Paul Castellano was an American mafia boss who had a net worth equal to $20 million at the height of his power in the early 80s which is the same as around $50 million today.
Paul Castellano was born in Brooklyn, New York in June 1915 and passed away in December 1985. His nicknames included “The Howard Hughes of the Mob” and “Big Paulie”. He succeeded Carlo Gambino to become head of the Gambino crime family in New York. In 1985 he was assassinated even though it was unsanctioned by John Gotti. Paul Castellano was a construction tycoon in New York City and a wholesale meat merchant. He has been portrayed in several films including by Richard C. Sarafian in the 1996 HBO movie Gotti, Abe Vigoda on the NBC TV movie Witness to the Mob in 1998, Sam Coppola in the 2001 TV movie The Big Heist, and Chazz Palminteri on the 2001 TNT TV movie Boss of Bosses. His nephew Richard S. Castellano starred in The Godfather movie. Paul Castellano passed away on December 16, 1985 at 70 years old from multiple gunshot wounds.
Wealth: Paul Castellano’s precise net worth is very difficult to pin down but, at the height his power in the early 80s, it’s estimated that he was worth at least $20 million. That’s the same as around $50 million after adjusting for inflation. In his book, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano would later admit that in a typical year mob bosses like Paul and John Gotti would earn $10-15 million. In 1981, Castellano spent over a million dollars to build an extremely lavish 17-room mansion on Staten Island which later became known as The White House. The house has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, English garden and top-of-the-line Carrara marble throughout. In order to pay for his lavish lifestyle, Castellano began demanding 15% cuts of his capos’ earnings, up from the standard 10%. At the time many of his capos were struggling to make ends meet, so Paul’s lavish mansion plus the increase in monthly tribute sewed the seeds that would eventually cause him to be assassinated.
| Net Worth: | $20 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Jun 26, 1915 – Dec 16, 1985 (70 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Profession: | Crime boss |