Gambino Sleeper Angelo Scarpulla: The Son of Mafia Royalty

Angelo Scarpulla was a Gambino Family soldier who came from Mafia royalty. His father, Giacomo Scarpulla, was a highly respected, if little known member of the powerful Sicilian faction of the old Vincenzo Mangano Family, a borgata once headed by Giacomo’s brother-in-law, the infamous mafioso Frank (Don Cheech) Scalici .

A butcher by trade, early on in his career, Scarpulla got involved with the meat industry with his cousin Paul (Big Paul) Castellano. He was also involved in shylocking. But surprisingly, despite his strong connections, he had a limited arrest record, eventually retired from his criminal career, and moved to New Jersey where he owned and operated a restaurant and an Italian-specialty food shop shortly before his death.

Arcangelo (Angelo) Scarpulla was born July 22, 1928 in New York City. He was the oldest of three children and first born son of Giacomo Scarpulla and Rosaria Scalici.

The Scarpulla children were all born and raised in the Bronx and for many years resided on East 182nd Street where their father and mother’s family had an extensive network of blood relatives and close amici.

As will be discussed further in the second part of this story, the Scarpulla family came from Mafia royalty. Angelo’s father, Giacomo, was a highly respected, if little known member of the powerful Sicilian faction of the old Vincenzo Mangano Family, a borgata once headed by Giacomo’s brother-in-law, the infamous mafioso Frank (Don Cheech) Scalici.

Angelo Scarpulla

Besides his father and uncle, Angelo’s other blood relatives included his mother’s other brothers, Giuseppe, Salvatore and Giovanni Scalici, each of whom was a longtime mafioso of good standing in their own right.

And if that Cosa Nostra pedigree wasn’t already enough, on June 7, 1953, another respected mafioso, narcotics trafficker and convicted counterfeiter by the name of Vincent Rocco Lapi became his father-in-law.

That was the day Angelo Scarpulla and Rosemarie Lapi took their marriage vows at the alter of Saint Gregory the Great R.C. Church in Harrison, New York.

Two of Angelo’s close personal friends and fellow mafiosi, Philip (Phil) Meli and Philip (Skinny Phil) LoScalzo served as ushers.

Giacomo Scarpulla

After the church ceremony, the bride’s parents threw a lavish reception party that was said to have been attended by well over 1,000 guests at the nearby Winter Garden Catering Hall.

If was later reported that Lapi spared absolutely no expense for his little girl’s special day and was said to have dropped a small fortune for the affair.

Angelo and Rosemarie’s wedding helped to further bind the two families closer together and further solidified the Scarpullas standing and power within New York’s Italian underworld structure.

Dating back to at least the early-1940s when he was still a teenager, Angelo’s father began introducing his son to the wholesale meat business.

Over the years, he learned the trade by working in his father’s retail meat stores and eventually learned the craft well enough to become an accomplished butcher in his own right.

On July 25, 1946, despite the fact that World War II had officially ended in late 1945, he was still required to register for the draft. Angelo had just turned eighteen.

On his draft card, Scarpulla was described as follows: 5 feet 7 inches tall, 128 pounds, brown eyes, brown hair, and ruddy complexion. Scarpulla stated that he was currently employed at Sal’s Meat Market, located at 175 First Avenue, Manhattan.

By 1950, he was living at 3033 La Salle Avenue in the Bronx.

3033 La Salle Avenue, Bronx

Beyond the Bronx

Although he was born and raised in the Bronx and during his early years operated in tandem with his father in their immediate neighborhood, through the years as he became an adult, Angelo also began moving around to other areas of New York City, hobnobbing with fellow Cosa Nostra soldiers, especially members of the Gambino borgata’s Brooklyn faction.

In fact, he began spending so much of his time in Brooklyn and doing so much business there — both legitimate and otherwise — that by the early 1960s, he and Rosemarie decided to sell their Bronx home and just completely relocate with the kids to Brooklyn.

In the coming years, Jack and Rosemarie would own homes in several different locations within Kings County. One was at 8220 12th Avenue in the exclusive Dyker Heights neighborhood.

By 1968, they also owned a multi-unit house in the Bath Beach section at 166 Bay 14th Street.

During this same period, Angelo was known to hold ownership interests in several retail meat stores around those same neighborhoods.

But local and federal law enforcement agencies say that after settling in Brooklyn, he also began frequenting the borough of Staten Island where he maintained close contact with a number of high-ranking mafiosi, including future boss Paul Castellano and other top-ranked members of their hierarchy.

In fact, the authorities claim the Scarpullas and Castellanos were actually related by blood, saying that Angelo and Paul were cousins.

