Christopher Furnari

Christopher Furnari
New York City Police Department mugshot of Furnari
Born	1924 (1924) (age 93) Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Nationality	Italian American
Occupation	Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family
Criminal charge	racketeering
Criminal penalty	100 year sentence
Criminal status	Alive
Allegiance	Lucchese crime family

Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari, Sr. (born 1924 in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn) is a Lucchese crime family mobster who was sentenced to 100 years in prison before being released in 2014 after serving almost 28 years. During the 1980s, Furnari served as the family consigliere until his 1986 racketeering conviction.

In 1924, Christopher Furnari was born in New York to first-generation Sicilian-Italian emigrants from Furnari, a commune in the Province of Messina in Sicily. By age 15, Furnari was managing his own loanshark operations in Brooklyn and Northern New Jersey. By 1943, the 19-year-old Furnari had already served two prison terms for armed robbery. Furnari was also sentenced to 15 to 30 years after a trial where he and several other youths were arrested with 3 girls in a car and charged with rape.

In 1956, Furnari was released from prison on parole. Furnari became an associate of Gaetano "Tommy Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese's crime family through Furnari's connection with mobster Anthony Corallo. During the late 1950s, Furnari became involved in illegal gambling and loansharking. Furnari soon became an influential member of the Brooklyn faction of the family and was earning $25,000 a day. In 1962, at age 38, Furnari became a made man in the Lucchese family. In 1964, Furnari became a caporegime.

The Lucchese powerbase was traditionally the Bronx faction; the first three family bosses, Gaetano "Tom" Reina, Tommaso "Tommy" Gagliano, and Tommy Lucchese were based in the Bronx. In contrast, Furnari belonged to the less influential Brooklyn faction. Furnari operated his crew in Bensonhurst at the 19th Hole, a nondescript bar and mob social club. His crew was involved in illegal gambling,loansharking, extortion, burglary, narcotics dealing, occasional murder contracts, & union & construction rackets. At this time, Furnari's criminal record included convictions for assault and sex offenses.