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Portrait of Roy DeMeo

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Born in United States · Nationality American — Organised crime / Gambino family / RICO / murders / car thefts / racketeering

Roy DeMeo

Organised crime and cartels

Documented profile covering 8 controversies, including “1972–1983: operational leader of 'DeMeo Crew', RICO enterprise described by federal courts” and “1983: DeMeo himself murdered as federal investigation of his crew intensifies”.

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Profile No. 2030 · Updated on 12 October 2026

Portrait of Roy DeMeo

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
8Documented controversies
5Sources
0Formal charge · all time
0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

01

1972–January 1983

1972–1983: operational leader of 'DeMeo Crew', RICO enterprise described by federal courts

Allegations

In the federal case United States v. Castellano, the courts described Roy DeMeo as the 'street leader' of a structured criminal enterprise active from 1972 until his murder in 1983. The indictment attributed approximately eighty racketeering acts to the group, including twenty-six murders, alongside numerous other criminal schemes.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York via JustiaUnited States v. Castellano, 610 F. Supp. 1359 (S.D.N.Y. 1985)Court decisionVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via JustiaUnited States v. DiNome, 954 F.2d 839 (2d Cir. 1992)Court decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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02

January 1983

1983: DeMeo himself murdered as federal investigation of his crew intensifies

Investigation

Roy DeMeo disappeared and was found murdered in January 1983. Later federal judgments treat his death as a turning point in the crew's organisation, with the RICO indictment placing the enterprise's end shortly afterwards.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York via JustiaUnited States v. Castellano, 610 F. Supp. 1359 (S.D.N.Y. 1985)Court decisionVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via JustiaUnited States v. DiNome, 954 F.2d 839 (2d Cir. 1992)Court decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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03

1979–1981

1979–1981: international stolen car network exporting vehicles notably to Kuwait

No legal proceedings

The DeMeo Crew operated a major stolen car network, exporting recent American vehicles to Kuwait. Subsequent trials established the scheme and the central role of crew members; case law identifies it as one of the enterprise's major activities.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via JustiaUnited States v. DiNome, 954 F.2d 839 (2d Cir. 1992)Court decisionVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York via JustiaUnited States v. Castellano, 610 F. Supp. 1359 (S.D.N.Y. 1985)Court decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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04

années 1970–début des années 1980

1970s–1980s: loan-sharking, extortion and other financial rackets of the crew

No legal proceedings

Federal rulings describe loan-sharking and extortion among the DeMeo Crew's ongoing activities. As operational leader, DeMeo occupied a central position in this illicit revenue structure.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via JustiaUnited States v. DiNome, 954 F.2d 839 (2d Cir. 1992)Court decisionVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York via JustiaUnited States v. Castellano, 610 F. Supp. 1359 (S.D.N.Y. 1985)Court decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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05

années 1970–début des années 1980

1970s–1980s: narcotics, pornography and prostitution among crew's criminal activities

Allegations

Federal courts listed drug distribution, pornography, transporting women for prostitution and related offences among the DeMeo Crew's activities. These formed part of the business model of the group led operationally by DeMeo.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York via JustiaUnited States v. Castellano, 610 F. Supp. 1359 (S.D.N.Y. 1985)Court decisionVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via JustiaUnited States v. DiNome, 954 F.2d 839 (2d Cir. 1992)Court decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

06

1 October 1979

1979: Eppolito double murder — DeMeo implicated by historical investigations but not arrested at time

No legal proceedings

James Eppolito Sr. and James Eppolito Jr. were shot dead in a car in Brooklyn in 1979. Anthony Gaggi was arrested following an exchange of gunfire with a police officer; DeMeo, presented in later accounts as the other participant, left the scene and was neither identified by the witness nor arrested at the time.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The Mob Museum“Mob Cops” saga still reverberates 10 years after their life sentencesArchiveHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Wikipedia — secondary reference used for lead corroborationRoy DeMeoSecondary sourceMedium reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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07

13 June 1975

1975: kidnapping, murder and dismemberment of Andrei Katz attributed to DeMeo Crew

No legal proceedings

Andrei Katz, a former associate who had become a source for authorities on car theft, was abducted, killed and dismembered in 1975. Criminological accounts and later testimony attribute the operation to the DeMeo Crew and place DeMeo at the centre of its planning and execution.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The Mob MuseumRoy DeMeo: No. 3 on list of Top 5 most notorious Mob hitmenArchiveHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Wikipedia — secondary reference used for lead corroborationRoy DeMeoSecondary sourceMedium reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

08

1973

1973: murder of Paul Rothenberg attributed to DeMeo in specialised accounts

Allegations

The Mob Museum attributes the murder of Paul Rothenberg, a pornography distributor who made payments to DeMeo and Anthony Gaggi, to DeMeo. The killing is presented as one of the earliest homicides directly associated with his criminal career.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 1

  1. [1]
    The Mob MuseumRoy DeMeo: No. 3 on list of Top 5 most notorious Mob hitmenArchiveHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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