Aniello Dellacroce
| Aniello Dellacroce | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 15, 1914 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | December 2, 1985 (aged 71) New York City, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mr. Neil, Father O'Neil, The Tall Guy |
| Occupation | Butcher's assistant |
| Criminal penalty | Five years |
| Children | Armond, Ronald, Shannon and Sean |
| Conviction(s) | Tax evasion |
Aniello John "Neil" Dellacroce (March 15, 1914 – December 2, 1985), also known as "Mr. Neil," "Father O'Neil" and "The Tall Guy", was an Italian-American gangster and underboss of the Gambino crime family. He rose to the position of underboss when Carlo Gambino moved Joseph Biondo aside. Dellacroce was a mentor to Gambino crime family boss John Gotti.
Dellacroce was born in New York to Francesco and Antoinette Dellacroce, first generation immigrants from Italy. He grew up in the Little Italy section of Manhattan. Dellacroce was a tall, broad-shouldered man who was usually chomping on a cigar. His nickname was "Neil", an Americanization of "Aniello". Due to his square-shaped face, some Gambino members nicknamed him "the Polack", a nickname never used within his earshot.
Dellacroce had one brother, Carmine, and married Lucille Riccardi. The couple had a son, Armand, and a daughter, Nanny. He had a grandson, AJ, whom he raised. He had a son Ronald from a relationship with Elizabeth Main, and later married Rosemary Connelly, who had two sons, Skipper and Seann Connelly, and a daughter, Shannon. Dellacroce was also the great uncle of John Ruggiero Jr., Angelo Ruggiero Jr. and Salvatore Ruggiero Jr. Dellacroce and his family originally lived in an apartment across the street from his social club in Little Italy. In later years, they lived in Grasmere, Staten Island.
As a teenager, Dellacroce became a butcher's assistant, but work was scarce and he took to crime. He was jailed once for petty theft. Dellacroce sometimes walked around Manhattan dressed as a priest and called himself "Father O'Neil" to confuse both the police and rival mobsters. Dellacroce allegedly committed a murder dressed as a priest. He also allegedly used a body double for some public events. Dellacroce preferred to keep a low profile and was said to have a menacing stare. Once described as 'the archangel of death', a federal agent said of Dellacroce, “He likes to peer into a victim’s face, like some kind of dark angel, at the moment of death.”
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