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Paul Vario was a mobster and made man in the Lucchese crime family. He was convicted of fraud, extortion and tax evasion, and died in prison in 1988.
- Paul Vario’s Early Life and Introduction to New York’s Lucchese Crime Family
- Paul Vario’s Temperamental Time as A Capo
- Henry Hill’s Testimony Landed Paul Vario in Prison For The Rest of His Life
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In the early 20th century, Brooklyn was a place where opportunities were scarce, and the streets were tough. Paul “Paulie” Vario, born on July 10, 1914, grew up in this harsh reality. Vario understood that to make it in this world, one had to be resourceful, cunning, and unafraid to get their hands dirty. He started out small, running errands for l...
Though Goodfellasportrays Paulie Cicero as a calm, strategic mob boss, his real-life counterpart Paul Vario had a hair-trigger temper. One revealing story, recounted in Wiseguy, involved Vario and his wife Phyllis, who went out for dinner one night at Don Pepe’s Vesuvio. Vario was visibly frustrated that the maître d’ kept seating other people befo...
Henry Hill’s arrest in 1980 on drug-trafficking charges marked the beginning of the end for the “real-life Goodfellas.” Burke and Vario had tried to tie up loose ends, but taking out Hill was lower on their priority list. Still, authorities had secretly recorded them discussing the possibility of “whacking” Hill — and played the conversation for Hi...
Learn about Paul Vario, the Lucchese crime family capo who inspired Paulie Cicero in the film Goodfellas. Discover his violent temper, his affairs, his crimes, and his downfall thanks to Henry Hill.
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Sep 26, 2012 · Paul Vario was a notorious mobster who ran a lucrative hijacking crew and owned several businesses in Brooklyn. He was portrayed by Paul Sorvino as Paul Cicero in the movie Goodfella's, based on the true story of Henry Hill, his associate and informant.
May 5, 1988 · Paul Vario, a convicted gangster who was said to have been a leader in the Lucchese crime family for more than three decades, died of lung failure Tuesday in a Fort Worth Federal prison,...
Mar 9, 2024 · Paul Vario was a violent and influential capo in the Lucchese crime family who controlled East New York. He approved the Lufthansa heist and was arrested based on Henry Hill's testimony.
Goodfellas introduced America to a lot of complex characters, from Tommy DeSimone to Jimmy Burke, but perhaps the most mysterious was Paulie Cicero aka Paul ...
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Paul, or "Paulie" as his friends called him, was known for his size. He was 6’3” and weighed close to 285 pounds over the majority of his life. His appearance resembled that of a sumo wrestler, with jowls hanging below his chin, likening his appearance to that of a ferocious bulldog.
