A rising star in the Gambino crime family Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali seems to be next in line to take over as boss. Cali held the rank of underboss in the Gambino family according to sources and his ascent to boss is imminent. A native New Yorker with roots back to Sicily Cali is said to have an old school approach in the way he does business and is respected by the current Gambino capos according to a law enforcement source. He is said to adhere traditional Mafia values and insists on family members keeping a low profile something the Gambino family lacked under former leaders like the flamboyant John Gotti. This low key profile and old school values are seen by many mobsters with in the Gambino family as the direction things need to go in. Cali could soon be in control of the Gambino crime family which is one of the most powerful of the five New York Mafia families with an estimated 750 members and associates.

Francesco “Frank” Cali

Current Gambino family boss Domenico Cefalu himself a native Sicilian seems ready to step aside and according to some reports may have already done so allowing the younger Cali to take the reigns of the family. The Gambino’s still control lucrative construction rackets , loan sharking, and illegal gambling worth millions of dollars a year that Cali would welcome control of. Cali is the nephew of Joseph Gambino and John Gambino two influential mobsters once connected to the 1980’s pizza connection drug trafficking ring. He also wed the daughter of a member of the Inzerillo family who are considered mob royalty and are a known as one of the most powerful Mafia families in Italy. He made his bones years ago working in Brooklyn and Manhattan under the Gotti’s and according to an FBI source was appointed as the official ambassador between the Gambino’s and the Sicilian Mafia by family leaders John Gotti and Sammy Gravano.

Cali was arrested with scores of others in 2008 as part of a massive drug and racketeering investigation that was called “Operation Old Bridge“. The investigation was centered around the extortion of trucking executive from Staten Island who became an FBI informant and decided to wear a wire. Cali plead guilty to a charges of racketeering and ended up spending one year behind bars. It will be interesting to see if Cali can avoid any further legal troubles between now and the time when he officially becomes the new Gambino family boss. You can be sure that he is still on the FBI radar and will be a target for any upcoming indictments directed at the Gambino’s.