Sammy Gravano has described the immense pressure he felt walking into a sit-down with the leadership of the Colombo crime family, a meeting where he was suddenly expected to conduct himself like a boss. Gravano, who was an acting captain at the time, said he was sent to the meeting by Paul Castellano, the boss of the Gambino family. The meeting took place at a location he referred to as the Concrete Club. When he walked into the room, Gravano realized he was surrounded by the highest-ranking figures in the room.
“I really literally said to myself, ‘Holy shit, they’re all bosses,’” he recalled. The gathering included Colombo boss Carmine “Tony Ducks” Corallo and Gambino underboss Salvatore “Fat Tony” Gravano, often referred to as the acting boss. Gravano noted that he was sitting across the table from some of the most powerful men in organized crime. The tension was broken by a joke.
“Fat Tony” joked with the younger Gravano, telling him that a good-looking young guy shouldn’t want to sit around with a bunch of old men and that he should go out with young women instead. Gravano said the joke got a laugh from everyone in the room and helped relax the atmosphere. He recalled having a good relationship with Fat Tony, who he described as a great guy in that moment. But it was Corallo’s comments that Gravano said truly settled his nerves.
Corallo acknowledged that he appeared nervous and explained why he was being treated with a new level of respect. “He said, ‘Sammy, I could see you’re a little nervous. We’re all bosses here. Paul sent you here, so we’re looking at you now as a boss,’” Gravano recounted.
Corallo reminded him that they knew his rank and what he was, but encouraged him not to be reluctant to speak his mind. The message was clear: Gravano was to be viewed as an extension of Castellano, and therefore, as an equal at that table. Gravano said the combined reassurance from the two veteran mob leaders made him feel genuinely comfortable in a situation that could have been highly intimidating.