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Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip Carlo
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $15.04
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 4838
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.7
ISBN: 0061429848
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1092
EAN: 9780061429842
ASIN: 0061429848
Publication Date: July 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080721215920T
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Product Description
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is currently serving thirteen consecutive life sentences plus 455 years at a federal prison in Colorado. Now, for the first time, the head of a mob family has granted complete and total access to a journalist. Casso has given New York Times bestselling author Philip Carlo the most intimate, personal look into the world of La Cosa Nostra ever seen. This is his shocking story. From birth, Anthony Casso's mob life was preordained. Michael Casso introduced his young son around South Brooklyn's social clubs, where "men of honor" did business by shaking pinkie-ringed hands—hands equally at home pilfering stolen goods from the Brooklyn docks or gripping the cold steel of a silenced pistol. Young Anthony watched and listened and decided that he would devote his life to crime. Casso would prove his talent for "earning," concocting ingenious schemes to hijack trucks, rob banks, and bring into New York vast quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. Casso also had an uncanny ability to work with the other Mafia families, and he forged unusually strong ties with the Russian mob. By the time Casso took the reins of the Lucchese family, he was a seasoned boss, a very dangerous man. It was a great life—Casso and his beautiful wife, Lillian, had money to burn; Casso and his crew brought in so much cash that he had dozens of large safe-deposit boxes filled with bricks of hundred-dollar bills. But the law finally caught up with him in his New Jersey safe house in 1994. Rather than stoically face the music like the old-time mafiosi he revered, Casso became the thing he most hated—a rat. It broke his family's heart and made the once feared and revered mobster an object of scorn and disgust among his former friends. For it turned out that a lifetime of street smarts completely failed him in dealing with a group even more cunning and ruthless than the Mafia—the U.S. government. Detailing Casso's feud with John Gotti and their attempts to kill each other, the "Windows Case" that led to the beginning of the end for the mob in New York, and Casso's dealings with decorated NYPD officers Lou Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa—the "Mafia cops"—Gaspipe is the inside story of one man's rise and fall, mirroring the rise and fall of a way of life, a roller-coaster ride into a netherworld few outsiders have ever dared to enter.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 good and bad July 24, 2008
This book was interesting in part but philip carlo is a terrible writer, there were so many false facts and obviously not much research went into the book. Philip carlo is very repetitive and sounds like he trys very hard to write a book, His Iceman book is also filled with constant lies, if you treat the book as a novel it may be interesting, There was no interview done for this book i believe carlo never spoke with casso about the book, i will bever buy another carlo book.
a disappointmen July 15, 2008
Where are the confessions? This book is very dissappointing. There is nothing new in here I hadn't read before. Read the books Five Families or The Brotherhood. They are much more factual and alot more readable.
 A tour de force in the literature on organized crime. A MUST READ! July 14, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
As an investigative reporter I've written two books relating to Gregory Scarpa Sr., the Colombo killer whom Philip Carlo references via Anthony Casso throughout this brilliant book. I've also written about the infamous "Mafia Cops" case, but I was stunned at how much ground breaking new material is in GASPIPE -- a page turning read that I could not put down. Philip Carlo is the rarest of writers covering the LCN -- a journalist from the means streets of Brooklyn who has been there and knows "the life" like few others. My only regret is that this rating system doesn't allow me to give it more than Five Stars. Peter Lance www.peterlance.com.
 The "Glamorous" Life Of A Mobster July 9, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Author Philip Carlo was a neighbor of mafia boss Anthony Casso growing up in Brooklyn, and perhaps Casso felt more open to speaking to someone he felt more comfortable. I like the short chapters, although some are ridiculously short. One paragraph! I find it hard to be sympathetic to mafia boss Casso who claims "to be a better man than most of the people on the streets these days." This coming from a man who ordered hits on others due to mere paranoia on his part. He also engineered the torture killing (I won't go into details here) of an individual who tried to do to him what he (Casso) had done to many others. Anthony Casso laments there is no loyalty within the mob. This is true, and certainly there is no rest for the wicked. Living a ridiculously outrageous lifestyle with ill-gotten gains, and living in fear of what another may implicate you for leads one to plot the other's demise. I did find a contradiction in this book with author Philip Carlo's book The Ice Man. On page 280 of The Ice Man author Carlo states Richard Kuklinski placed five bullets into mobster Roy DeMeo and killed him. On page 129 of Gaspipe author Carlo states the Testa brothers, Joey and Patty, along with Anthony Casso killed him. Patty poured Roy coffee while Joey and Anthony shot Roy to death. Are there other contradictions in the book? Probably! I was also bothered by some of the sentence structure which was confusing. One sentence in particular on page 200 I found puzzling was in regard to Vinnie Albano. Casso emptied his gun into Albano's chest. "Albano was dead before he knew it." Casso laments the government reneged on its so-called deal if he testified against mobsters, but I find it hard to sympathize with him. There is always forgiveness, but like other mobsters, their life ends with either an early grave or a prison sentence.
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "NO MATTER HOW TOUGH SOMEONE WAS, A BULLET TO THE HEAD WON ALL ARGUMENTS!" July 3, 2008
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
***************************************************************** ANTHONY "GASPIPE" CASSO, FORMER HEAD OF THE LUCCHESE CRIME FAMILY IS CURRENTLY SERVING *THIRTEEN* CONSECUTIVE LIFE-SENTENCES "PLUS" 455 YEARS IN THE ADX FLORENCE PRISON, THE SUPERMAX PRISON IN FLORENCE, COLORADO.
