Albert Anastasia

Albert Anastasia, born Umberto Anastasio on September 26, 1902, in Parghelia, Calabria, Italy, was a notorious Italian-American mobster, hitman, and crime boss whose ruthless career shaped the landscape of organized crime in the United States. Known as “The Mad Hatter,” “Lord High Executioner,” and “The Earthquake,” Anastasia co-founded the modern American Mafia and led the Gambino crime family (then known as the Mangano family) until his dramatic assassination in 1957. His life, marked by violence, strategic alliances, and ability to evade justice, left an indelible mark on the history of the Mafia.

Early Life and Immigration

Albert Anastasia was born into a large family, one of nine sons and three daughters of Raffaelo Anastasio, a railway worker, and Louisa Nomina de Filippi. His father’s death after World War I left the family in financial hardship, prompting Albert and three of his brothers—Anthony (“Tough Tony”), Joseph, and Gerardo—to seek opportunities abroad. In 1919, at age 17, they deserted an Italian freighter docked in New York City, illegally entering the United States and settling in Brooklyn. Another brother, Salvatore, became a Roman Catholic priest in New York.

The Anastasio brothers found work as longshoremen on the Brooklyn waterfront, a gritty environment controlled by the mafia. Albert, strong and quick-tempered, immersed himself in this world, engaging in a brutal Brooklyn gang that preyed on women and committed robberies. Around 1921, he changed his surname from “Anastasio” to “Anastasia.”

Early Criminal Career and Rise to Power

Anastasia’s criminal career began almost immediately. On March 17, 1921, at age 18, he was convicted of murdering longshoreman George Turino (also reported as Joseph Terella or George Turello) during a dispute over unloading rights. Witnesses described Anastasia’s brutal strength as he stabbed and strangled Turino in public. Sentenced to death, he was incarcerated at Sing Sing State Prison’s death row. However, a legal technicality led to a retrial in 1922, and by then, four key prosecution witnesses had vanished—likely due to intimidation or murder by Anastasia’s allies. The case collapsed, and Anastasia walked free, marking the first of many escapes from justice or protection.

In 1923, Anastasia was convicted of illegal firearm possession, serving two years in prison. By 1928, he faced another murder charge in Brooklyn, but witnesses either disappeared or refused to testify, cementing his reputation for silencing witnesses. During the late 1920s, Anastasia rose through the ranks of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), controlling six Brooklyn union chapters. This position gave him dominance over the Brooklyn waterfront, a lucrative hub for extortion, smuggling, and labor racketeering. He allied with Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, a powerful Sicilian-born crime boss, and forged connections with future Mafia luminaries like Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Vito Genovese, Joe Adonis, and Frank Costello.

The Castellammarese War (1930–1931), a bloody conflict between Masseria and rival Salvatore Maranzano for control of New York’s underworld, was a turning point. Anastasia initially sided with Masseria but switched allegiances when Luciano, plotting to seize power, conspired with Maranzano. On April 15, 1931, Luciano lured Masseria to a Coney Island restaurant. As Luciano stepped away, Anastasia, Genovese, Adonis, and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel stormed in, shooting Masseria dead. Anastasia reportedly delivered the coup de grâce, earning him a fearsome reputation. The murder ended the war, paving the way for Luciano’s vision of a structured American Mafia.

Murder, Inc. and the Height of Infamy

In the 1930s, Luciano established the National Crime Syndicate, a coalition of crime families, and created “Murder, Inc.,” a kill-for-hire unit to enforce syndicate discipline and eliminate threats. This model was used for Operation Gladio assassins in their international role. Initially led by Jewish-American gangsters like Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, Murder, Inc. operated out of a Brooklyn candy store. By the late 1930s, Anastasia, alongside Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, took control, earning nicknames like “The Mad Hatter” for his volatile temper and “Lord High Executioner” for his ruthlessness.

Under Anastasia’s leadership, Murder, Inc. was responsible for hundreds of murders, targeting witnesses, rival gangsters, and reformers. A notable case was the 1939 murder of Peter Panto, a longshoreman crusading against waterfront corruption. Anastasia personally garroted and buried Panto in quicklime, as later revealed by informants Albert Tannenbaum and Abe “Kid Twist” Reles. In 1940, when Brooklyn District Attorney Burton Turkus secured testimony from Reles and others implicating Anastasia, he went into hiding. Reles’s death in 1941—pushed from a Coney Island hotel window while under police protection, likely on Mafia orders—silenced a key witness, allowing Anastasia to evade prosecution. Buchalter was executed in 1944, leaving Anastasia as the sole head of Murder, Inc..

