Joe Gulmi was associated with the Gambino crime family but his exact connection to them is subject to speculation. Multiple New York businesses noticed a man frequenting their establishments on multiple occasions. They assumed for a time that he was a bookie. Soon he began asking them to sign a contract with him in order to stave off IRS investigations. One local union committed $350,000 to a trust fund with Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank. This was the financial institution that Gulmi advised the businesses he recruited to deposit their money in. Disastrous outcomes were in the offing.