Paul "Paulie" Vario was a capo in the Lucchese family and was based in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
He was portrayed by actor Paul Servino in the 1990 blockbuster movie "Goodfellas".
Big Paulie
Paul Vario was born as one of 5 children in Brooklyn, New York and had 4 brothers: Vito , Salvatore , Thomas and Leonard. Like himself most of his brothers would also participate in criminal activities as part of the Lucchese family. Vario listed his legal career as a florist, but next to that he was farmost involved in policy gambling, loansharking, extortion and burglary. His first convictions go back to 1931 and since then he was oftenly arrested for criminal deeds ranging from
tax evasion to rape. During the 1950's Vario headed a crew of though Lucchese gangsters, said to have been the strong-arm faction of the family.
Vario and his crew also maintained influence at Kennedy National Airport, extorting shippers and airlines in change for labor peace. They also frequently stole from the airports cargo center. During the 1950's Vario became associated with an Irish gangster named Jimmy Burke.
Burke was specialized in burglary and was known for his violent nature. Other well known members of Vario's crew were Henry Hill and Tommy DeSimone. Both were also made famous in the movie "Goodfellas" and frequently worked together with Burke.
Although Vario reputidly threated Henry Hill like a son, he did had an affair with his wife Karen during the late 1970's. At one point Tommy DeSimone tried to rape Karen. Vario was furious and took measures. He went to see members of the Gambino Family and revealed to them that DeSimone was responsible for the murder of 2 of their men, one being William Devino, a made member. DeSimone was protected throughout the years, but now it came to an end. In 1979 DeSimone was lured to a house with the false pretence of finally being made inside the Lucchese Family, but instead he was shot through the head by Tommy Agro, a Gambino member.
Convictions and death
In 1972 the FBI had placed a bug in the Vario headquarters for about 6 monts and as result Vario and a couple of others, including Henry Hill, were arrested. They were imprissoned in Lewisburg and according to Hill they lived there like kings. They were placed in a large cell and had all sorts of previleges, including having their own cook. Hill was even permitted to deal drugs while in prison. He was however told by Vario to stop his involvment in the drugbusiness from the moment he was out of jail. Since then it would be an up and comming of convictions and trials for Vario.
In April 1973 he was sentenced to 6 years and fined $20.000 for income tax evasion. In 1980 Henry Hill became a federal witness out of fear for getting murdered in order of Burke and Vario. Hill had continued his drugdealing without permission and also had knowledge of the Lufthansa Heist,
which was organized by Burke and was one of the largest robberies ever in America. Burke had gone in a killing spree after the Heist and Hill got scared he was going to be next. Due to Hills testimonies Vario was found guilty in 1984 for defrauding the Government by helping Hill get out of prison several years earlier. He had helped Hill in getting a job in a restaurant to win his release from pison. A couple of years later Vario and 4 others pleaded guilty of extorting $1 million from trucking concerns at Kennedy International Airport. On December 10, 1986 he was sentenced to 6 years and was fined another $25.000. By then Vario was suffering from bad health and eventually died in 1988 of lung failure in Fort Worth Federal prison, Texas, at the age of 73.
He left allong his wife and 3 sons.
(Source:
"Crime Figure FacesPrisonTerm" NYtimes Februari 10, 1984;
"Ex-Mob Leader Gets 6 Years for Extortion" NYtimes December 11, 1986;
"Wiseguy: Life In A Mafia Family" by Nicholas Pileggi,
findagrave.com)
Birth: July 9, 1914