The Mafia Stories That Almost Seem Too Wild To Be Real

The mafia already feels like something that's straight out of a storybook, but there is more to the various Italian mafias that have gripped the news for their crimes than meets the eye. Even then, there are mafia stories that almost seem too wild to be real.

It turns out the mafia has often gone to extreme lengths to keep their operations running smoothly, largely thanks to the constant pressure from the police and the need to keep the loyalty and respect of their members. If one thing is for sure, it's that some members of the mafia will go to whatever lengths necessary to do just that.

Neil Dellacroce once committed crimes while disguised as a priest

Plenty of mafia members know how to get away with their crimes, but Neil Dellacroce was willing to take things one step further. He became Carlo Gambino's underboss and was one of New York's most feared gangsters throughout the 1970s and '80s. No one is really sure just how much Dellacroce pulled off, but there are reports that he would often end the lives of people on behalf of Albert Anastasia. The twist was that Dellacroce would dress as a priest called Father Timothy O'Neill. During one crime, a rival attempted to take out the Ravenite Social Club found in Little Italy, but Dellacroce's men allegedly found the criminal by pushing their weapon "down a witness's throat" and listening "to him sing." The stories back up what the police have said, with one FBI agent admitting to Time Magazine in 1985 that Dellacroce loved "to peer into a victim's face" when they lost their lives.

Paul Castellano lost a lot of respect when his affair was exposed

Being the head of what is arguably the most powerful crime family meant that Paul Castellano was always going to have a target on his back. The moment came when he inherited the Gambino Family from his cousin when Carlo Gambino lost his life in 1976. It wasn't long before Paul was in charge of organizing the ending of people's lives, extortion, and several other crimes. Still, Paul never liked gratuitous violence and would always try to keep his private life just that. That was until Salvatore Gravano, a Gambino underboss, admitted that Paul had been having an affair with a Columbian maid named Gloria Olarte. That was the final straw for many, especially as dons were expected to show respect for their wives, who were viewed as mother figures among the mafia. Many of Paul's followers regarded the affair as someone insulting their own mother. In the end, Gambino rival, John Gotti, organized the ending of Paul's life. Although it was over a disagreement about street crime and illegal substances, most other gangsters stood by and watched after Paul's affair broke.

Vincenzo LaPorta was caught because of his love of soccer

When members of the mafia go on the run, they typically keep a low profile. That was the case for Vincenzo LaPorta for 11 years - until his love of soccer revealed that he had been hiding on the Greek island of Corfu. LaPorta was once a part of the Neapolitan Camorra, where he was in charge of money laundering before he was caught and handed 14 years behind bars. That moment came when LaPorta turned out to support the Naples soccer team, SSC Napoli, who won their first Italian Serie A championship in 2023 after 33 years. When pictures of people celebrating circulated on social media, authorities spotted LaPorta waving a Napoli flag from the balcony of a restaurant, and he was soon found and arrested. Although he tried to escape on a moped - despite the fact Corfu is an island - LaPorta was quickly apprehended, where the world learned he had started a second family and even welcomed a son.

Lucky Luciano met Meyer Lansky while he was trying to rob him

Crimes don't usually end up in new friendships, but somehow, that was the case for Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Apparently, Lanksy stepped into the wrong neighborhood - perhaps Little Italy - while walking to the Lower East Side in New York, and it wasn't long before Lucky and his gang tried to rob him, figuring that he wouldn't resist. What actually happened was Lansky refused to hand over any money and told Lucky and the gang off. Instead of retaliating, it's said Lucky and the others were impressed by Lansky's bravery and offered him a deal. Both the Jewish and Italian residents of Lower Manhattan had a common enemy in the form of Irish gangs, as the latter supposedly looked down on the others. Lucky and Lansky agreed to face them together, and it wasn't long before they formed a long-standing partnership, with Lansky even helping with Lucky's takeover of the New York mafia in the '30s.

The mafia stories that almost seem too wild to be real are just that, but they go to show how unreal being a part of the mafia really can be.