Up next in 10
He killed 19 men. He was John Gotti's right hand. Then he did the unthinkable—he talked. Sammy "The Bull" Gravano was the underboss of the Gambino crime family and the most feared enforcer in Brooklyn. But when the FBI closed in, he made a choice that changed the Mafia forever.
This is the incredible true story of Salvatore Gravano: from a dyslexic Brooklyn kid to a millionaire mob captain, from John Gotti's most trusted soldier to the most famous informant in organized crime history. Discover how one man's testimony brought down 37 mobsters, destroyed the Gambino family, and shattered the sacred code of Omertà. Featuring the Sparks Steakhouse hit, the downfall of the Dapper Don, and the impossible choice between loyalty and survival.
Keywords: Sammy Gravano, Sammy The Bull, John Gotti, Gambino crime family, mafia documentary, true crime, organized crime, mafia informant, underboss, Paul Castellano, mob history, FBI informant, witness protection, omertà, New York mafia
🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more deep-dive true crime documentaries on the Mafia, unsolved mysteries, and the most notorious criminals in history.
👍 LIKE if you want more stories about organized crime
💬 COMMENT below: Do you think Sammy Gravano made the right choice?
#SammyGravano #TheBull #JohnGotti #MafiaDocumentary #TrueCrime #OrganizedCrime #GambinoFamily
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~--~-~~-~~~-~~-~--~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
⚠️ Content Disclaimer
This video is created solely for educational and informational purposes.
We do not glorify, promote, or encourage any kind of criminal behavior or illegal activity.
All visuals, audio, and materials in this video are either:
✔️ AI-generated, or
✔️ Sourced from royalty-free platforms under valid licenses.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
They called him the bull in the streets
0:02
of Brooklyn. That name meant something.
0:05
It meant you didn't break. You didn't
0:07
fold. You didn't talk. For 23 years,
0:11
Salvatore Gravano lived up to that
0:13
nickname, rising through the ranks of
0:15
the Gambino crime family with a
0:17
reputation for absolute loyalty and
0:19
ruthless efficiency. He killed 19 men.
0:22
He made millions. He stood beside John
0:25
Gotti, the most powerful mob boss in
0:28
America. as his under boss and most
0:30
trusted soldier. Then he did the one
0:32
thing no one expected. He talked. The
0:35
bull became a rat. The unboss turned
0:38
government witness. In 1991, Sammy
0:41
Graano walked into a federal courtroom
0:43
and dismantled the entire structure of
0:45
the American mafia with his testimony.
0:47
37 mobsters convicted. The Gambino
0:50
family crippled. An organization that
0:53
had survived for over a century brought
0:55
to its knees by one man's words. Federal
0:58
prosecutors called it the most
1:00
significant defection in organized crime
1:02
history. This is the story of a stone
1:04
cold killer who became the most famous
1:06
informant in mafia history only to find
1:09
that breaking Omera comes with a price
1:11
that never stops being paid. A story of
1:14
loyalty, betrayal, and the moment when
1:17
survival instinct overpowered the most
1:19
sacred oath in the underworld. To
1:21
understand how Sammy Gravano became both
1:24
the bull and the rat, we need to go back
1:26
to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in the 1940s.
1:30
Here is his story. Salvatore Graano was
1:33
born on March 12th, 1945 in Bensonhurst,
1:36
Brooklyn. During this time, the
1:38
neighborhood was a melting pot of
1:40
Italian immigrants, Irish families, and
1:43
Jewish merchants, all carved into
1:45
invisible territories controlled by five
1:48
mafia families. The Gambino family owned
1:50
these streets the way landlords own
1:52
buildings. His father, Orlando Graano,
1:55
ran a small dress factory. His mother,
1:58
Katarina, kept the house. They were
2:01
working people, legitimate people, the
2:03
kind who paid their taxes and went to
2:05
church on Sunday. But young Sammy saw a
2:08
different path every time he walked past
2:10
the social clubs on 86th Street, where
2:12
men in tailored suits collected
2:14
envelopes and respect in equal measure.
2:16
Sammy wasn't a big kid. At 13, he stood
2:20
barely 5'4,
2:22
stocky and thick shouldered with a
2:24
learning disability that made school a
2:26
special kind of torture. Dyslexia,
2:29
though nobody called it that in 1958,
2:32
they just called him slow. One afternoon
2:34
in October 1958, Sammy was walking home
2:38
from Lafayette High School when he
2:39
spotted six teenagers surrounding a kid
2:41
from his neighborhood. The kid was on
2:43
the ground. They were taking turns
2:45
kicking him. Sammy dropped his books.
