- Anthony Scotto
Anthony M. Scotto (born 1934) is a New York mobster and
labor union racketeer in theGambino crime family who eventually became the head of theBrooklyn waterfront.Early life
Scotto grew up in the Red Hook Carroll Gardens section of
Brooklyn and attended college. Scotto married Marion Anastasio, whose father wascapodecina Anthony Anastasio and uncle was family boss Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia of the then Anastasia crime family. An officer inInternational Longshoremen's Association Local 1814 in Red Hook, Anastasio used his position to control the Brooklyn waterfront. Scotto eventually joined Anastasio at the union local and became an ILA officer. In 1957, Anastasia was gunned down in a Manhattan hotelbarber shop andCarlo Gambino became boss of what became the Gambino family. Enjoying an excellent relationship with Gambino, Scotto was soon inducted into the family. He is the father ofWilliam Scotto born c.a. 1968 who is also an associate of theGambino crime family , Anthony Scotto Jr. and John Scotto .Entry into labor unions
In 1963, Anastasio died and Scotto succeeded him as head of ILA Local 1814. Scotto soon became a
caporegime , taking overPatsy Ciccone 's famed Brooklyn waterfront crew. Called a "new breed labor leader" by the press, Scotto quickly rose into high level business and political circles. He eventually became the ILA general organizer, one of the three highest positions in the 100,000 member labor union.cotto and the Gambino crime family
Scotto became one of the most powerful mafiosos in New York due to his powerful political connections. Scotto even became friends with the mob's most feared enemy, U.S.
Attorney General Robert Kennedy . In 1972, Scotto was named as a delegate to theDemocratic National Convention , but stepped down in protest over the actions of the Convention Credentials Committee. In 1974, Scotto raised thousands of dollars for Democratic candidateHugh Carey 's New Yorkgubernatorial campaign and $50,000 for DemocratMario Cuomo 's bid forlieutenant governor . PresidentJimmy Carter had named Scotto as a possible candidate for the position of U.S.Secretary of Labor . At the same time, Gambino planned to make Scotto president of the entire ILA in the United States; however, this ambition was derailed by criminal charges.In 1979, Scotto was convicted of federal
bribery andracketeering charges. Scotto had accepted $300,000 over five years from two dockside businessmen, William Montella Jr. and Walter D. O'Hearn Jr. Montella also built aswimming pool for Scotto at his vacation home for free. Before sentencing, US District JudgeCharles E. Stewart, Jr. remarked that he was "extremely impressed" by letters he received from former New York City mayorsRobert Wagner andJohn Lindsay , businessmen, and labor leaders all requesting leniency for Scotto. As a consequence, Stewart bypassed the maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and instead gave Scotto five years in prison with a $75,000 fine.In 1984, after serving 39 months, Scotto was released from prison. Since then, Scotto has not been indicted for any other crimes. Scotto has been identified as a
made man , or full member, of the Gambino family by mob informantJoe Valachi and government witnessSalvatore Gravano . Gambino's successor, family bossPaul Castellano , was intercepted by a federalwiretap explaining toThomas Gambino andThomas Bilotti about Scotto that, :"We respected him...It was our union...We were making him advance in our union...Go up, up, up ... the ladder. And ... what's gonna happen, we're gonna have a president."After Castellano's assassination in 1986, newly-crowned family boss
John Gotti demoted Scotto to soldier, and replaced him with another Red Hook mobster,Anthony "Young Sonny" Ciccone . From government witness testimony and wiretaps, it appeared that Gotti did not like Scotto.Later years
During his 20-year reign on the New York waterfront (and quite possibly the most powerful labor racketeer in the entire country), Scotto was also able to penetrate DC 37, America's biggest, richest, and most indicted municipal union. Former
Washington, DC bossVictor Gotbaum reached out to Scotto to help him in his battle against theTeamsters Union for jurisdiction over New York City's hospital workers. Scotto made his attorney,Bertram Perkel , DC 37's outside counsel (Scotto also appointed Perkel to the New York Port Commission). Eventually, DC 37 would come under the control of theColombo crime family , namely former family underbossWilliam Cutolo , soldierFrank "Frankie the Gent" Morelli and associateThomas DiNardo .An educated man who favored expensive suits, Scotto lectured at
Harvard University on labor relations and served as a trustee for theBrooklyn Academy of Music . Scotto's family owned a vacation home in theCatskills Mountains inUpstate New York and had a part share of an apartment building on the East Side of Manhattan. Scotto's son opened a restaurant in New York called Fresco by Scotto.References
*Kelly, Robert J. "Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States". Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
*Sifakis, Carl. "The Mafia Encyclopedia". New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
*Sifakis, Carl. "The Encyclopedia of American Crime". New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0External links
* [http://www.ipsn.org/court_cases/us_v_scotto_anastasio_1980-03-06.htm United States of America vs. Anthony M. Scotto and Anthony Anastasio]
* [http://www.ganglandnews.com/column144.htm This Week in Gangland: Like Grandfather, Like Grandson] by Jerry Capeci
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946399,00.html Time Magazine: Scotto: Out of the Dock]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.