For mobsters, prison is often an occupational hazard. A rare collection of photographs offers a glimpse of American Mafia figures behind bars, capturing both famous bosses and lesser-known wiseguys during their time in custody.
One of the earliest images shows a future Gambino family boss, John Gotti, posing for a photo at Lewisburg Prison around 1970. At the time, Gotti was still an associate and was serving a sentence for hijacking.
Several other men appear in the same photograph. In the back row is Frankie DeCicco, who would be inducted into the Gambino crime family in early 1976 after the books reopened. He served in the crew of Captain James "Jimmy Brown" Failla and later became a captain of his own crew around 1982 or 1983.
DeCicco was one of the mobsters behind the plot to murder family boss Paul Castellano in December 1985. After Castellano and underboss Tommy Bilotti were killed, DeCicco was promoted to underboss under John Gotti. In April 1986, DeCicco was murdered by a car bomb, allegedly a reprisal for his role in the Castellano hit.
Next to DeCicco is George "Fat Georgie" Remini, also known as Big George. He later became a made man and served in the crew of Gambino captain Tommy Gambino, the son of legendary boss Carlo Gambino. In the early 1990s, Remini became acting captain when Tommy Gambino was sent to prison in 1991.
Gotti stands in the middle of the photo. Beside him is an unidentified individual, and on the far right is the greatly feared Michael "Mickey Boy" Paradiso. Paradiso was inducted into the Gambino family in the late 1970s and served as a soldier in the crew of Captain Nino Garofalo. In 2019, some sources reported that the aging Paradiso had been elevated to consigliere, though whether he still holds the position is debated.
Another set of photos shows two heavyweights convicted in the famous Commission trial of the mid-1980s. Former Genovese crime family powerhouse Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno appears with his trademark cigar while serving his 100-year sentence in Springfield, Missouri.
In a separate photo, former Lucchese crime family boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo stands in the middle. To his left is former Colombo family underboss Gennaro "Jerry Langella" Langella, who was also sentenced to 100 years in the Commission case.
On Corallo's other side is allegedly Milwaukee mobster Anthony "Tony Pep" Balistrieri, a soldier in the Milwaukee crime family. On the far right is Patriarca crime family associate Gerard Ouimette.
A final image in that section shows Tony Ducks and Fat Tony together. The two mob powerhouses had been friends for many years and both died behind bars at the same prison. Salerno passed away in July 1992, and Corallo died eight years later, in August 2000.
Another photograph features prisoners from New England's Patriarca crime family and New York's Genovese crime family. On the far left is Patriarca associate Gerard Ouimette, who spent around 30 years behind bars over several prison spells.
Next to Ouimette is Genovese mobster Federico "Fritzy" Giovanelli. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Giovanelli served as acting captain for Dominic "Quiet Dom" Cirillo's crew.
Beside Giovanelli is Patriarca heavyweight Matthew Guglielmetti. Now in his twilight years, some sources state that Guglielmetti is the current underboss of the New England Mafia.
A 1973 photo shows the championship softball team at Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. Among the notable names is number 14, Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero, a future soldier and captain in the Gambino crime family.
Number 13, with his hand on Ruggiero's shoulder, is future Gambino soldier John Carneglia, the man who fired the fatal shots into boss Paul Castellano in December 1985.
At number five is Oreste "Ernie Boy" Abbamonte, a Gambino soldier who in his early years was part of the infamous Pleasant Avenue drug dealing network in East Harlem. At number 17 is mob associate James Cardinale, who later became an errand boy for John Gotti before turning government witness and testifying against the Dapper Don in the late 1980s.
A more recent prison photo shows alleged Philadelphia crime family underboss Steven "Handsome Stevie" Mazzone in the middle, with mob associate Peter Tuccio on the far right.
Another image contains a long list of names. In the back row, on the far left, is Richie Gotti, also known as Richard G. Gotti, son of Richard V. Gotti and nephew of former Gambino boss John Gotti.
Next to him is Vito Gazzo Jr., a feared Colombo crime family mobster with many murders to his name. He was sent to prison around 1990 and was allegedly inducted into the Colombo family in a ceremony held in a prison bathroom.
Next is Andy Merola, a Gambino mobster based out of New Jersey who was allegedly brought into the family by Jackie D'Amico. Beside him is Lucchese mobster Ray Argentina, a soldier in what was formerly Paul Vario's Canarsie crew, inducted around 1988.
To the right of Argentina is former Philadelphia boss John Stanfa, a controversial figure who was Angelo Bruno's driver on the night Bruno was assassinated. Years later, after fleeing Philadelphia and spending time in prison, Stanfa returned to become boss of the Philadelphia crime family after Nicky Scarfo's incarceration.
Stanfa was drawn into a war with another Philadelphia mobster, Joey Merlino, which led to multiple casualties. The war ended when Stanfa was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996.
To Stanfa's right is Gambino mobster Huck Carbonaro, convicted for his involvement in a plot to murder former Gambino underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
In the front row, on the far left, is an unidentified prisoner. Next to him is Troy Damiano, a narcotics dealer, followed by Pete Player. On the far right is Michael Palmisano.
One more photo features several Mafia heavyweights locked up together. On the far left is Bonanno crime family mobster Nicky Santora, who had previously been a member of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano's crew. He eventually became a captain before being promoted to underboss of the Bonanno family.
In the middle is the greatly feared Genovese mobster Tino Fiumara. On the far right is former Colombo underboss Gennaro "Jerry Lang" Langella, who, as noted earlier, was serving a sentence of over 100 years received partly due to the Commission case of the mid-1980s.