2:48
That's enough. The biggest one, a Irish
2:51
kid named Ali Turned. He was 17. Maybe
2:56
six wone. With the kind of smile that
2:58
said he enjoyed this. You want some too,
3:02
Guinea? Sammy didn't answer with words.
3:04
He picked up a trash can lid and swung
3:06
it like a baseball bat into Omali's
3:09
face. The kid went down hard. The others
3:12
rushed him. Sammy fought like something
3:14
possessed, taking punches but delivering
3:17
more, using the lid as a shield and a
3:20
weapon. 2 minutes later, three of them
3:22
were on the ground and the other three
3:24
were running. The kid Semi saved was
3:26
named Joseph Feta. His uncle was
3:29
Salvatore Aurelo, a capo in the Gambino
3:32
family. A week later, Aurel sent for
3:35
Sammy. They met at a cafe on Baseluth
3:38
Street. Arello was in his 50s. gray
3:41
hair, sllicked back, wearing a suit that
3:43
probably cost more than Gravano made in
3:46
a month. He sat at a corner table with a
3:48
separ.
3:51
Sit down, kid. Sammy sat. You know who I
3:55
am. Yes, sir.
3:58
You know what I do?
4:02
Yes, sir.
4:04
Aello smiled. Good. Good means you're
4:08
not stupid. Whatever the teachers say.
4:10
Joey told me what you did. Six against
4:13
one and you didn't even know the kid.
4:16
They were kicking him when he was down.
4:18
That bother you? Yeah.
4:21
Why? Sammy thought about it. Wasn't
4:24
fair. Aello laughed. A short bark of
4:27
genuine amusement. Kid, you're going to
4:30
learn that fair don't mean nothing in
4:32
this world, but loyalty. That means
4:34
everything. You want to make some money?
4:37
This decision would change everything.
4:39
Sammy started running errands for Aurel.
4:42
Nothing heavy at first. Delivering
4:44
envelopes, picking up packages, standing
4:47
outside social clubs to warn if cops
4:50
came around. He dropped out of Lafayette
4:52
High School at 16 and never looked back.
4:54
The streets offered an education no
4:56
classroom could provide. By 1962,
5:00
at 17 years old, Sammy Graano had been
5:03
arrested for the first time. assault.
5:07
The charges didn't stick. Aello had made
5:09
a call. That s when Sammy learned the
5:11
first real lesson of mob life. Power
5:14
isn't what you can do yourself. It's who
5:17
you know and what they'll do for you.
5:19
However, things were about to change.
5:21
We're in the early 1960s. And at the
5:24
time, the mafia ran Brooklyn like a
5:26
parallel government. They controlled
5:28
construction, garbage collection, the
5:31
waterfront, gambling, and lo. Every
5:34
legitimate business paid a street tax.
5:37
Every illegitimate business paid
5:39
tribute. The Gambino family alone was
5:41
pulling in an estimated $20 million a
5:43
year, equivalent to roughly 200 million
5:46
in today's money. Carla Gambino himself
5:48
was the boss, a quiet Sicilian who
5:51
preferred diplomacy to violence. Under
5:53
him were the Capos, the captains who ran
5:56
their own crews. Salvatore Aarel was one
5:59
of them and Sami Gravano was becoming
6:02
his most reliable earner. In 1964 at 19
6:06
years old, Sammy opened his first
6:08
legitimate business, a small after hours
6:11
club in Ben. It was a front. Of course,
6:14
the real money came from running a
6:16
highstakes card game in the back room.
6:18
He was making $2,000 a week. Serious
6:21
money for a teenager who could barely
6:23
read. But Sammy had a problem. A local
6:26
crew from the Columbbo family decided
6:28
they wanted a piece of his operation.
6:30
Three guys walked into his club one
6:32
night in February 1965.
6:35
The leader was a man named Jimmy, a
6:37
notorious hotthead who'd killed at least
6:39
two people and gotten away with both.
6:42
Moran sat down at the bar without being
6:44
invited. Nice place you got here, Sammy.
6:47
Thanks. You know you're in Columbbo
6:50
territory. That means you pay us. Not.
6:54
Sammy kept wiping down the bar. I pay
6:56
Aello because I'm with Aurel. Geography.
