Carl DeLuna

Who was Carl DeLuna?

Carl Angelo "Tuffy" DeLuna was an organized crime figure who was once the powerful underboss of the Kansas City crime family. He was also brother-in-law to Kansas City crime boss Anthony Civella.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, DeLuna rose through the ranks of the family to eventually become underboss and second-in-commad to Nicholas Civella. He was said to be personally responsible for the ambush of a rival mob crew, the Spero brothers, at the Virginia Tavern in Kansas City, Missouri in 1978.

A well-respected and trusted mobster, DeLuna maintained the family’s close ties with the Chicago Outfit, the Frank Balistrieri family in Milwaukee, and the Cleveland family during the mob infiltration of several Las Vegas casinos in the mid-1970s.

Artie Piscano in the film Casino was based in large part on Carl DeLuna. In the film, Piscano dies of a heart attack during a Federal Bureau of Investigation raid on his home. In reality, DeLuna's home was raided on February 14, 1979 and it was found that he kept extensive cryptic notes hidden in his basement which, together with wiretaps, connected all the dots the FBI needed in linking the mob to illegal control of Las Vegas casinos. DeLuna, though, was arrested, tried and sentenced to 30 years.