Photo: Instagram
Meet the alleged murderer of a Mafia Don.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Mar 19, 2019
For decades, the American public has been fascinated by true crime. We inhale the books, we read the newspaper articles, and now, we binge-listen the podcasts and binge-watch the streaming specials: for whatever reason, we can't get enough of the stuff. But our passion for true crime started with one type of crime in particular: mafia crimes. Anyone who wasn't fascinated by organized crime in the United States sat up and started paying attention when the likes of Al Capone and his ilk began making headlines during the prohibition era.
America still loves the mob, just ask any fan of the Godfather series! It's for this reason that organized crime families keep making major news headlines, and no family has it happen quite as often as the infamous Gambino crime family. Once headed by the dapper Don himself, John Gotti, the times have changed for the Gambinos. They've been keeping a relatively low profile these days, but a shooting last week took out one of their top bosses and has left everyone wondering: who is Anthony Camello and why did he want Franky Boy dead?
1. The Crime
On Wednesday, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, the believed head of the Gambino crime family, was shot to death outside of his home on Staten Island, New York.
Even if Cali was a man no one had ever heard about before it's a story that would've made headline news in a serious way.
For all its proximity to New York City proper, Staten Island is a suburban town, not exactly known for this kind of serious criminal activity.
On Wednesday night, an eye witness called 911 and reported seeing a person being run over intentionally. They said the person in question seemed trapped. Then, they announced that the person had been shot multiple times and that the shooter (who was also the driver) had fled the scene in a pickup truck. Police responding to the 911 call found Cali dead.
2. What The Police Think
The police have arrested 24-year-old Anthony Camello in connection with the crime, though they believe the investigation is far from being over.
Not much is known about Camello at this time, but his neighbors told a local NBC affiliate that he was a "conspiracy theory type" and that he "always seemed a little bit off."
Camello is from a town called Brick, New Jersey, where he was presented with an arrest warrant and then taken into custody to face charges in Staten Island itself.
There is substantial evidence to connect Camello to the crime. The NYPD has already gathered footage from one of their security cameras on Cali's block that shows Camello waiting for Cali, hitting his car perhaps in a bid to get him to come out of his house, and then eventually shooting the man.
In addition to this fairly damning footage, the police also found Camello's car abandoned in Staten Island, and using cellphone tower records they were able to present enough evidence to charge Camello for the crime in question.
3. His Mob Connections
Shooting a man in cold blood outside of his own home seems like it must be connected with the mafia, particularly when the man who is the victim happens to be John Gotti's successor, taking the helm of the notorious Gambino crime family.
But interestingly, if Anthony Camello is indeed guilty of this crime, the authorities don't believe that the mob played any role. In short, this wasn't an organized "hit," no slowly simmering crime family war bubbling over.
In fact, one of the current theories that the police are working with is that Camello had hoped to date or had dated one of Cali's female relatives. Cali is believed to have disapproved of the relationship and that is why Camello is believed to have taken his life. Again, the investigation is brand new, and this is just one theory, admittedly, the main one.
4. Who Was Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali?
According to Federal Authorities, Cali, 53, was the chief underboss of the Gambino crime family, taking over from the infamous John Gotti after the man passed away from cancer in 2002. No one within the family ever mentioned Cali as boss until 2015, but that doesn't mean he wasn't calling the shots, only that the Gambinos were doing a good job of keeping their operation under wraps.
Cali was never brought up on any mob-related charges. The only crime on his record came in 2005 when he pled guilty to charges of extortion involving the construction of a NASCAR course on Staten Island (this hilarious plan did not come to fruition). Cali was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and was released in 2009.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.