Gangster family 'buried victims in double-decker coffins'

A New York gangster family said to be the inspiration for the mob drama The Sopranos used "double-decker" coffins to dispose of murder victims, a court has heard.

For decades, victims of the DeCavalcante clan were concealed in hidden compartments in coffins designed by the late gangster undertaker Carlo Corsentino.

Corsentino, who lived to be more than 100, was one of the oldest members of the notorious family.

He used his legitimate funeral parlour in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to “disappear” victims of gangland killings, a Manhattan jury was told.

The method was exposed by Anthony Rotondo, a gangster who was giving evidence in the case against Girolamo Palermo, who is accused of conspiracy to murder.

Describing the elaborate scheme, Rotondo said: “The family would put the body of the murdered victim below the regular customer, thus disappearing forever.”

The added weight often caused some confusion, he explained to jurors, the New York Post reported.

“There would be six grown men carrying someone’s 80-pound grandmother, and they looked like they were having a problem,” he said.

Rotondo, who has himself pleaded guilty to two gangland killings, said the false-bottomed coffins were first used in the 1920s when there was a high number of mob murders.

The DeCavalcante family - originally formed by Sicilian immigrants more than a century ago – has developed a fearsome reputation.

Its members claim to be the inspiration behind hit TV show The Sopranos.

Palermo, alleged to be the acting boss of the clan since 1997, is accused of conspiring to kill fellow gang member Frank D’Amato.

He also faces charges of extortion.