Aniello Dellacroce - Early Life

Early Life

Dellacroce was born in New York to Francesco and Antoinette Dellacroce, first generation immigrants from Veneto, 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, a Gambino associate, a son Ronald, and a daughter, Shannon Connelly. Dellacroce was 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 the 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. NYPD detective Ralph Salerno said that the only mobsters whose eyes frightened him were Dellacroce and Carmine Galante.

"You looked at Dellacroce's eyes and you could see how frightening they were. The frigid glare of a killer."