7:00
Don't change that. Moran stood up. He
7:03
was a big man. Maybe 61 with hands like
7:06
concrete blocks. You've got a mouth on
7:08
you for a short kid and you got a death
7:11
wish for a guy who can't count past
7:13
five. Moran reached for him. Sammy was
7:17
faster. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey
7:19
from behind the bar and smashed it
7:21
across Moran's face. The two other
7:23
Columbbo guys jumped in. Sammy pulled a
7:27
38 from under the register and fired
7:29
twice into the ceiling. Everyone froze.
7:34
Get out. Don't come back.
7:37
They left, but Sammy knew this wasn't
7:40
over. The next morning, Aurela called
7:42
him in. The old Cappo's face was tight
7:46
with concern. You pulled a gun on maid
7:49
guys. They were shaking me down. I know.
7:53
I heard. Now the Columbos are screaming
7:55
for a sitdown. You know what that means,
7:59
Sammy? Can you? A sitdown meant both
8:01
families would meet to resolve the
8:03
dispute. If the Columbos were right,
8:05
Sammy would have to pay them. If they
8:07
were really angry, he might have to take
8:09
a beating to settle it. If they were
8:11
truly insulted, he could disappear. Yet
8:14
Sammy had one card left to play. The
8:16
seditown happened at a restaurant in
8:18
Sheep's at Bay. On one side sat Oreo and
8:21
Sammy on Teotere Columbo coupleo named
8:24
Frankie Deiko and Jimmy Moran. His face
8:28
still bandaged from the bottle. The
8:30
mediator was Paul Castellano, a rising
8:33
star in the Gambino family and Carlo
8:35
Gambino's cousin Tol distinguished with
8:38
silver hair and eyes that saw everything
8:41
Castellano commanded respect from both
8:43
sides. Let's hear it. Castellano said.
8:47
Morren spoke first. This little punk
8:50
pulled a gun on made guys. That's a
8:53
death sentence. Aello leaned forward.
8:56
Your guys walked into his club and tried
8:58
to extort him. He's with us. You got no
9:01
right. The clubs in our territory. The
9:04
kids in our family. That's what matters.
9:07
Castellano turned to Sammy. You got
9:10
anything to say? This was the moment
9:13
Sammy could apologize, show respect,
9:16
make peace. That was the smart play. T-
9:20
safe play. Instead, he looked directly
9:22
at Morren.
9:24
Yeah, I got something to say. You walked
9:27
into my place, disrespected me, put your
9:30
hands on me. I didn't shoot you because
9:33
Mr. Ourel taught me to show restraint.
9:36
But you come at me again, and I won't
9:38
miss. The room went silent. Then
9:42
Castellano smiled. It was a small smile,
9:45
barely visible, but it was there. The
9:48
kids got balls. I like that. Here's the
9:51
ruling. The club stays with Graano. The
9:55
Colomos stay out. Everybody goes home
9:58
alive. We done here. Dashiko nodded.
10:02
Moran looked like it swallowed glass,
10:04
but he nodded too. As they left, Arllo
10:07
grabbed Samms arm. You're either
10:08
the bravest kid I ever met or the
10:10
dumbest. Maybe both.
10:14
Paul Castellano noticed you today.
10:17
That's good. But now Jimmy Moran wants
10:20
you dead. That's bad. He had no idea
10:24
what was waiting for him. 6 weeks later
10:26
in April 1965,
10:28
Jimmy Moran was found in the trunk of a
10:30
car in Queens. Two bullets in the back
10:33
of the head. The official story was that
10:35
the Columbos had killed him for being
10:37
too much of a hothead. The truth, which
10:40
Sammy learned years later, was that Paul
10:42
Castellano had ordered it as a favor to
10:45
ar that was Sami's first lesson in how
10:47
the mafia really worked. It was on it
10:50
about being tough. It was about being
10:52
valuable enough that powerful men
10:54
protected you. By 1970, at 25 years old,
10:58
Sammy Graano had become one of the most
11:00
feared enforcers in Brooklyn. He'd
11:02
committed his first murder in 1968, a
11:05
job given to him by Aurel to prove he
11:07
could do it. The target was a made man
11:09
from another family who'd been stealing
11:11
from Gambino operations. Sammy shot him
11:14
in a parked car and walked away without
11:16
a trace of emotion. How do you feel?
11:18
Aello had asked afterward like I did
11:21
what needed doing. Tat coldness that
11:24
ability to kill without hesitation or
11:26
remorse became Samms trademark.
11:29
But he wasn't just muscle. E was smart.
