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The Gambino's Family Business

Peg Tyre | Staff Writer

September 16, 1992

Thomas Gambino, the soft-spoken and conservatively dressed son of late mobster Carlo Gambino, is considered by investigators to be one of the old-style capos of the Gambino crime family.

A millionaire trucking magnate, Gambino, 62, ran Consolidated Carriers, which transported garments to and from the sewing centers of Chinatown and Midtown Manhattan, with his brother Joseph.

His 300-vehicle trucking business, from which he made over $1 million annually, was considered by prosecutors to be part of an illegal cartel which ran small truckers out of business and artificially inflated costs.

Last year, the Gambinos agreed to pay $12 million and stay out of the garment industry as part of a plea agreement with Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. In exchange, extortion and coercion charges were dropped and Gambino pleaded guilty to a single count of restraint of trade.

He was indicted last August in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn for promoting illegal gambling. He is out of jail on $500,000 bail and is awaiting trial.

Last fall, the Gambino brothers, who usually shun the spotlight, made a $2-million contribution to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in memory of their father, who died of cancer.

Thomas Gambino is thought to be one of 15 or 20 Gambino crime family captains who control the 200 or so members.