Paul Vario, Sr. – “Jack Of All Mob Trades…Master Of Most”

The Colombo Family’s Sonny Franzese was arguably the most notorious mobster to ever dominate Long Island, and Paul Vario was a close friend and contemporary.

Paul Vario, Sr., was born in 1914 at 968 Hemlock Street in Brooklyn. He later moved to 132 Island Pkwy. No., in Island Park in Nassau County. Eventually, he would relocate back to 9512 Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie, Brooklyn after feeling the scrutiny and “heat” generated by authorities on Long Island.

Vario was a very large, fat, and ugly brutish hoodlum known for his viciousness and sloppy appearance! This was not a GQ-type savvy and fashion-conscious mafioso.

Paul Vario

Paulie, although highly respected by his mob peers for his mob acumen and money-making prowess, was considered a vulgar, low-class hood by many!

He was one of the most prolific, notorious, and powerful mobsters who operated throughout the Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island areas.

He was long identified as a member of the Lucchese Family power in the Brooklyn faction.

He started as a soldier, who quickly rose to Capo, and eventually served as an acting consigliere during the early 1970s era.

FBI # 516930, NYCPD # B-98436

His activities included policy, bookmaking, dice games, shylocking, extortion, labor union rackets, bribery, strong-arm, hijacking, auto-theft, "chop shops,” fencing stolen cargo, credit card rackets, narcotics, airport rackets, and murder.

Vario had a very long and “mind-boggling” arrest record:

Burglary (3 times)

Rape (3 times) - served 10 to 20 years

Grand larceny

Assault

Operating an unregistered still (14 months)

Bribery (twice) (6 years)

Unlawful flight

Failing to buy a gambling tax stamp

Bookmaking (6 months jail)

Drunk driving

Loansharking (twice) (2 years)

Civil contempt (4 times)

Hijacking conspiracy

Interstate theft

Criminal contempt of court (7 times)

Income tax evasion (twice - 6 years)

Witness tampering

Insurance fraud

Obstruction of justice (5 years)

Conspiracy

Defrauding the federal government (4 years)

Fraud

Racketeering conspiracy

Racketeering (12 years) ?

Extortion and conspiracy

Side Note: Vario served approximately three years on multiple contempt convictions, but I could not keep exact track. Also, he had so many cases and subsequent jail sentences for usury, extortion, bribery, etc., etc., that it was virtually impossible to calculate all the jail time he served and his total convictions..... my head was swimming! LOL

The Colombo Family’s Sonny Franzese was arguably the most notorious mobster to ever dominate Long Island, and Paul Vario was a close friend and contemporary.

Although slightly less publicized early on, after Sonny’s 50-year jail term and imprisonment, Vario quickly filled the void, being called the new boss of Long Island.

He became the focus of intense law enforcement scrutiny, and the light previously shown on Franzese now exposed Vario...... it was his eventual downfall!

Side Note: Two other top mobsters of that era who attempted to take over the Franzese rackets after his jailing were Genovese capo Pasquale Macchiarole and Gambino capo Anthony Ruggiano. Both became notorious, and both suffered the law enforcement consequences.

Vario had a huge crew that included both inducted members and close associates.

Originally based in the East New York, Canarsie, and Flatlands sections of Brooklyn, and the Ozone Park-Howard Beach area of Queens, by the early 1960s, his crew had expanded to operate throughout most of Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island.

Paulie oversaw a huge regime of “made” soldiers (unusually large for a Lucchese regime). Among “key” names serving in his crew over the years included:

• Bruno Facciola • Frank (Frankie the Wop) Manzo • Salvatore Falbo

• Peter (Pete the Killer) Abinanti • Joseph (Joe Reese) Schiavo • Joseph (Pippeniddu) Frangipani

• Alphonse (Foo) Curiale • Salvatore (Don Turiddo) Curiale • Michael (Mikey Bones) Corcione

• Victor Aita • Domenico (Danny) Cutaia • Raymond Argentina • Peter Argentina

• Angelo (The Boxer) DeFendis • Alphonse (Little Al) D’Arco • Carlo Piccioli

• Peter Vario • Paul Vario, Jr. • Salvatore (Babe) Vario • Leonard Vario

• Michael LaBarbara, Jr. • Michael (Big Mike) LaBarbara, Sr.

And the crew also boasted a very large contingent of active mob “associates” including:

• Stephen Oddo, Sr. • Stephen DePasquale, Sr. • Stephen DePasquale, Jr.

• Henry Hill • Philip Basile • Thomas Vario • Vito Vario

• Cosmo (Casey) Rosado • Abraham (Abe) Etter • Milton (Milty) Wekar • Sidney Fordin

• Stanley Sczerbaty • Robert Brooke • James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke

• Thomas DeSimone • Louis Facciolo • Caesar Scotto • Henry Younger

• Anthony Totillio • Lawrence Taylor • Alfred Visconti

• Remo Serra • Joseph Argentina • Mario Argentina

Alphonse D'Arco, Angelo DeFendis, Frank Manzo, and Michael LaBarbara, Sr.

Cosmo Rosado, Henry Hill, James Burke, and Milton Wekar

Vario held ownership or hidden interests in many businesses throughout the years. A small smattering of those businesses included:

>> The Fontainbleu Florist - said to be a major supplier to mob funerals.

>> Taxi-cab business

>> Bagel shops

>> Restaurants, diners, pizzerias

My Father's Place

>> Bars and nightclubs

• Golden Dome (which had its license revoked for Vario’s hidden interest in it)

• Channel 80

• 231 Disco

• The Malibu

• Speaks

• My Father’s Place

...... all these were among the most popular discos of the 1970s to 1980s era. Vario had hidden interest through Philly Basile.

