phillip Castellano Joseph Castellano Paul Castellano Jr. |
Parents | Giuseppe and Concetta Castellano |
Relatives | Carlo Gambino (cousin and brother-in-law) |
How much was Paul Castellano's net worth?
The organised crime kingpin was estimated to be worth $20 million at the height of his rule in the early 1980s, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The fortune is estimated to be over $70 million today when adjusted for inflation.
Source: Original
Paul Castellano's neoclassical house
Castellano commissioned the construction of his palatial Staten Island estate in the Todt Hill neighbourhood in 1976. He wanted it to resemble the White House in D.C. to reflect his image as a high-level executive, which some in the Gambino crime family resented.
Construction took about four years, and he moved in in 1980. Paul Castellano lived in the mansion for five years and famously conducted business from there. The 10,436 square-foot house featured 8 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, a 13-car garage, a home theatre, and an Olympic-sized indoor pool.
Today, Paul Castellano's house is estimated to be worth around $18 million after undergoing significant renovations and expansion. It has popped in and out of the market several times.
Real estate investor Selim 'Sal' Rusi bought it in 2000 for $3.1 million. He listed it in October 2023 for $16.8 million but took it off the market. The mansion was relisted in October 2024 with an increased asking price of $18 million.
Source: Twitter
Inside Paul Castellano's 'white-collar' mafia business
Castellano took over the Gambino crime business in 1976 after the death of his cousin and brother-in-law, Carlo Gambino. Unlike his predecessors, he moved away from the street image of the mafia and ran the family like a Fortune 500 company. He wanted to focus on legitimate business racketeering.
Paul dominated the New York construction industry through the Concrete Club. He coordinated with the other Five Families to rig bids on construction projects worth over $2 million. Anyone pouring concrete in the city had to pay Paul's tax. The mob also controlled construction unions.
Castellano also ventured into meat and poultry through his family's massive distribution company, Dial Poultry. Big Paul was the son of butcher Giuseppe Castellano, who owned a butcher shop in Brooklyn.
Paul Castellano prohibited his men from trafficking narcotics to avoid drawing attention from the feds. He put the 'Deal and Die' policy in place, and anyone caught faced death. Several of his captains ignored the rule, which fueled internal unrest against Paul.
Source: Getty Images
Paul Castellano's downfall
Big Paul often held high-level mafia meetings at his kitchen table in the 'White House'. The FBI managed to plant a listening device in his kitchen ceiling and recorded him discussing the Gambino crime business.
The tapes became essential in the Mafia Commission Trial, which aimed to take down the heads of all Five Families. By 1985, Paul Castellano was facing major racketeering charges and had lost the respect of his soldiers, who thought he had lost touch.
Castellano's ascension to power was not welcomed by everyone in the mafia family. Carlo Gambino reportedly bypassed his loyal underboss Aniello Dellacroce to name him as his successor, leading to a significant power divide.
Paul and Dellacroce reached an agreement, and he remained underboss while keeping his faction from revolting. The peaceful co-existence ended after the underboss's death on December 2, 1985. Dellacroce's protégé, John Gotti, organised a coup just two weeks later.
Source: Getty Images
Paul Castellano's death at 70
On the evening of December 16, 1985, Paul Castellano and his newly appointed underboss, Thomas Bilotti, were in Manhattan for a dinner meeting. As Paul stepped out of his Lincoln Town Car at Sparks Steak House, four armed men sent by John Gotti opened fire at close range.
John Gotti and fellow mobster Salvatore Gravano were reportedly across the street and drove by to ensure Big Paul was dead. Gotti took over the mafia business, earning the nickname The Teflon Don. He ruled the family until his 1992 conviction and eventual death from throat cancer in June 2002.
Paul Castellano left behind four children
The Italian-American crime boss married his childhood sweetheart, Nina Manno, in 1937. They welcomed one daughter, Constance, and three sons, Paul Castellano Jr., Joseph, and Phillip.
Their marriage was strained in the early 1980s after it was revealed that Paul was having an affair with their live-in Colombian maid, Gloria Olarte. Paul Castellano's family was kept away from the mob business because he wanted the kids to focus on legitimate dealings. Mob wife Nina passed away in February 1999.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Paul Castellano's net worth afforded him and his family a luxurious lifestyle at the height of his nine-year mafia rule. His real estate on Staten Island remains a reminder of the kingpin's extravagance, four decades after his death.
READ MORE: Pablo Escobar's White House photo: What really happened?
Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about Pablo Escobar's most ironic photographs. In 1981, the notorious drug kingpin and his son, Juan Pablo Escobar, posed in front of the North Portico of the White House.
Pablo was on vacation in D.C. with his family, including his wife, Maria Victoria Henao, who took the picture. At the time, Escobar was a wealthy Colombian businessman and politician before his Medellín Cartel dominated the drug trade in the mid to late '80s.
Source: Briefly News