11:33
He ran construction rackets, extorted
11:36
unions, and operated legitimate
11:38
businesses as fronts. By the mid 1970s,
11:42
he was making half a million dollars a
11:44
year. What happened next shocked even
11:46
the Gambino family veterans. In 1976,
11:50
Sami was formally inducted into the
11:51
mafia. The ceremony took place in the
11:54
basement of a social club in Bay Ridge.
11:57
Present were Carlo Gambino himself. Now
12:00
in his 70s and failing health along with
12:02
Paul Castellano, Aurel and a dozen other
12:06
made men, they pricricked Samis
12:08
finger, let the blood drop onto a
12:10
picture of a saint and set it on fire.
12:12
The oath was simple. You live by the gun
12:16
and the knife, and you die by the gun
12:18
and the knife. You never betray the
12:21
family. You never cooperate with law
12:23
enforcement America.
12:25
Silence unto death.
12:29
Do you accept?
12:31
Castellano asked. I do. The burning
12:35
saint turned to ash in Samms hand.
12:37
You're one of us now, Gambino said, his
12:40
voice weak but still commanding forever.
12:44
Carlo Gambino died a few months later.
12:46
In October 1976,
12:49
Paul Castellano became the new boss and
12:52
Sami Graano, now a maidman, began his
12:56
real ascent. The late 1970s and early
12:58
1980s were a golden age for the mafia,
13:01
but also a time of transition. Castalano
13:04
was a businessman, not a street guy. He
13:07
wore $3,000 suits, lived in a mansion on
13:10
Staten Island, and preferred stock fraud
13:12
to hijacking. The old school mobsters
13:14
respected him because he was Gambino's
13:16
cousin, but they didn't love him. One of
13:19
those old school mobsters was John
13:22
Gaddy. John Gati was everything
13:24
Castellano wasn't.
13:27
Flashy, charismatic,
13:29
beloved on the streets. He dressed like
13:32
a movie star, held court at the Bergen
13:34
Hunt and Fish Club in Queens, and had
13:36
the loyalty of a crew of stone cold
13:38
killers. He was also ambitious. Sammy
13:41
first met Gotti in 1978 at a Gambino
13:45
family meeting. Gotti walked in late,
13:48
wearing a custom suit and a smile that
13:51
could sell ice to Eskimos. "Who's the
13:53
little guy?" Gotti asked, pointing at
13:56
Sammy. Sammy Graano, one of Aello's
14:02
guys. Gotti stuck out his hand. John
14:04
Gotti heard good things about you. Sammy
14:09
shook it. Likewise. You do any work for
14:11
Neil Deacros? Neil Dacros was the
14:14
unboss, a legendary figure who commanded
14:18
the loyalty of all the street crews. He
14:20
was Gotti's mentor and protector.
14:23
Not yet, Sammy said. You will.
14:27
This decision would change everything.
14:29
By 1980, Sammy had become a capo
14:32
himself, running his own crew. He had 20
14:35
guys under him, controlling rackets in
14:37
Brooklyn and Staten Island. He was
14:40
making over a million dollars a year.
14:42
He'd also killed eight men by this
14:44
point, though only a handful of people
14:46
knew the exact number. But the Gambino
14:48
family was fracturing. On one side was
14:51
Paul Castellano, the boss focused on
14:54
white collar crime and keeping a low
14:56
profile. On the other was Neil
14:58
Delicacross and his street crews led by
15:01
John Gotti who believed the family was
15:04
going soft. The tension was palpable at
15:07
every meeting. In December 1985,
15:09
everything exploded. Paul Castellano was
15:12
scheduled to be indicted on federal
15:14
racketeering charges. The evidence was
15:16
overwhelming, including FBI recordings
15:19
from bugs planted in his house. If
15:21
convicted, he faced life in prison. Some
15:24
mobsters whispered that Castellano was
15:26
considering cooperating with the
15:27
government to save himself. John Gaddy
15:30
saw an opportunity. On the evening of
15:32
December 16th, 1985, Paul Castellano
15:36
arrived at Sparks Steakhouse in
15:38
Manhattan for a dinner meeting. He
15:40
stepped out of his Lincoln Continental
15:41
at 5:26 p.m. accompanied by his
15:44
bodyguard Tommy Bel. Four men in
15:47
identical trench coats and fur hats
15:49
approached from different directions.