The feds might had been onto something because the two men were known to be very close to one another. So much so that a few years later, FBI agents who kept their eyes on Castellano and his closest associates, reported to their superiors that Scarpulla had sold his home and moved out of Brooklyn, crossing the Verrazzano Bridge onto Staten Island where he quickly bought another residence.

The agents noted in their files that Angelo and Rosemarie purchased a beautifully appointed private residence set on a spacious property at 99 Buttonwood Road in the Dongan Hills section.

The home also just happened to be located directly down the block from his cousins, the Castellanos, who resided in a gorgeous colonial-styled home at 11 Buttonwood Road.

99 Buttonwood Road, Dongan Hills, S.I.

A Different Kind of Mafioso

In April, 1969 the Staten Island Advance released a series of investigative stories that focused on alleged fraudulent practices and local corruption regarding land purchases and fraud committed by a handful of mobbed-up companies. One section of the story stated, “Angelo Scarpulla is active with others in a number of shady land deals.”

The newspaper exposé went on to identify Scarpulla as being an owner of Sharrott Realty, Inc., of Brooklyn. Authorities say he and Joseph Castellano (Paul Castellano’s son), were listed on the incorporation papers as officers.

The series went on to explain the realty company was involved in a number of shadowy transactions with another real estate firm called P.P.F. Realty Inc., that allegedly had as secret partners Family boss Carlo Gambino and capodecina Peter (Petey Pumps) Ferrara.

Some of the questionable deals between Sharrott Realty and P.P.F. Realty included illegally removing top soil from various properties. In one particular case, it called into question how these firms operated. Tons of dirt was excavated from a property located on Sharrotts Road between Arthur Kill Road and Winant Place and then sold as “fill” to the Slattery Construction Company during the construction of the Staten Island Expressway.

Slattery Construction was eventually indicted for falsifying the description of a material used in the construction of a 1.5-mile section of the Staten Island Expressway, for which it had a $9- million contract.

The company was hit with two counts of first degree grand larceny and one count of fraudulently presenting bills or claims to public officials for payment.

A second indictment was filed against several Slattery company employees for having falsely approved fill that was not up to industry specifications.

Prosecutors further reported that in May 1962, the title for underwater lands were transferred from the State of New York to P.P.F. Realty Inc., for the sum of $1,868. Then three years later on January 28, 1965, the City of New York also transferred its title to the same underwater land to P.P.F. Realty.

However, authorities said that before P.P.F. even acquired ownership, the same underwater property had already been leased from the city through the Department of Marine and Aviation to P.P.F., under Permit #630430 at a rental price of $200 per month.

The mob later performed major dredging of the sand and gravel found at those same underwater locations (a highly-priced and sorely needed commodity for highway construction) by means of a dragline crane and the use of two dump trucks.

The Internal Revenue Service said that another transaction that also come under their scrutiny was a Richmond County government-held property bought by Castellano, Ferrara, and Scarpulla for $65,000 and then resold shortly thereafter for $110,000.

That particular land transaction brought Angelo and his partners a net profit of $45,000 in just a matter of weeks.

Law enforcement sources advised that during this same time period, from April 14 to August 31, 1963, Sharrott Realty Inc. had been paid $123,395 from Slattery Construction for fill and hauling services.

During that same period, they said P.P.F. was paid $8,320., and another related company, Bath Beach Hauling Corporation, received $52,931.

Mafia Meats Inc.

By the early 1970s, Angelo had gone back to his roots and original Scarpulla family playbook after he went partners with several of his amici in what would turn out to be another lucrative, if somewhat shady, business venture.

During the ever increasing scrutiny FBI agents were placing on Family boss Carlo Gambino and key members of his borgata, they learned that Angelo had gone partners with “Acting” Gambino Family boss Paul (Big Paul) Castellano and several other relatives and mob associates in a series of Brooklyn-based retail butcher shops and wholesale meat distribution companies.

Subsequently, federal authorities began investigating suspicions that these various companies were part of a larger Gambino-oriented mosaic to criminally dominate and control New York’s meat industry.

Depending upon what their probe eventually uncovered, potential charges could include criminal violations ranging from: restraint of trade, conspiracy, collusion, coercion, extortion, weight fraud, price-fixing, theft, grand larceny, and tax evasion.

Agents noted that among other firms Scarpulla was suspected of holding a silent interest in were three firms where he served as either the company president or was listed as a corporate officer: A & S Meat Market, 6522 11th Avenue, Brooklyn; Imperial Meat Market (chain stores), 879 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn; and Prospect Parkway Meats, 234 Prospect Parkway West, Brooklyn.

And although at the culmination of their investigation the FBI did eventually bring criminal charges against several key Gambino Family figures and operatives, despite their best efforts, FBI agents were never able to make a solid enough case to charge Scarpulla regarding this particular investigation.

The Shylock

He had successfully managed to slip law enforcement’s net once again. But the feds weren’t quite done with Scarpulla yet as more trouble was waiting patiently just beyond the horizon for him.

