Kriti Mehrotra
Salvatore Gravano or Sammy “The Bull” is an Italian-American former underboss of the New York City-based Gambino crime family. He is most known for being the man who helped the FBI bring down John Gotti, the family’s boss, by agreeing to testify against him and other mobsters in court.
Born on March 12, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, Salvatore Gravano was just 13 when he gained attention from gang members. When Gravano realized that some people had stolen his bike, he went to fight with them and win back his bike. It was during this incident that some members of the street gang Rampers saw him take on a few guys at once and remarked at how little Sammy fought like a bull. Hence, Salvatore Gravano earned his nickname Sammy “The Bull” and started his life as a gang member. You must be wondering what a mob underboss like Sammy “The Bull” Gravano could be worth, and we have the answers for you.
How Did Sammy “The Bull” Gravano Make Earn His Money?
In 1964, Gravano was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served in Fort Jackson, South California. While he mainly worked as a mess hall cook, he slowly rose to the rank of corporal and, after two years, was granted an honorable discharge. Even though Gravano’s father tried to redirect him and dissuade him, Sammy “The Bull” still joined organized crime at the age of 23. Like many of his Ramper colleagues, Gravano drifted into the Cosa Nostra or the Colombo crime family.
Gravano was initially involved in small crimes like theft, hijacking, and armed robbery, but, he quickly moved into racketeering and loansharking, while also running a lucrative poker game in the backroom of an after-hours club, of which he was part owner. All this led to him becoming a particular favorite of family boss Joe Colombo, who used Gravano to picket the FBI Manhattan headquarters as part of his Italian-American Civil Rights League initiative. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano also committed his first murder during his time in Cosa Nostra.
In the early 1970s, to avoid conflict with his other gang members, Gravano left the Colombo crime family to join the Gambino crime family. Around this time, he considered leaving his criminal life behind and took up a construction job. A former associate, however, falsely claimed that Gravano and another associate were responsible for a double murder in 1969, which led to Gravano being arrested. After Gravano was indicted, he desperately needed money to pay his legal bills, so he quit his construction job and went on continuously robbing houses and other places for a year and a half.
Gravano’s robbery spree impressed members of the Gambino crime family, which led him to become a fully initiated member of the family as well. Later on, Gravano entered into the plumbing and drywall business with his brother-in-law, Edward Garafola, which earned him the reputation of a “good earner” within the Gambino crime family. This reputation of his enabled him to become a multi-millionaire. He invested this money to buy real estate for himself and his family. With the help of this money, he also became the operator of a disco club called The Plaza Suite, from where he reportedly earned $4,000 a week. He additionally used this club as his construction racket headquarters.
“The Bull” made quite a bit of his money from his book and interviews as well. In 1997, Gravano was consulted for ‘Underboss,’ a biographical book of his written by Peter Maas. However, the New York State took legal action to seize Gravano’s profits from the book. His interviews with various publications like The Arizona Republic as well as his several television appearances since have also helped him earn money after he helped the FBI bring down John Gotti.
Sammy Gravano’s Net Worth
Since his release from prison in 2017, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano has been based in Arizona, where he still seemingly resides and seems to have his money sorted. So, with the accumulation of his estate, the money he likely still has from his former line of work, as well as his recent takings, Sammy’s net worth is estimated to be close to $2 million.
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