It was on 15th March 1914 that Aniello Dellacroce, popularly called Neil was born to American-Italian immigrants named Antoinette and Francesco Dellacroce. He had a younger sibling named Carmine and grew up in Manhattan’s Little Italy. At times, he would wear the uniform of a priest to throw the law enforcement officials off the track. In his career as a mafia, he climbed to great positions to become the Gambino Mafia family’s underboss, as well as mentor to John Gotti.
His early life
As a teenager, he had worked as an assistant to a butcher, however, as work had become scarce, he took to the life of a mafia. He was 5’ 10” tall having broad shoulders. He had joined the Mangano Mafia family during the 1930’s under the leadership of Vincent Mangano. Under Albert Anastasia, he had rose to the rank of a capo by the 1950s after the death of Mangano.
He purchased Ravenite Social Club that was located in Little Italy that later become popular as Gambino Social Club. He was regarded to be a fierce follower of Anastasia and carried out numerous murders on his behest. But he followed the mafia tradition, since he was a devoted Cosa Nostra mobster and remained quiet as Anastasia got murdered on 25th October 1957. The family was then taken over by Carlo Gambino, the then underboss, after which the family got renamed to Gambino Mafia family.
He preferred to live a low profile when in public and was nicknamed ‘Neil’ that was regarded to be ‘Aneillo’s’ Americanization form. As he had a square shaped face, few of the family members nicknamed him as ‘the Polack’.
His personal life
He got married to Lucille Riccardi and gave birth to two sons, Ronald and Armand, as well as a daughter called Shannon. They resided in Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan, however, moved onto Staten Island’s Grasmere region. Moreover, Dellacroce was John Ruggeiro Jr.’s great uncle as well of Salvatore Rugeiro Jr. and Angelo Ruggiero Jr., who had become the associates of the Gambino mafia family.
Dellacroce is known to have remained aloof and made use of body double when it came to attending public events. He also dressed as priest had killed a man and hence, had earned another nickname called ‘Father O’Neil’. He got promoted to becoming underboss in 1965. On 2nd December 1985, he died due to lung cancer.