On May 6, 1975, Scarpulla was among fourteen men named in thirteen separate, but interrelated indictments filed by a Manhattan Grand Jury that had been investigating organized crime for over a year.

State prosecutors filed a wide-ranging indictments charging the defendants with operating a multimillion-dollar loansharking ring that preyed on the Manhattan Garment District and Downtown Wall Street area.

Among the criminal counts listed were usury, attempted usury, conspiracy to commit usury, assault, coercion, extortion, perjury and contempt of court.

Scarpulla and his partner in a Brooklyn meat market, Paul F. (Little Paul) Castellano, were specifically accused of providing loans to local businessmen at interest rates exceeding 100 percent annually.

Authorities said the funds for the loanshark operation was bankrolled by a trio of un-indicted co-conspirators that allegedly included Little Paul’s more powerful cousin, Family underboss/acting boss Constantino (Big Paul) Castellano.

At their arraignment, Judge Gerald Culkin set bail at $10,000 for Scarpulla, which the 57-year-old mafioso quickly posted up to get released.

Here Come the Feds

Then, in a one-two punch by the government, less than two months after the state indictments were announced, on July 1, 1975, the United States Justice Department in Washington announced a brand new federal indictment naming some the same men, but adding several others, including underboss Constantino (Big Paul) Castellano, and several additional underlings.

Now re-indicted for the same basic criminal activities, but by the feds this time around, Angelo Scarpulla was once again charged with loansharking.

Also re-indicted was his business partner, Paul F. (Little Paul) Castellano.

And besides Big Paul Castellano, also included in this new indictment was Big Paul’s son, Joseph Castellano, Frank (Butch) Guglielmini, Frank Granato, Victor LiPari, Robert Herko, and Robert DePrizio.

Authorities noted that all the suspects were Staten Island residents. They also identified the Castellanos, Scarpulla and Guglielmini as either formally inducted Mafia members or associates.

<img src="https://thenewyorkmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/scarpulla-a-big-paul-castellano-little-paul.jpg" alt="“Big Paul” Castellano, and his younger cousin, “Little Paul” Castellano as they exit FBI headquarters after being arrested for loansharking. The photo is set in a signature Button Guys black and white picture frame with the words: "www.thenewyorkmafia.com" at the bottom." class="wp-image-101992"/> “Big Paul” Castellano, and his younger cousin, “Little Paul” Castellano as they exit FBI headquarters after being arrested for loansharking.

FBI Regional Director J. Wallace LaPrade said the defendants were charged with “conspiracy to violate the anti-racketeering provisions of the Organized Crime Act of 1970.” In other words, the feds hit them with RICO!

In addition, Big Paul, Little Paul, and Scarpulla were also charged with filing false income tax returns because the failed to report the income they derived from their usurious moneymaking venture.

Authorities further charged Little Paul Castellano with obstruction of justice because he attempted to force an unindicted co-conspirator named Arthur (Little Artie) Berardelli to lie during his testimony before the grand jury about his knowledge of the loansharking operation.

Between the criminal case brought by the state and the new one brought by the federal government, it appeared that the last nails were slowly being driven into Angelo’s proverbial coffin.

If convicted on all counts, Scarpulla was now facing upwards of fifty years in jail.

Coppin' Out

One year later, on January 7, 1976, after reviewing all the evidence against them, Scarpulla and Paul F. (Little Paul) Castellano decided to throw in the towel and enter guilty pleas in New York State Supreme Court to criminal counts related to their involvement in loansharking.

During the court proceedings, prosecutors reminded the judge that “Castellano, who served as the bookkeeper for this loanshark business, is a first cousin of Paul (Big Paul) Castellano, who in turn, is the brother-in-law of Mafia chieftain Carlo Gambino, and, some say, his future successor as Godfather.”

Scarpulla agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal usury. Castellano would admit to a single count of criminal usury.

With their guilty pleas accepted by the court, the judge continued them on bail until the formal day of sentencing. Castellano faced up to four-years in prison. Scarpulla faced a maximum of one-year behind bars.

One month later, on February 27, 1976, Angelo and Little Paul nervously stood before the court to hear the judge hand down their sentences. As it turned out, they didn’t fare out too badly. In fact, not bad at all.

Scarpulla received a $1,000 fine and was ordered to serve three years probation. Castellano was ordered to pay a fine of $5,600 and serve five years probation.

Sentencing Judge Martin Evans said he was making the sentences contingent on their not making any loans — legal or otherwise — and on their not associating with known criminals.

Court observers were shocked at the light sentences, especially Assistant D.A. Ray Levites who had vigorously prosecuted their case.

Afterwards, both mafiosi breathe a big sigh of relief and walked out of the courthouse with big smiles across their faces.

