Anthony Carfano

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Anthony Carfano (November 1895 – September 25, 1959), also known as "Little Augie Pisano", was a New York gangster who became a

By 1920, he had become a hoodlum for Frankie Yale in Yale's south Brooklyn empire. Yale's organization eventually allied with and was finally absorbed by Joe Masseria's Mafia family, making Yale a caporegime, or crew leader, under Masseria. When Yale was assassinated in 1928, Carfano took over and became a Masseria caporegime. In the late 1930s, Costello and Joe Adonis sent Carfano to South Florida to expand family operations in that region. Based in Miami, Carfano successfully organized both illegal gambling operations and legitimate spas and hotels, including Miami's Wofford Hotel.

At this time, mob associate and Florida gambling operator

On the night of September 25, 1959 (although other sources incorrectly claim September 29), Strollo invited Carfano to dinner at Marino's restaurant and Carfano accepted. Earlier that night, Carfano relaxed at the Copacabana nightclub and later that evening, left to meet with Strollo. At Marino's, Carfano ran into mutual friends, among them Janice Drake, a former Miss New Jersey and the wife of comedian Allan Drake. Drake had been previously called in as a witness to testify on gangland slayings of Manhattan Nathan Nelson and Gambino crime family boss Albert Anastasia. Carfano offered to drive Janice home after supper to her apartment in Rego Park, Queens, where her 13-year-old son, Michael, was sleeping.

In the middle of the meal, Carfano allegedly received a phone call. After hanging up, Carfano told his group that he and Drake had to leave; he had been called away "on urgent business". Carfano and Drake left Marino's and drove away in his Cadillac. Police later theorized that this phone call was from Costello warning Carfano about the hit. When Carfano and Drake left the restaurant, they were allegedly heading to

Underworld rumor has it that after Costello was deposed as boss of the Luciano crime family in late 1957, Carfano took it upon himself to show much disregard and even contempt for the new leadership. He apparently spent most of his time overseeing his criminal and legitimate interests in South Florida and traveled to New York only when necessary, and by 1959 had begun making plans to expand his gambling operations into Cuba. The theory goes that Carfano, who was not a Genovese supporter, began to encroach on the Havana casino operations of Meyer Lansky and the new Genovese crime family.

With Carfano's prior, blatant disrespect for his new boss, Genovese, and now his encroachment onto Genovese and Lansky territory without permission sealed Carfano's fate. This, along with the added bonus that Lansky would take over all the Carfano gambling interests in Florida where Lansky was also based gave the two New York Mob bosses all the excuse they needed to have Carfano hit that fateful September night. The fact that Lansky's criminal association with Genovese strengthened after his takeover of the Luciano crime family and that Lansky did in fact take over Carfano's Southern Florida gambling interests after his death is more than likely the catalyst for this theory surrounding Carfano's murder and Lansky's involvement.

In popular culture

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