15:51
They opened fire. Castellano was hit six
15:54
times. Bellati was hit four times. Both
15:58
men died on the sidewalk in front of
16:00
dozens of witnesses. The shooters calmly
16:02
walked away, got into waiting cars, and
16:05
disappeared into Manhattan traffic. John
16:07
Gotti, watching from a car across the
16:10
street, smiled. He was now the boss of
16:13
the Gambino family. However, things were
16:16
about to change. Gotti needed to
16:18
consolidate power quickly. The other
16:20
families were watching to see if he
16:22
could hold the family together. The FBI
16:24
was circling and some Gambino members
16:27
loyal to Castellano were plotting
16:30
revenge. Gati needed someone he could
16:32
trust. Absolutely. someone smart,
16:34
ruthless, and capable of running the
16:37
family's operations. While Gotti handled
16:39
the politics, he chose Sammy. In January
16:43
1986, Gotti called Sammy to a meeting at
16:45
the Bergen Club. The room was packed
16:48
with Gotti's most loyal soldiers.
16:51
Gotti stood at the head of the table
16:53
like a king holding court. Sammy, you're
16:55
going to be my underboss.
16:57
The room erupted in applause. Sammy
17:00
nodded, keeping his face neutral. He
17:02
knew what this meant. Power, money,
17:06
respect, but also a target on his back.
17:09
As big as the one on God. You got my
17:11
back. I got yours. Gotti said. We're
17:14
going to run this family together. We're
17:16
going to make more money than Castellano
17:18
ever dreamed of. You with me all the
17:21
way, John? They embraced. The room
17:25
cheered. Sammy Graano was now the under
17:28
boss of the most powerful crime family
17:30
in America. For the next four years,
17:33
Sammy and Gotti were inseparable. They
17:35
met nearly every day, either at the
17:37
Berging Club or at the Ravenite Social
17:39
Club in Little Italy, which became their
17:42
new headquarters. Sammy ran the family's
17:44
day-to-day operations. Construction,
17:47
unions, lone sharking, gambling. Goti
17:50
handled the politics and the press.
17:53
Because Goti loved the press, he wore
17:56
$2,000 suits. He waved two cameras. He
18:00
gave quotes to reporters. The media
18:03
called him the dapper dome and the
18:04
teflon dome because charges never seemed
18:07
to stick. He was on the cover of Time
18:09
magazine. He was more famous than most
18:11
movie stars. Sammy hated it. John,
18:14
you're bringing too much heat, Sammy
18:16
said one afternoon in 1988.
18:19
They were in the back room of the
18:20
Ravenite. Just the two of them. The heat
18:23
don't matter if we keep winning, Gotti
18:25
replied. We keep winning because we stay
18:28
quiet. You're doing the opposite. Sammy,
18:32
you worry too much. The FBI's got
18:34
nothing on us. Yet Sammy had one card
18:37
left to play. But Gotti was wrong. The
18:40
FBI had been building a case against
18:42
them for years. They'd planted bugs in
18:45
the Ravenite Club. They'd flipped
18:47
low-level associates. They'd recorded
18:49
thousands of hours of conversations. On
18:52
December 11th, 1990, the Hammerfell FBI
18:56
agents arrested John Goti, Sammy Graano,
18:59
and Frank Lacassio Gotti's Concige on
19:02
federal racketeering and murder charges.
19:05
The indictment included five murders,
19:07
including the Castellano hit, along with
19:10
extortion, lone sharking, and
19:12
obstruction of justice. The evidence was
19:15
overwhelming. The FBI had recordings of
19:17
Gotti discussing murders, ordering eats,
19:20
and running the family. Some of those
19:22
recordings also featured Sammy. Worse,
19:25
the FBI had recordings of Gotti
19:27
badmouthing Sammy behind his back. In
19:30
one tape, Gotti complained that Sammy
19:32
was too ambitious, that he was making
19:34
too much money, that maybe Sammy was the
19:37
one who should take the fall for some of
19:38
the murders. When Sammy heard those
19:40
tapes, something inside him broke. 20
19:43
years," Sammy said to his lawyer. "I
19:45
gave him 20 years of loyalty. I killed
19:49
for him. I made him millions and this is
19:52
how he talks about me. The government's
19:54
offering a deal," his lawyer said
19:56
carefully. "If you testify against
19:58
Gotti, they'll give you 5 years and
20:01
witness protection. You want me to rat?
20:03
I want you to survive."