During World War II, Anastasia joined the U.S. Army as a technical sergeant, training longshoremen and reportedly orchestrating a deal to secure Luciano’s release from prison in exchange for Mafia protection of New York docks against Nazi sabotage. He sabotaged a French ocean liner, blaming Nazis, to bolster the narrative. Honorably discharged in 1944 with U.S. citizenship, Anastasia returned to crime, diversifying into a dressmaking factory while maintaining his underworld dominance.

Boss of the Mangano Crime Family

Postwar tensions with Vincent Mangano, head of the Mangano crime family, escalated. Mangano distrusted Anastasia’s loyalty to Luciano and Costello, who led the syndicate during Luciano’s exile. In 1951, Vincent Mangano vanished, and his brother Philip was found shot dead in a marshland. Though never charged, Anastasia was widely believed responsible. Backed by Costello, he assumed control of the family, later renamed the Gambino crime family, and solidified his power over the waterfront and union rackets.

"In New York City, it was learned that former mayor William O’Dwyer had received a $10,000 bribe from a firemen’s union, had paid a visit to the apartment of Commission boss Frank Costello, and had refused to prosecute hitman-boss Albert Anastasia." (Russo, 2001)

In In October 1946, at the request of US intelligence agents, Lucky traveled to Cuba where he met with Frank Costello, Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, and Meyer Lansky to discuss the Helliwell plan. Also in attendance were Mike Miranda, Joseph Magliocco, Joe Adonis, Tommy Lucchese Profaci, Willie Moretti, the Fischetti brothers (heirs to Al Capone), Santo Trafficante-all important members of the American Mafia, conference was held at the Hotel Nacional, where Frank Sinatra made Havana singing debut in honor of Luciano. (Williams, 2015) The purpose of the meeting was to use the mafia to dispense the illicit heroin the CIA was trafficking into the United States.

As boss, Anastasia’s erratic behavior and disregard for Mafia protocol sparked controversy. In 1952, enraged by a TV report about Arnold Schuster, an amateur sleuth who helped capture bank robber Willie Sutton, Anastasia ordered Schuster’s murder, declaring, “I don’t like rats.” The killing, unrelated to Mafia business, outraged other bosses and the public, highlighting Anastasia’s impulsiveness. In 1951, he refused to answer questions at the Kefauver Committee hearings on organized crime, further drawing scrutiny.

Legal troubles persisted. In 1954, Anastasia faced tax evasion charges after building a lavish New Jersey home inconsistent with his reported income. A key witness, plumber Charles Ferri, provided damaging testimony, but another witness, Vincent Macri, was found dead, leading to a mistrial. In 1955, with Ferri missing, Anastasia pleaded guilty to tax evasion, serving one year in prison and paying a $20,000 fine—the first time he was jailed since 1923.

Upon his release, he returned to doing business. "In October 1957, Vito Genovese, sill serving as Lucky's underboss, forged an alliance with Carlo Gambino for the execution of Albert Anastasia, the head of the Mangano crime family Anastasia had ruffled the feathers of Meyer Lansky and Santo Traffi cante Jr. by attempting to gain control of the lucrative flow of heroin from Havana. One month after Anastasia's murder, Genovese presided over the Apalachin Conference, a follow-up American Mafia summit to the event in Palermo, in which he anointed himself "boss of all bosses" (capo de tutti capi); appointed Carlo Gambino the new head of the Mangano clan and ruled that the mob should not be involved in trafficking in narcotics outside of Harlem and other black neighborhoods.

In the midst of the conference, the Pennsylvania State Police staged a raid that resulted in the arrest of Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano (a Gambino caporegime-boss), Joseph Bonanno, and Santo Trafficante Jr., the head of the South Florida family and the pivotal mob figure in Cuba. Others in attendance were Stefano Magaddino of Buffalo, Nick Civella of Kansas City, Sam Giancana of Chicago, and representatives from families in Milwaukee, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles." The Apalachin Conference was a milestone in the annals of organized crime in America, wiping out previous myths and misunderstandings about La Cosa Nostra, including the statements of J. Edgar Hoover that the Mafia, in fact, did not exist. The raid that caused the breakup of the mob meeting captured national headlines for weeks, infuriating the Mafiosi and embarrassing US government officials. The public now knew for the first time that an organized syndicate of mob families controlled the flow of illicit drugs throughout the country." (Williams, 2015)

Downfall and Assassination

Anastasia’s leadership grew increasingly unstable. He sold Mafia memberships for thousands of dollars, admitting unreliable members, and clashed with Vito Genovese, who sought to dominate the Luciano (later Genovese) crime family. Genovese, allied with Meyer Lansky and Anastasia’s underboss Carlo Gambino, plotted against him. In 1957, Genovese orchestrated an attempt on Costello’s life, wounding him, and had Anastasia’s underboss Frank Scalise killed for selling family positions. Joe Adonis, another ally, was deported to Italy, isolating Anastasia.

