Tom Papania

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Tom Papania (b. May 30, 1944) is a Christian evangelist who claims he was a high-ranking enforcer in the Gambino crime family before his religious conversion. However, his account has been challenged by several researchers, journalists, and writers, including former WNBC reporter Tony Aiello, who produced several stories that debunked much of Papania's story, and noted Mafia expert Jerry Capeci, an author of three books on the Gambino family. Writer Rocky Scarfone claims that many of the stories Papania tells as his own were stolen from Scarfone's own autobiography, House of Cards: The Curse of Alphonso. Researchers Wayne Robinson [1] and Brian Karjala [2] have researched and posted information, email, official U.S. Government documents, and certified arrest and imprisonment records concerning Papania at The Rogues Gallery.

[edit] Brief summary of Papania's claims

Papania, born "Thomas Papanier," sells a videotape called "From Mafia to Ministry" that details his alleged rise to the number three position in the Gambino crime family. Papania claims he was a teenage hoodlum who robbed mob boss Carlo Gambino, but that Gambino spared him punishment because Papania's grandfather was one of the men who brought the mob to America from Sicily. Papania claims he became a mob enforcer, made a fortune, and was widely feared, but he walked away from the mob life after converting to Christianity.

In fact, most researchers agree Papania never was a "made man" in the mob, and never held any important position in the Gambino family. His only known connection to the mob was his friendship with a bodyguard to Paul Castellano, who succeeded Gambino as head of the family. During a trial in the 1980s, Papania swore under oath he had no mob connections.

[edit] Ministry

Papania currently has a ministry for prisoners and their families and shares his story around the world. Information on the World Wide Web challenging Papania's claims has greatly curtailed his ministry since the year 2000.