Welcome to the gangster institute, the podcast where we dive into the real stories behind the most notorious mobsters in history. I’m Jay Baer, and today, we’re talking about one of the most infamous hits in Mafia history—the execution of Carmine “Cigar” Galante.
Carmine wasn’t just another gangster. He was a stone-cold killer, a ruthless boss, and a man with ambitions bigger than the Mafia itself. But in the world of organized crime, ambition can get you killed.
By the late 1970s, Galante had positioned himself as the acting boss of the Bonanno crime family. Fresh out of prison, he saw an opportunity to seize power—controlling the highly lucrative heroin trade. He didn’t just want a piece of the pie. He wanted the whole damn bakery. And that made him a problem.
Galante believed he was untouchable. He even walked around with Sicilian bodyguards, men who weren’t tied to the American Mafia’s traditions—loyal only to him. That sent a message to the Commission, the governing body of the Five Families. He wasn’t respecting the structure. He was trying to become the boss of bosses. And that was a death sentence.
July 12, 1979. About 1PM. Knickerbocker Avenue, The Bushwick section of Brooklyn. A warm summer afternoon. Galante was having lunch at Joe & Mary’s Italian-American Restaurant. A classic mobster scene—outside, a light breeze, a table covered in red-and-white checkered cloth, plates of food, and a bottle of wine. Sat on the table. Galante relaxed, with his trademark cigar. Bonventre and Amato accompanied Galante to lunch. Turano a soldier in the Bonanno family, hosted the lunch on the restaurant’s patio for Galante, Bonanno capo named Leonard Coppola, a longtime staunch Galante ally.
At 2:45, in the moments after they finished their meal and as Galante was lighting up his famous cigar, three masked gunmen burst in the restaurant and headed straight for the patio. When they reached the Godfather’s table, Turano stood up and exclaimed, “Get out of here. . . . What are you guys doing?”
The hit team answered him with bullets. Bonventre and Amato moved out of the way, the table was sprayed with gunfire from shotguns and pistols. Galante, Turano and Coppola were killed instantly. A cigar clenched between Galante’s teeth. So, who ordered the hit? Most believe it was the Mafia Commission, led by men like Philip “Rusty” Rastelli, who officially ran the Bonanno family but had been sidelined by Galante’s power grab. With the backing of other mob bosses—like Paul Castellano and “Big Joey” Massino—the hit was greenlit.
And just like that, Carmine Galante, the man who thought he was untouchable, was wiped off the map.His death sent a message—no one, no matter how ruthless or ambitious, is bigger than the Mafia itself.
That’s it for today’s episode of The Gangster Institute. If you enjoyed this, hit that subscribe button and leave a review. Or you can go to our website. Secrets of the Mob.com.
And if you want more deep dives into the bloody history of organized crime, stay tuned. I’m Jay Baer, and I’ll see you next time.
For more information and to review our books go to secretsofthemob.com
Share this post