36 Facts About Paul Vario

Paul Vario was an American mobster and made man in the Lucchese crime family.

Paul Vario died on May 3,1988, of respiratory failure in prison.

Paul Vario was portrayed as Paul Cicero by Paul Sorvino in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

Paul Vario was born on July 10,1914, in New York City.

Paul Vario grew up in South Brooklyn's Old Mill section.

In 1925, at age 11, Paul Vario was sentenced to seven months in juvenile detention for truancy.

One night Paul Vario took his wife, Phyllis, out to dinner.

Later that night, Paul Vario sent two carloads of men armed with pipes and baseball bats to assault the waiters after the restaurant had closed.

Paul Vario was paroled twice during his prison term but was sent back to prison for violating parole, after being arrested again and charged with burglary and dealing stolen property.

Paul Vario conducted most of his criminal business from an old German bar known as Geffken's on Flatlands Avenue and a Junkyard on Avenue D in Canarsie.

Paul Vario was quickly promoted to the caporegime rank controlling his own crew in the family.

Paul Vario's associates were reputed to have been involved in criminal dealings at John F Kennedy Airport, extorting money from shippers and airlines in exchange for labor peace.

In 1965, mobster Jake Columbo died, and Paul Vario quickly took control of his illegal gambling operations in the Cedarhurst and Inwood sections of Long Island.

Paul Vario was charged with not providing a federal gambling stamp in a Brooklyn federal court in February 1966.

Paul Vario was involved in legitimate businesses that included a flower shop, a bar, a restaurant, and a taxi stand.

At his height, Paul Vario was earning an estimated $25,000 a day from his illegal activities.

In 1970, Paul Vario was cited for contempt of court and was sent to the Nassau County Correctional Facility on Long Island for seven months.

Paul Vario was convinced the policeman was corrupt and soon started offering him bribes.

On November 1,1972, Paul Vario was indicted on charges of tampering with a witness.

Paul Vario had allegedly advised Frank Heitman, a convicted gambler, to flee to Florida to avoid testifying to a grand jury in Nassau County.

On November 21,1972, Paul Vario was indicted on insurance fraud charges.

On December 7,1972, Paul Vario was indicted on charges that included attempting to bribe the officer at the trailer.

Also in December 1972, Paul Vario pleaded guilty to drunken driving and received probation.

However, Paul Vario violated probation in early 1973 and was in jail by February 1973.

On February 9,1973, Paul Vario was convicted on tax evasion charges.

Paul Vario was sent to the federal prison located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Paul Vario had served as underboss in the Lucchese crime family until the new boss Anthony Corallo had replaced Vario with Salvatore Santoro.

On parole, Paul Vario moved to a residence near Miami, Florida.

In 1978, Paul Vario approved his crew's participation in the infamous Lufthansa heist at JFK airport.

Paul Vario quickly gave his approval, but insisted that Jimmy Burke, then in prison, supervise it.

On February 9,1984, Paul Vario was convicted of defrauding the federal government.

Now a government witness, Hill testified that Paul Vario had arranged a fictitious restaurant job for Hill so that Hill could be released from federal prison.

Paul Vario was convicted and on April 3,1984, he was sentenced to four years in federal prison and fined $10,000.

On February 21,1985, while serving his prison sentence, Paul Vario was indicted in a racketeering conspiracy that involved extortion.

Paul Vario died on May 3,1988, aged 73, from respiratory failure as a result of lung cancer while incarcerated at Fort Worth Federal Prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

Paul Vario is buried at St John Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens, New York.