Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel once infamously remarked, “We only kill our own.” It wasn’t just a quip—it was the unspoken code of the American Mafia. The Cosa Nostra, for all its secrecy and romanticized depictions in film, thrived not on external threats but on internal discipline. Rival gangs, law enforcement, and journalists often loomed large in Mafia mythology, but when the bullets really flew, they were more often aimed inward. High-ranking mobsters didn’t usually fall to outsiders. They fell to their own family.
To understand why, you have to appreciate what the Mafia truly was: a rigid hierarchy of men bound by loyalty, omertà (the code of silence), and a bloody system of accountability. Betrayal, greed, or even becoming too much of a liability could warrant a death sentence. And when that time came, the hit didn’t come from faceless rivals—it came from men who had once toasted you at weddings, embraced you as “brother,” and maybe even grew up alongside you.
The Code of “Killing Our Own”
The phrase Siegel used reflected a cold logic. The Mafia knew that its greatest vulnerability wasn’t outsiders, but insiders. A capo who turned government witness, a boss who grew too reckless, or a soldier whose ambitions became dangerous—all were bigger threats than the FBI or rival gangs. Outsiders could be fought, bribed, or intimidated. But insiders could destroy entire organizations.
That’s why the Mafia’s history is littered with internal hits, where loyalty ended in a basement, a bar, or the backseat of a car. These killings weren’t random; they were methodical, often approved at the highest levels. In many cases, execution orders had to pass through a governing body like the Commission, a national board of bosses established in the 1930s to prevent senseless bloodshed.
The Case of Bugsy Siegel: The Golden Boy Who Went Too Far
Ironically, Siegel himself became one of the most famous examples. A charismatic gangster with Hollywood looks, Siegel had spearheaded the Las Vegas gambling dream by building the Flamingo Hotel. But the project spiraled out of control—delays, mismanagement, and cost overruns ballooned construction expenses from $1 million to $6 million.
The Mafia’s investors, especially East Coast bosses like Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano, grew furious. Rumors swirled that Siegel was skimming funds or had simply lost control. In 1947, while lounging in his girlfriend Virginia Hill’s Beverly Hills mansion, Siegel was shot through the window with an M1 carbine. Nine bullets tore into him, including two in the head.
The murder was not the work of rival gangs or Hollywood enemies. It was sanctioned by his own. Siegel had become too much of a liability to those who bankrolled him. His death sent a message: no one, not even a golden boy of the mob, was untouchable.
Albert Anastasia: The Mad Hatter Meets His End
Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia was one of the most feared Mafia bosses of the mid-20th century. As head of Murder, Inc.—a group of contract killers responsible for hundreds of hits—Anastasia commanded respect and fear in equal measure.
But Anastasia’s reckless violence and paranoia eventually sealed his fate. By the 1950s, his erratic behavior was drawing heat from law enforcement and making other bosses uneasy. Vito Genovese, one of the most calculating mob leaders, wanted him out. With the Commission’s blessing, Anastasia’s fate was decided.
On October 25, 1957, Anastasia sat down for a shave in Manhattan’s Park Sheraton Hotel. As the barber draped a towel around his neck, two masked gunmen stormed in and opened fire. Anastasia, blinded by the towel, reportedly lunged at his reflection in the mirror before collapsing.
It wasn’t a rival gang’s revenge. It was a carefully orchestrated hit by his own colleagues. For the Mafia, Anastasia had simply become too dangerous to leave alive.
Paul Castellano: Gunned Down at Sparks Steak House
By the 1980s, Paul Castellano had risen to the top of the Gambino crime family, one of the Five Families of New York. Castellano was a businessman at heart, focusing on construction rackets, unions, and white-collar schemes rather than street-level crime. But his style clashed with more traditional gangsters, especially John Gotti.
Castellano’s decision to skip the wake of Aniello Dellacroce, the family’s underboss and a revered figure among the “blue-collar” faction, was seen as a deep insult. At the same time, Castellano’s obsession with wiretaps and surveillance raised fears that his paranoia would drag others down with him.
On December 16, 1985, Castellano was scheduled to dine at Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. As he stepped from his car, gunmen loyal to Gotti executed him in broad daylight, along with his driver, Thomas Bilotti. Witnesses watched as Castellano fell face-first on the sidewalk.
The message was clear: this was a coup from within. John Gotti, who orchestrated the hit, seized control of the Gambino family. Once again, the Mafia had enforced its code—the ultimate punishment carried out by one of their own.
Joe Colombo: The Boss Shot at His Own Rally
Joe Colombo, head of the Colombo family, was unique among Mafia bosses. Instead of staying in the shadows, Colombo became the public face of the Italian-American Civil Rights League, protesting discrimination and even rallying against the FBI. His activism, however, drew too much attention.
On June 28, 1971, at a rally in Columbus Circle, Colombo was shot in the head by a gunman disguised as a photographer. Though he survived, he was left paralyzed and in a coma for years before his death.
While the shooter was immediately killed, suspicion lingered that Colombo’s own associates had sanctioned the hit. His high-profile antics had crossed an unspoken line: mob bosses weren’t supposed to be celebrities. Colombo’s own hunger for the spotlight led to his downfall, courtesy of his “friends.”
Why the Mafia Always Turns Inward
These aren’t isolated stories—they represent a pattern. When you examine the murders of high-profile mobsters, a common thread emerges: the most dangerous enemies were always inside the family.
- Greed and Skimming: Like Siegel, those who played fast and loose with mob money rarely survived.
- Reckless Behavior: Anastasia’s volatility made him a liability, just as Colombo’s activism did.
- Power Struggles: Castellano’s downfall showed how ambition from within could topple even a boss.
For the Mafia, killing outsiders risked wars, law enforcement crackdowns, or public outrage. Killing insiders, though bloody, was considered necessary housekeeping. It kept the organization disciplined, profitable, and—ironically—stable.
The Legacy of “We Only Kill Our Own”
Benjamin Siegel’s words still resonate because they cut to the truth of organized crime: loyalty only lasts as long as you’re useful. The Mafia may have presented itself as a family, but it was a family where betrayal, ambition, or simple bad judgment could end with your blood on the pavement.
The stories of Siegel, Anastasia, Castellano, and Colombo remind us that the Mafia’s most chilling violence wasn’t random. It was intimate. It was the betrayal of brothers by brothers, bosses by soldiers, friends by friends.
In the end, the Mafia didn’t need outsiders to destroy it. It was always more than capable of killing its own.