But they weren’t quite out of the woods yet. Because both men still faced the more serious federal case which exposed them to even heavier potential penalties of at least forty years behind bars.

Ray of Sunshine

But, ten months later, on November 16th, a funny thing happened on the way to the federal guillotine.

After a slew of motions to dismiss the case by a team of defense lawyers, Brooklyn Federal Court Judge John Bartels “dismissed with prejudice” the entire indictment against the 60-year-old Scarpulla and his six codefendants.

It was a major blow to the government’s war against organized crime.

Judge Bartels stated that he made his decision after a series of motions were filed by defense attorneys who asserted that no positive evidence of a conspiracy to conduct a loansharking operation had been produced by the prosecution.

The government’s case had received its death blow only one week before when its star witness, Arthur Berardelli, refused to testify against the other defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Laufer had contended at the start of the trail that Berardelli, who was related to Castellano by marriage, would describe how 13 loans, ranging from $2,500 to $24,000, were allegedly made at interest rates ranging from 2 to 3 percent a week.

But when called to the stand, Berardelli balked at testifying and was subsequently ordered jailed on contempt of court charges.

After his decision, the jurist said he dismissed “with reluctance" the charges against Scarpulla and DePrizio, implying that the government’s case had been stronger against these defendants.

Ultimately, Scarpulla ended up beating both cases against him. And serious cases at that.

But they had taken a toll on both him and his family. After all, he had been bouncing around the streets as a so-called “knockaround guy” since he was a kid.

Angelo was now pushing 60-years-old and he was starting to tire of the life he had chosen — or, maybe more appropriately, the life that had been chosen for him by his father.

He and Rosemarie and the kids had suffered through many decades of intense government harassment, constant FBI surveillance, and a number of criminal cases regarding his life’s work — that of a loyal Cosa Nostra soldier.

Angelo eventually started thinking that maybe now was good time to develop a potential exit plan.

Subsequently, by at least the late-1970s, Angelo made the fateful decision to start fading into the background in an effort to try and avoid any more potential legal problems.

The Garden State

It was around this same time period, the late 1970s, when the Scarpullas decided to sell their home on Staten Island and move out of New York altogether.

But they didn’t wanna move too far away from family and friends, so they decided to hop right over the Goethals Bridge into the nearby State of New Jersey.

Besides Angelo trying to stay away from the heat of law enforcement by keeping a low profile, it’s believed he and Rosemarie’s decision was based on several other factors as well, not the least of which was the fact that their three children, now all grown adults with kids of their own, had since moved to New Jersey themselves.

In the coming years, the Scarpullas lived in a number of towns in Central New Jersey. They initially moved to Old Bridge (Middlesex County) where they resided for a number of years before moving to Asbury Park (Monmouth County) in 1982.

But, unfortunately, the fickle finger of fate had other plans for them. Six years later, Angelo’s dreams of semi-retirement to the countryside would be short-lived.

In early August 1989 Scarpulla was admitted to a Freehold area hospital for treatment of a chronic heart condition he had been suffering from for several years already. He died shortly thereafter, on August 15th.

Arcangelo Scarpulla was just 61 years old.

He left behind his beloved wife Rosemarie, their three children: Michael, Julia Phillips, Diana Reta, as well as five grandchildren.

He and Rosemarie had been married for over 35 years.

Scarpulla was waked locally at the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home in Old Bridge. He was then given a Mass of Christian Burial was interred at Saint Rose of Lima Cemetery, Freehold Township.

Making a Clean Break of It

At the time of his death, Angelo was reportedly long retired from any active duty in Cosa Nostra. In fact, he wasn’t believed to even regularly keep in touch with most of his former underworld associates.

Harkening back to his family’s earliest roots, by that point in his life, Angelo had once again gone back into the food business as the proud owner and operator of Emilio’s Italian Restaurant, a neighborhood eatery located on Route 37 in Toms River, New Jersey.

He had reportedly only started running the restaurant approximately one year up before his untimely passing.

Before opening up Emilio’s, he had reportedly also owned and operated another food related business for over ten years in nearby Old Bridge Township. This particular business was believed to have been a retail Italian-specialty foods shop he named the Via Veneto.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Gambino Sleeper Angelo Scarpulla: The Son of Mafia Royalty

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Racketeer Snapshot: Gambino Soldier Anthony “Tony Plate” Plata

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Gambino Sleeper Angelo Scarpulla: The Son of Mafia Royalty

Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!

Tour the Underworld with Button Guys

Dive Deeper into the Underworld

Salvatore (Toddo Aurello) Avarello: Gambino Family Capo

Colombo/Gambino Mobster: Lawrence (Larry Baccala) Abbandando

Racketeer Snapshot: Gambino Soldier Anthony “Tony Plate” Plata

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