The Sopranos Christmas

Albert "High Lord Executioner" Anastasia

Umberto Anastasia was born September 26, 1902 in Tropea, Italy. On October 25, 1957, in New York City, New York, Anastasia, than one of the most powerful Mafia bosses in the city was gunned down in a barber shop.

Anastasia's Start

Growing up fast in Calabria, Italy, Anastasia had it rough. He only got to the fifth grade before needing to dropout of school to go work to help out his family. After working numerous jobs, Anastasia and his brothers found work on a ship as a deckhand Men. A rough and dangerous job that would end up paying off in the end. This deckhand job would eventually lead him to his stomping ground in New York City, where he became one of the most brutal crime boss ever to exist in the Italian mafia.

The first showing of how tough he really was, came in 1921. Anastasia got into a fight with a man he claimed was steeling the better dock jobs from him and his fellow workers. The two men got into a fight and Anastasia lost his control and stabbed the man to death.

This fight would lead to what was supposed to be his one in only trip to the infamous Sing-Sing prison. But because of is impeccable toughness, he would see a different fate. A old time mobster barber watched him in many fights where he notice his real violent talent. The barber notified big time gangster like the famous Lucky Luciano and others. After this information, the mob pulled some strings to get a new trial for Anastasia and they succeed. This time around, with this new trial, magically three witnesses against him would be abruptly murdered and one would disappeared. With no witnesses against  him, Anastasia was free to roam the streets again.

Anastasia's Mob Life

Anastasia found himself a cozy job at doing what he knew best, working as a muscle for the mob and murdering if he needed. It was said that he enjoyed his work when it came to killing, even watching people get whacked and enjoying it when he wasn't involved, earning him the name "Lord High Executioner".  In addition to being the muscle, he engaged in a number of different crimes, including loan-sharking and gambling. His brother Anthony became a local union boss, which helped Anastasia gain greater strength in the underworld of the Brooklyn waterfront.

Around this time, Lucky Luciano was lusting for power and coined an ideal to take out two of the top bosses in order to gain control of the criminal underworld. His first move was to take out Joe Masseria. Lucky put together a plan and lured Masseria to a Coney Island. Lucky excused himself to the bathroom, and then shortly after the murder was carried out by Anastasia and a few other gangland associates. This murder was what made the Ace of Sades famous as the death card, as it was placed in the hands of Masseria after he was killed. One boss down Salvatore Maranzano left. The murder of Maranzano was eventually carried out carried out shorty after Masseria, but Anastasia would sit it out.

This was huge for Anastasia, this would mean he would be second in command to his new boss Vincent Mangano. More importantly he was told to work with a Jewish gangster named Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. The two worked well together and formed a gang of ruthless gangsters that would be later named Murder Inc. A fitting name since they are said to be responsible for an unconfirmed 1000 deaths around the US.

This gang would final be taken down when one of their own would flip and become states evidence. Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, a member of Murder Inc. had enough dirt on the gang to put almost all of them in jail and a better part of them on death row. Even "Lepke" Buchalter, which became the first boss to ever be executed by electrocution in the US.

Anastasia was lucky enough to be able to avoid this serious crack down, but "Kid Twist" Reles was ready to finish off the last of Murder Inc. Unfortunately for the "Kid", he would never get the chance. It was siad he was trying to escape from his fifth floor window where he was being held and instead fell to his death. Most believe it was the mob and he was pushed, but either way he earned the nickname "the canary that could sing, but could not fly".

 Anastasia's Down Fall

This left Anastasia free to keep up his criminal activity, and that he did. All though still second in command to Mangano, most knew that Anastasia called the shots. Taking out the boss of a family is a serious no-no in the mob, but Anastasia's lust for power and inpatients would lead to Mangano's death. Although he was given a pass by the commission because ally Frank Costello stuck up for him and claimed it was in self defense, this would be the first infractions of mob rules of many. 

Anastasia's biggest move that got not only the Mafia, the FBI but also the public looking at him like he was public enemy #1, was the murder of a hero civilian. A notorious bank robber William Sutton, who escaped from prison, was shortly captured by the help of  Arnold Schuster, a 24-year-old Brooklyn clothing salesman. Anastasia enraged by the taddle-tell, for he lived by the underground rules where rats die, order Schuster dead. The innocent salesman was hunted down and murdered in the streets in cold blood, this was another serious infraction of mob rules.

That did not help with his reputation with the FBI. The FBI started to focuses on Anastasia's taxes in hopes to bring him down the same way they brought Al Capone down. The FBI had one key witness, a plumber that could verify that he was paid more for his work then what Anastasia claimed in taxes all year.

Despite the tons of murder evidence at Anastasia's house, the plumber would disappear and charges would never be brought about for the murder. But the FBI was not ready to give up on tax evasion, Anastasia recognized this and decided to take a plea so he could get a slap-on-the-wrist and a slap-on-the-wrist is what he got. Spending one year in prison, Anastasia was back on the streets and back to what he knew best.



At this point there was a power struggle going on in the mob. Vito Genovese wanted long time mobster boss Frank Costello out of the way. An attempt on his life would do the trick. After a bullet grazed Costello's head, Anastasia's best ally would take a retirement. But Anastasia still had no worries as he was on full throttle to take power. Even after being warned by long time Jewish gangster, Myer Lansky, to stay away from the Havana gambling rackets, Anastasia would not listen and tried to muscle in on what most did not view as his or fair game.

This was Anastasia's last mistake, Vito Genovese petitioned to the commission that it was time for him to go. Reportedly saying if he won't listen to the commission, won't follow mob rules and thinks he can take whatever he wants, who is safe from his dangerous ways. The commission agreed. Genovese approached what would soon become the head of the most power crime family in New York, Anastasia underboss, Carlo Gambino. He asked him for help planning the murder and Gambino agreed.

Anastasia's Death

October 25, 1957, Anastasia went to his favorite barber for a fresh shave and a manicure. After his bodygaurd took a walk, Anastasia relaxed with a hot towels over his face, as he relaxed, two lone gunmen entered the shop and shot until he was died.

The best way to describe Anastasia's bloody, murderous life of crime is the turn-out at his funnel. Most Mafia funnels have major turnouts that include family, friends and fellow gangsters, but 12 people showed up to Anastasia's funnel.