| Paul Vario |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT PAUL VARIO | |
| 1914 births | |
| 1988 deaths | |
| lucchese crime family | |
| mobsters who died in prison custody | |
| sicilian-american mobsters | |
| italian-american mobsters | |
| burials at st. johns cemetery queens | |
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Paul Vario ( July 12 , 1914 - November 22 , 1988 ) was a member of the U.S. Mafia and a Caporegime in the Lucchese Family . Some reports say that he also was an Underboss of the Luccheses in the 1970's but was either demoted or resigned. Vario lived all his life in New York City and was believed to be involved in Loansharking and union racketeering. He was involved in a number of legitimate businesses, including a flower shop, restaurant and cabstand, which he would conduct business out of most of the time. He had four other brothers including Vito aka "Tuddy", Tommy, Salvatore, and Lenny. Tuddy ran the cabstand and Presto Pizzeria. His earnings were estimated to be $25,000 a day. Vario was paranoid and only spoke to associates using a pay-phone and reportedly preferred to communicate in little more than grunts and nods of the head. He was married with three sons, all of whom became involved in their father's dealings in one way or another. Nicknamed "Paulie," he stood six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds, but his narrow bone structure gave the appearance that he weighed even more than that. Former associates likened him to a Sumo Wrestler . A popular legend holds that Vario would often eat without a fork, instead holding the plate up to his face and shoving his mouth over the food. Amongst Vario's associates were Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill . Vario owned a cab stand across the street from the apartment where Hill grew up, and took Hill under his wing when the boy was 12/13, having him run errands and act as a valet. As the years went by, Vario initiated Hill into criminal life, telling all of his associates that Hill was his nephew. It was while on a double date with one of Vario's sons that Hill met his wife, Karen. Karen later became a courier for Henry Hill, running messages to Paul Vario, with whom she had an affair. When Burke's protege Tommy DeSimone attempted to rape Karen Hill, Vario held a sit-down with members of the Gambino Family and revealed to them that DeSimone was responsible for the murders of two of their members, prompting them to murder DeSimone. Vario was imprisoned in 1984 , largely because of the testimony of Henry Hill. He died behind bars in 1988 , aged seventy-three. In the 1990 movie Goodfellas , chronicling Henry Hill's life in the Mafia, Paul Vario is featured as a major character. He is called "Paul Cicero" instead and portrayed by Paul Sorvino . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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