Anthony Corallo: Biography of Lucchese Boss Tony Ducks
Quick answer
Anthony “Tony Ducks” Corallo (1913–2000) was boss of the Lucchese family from the early 1970s to 1986, a union racketeer who earned his nickname by ducking convictions. He was finally brought down by an FBI bug hidden in the Jaguar of his driver, Salvatore Avellino, which recorded him discussing the Commission. Convicted in the 1986 Commission Trial and sentenced to 100 years, he died in federal prison in 2000.
Tony Corallo: quick facts
| Born | 12 February 1913, East Harlem, New York |
|---|---|
| Died | 23 August 2000, federal prison medical centre, Springfield, Missouri (aged 87) |
| Nickname | Tony Ducks |
| Organisation | Boss of the Lucchese family, c.1973 to 1986 |
| Known for | Teamsters and trucking rackets; the Jaguar bug; the Commission Trial |
| Convicted | 1986, racketeering (Commission Trial), 100 years |
| Successor | Vittorio “Vic” Amuso |
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Anthony Corallo grew up in East Harlem and joined the family of Tommy Gagliano and Tommy Lucchese as a young man. After a drug conviction in 1941 he moved into labour racketeering, which became his speciality. He took control of locals of the Teamsters and other unions in New York’s trucking, garment and construction industries, and used them to extort employers and plunder pension funds.
In 1957 and 1958 the Senate’s McClellan Committee named him as one of the gangsters behind the Teamsters’ paper locals, which helped Jimmy Hoffa win control of the union. Corallo took the Fifth again and again.
Tony Ducks
He was arrested repeatedly in the 1940s and 1950s and kept getting off, which is how he got his nickname. His luck ran out in the 1960s: he was convicted in 1962 of bribing a judge and in 1968 of paying kickbacks to a New York City commissioner, James Marcus, in a scandal that also reached the former Tammany boss Carmine DeSapio.
Boss of the Lucchese family
Lucchese died in 1967. After a few years under Carmine Tramunti, who was jailed in the “French Connection” heroin case, Corallo became boss around 1973. He ran the family with a tight inner circle and great caution, refusing to talk business indoors or on the phone. Under him the Lucchese family made money from construction, the garment trucking industry, JFK Airport cargo, and the private rubbish haulage business on Long Island. At street level, the Brooklyn crew of captain Paul Vario carried out the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK.
The Jaguar
Corallo’s caution was undone by his car. In 1983 New York State investigators secretly installed a listening device in the Jaguar of his driver and bodyguard, Salvatore Avellino, who drove him around Long Island every day. Corallo, believing the car was safe, discussed murders, rackets and the workings of the Commission. The tapes became central evidence in the Commission Trial.
Corallo was indicted in February 1985 with the bosses of the other families. In November 1986 he was convicted of racketeering, and in January 1987, aged 73, he was sentenced to 100 years.
Death and legacy
Before he went to prison Corallo chose Vittorio Amuso as his successor, with Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso as underboss, a choice that led to the family’s most violent period. Corallo died at the federal prison medical centre in Springfield, Missouri, on 23 August 2000, aged 87. See the Lucchese family leadership timeline.
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Frequently asked questions
Why was Anthony Corallo called Tony Ducks?
Because for years he kept ducking convictions despite repeated arrests.
How was Tony Corallo caught?
Investigators bugged the Jaguar his driver Salvatore Avellino used to drive him around. The tapes were used in the 1986 Commission Trial.
Was Tony Corallo the last boss of the Lucchese family?
No. He was succeeded by Vic Amuso, and the family still exists.
How did Tony Corallo die?
In federal custody at Springfield, Missouri, on 23 August 2000, aged 87.
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