Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo: A Smart and Savvy Labor Racketeer

Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo was born on February 12, 1913 in Manhattan.

By the early 1950s, he had relocated with his family to the Whitestone/Malba section of Queens, where he would first reside for years at 144-67 North Drive.

He later moved to a larger home within the same community at 13-61 144th Place. By the mid-1970s, he relocated to Nassau County, first to the Syosset area and then later to a multi-million dollar ranch-style home on Grace Lane in exclusive Oyster Bay Cove.

A young Tony Ducks Corallo.

Tony Ducks stood at a squat 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds. With medium, close-cropped brown hair and sharp blue eyes with glasses, Tony always had a studious look to him.

According to underworld legend, Tony Ducks acquired his nickname from his uncanny ability to “duck” various subpoenas and criminal cases over the years.

His activities included labor racketeering, extortion, strong-arm tactics, bribery and official corruption, policy, shylocking, and narcotics.

FBI # 269969, NYCPD # B-75882

Born and bred in the East Harlem section of Manhattan, he would migrate to Queens County early on, which then became his primary focus and base for his varied activities. He listed his occupation as the vice president of Teamsters Local #239, based in Queens.

In conjunction with his partner Johnny Dio, he was also instrumental in the creation of many other Teamster Locals, some of which were nothing more than what was called “paper locals” - meaning that they were labor organizations in name only; they had no dues-paying members.

This was done as a favor to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa so that they could swing the vote in Hoffa’s favor when election time came. This quid pro quo worked both ways in that Ducks and Dio were then given “carte blanche” by Hoffa to plunder their union tills and create “racket” locals designed to coerce and extort both management and the rank and file alike for the mobs benefit.

It was a corruption of the tallest order!

His long police criminal record starts in 1929:

1929 - grand larceny

1930 - robbery

1932 - robbery

1934 - vagrancy

1935 - consorting with criminals

1936 - robbery

1936 - investigation (Kansas City)

1938 - robbery

1941 - narcotics (heroin sale)

1945 - investigation

1961 obstruction of justice, conspiracy

1968 - bribery, conspiracy, fraud

1985 - racketeer conspiracy (RICO), racketeering, mail and wire fraud, extortion, income tax evasion

Tony had only served several small jail terms over the years until his RICO case.

Corallo had a long roster of criminal associates, many of whom ranked among the upper tier of mafiosi and corrupters in the city:

Thomas (Tommy Brown) Lucchese

Ettore (Little Eddie) Coco

John (Big John) Ormento

Vincent (Vincey) Rao

John (Johnny Dio) Dioguardi

Carmine (Gribbs) Tramunti

Joseph (Joe Cap) Capra

Samuel (Big Sam) Cavalieri

Daniel J. Motto

Joseph (Joe Babes) Bendinelli

Joseph Curcio

Felice (Philly Black) Falco

James (Jimmy Black) Falco

Samuel Goldstein

Harry (Little Gangy) Davidoff

Vincent (Vinny Beans) Foceri

Anthony (Tony Higgins) Castaldi

Tony Ducks was first and foremost a labor racketeer of immense proportions. It was his first love, and he was very good at it. Union racketeering and official corruption would become the themes of his life.

In this regard, he was simpatico with his boss and lifelong friend Tommy Lucchese, and Tommy loved him. These two, and a third top mafioso in their borgata named Johnny Dio, would indeed forge new inroads into the American labor movement that no one else has ever come close to achieving.

Their unprecedented manipulations would forever change the labor unionization movement in the United States.

Corallo became a formally inducted member by at least the early-1940s. He probably rose to become a “capo di decina” by the early-mid 1950s. It was a position he would forever hold until ultimately catapulting to the Family throne upon his release from federal prison in approximately 1975 to 76, having been voted in unanimously by all the captains.

Once he was in the driver's seat, Corallo proved to be an excellent “Representante,” guiding his minions carefully and intelligently. Although lacking any formal education and a bit rough around the edges, Tony was a smart and savvy guy - and it showed!

During the next decade, the Lucchese crew would rise to even greater heights than in their earlier history. And that is a huge statement for me to make considering that although the smallest of New York’s infamous Five Families, they more than held their own - actually being among the most profitable and least troubled of the Five during their almost 100-year history.

Taking a big page out of the “three Tommy’s” book - Reina - Gagliano - Lucchese - Tony operated in the spirit of his predecessors, and in paying homage to their style, he successfully navigated the Lucchese ship through some mighty tough waters over the years.

But by December of 1985, through no fault of his own, the federal government in the form of the FBI had, after years of intensive investigation, undercover work, bugs, and top informants, brought an indictment against the heads of the Five Families on unprecedented charges of heading “The Commission,” - the reputed governing body of all Italian organized crime in the United States.

After a lengthy trial, Corallo and the other bosses, including Anthony Salerno, Carmine Persico, and their top administration “cabinet” members, were all convicted and sentenced to 100 years each. It was legally groundbreaking and, to the Cosa Nostra, earth-shattering that this could ever happen in a hundred years, no less. No pun intended!

Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo went off quietly to federal prison to die in what amounted to a life sentence.

As a final testament to his character and a sign of his class and total dedication to his way of life, he voluntarily relinquished his lofty position as “Father” of his Family—a selfless move almost unheard of, especially in today’s Cosa Nostra.

He passed away in prison on August 23, 2000, at the age of 87. Now THAT was a mafioso!

As a final note, Victor Amuso and Anthony Casso are said to have been Corallo’s personal choices to take over the borgata after his jailing. Knowing Tony’s mentality and style, I find this extremely hard to believe.

I suggest they took over by force, and Corallo, already imprisoned, just acquiesced. I dare say that If Tony had not stepped down from leadership but maintained his position as many other bosses do despite prison, the Lucchese Family would be in a whole lot better shape today. His stepping down was meant as a selfless act to benefit the Family. But the reverse happened and as the old saying goes, “sometimes the best-laid plans of mice and men go astray.” Hence the case here!

Until next time, "The Other Guy"

Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo

Dive Deeper into the Underworld

The Night Lucchese Boss Tommy Pappadio Got Popped!

Lucchese Family Captain: Joseph “Joe Calabrese” Lagano

Bronx-based Lucchese Soldier: Daniel “Danny Cap” Capra

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