Salvatore Scala, also known as "Fat Sal" and "Uncle Sal" (1944 – December 30, 2008) was a New York mobster who became a
caporegime in the
Gambino crime family.
Scala was born in
Fort Lee, New Jersey, to first-generation immigrants from
Scala, Italy. Scala was married to Grace Ann Lino, the sister of Gambino mobster
Edward Lino and the paternal cousin of
Bonanno crime family mobster
Frank Lino. Scala was a nephew of
Genovese crime family mob associates Carmine and Francis Consalvo, and a maternal cousin of
DeCavalcante crime family mobster
Louis Consalvo.
In 1983, Scala was arrested for
heroin trafficking, but the case was dropped. A close associate of
John Gotti, Scala was a suspect in the 1985 murders of Gambino boss
Paul Castellano and underboss
Thomas Bilotti that brought Gotti to power.
New York Times, October 8, 2008 However, Scala was never charged in conjunction with either murder. In 1999, Scala was promoted to the rank of
capo and oversaw a crew of ten
made men and associates.
On May 18, 2001, Scala was convicted of extorting money from the owner of Cherry's Video, an
adult entertainment store on
Long Island. Part of the evidence included an undercover video of a Gambino soldier visiting the store. In March 2007, Scala was convicted of tax evasion and of...
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