Thomas Bilotti

American organized-crime boss

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July 21, 2026

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Thomas Bilotti was an American organized crime figure who served as the underboss for Paul Castellano, the reputed head of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Bilotti was murdered alongside Castellano on December 16, 1985, outside a steak house in Midtown Manhattan. Their assassination occurred shortly after the death of Castellano's previous underboss, Aniello Dellacroce, and is believed to have been orchestrated by John Gotti, who subsequently took control of the Gambino family. Bilotti's role as underboss placed him in a high-ranking position within one of New York's most powerful Mafia families.12

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Paul Castellano
Assassination and aftermath
…and his newly appointed underboss, Thomas Bilotti, were gunned down in the street as they arrived at a steak house in Midtown Manhattan. The murders came only two weeks after the death from natural causes of Castellano’s previous underboss, Aniello Dellacroce, who had headed a rival Gambino faction that disregarded…
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…and his newly appointed underboss, Thomas Bilotti, were gunned down in the street as they arrived at a steak house in Midtown Manhattan. The murders came only two weeks after the death from natural causes of Castellano’s previous underboss, Aniello Dellacroce, who had headed a rival Gambino faction that disregarded…
Read More