THE REAL BOSS OF BOSSES

Law-enforcement officials said he commanded the largest, richest and strongest mafia family in the United States, “exerted great influence on the other four New York families and dominated the national commission that sets policy for all 26 mafia families in the country,” according to his 1976 obituary in The New York Times.

Unlike other well-known mafia bosses who ended their careers in exile, prison or as victims of underworld executions, Gambino remained immune to pressure from rivals and law enforcement, serving only 22 months in jail during his more than 50 years in organized crime.