>> Junkyards and scrap metal firms

>> Used-car lots

Paul Vario's Early Years

A young Paul Vario

In 1931, Vario, who was 16 at the time, and Anthony Pepitone were arrested for burglary for breaking into a Brooklyn garage and stealing truck tires.

In 1938, when he was 23, he took part in the vicious rape of a young 18-year-old schoolgirl from his neighborhood. Lenny Vario and Steve Oddo were defense witnesses for Vario.

In 1965, Paul Vario and his brothers Vito and Babe were among nine gamblers arrested in Suffolk County for trying to set up “protected” steady chauffeur-driven dice games operating in Huntington.

And again in 1966, they were all charged with bribery (for trying to bribe policemen), gambling, and conspiracy.

The cop operated undercover for over a year and a half pretending to be corrupt.

This was probably Vario’s first foray into Long Island!

Paul Vario in the Late 1960s and 1970s

In 1967-68 Vario and 17 associates (Milty Wekar and DePasquale included) were indicted for operating a huge $30,000,000-a-year policy/bookmaking ring throughout the Long Island and Queens/Brooklyn areas. Raids confiscated over 50,000 policy slips.

In 1968 and 1969, he was sentenced to repeated multiple 30-day jail terms for civil and criminal contempt.

By 1970, he would eventually also receive another two one-year sentences for criminal contempt of a grand jury investigating organized crime in Nassau County. He either refused to appear or refused to answer questions when he did appear.

In 1970, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit bookmaking. He received probation.

In 1971, he received a six-month jail term in the Nassau County jail for probation violation on his bookmaking conviction after he was caught driving while intoxicated.

He still faced the driving while intoxicated arrest thereafter.

Also in 1971, he was indicted for income tax evasion for hiding $39,900 in gambling profits in 1964 and 1965 from a huge policy operation he headed.

Again in 1971, he was indicted for bribery and conspiracy for allegedly “corrupting” 24 prison guards at the Nassau jail to smuggle in liquor, food, women, and drugs to Vario and other mob inmates.

Vario was serving multiple prison terms for “criminal contempt” of a Nassau Rackets grand jury.

In 1971, Nassau detective Michael Nardella was indicted for bribe-taking and being Mafia-linked for being corrupted by Vario and associates to reveal sensitive information about investigations concerning the Vario Crew and participating in the stolen auto ring run by the Argentina brothers.

In 1972, he was indicted on hijacking conspiracy for robbery of a truckload of womens' slacks by his minions.

Also in 1972, law enforcement placed “bugs” in a Canarsie trailer at a junkyard business, which served as the “de facto” headquarters of Vario..... over the course of months, cops, lawyers, politicians, mob members, associates, and legitimate businessmen visited the trailer.

All the while, law enforcement was listening. Over 600 subpoenas were served!

It created a major scandal of the day!

Vario was indicted for witness tampering, and later insurance fraud among others charges brought later against numerous mobsters.

I believe it was 1974 when Leonard Vario, Paulie’s youngest son (23) was burned to death while committing an arson under his father’s orders.

Side Note: Two TV cameramen were badly assaulted and had their $6,000 camera broken by Vario’s men while trying to film Paulie’s son's funeral at an East New York RC Church. Even Detective Kenneth McCabe got punched around when he went to the cameramen’s aid.

Emotions were high and all the wiseguys needed was to feel disrespected by law enforcement and news crews to jump into action!

In 1978, he was implicated as the capo behind the $5,800,000 cash stolen during the infamous Lufthansa Robbery at JFK Airport . His disciple, Jimmy the Gent Burke. orchestrated the heist!

Paul Vario in the 1980s

In 1980, 15 hoods were arrested and over 200 cars were recovered in what authorities described as a huge “well-organized” multi-million dollar auto-theft ring headed by Vario.

Senator Al D'Amato

The ring specialized in Cadillac thefts and tag-jobs that put the cars back into circulation after selling them at mob-run used car lots to unsuspecting customers at bargain prices.

In the early 1980s, Vario was again involved in a scandal.

This time it involved Senator Al D’Amato who was a defense witness for Basile, after Henry Hill turned “rodent”, and implicated Vario and Basile in an obstruction of justice charge and fraud for falsifying paperwork with the parole board to help Hill win early release from jail.

It was a big scandal.

In 1985, while in jail, he was charged with extortion for the $350,000 shakedown of air freight companies at JFK Airport!

Vario also had control over several key labor union locals over the years including Laborers Union, Local #66 in Melville, Long Island, a Commissary Food Workers Union, Local # 71 - (AFL-CIO) at JFK Airport, and a electricians Union Local in Brooklyn, among others.

Paul Vario doing his time.

In short, Vario was one of the most influential and dangerous members of that Family (surprising, especially since that, traditionally, the Family's powerbase was always East Harlem) and many key future members “cut their teeth” during his tenure!

Paulie Vario died in 1988 in federal prison!

He was 73-years-old and had served nearly half his life in various prisons!

Postsript: Because most Mob followers know of Vario exploits so well, I started out looking to gloss over most of the better-known events and concentrate on just a few little-known traits of his. But it was impossible! Vario had sooo much info available I was compelled to write this the way I did..... and I left out tons of info!

Paul Vario, Sr. – “Jack Of All Mob Trades…Master Of Most”

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Paul Vario, Sr. – “Jack Of All Mob Trades…Master Of Most”

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You May Also Enjoy

Racketeer Snapshot: Connecticut’s Frank (The Cigar) Piccolo

The Anthony Strollo Regime of NY/NJ

The Day Charlie (the Bug) Workman Saved a Horse

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