20:06
This was the moment, the impossible
20:09
choice. Sammy could stay loyal to a
20:12
mura, refuse to cooperate and spend the
20:15
rest of his life in prison, or he could
20:17
break the most sacred oath in the mafia
20:20
and testify against John Gotti. Most men
20:23
would have kept quiet. The code was
20:25
everything, but Sammy Gravano wasn't
20:28
most men. In November 1991, Sammy Graano
20:32
walked into federal court in Brooklyn
20:34
and took the stand against John Gotti.
20:37
For 9 days, he testified about murders,
20:40
rackets, and the inner workings of the
20:42
Gambino family. He confessed to killing
20:45
19 men. He described how the mafia
20:47
operated, how decisions were made, how
20:50
hits were ordered. The courtroom was
20:52
packed. Reporters filled every seat.
20:55
Gotti sat at the defense table, staring
20:57
at Sammy with pure hatred. At one point,
21:01
their eyes met. Gotti mouthed something.
21:04
Sammy couldn't hear it, but he could
21:06
read Gotti's lips. You're dead. Sammy
21:10
didn't look away. The jury deliberated
21:13
for 13 hours. On April 2nd, 1992, they
21:16
returned with a verdict. Guilty on all
21:19
counts. John Gotti was sentenced to life
21:22
in prison without the possibility of
21:24
parole. The dapperdone was finished. And
21:26
Sami Gravano, the bull, had become the
21:29
most famous rat in mafia history. The
21:32
government kept their promise. Sammy
21:35
received a 5-year sentence, much of it
21:37
in protective custody. He was released
21:39
in 1995 and entered the witness
21:41
protection program with his wife Deborah
21:43
and their two children. They moved to
21:45
Arizona under new identities. For a
21:48
while, it worked. Sammy opened a
21:50
swimming pool business. He tried to live
21:52
quietly, but he couldn't help himself.
21:55
In 1997, he released a tell- all book.
21:59
In 1999, he did a prime time interview
22:02
on ABC. He became a celebrity, appearing
22:05
on talk shows, giving speeches, selling
22:08
his story. The mafia didn't forget. In
22:12
2000, Sami Graano was arrested again,
22:15
this time for running an ecstasy drug
22:17
ring in Arizona. The bull, who'd helped
22:20
bring down the Gambino family, had
22:22
started a new criminal enterprise. He
22:24
was sentenced to 19 years in federal
22:27
prison. He served 17 years and was
22:29
released in 2017. Today, Sammy Gravano
22:33
lives in an undisclosed location. He's
22:35
in his late 70s. He runs a podcast where
22:38
he tells stories about his life in the
22:40
mafia. He's unrepentant about his crimes
22:42
and unapologetic about his decision to
22:45
testify. I did what I had to do to
22:48
survive. He says Gati would have done
22:50
the same if he was smart enough. John
22:53
Gotti died in prison in 2002 from throat
22:56
cancer. He was 61 years old. The death
22:59
of John Gotti marked the end of an era.
23:02
The American mafia never recovered from
23:04
the destruction Seami Gravano caused.
23:06
The Gambino family was crippled. Other
23:08
families, seeing what one informant
23:10
could do, became paranoid and fractured.
23:13
Sammy Graano was often described as a
23:16
loyal soldier who did what he was told
23:18
and a brilliant earner who built a
23:20
fortune from nothing. However, two
23:23
prosecutors in law enforcement, he was a
23:25
remorseless killer who confessed to 19
23:28
murders and walked free after serving
23:30
just 5 years. Yet, the truth is Sammy
23:33
Gravano was still a mass murderer. Yes,
23:37
even though he helped dismantle the
23:39
mafia, he was also responsible for 19
23:41
deaths, shattered families, and decades
23:45
of criminal violence. Sammy Graano was
23:48
smart enough to build a legitimate
23:49
business empire. He had the brains and
23:52
the work ethic to succeed in the
23:54
straight world, but instead he chose the
23:57
life. And when the life turned on him,
23:59
he chose himself. What people will
24:01
remember about Sammy Gravano is not the
24:04
murders or the money or even the
24:06
testimony. It's the contradiction. A man
24:09
who embodied loyalty until the moment
24:11
loyalty became inconvenient.
24:14
A killer who became a witness. A bull
24:16
who became a rat. A man who broke the
24:19
unbreakable code and lived to tell the
24:21
tale. Sammy Graana was described by
24:24
federal prosecutors as the highest
24:26
ranking mobster ever to break his oath
24:28
of silence. and his cooperation changed
24:30
the course of organized crime in America
24:32
forever.