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Anthony was born into the "life", a synonym for being a Mafioso. His Father, Michael Casso's nickname was "Gaspipe" because he always carried an eight-inch length of lead gaspipe that he used like a blackjack, or held in his fist to add additional destructive power when he threw a punch. Anthony inherited his Father's nickname and it was attached to him for life. His Father took him everywhere with him including the mafia "social-clubs" where he learned firsthand how a man of "respect" was treated. Anthony said "his best friend in life was indisputably his Father." It was only natural that while other kids his age dreamed of being doctors, lawyers, or firemen, Anthony dreamed of being a "made-man". "Gaspipe" became part of an organization filled with men with names like: "Kid Blast", "Crazy Joe", "Ducks", "Mad Dog", "Blackout", "The Horse", "Sally Dee", "Beansy", "The Bull", "Fat Pete", "The Bug", "Pep", "The Iceman", "Quack Quack", "The Chin", and countless others.
"Gaspipe" grew from an independent criminal with his own crew originally specializing in "B&E" (breaking and entering) into a full-service killing/torturing/bank-robbing/money-making machine whose talents were highly coveted by all the mafia families. Despite offers from multiple "families" "Gaspipe" chose the Lucchese family. In rapid fashion "Gaspipe" became known as a man of his word who shouldn't be messed with, as he would just as soon kill you, as allow you to become a bothersome loose end he may have to fret about. Just as important as all of that, is the fact that he became an envied "EARNER". By the very nature of the way the mafia did business, it would be logical that the La Cosa Nostra would be infested with cold-blooded murderer's... but within this select group Casso stood out, and was feared and respected as a "SECRET SWEEPER." "GASPIPE" KILLED THOSE WITHIN THE MAFIA'S COMMUNITY WHO NEEDED KILLING. HE WAS "A-KILLER-OF-KILLERS". Concurrently with the rapidly growing number of murders, Casso like most other "made-men" were loving Fathers and husbands, and families were always of utmost importance, creating perhaps the greatest dichotomy within the La Cosa Nostra.
The mafia commission did not want any of the families involved in drugs. Not because of any altruistic values, but because the punishment was too severe. One mafia member "faced twenty to twenty-five years in jail-basically a life sentence" for selling a pound of coke. The old-school mafia leaders felt men so condemned, would be tempted to turn on their own. Despite the mafia ban on drugs, many members sold drugs "off-the-record", and none did it more successfully than "Gaspipe"! He was selling so much grass, cocaine and heroin, that "he bought three shrimp trawlers to bring more grass over from South America, and trucks with secret compartments to transport the grass. He even bought a 707 cargo plane to bring drugs over from South America. This was in addition to his growing fortune from his B&E crew, loan sharking, drug dealing, no-show jobs at the docks, and an interest in five after-hour clubs.
The mafia was starting to change, as unauthorized internal "hits", such as the John Gotti organized murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano highlighted; century old rules were being broken. A power struggle between Gotti and "Gaspipe" that involved respect and old-school ways, as much as anything else, led to a failed assassination attempt on September 16, 1986 when Casso was shot six times, but "Gaspipe" escaped death. "Gaspipe's" plan of "REVENGE" included mafia "owned" cops and mafia "owned" FBI agents leading "Gaspipe" to the failed assassin. Twenty-two days later the "mafia-cops" delivered a car to Casso with a package in the trunk. Casso drove the car with his gift in the trunk to a "safe-house" and opened the trunk. "Trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey was a big, blonde-headed man. His wrists and ankles were cuffed tightly, his mouth taped shut. When he saw Casso, his eyes nearly popped out of his head, cartoonlike." Casso lifted him out of the trunk, carried him into the house, and laid him on a tarp covered floor. "Gaspipe" would not rest till he found out who ordered the "hit". "He took out a knife and cut off the victim's clothes. He drew out a 16 shot .22 automatic fitted with a silencer. He didn't want to kill him, but he wanted to make him suffer, make him talk." "With a hand as steady as a diamond cutter's, Casso began the torture. The first bullet he put through the victim's left kneecap, the next through his right knee, and the third through the space midway between his ankle and knee. POW! POW! Suddenly there were bullet holes in each of the victim's shins. He then took aim at the space where Christ had been crucified, the area just above the metatarsals, and fired. The man furiously twisted and turned to no avail. The amazingly well-placed .22 slugs continued to drill holes in him-the left and right elbows, the wrists, and the shoulders were pierced. Satisfied that he had hit most of the major bones of the man's body, Casso moved on to his large muscles. He shot holes in the biceps, the calves, the thick thigh muscles. He then scrupulously took sight of the folded mushroom that was his "manhood". He pulled the trigger. The man's shriveled up sex organ seemed to explode. It was suddenly no more. Calmly Casso reloaded the gun. He would leave the man alone for a while; he'd allow the wounds to swell and fester, the symphony of pain to begin... a Beethoven's fifth of suffering." "Silently, with the quiet stealth of a large cat, Casso turned and walked away, feeling whole and complete for the first time since he'd been shot. When, several hours later, Casso returned, be began the questioning... "WHO", he demanded in little more than a growl, "hired you?"
Today the mafia is basically no more. What happened? The simple code... the entire heart... of what the entire mafia had been built on... oh so many years ago... the most powerful word in organized crime for generations... **** "OMERTA" **** "THE CODE OF SILENCE"****... existed no more! More Mafia rats began "singing" in the last decade-and-a-half, than had sung in every opera since time immemorial. If only all the "made-men" and their associates had truly taken to heart the old organized crime mantra:
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"IF ALL THE FISH IN THE SEA KEPT THEIR MOUTHS SHUT, THEY'D NEVER GET CAUGHT!"
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