On October 25, 1957, Anastasia was assassinated at the Park Sheraton Hotel’s barbershop in Manhattan. As he relaxed in the barber chair, two masked gunmen—allegedly the Gallo brothers, hired by Genovese and Gambino—fired five shots, killing him. Anastasia reportedly lunged at the gunmen’s reflections in a mirror before collapsing dead. The high-profile murder, described by journalist Selwyn Raab as a “vivid image of a helpless victim swathed in white towels,” sparked a major police investigation, but no one was charged. Speculation also points to Profaci crime family mobster Joe Gallo or Patriarca family operatives.

According to Joe Trento's Prelude to Terror: "In a series of sensational and violent Mafia wars, Trafficante ordered the hit on Albert Anastasia. Trafficante and the CIA also had common business interests in Asia—specifically, the successful exportation of Chinese white heroin." It was not "Chinese" white heroin, it was Chiang Kai Shek's Taiwanese heroin network set up by the CIA.

Kruger's The Great Heroin Coup added "Many envied Lansky's ever increasing power and wealth, and Murder, Inc. chairman of the board Albert Anastasia. In 1957 they tried enlisting Trafficante's aid in removing Lansky from the Havana Group. It was one of Anastasia s last moves." Trafficante arranged for this barber shop appointment.

Personal Life and Legacy

Anastasia married Elsa Bargnesi in 1937, and they had two sons, Umberto (Anthony Jr.) and Richard, and two daughters, Joyana and Gloriana. Despite his brutal persona, he was known for personal quirks: he dressed in tailored suits, cared for stray cats, painted as a hobby, tended an elaborate garden, and played chess. After his death, Elsa and their children moved to Canada in 1958, changing their surname to “Anisio” to escape his notoriety.

Anastasia’s funeral, denied a church burial by the Diocese of Brooklyn, was held at a funeral home and attended by few. He was interred in Green-Wood Cemetery, his grave marked “Anastasio”. His death paved the way for Gambino to lead the family, though Genovese’s reputation suffered after the botched 1957 Apalachin Meeting, leading to his own downfall.

Anastasia’s legacy is one of terror and influence. As a founder of the American Mafia and Murder, Inc., he institutionalized organized crime’s enforcement arm. His control of the waterfront and unions demonstrated his strategic vision, but his volatile temper and disregard for Mafia rules made him a liability. Former NYPD detective Ralph Salerno’s claim that Anastasia “murdered tens of thousands” is likely exaggerated, but his role in dozens of killings is undisputed.

Anastasia’s story also highlights systemic issues: the Mafia’s ability to manipulate legal processes through witness intimidation and corruption, as seen in his 1921 retrial, underscores the challenges law enforcement faced. His Army service and Luciano’s release suggest possible government complicity or pragmatism during wartime, raising questions about the state’s role in enabling organized crime.

Sources:

Britannica, “Albert Anastasia”

EBSCO Research Starters, “Albert Anastasia”

Wikipedia, “Albert Anastasia”

The Famous People, “Albert Anastasia Biography”

The Mob Museum, “Albert Anastasia”

IMDb, “Albert Anastasia Biography”

Geni.com, “Albert Anastasia (Anastasio)”

Barnes & Noble, “Mobster Biography: Albert Anastasia”

American Mafia, “Ambition Toppled Brooklyn King Anastasia”

Amazon, “Boss of Murder, Inc.: The Criminal Life of Albert Anastasia”

National Crime Syndicate, “Albert ‘The Mad Hatter’ Anastasia Biography”

American Mafia History, “Albert Anastasia – The Original Murder Inc. Part I”

Geneanet.org, “Family Tree of Albert Anastasio”

One Nation Under Blackmail: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime that Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Volume Two by Webb (2022)

Operation Gladio: The Unholy Alliance between the Vatican, the CIA, and the Mafia by Williams (2015)

Prelude to Terror by Trento (2005)

Whiteout The CIA, Drugs and the Press by Cockburn (1998)

Twilight of the Shadow Government: How Transparency Will Kill the Deep State by Shipp (2024)

The Great Heroin Coup: Drugs Intelligence & International Fascism by Kruger (1980)

The Outfit: The Role of Chicago’s Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America by Russo (2001)

Deal with the Devil by Lance (2013)