Paul Vario
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| Paul Vario | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 9, 1914 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | November 22, 1988 Tarrant County, Texas, USA |
Paul Vario (July 9, 1914 - November 22, 1988) was a member of the U.S. Mafia and a Caporegime in the Lucchese Family. Some reports say that he also was the Underboss of the Luccheses in the 1970's but was either demoted or resigned. He had four other brothers including Vito aka "Tuddy", Tommy, Salvatore, and Lenny. He ran his own crew.
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[edit] Life
Vario lived all his life in New York City and was believed to be involved in loansharking and union racketeering. He and his brothers were involved in a number of legitimate businesses, including a flower shop, restaurant and cabstand, from which he would conduct business most of the time. Tuddy ran the cabstand and Presto Pizzeria. His earnings were estimated to be $25,000 a day.
Vario never used a phone because he always believed it was too easy for someone else to overhear his conversations. Instead he would meet with his capos or other intermediaries who would talk to the people Vario needed to communicate with. Another show of his paranoia was when Lenny Vario met a girl, named Veralynn, it was at the same double date that Henry Hill met his soon to be girlfriend, Linda. According to Hill, Paul insisted that the two women were FBI and was nervous and eager to leave when introduced to them. He was married with three sons, all of whom became involved in their father's dealings in one way or another.
Nicknamed "Paulie", he stood six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds, but his narrow bone structure gave the appearance that he weighed even more than that. Former associates likened him to a sumo wrestler[citation needed]. A popular legend holds that Vario would often eat without a fork, instead holding the plate up to his face and shoving his mouth over the food.
Despite his uncouth manners, and tendency to use grunts as a form of communication, Vario was an extremely wealthy man. He once showed Henry Hill a vault containing one million dollars in cash.
Amongst Vario's associates were Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill. Vario owned a cab stand across the street from the apartment where Hill grew up, and took Hill under his wing when the boy was twelve or thirteen, having him run errands and act as a valet. As the years went by, Vario initiated Hill into criminal life, telling all of his associates that Hill was his nephew. It was while on a double date with one of Vario's sons that Hill met his wife, Karen. Karen later became a courier for Henry Hill, running messages to Paul Vario, with whom she had an affair. When Burke's protege Tommy DeSimone attempted to rape Karen Hill, Vario held a sit-down with members of the Gambino family and revealed to them that DeSimone was responsible for the murders of two of their members, prompting them to murder DeSimone. Vario was imprisoned in 1984, largely because of the testimony of Henry Hill.
Vario was known to be brutal and ruthless, despite the brooding and gentle Goodellas portrayal, Hill saw first hand a show of this violence. He watched, aged twelve or thirteen, as Vario drove up to a barmaid's apartment, took a baseball bat from the trunk of his car and severely assaulted her for telling his wife that the two were having an affair. The barmaid's collar bone was broken.
He died in prison, in Tarrant County, Texas in May of 1988 aged seventy-four. His body is buried at St. John's Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens, New York.
[edit] Family and Lineage
Paul had a wife, Phyliss and 3 sons, Peter, Paul, Jr., and Lenny Vario, all of whom became involved in crime. Paul Vario, Jr. was a good friend of mobster Henry Hill and introduced him to his first wife Karen Hill. Lenny Vario was allegedly Paul, Sr.'s favorite son, he burned to death whilst 'torching property in connection with a union. Little is known about his other son, Peter. Vario adored Phyliss and was once so enraged that a maitre 'd spilt wine over her that he sent his entire 'crew' to the restaurant, where they assaulted the staff.
Paulie also had 4 brothers, Vito 'Tuddy' Vario (1928-1988), Salvatore Vario (1919-1976), Leonard Vario (1909-1981) and Thomas Vario (1917-1984).
The Vario family originate from the home of the mafia, Sicily. The etymology of the Vario surname is that it was originally a nickname given to a person who lives in or comes from the property of Vannius.
[edit] Portrayals
In the 1990 movie Goodfellas, chronicling Henry Hill's life in the Mafia, Paul Vario is featured as a major character. He is called "Paul Cicero" instead and portrayed by Paul Sorvino.
In the 2001 film for TV, The Big Heist, following the events of the 1978 Lufthansa Heist, Paul Vario was played by actor Gino Marrocco.
[edit] References
- The Real GoodFella. Dir. Simon George. Perf. Henry Hill. Channel 4 Television Corporation, 2006.
- Pillegi, Nicolas. Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985.
