The location where Robert DiBernardo was murdered

In June 1986, Robert "DiB" DiBernardo was murdered in the basement of this building at 1809 Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.

At the time, it served as a front for "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, a high-ranking member of the Gambino crime family.

Currently, the property belongs to an unrelated security company called Alarms-R-Us.

Gambino family

DiBernardo was a mobster and a major player in the adult film industry.

Although he was a senior member of the Gambino family, he did not run a crew or get involved in violence. Instead, he was primarily a lone operator who focused on publishing adult films and magazines.

In addition to the adult industry, DiBernardo was involved in several labor unions and legitimate businesses.

He reportedly used his mob connections to intimidate his competitors into either joining his growing network or going out of business.

This strategy proved successful, as he became a major earner for the Gambino family.

Due to his success, he received special status and was allowed to report directly to the boss, Paul Castellano.

DiBernardo's name received significant media attention after it emerged that he had rented a property from the husband of Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in the 1984 election.

In the decade that followed, insinuations about Ferraro's alleged connections to "DiB" dogged her political career and may have contributed to her narrow defeat in the 1992 New York Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

In 1985, Gambino capo John Gotti took control of the family after orchestrating Castellano's murder at Sparks Steak House.

DiBernardo remained a senior member due to his ability to generate revenue, but his lack of a crew left him vulnerable.

Whenever he attended meetings, he arrived alone, with no loyal soldiers by his side.

Angelo Ruggiero

Following Castellano's death, there were calls to promote "DiB" to the position of capo. However, Gotti resisted these requests for reasons that remain unknown.

While Gotti was incarcerated awaiting trial, he appointed his childhood friend, Angelo Ruggiero, as his eyes and ears on the ground.

Ruggiero was described as a brash, abrasive individual who lacked the intelligence and organizational skills for a top position in the family. He disliked DiBernardo, as the businessman had openly stated that "Sammy the Bull" Gravano would be a more suitable underboss.

Furthermore, Ruggiero reportedly owed "DiB" approximately $250,000.

Sammy the Bull

In June 1986, Ruggiero approached Gravano and told him that Gotti had ordered DiBernardo's murder from behind bars.

He claimed that "DiB" had been making disparaging remarks about Gotti and possibly preparing for a power play.

Gravano was hesitant to act on this order, as he wanted to hear it from Gotti himself, not someone who owed "DiB" money. At the time, he suspected that Ruggiero might be engineering DiBernardo's death by misrepresenting the truth to Gotti.

The suggestion that "DiB" was planning a coup also did not make sense, as he did not have a crew of his own. In Gravano's opinion, a significant amount of muscle was required to topple a boss and take control:

"He had no crew. He wasn't a shooter. He was no threat."

However, Ruggiero remained adamant that Gotti wanted DiBernardo dead. He also stated that the boss was becoming increasingly irate about the delay.

By that point, Gravano started to believe Gotti had personal issues with DiBernardo, as he had previously resisted calls to promote the businessman to capo. He also began to doubt that Ruggiero was bold enough to fabricate such an order.

Consequently, he agreed to carry out the hit.

DiBernardo's murder

On June 5, 1986, Gravano lured DiBernardo to this location on Stillwell Avenue under the pretense that he wanted to hold a short meeting. At the time, the premises belonged to a drywall company, which served as a front for his crew.

DiBernardo said his schedule was full, but he agreed to stop by and have a quick chat over coffee.

At around 5:50 p.m., he arrived alone and joined Gravano in the basement office.

Also present that evening were Thomas "Huck" Carbonaro and Joseph "Old Man" Paruta, two soldiers in Gravano's crew.

When the "meeting" began, Gravano asked Paruta to get "DiB" a coffee.

Paruta walked to the back of the room, retrieved a silenced pistol from a cabinet, and shot DiBernardo twice in the back of the head.

Following the murder, a cleanup crew wrapped his body and placed it in the trunk of a car.

What happened next is unclear, as DiBernardo's remains have never been found.

Despite shying away from violence, DiBernardo was not an innocent businessman who became entangled with organized crime.

Although he reportedly became a made man in the Gambino family without murdering anyone, evidence suggests he played an active role in other serious crimes.

The FBI believed his adult film empire was exploiting children. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on child pornography charges.

On the evening of his murder, he left his office, got into his new 1986 Mercedes-Benz, and called his family to discuss a dinner they had planned.

That was the last time they heard from him.