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Originally a cappo in the Profaci crime family in Brooklyn, Columbo was a man accustomed to violence and death, having been involved in numerous murders—approximately eleven by his own account. In the violent hierarchy of the Mafia, such a record was a ticket to advancement. As fate would have it, Columbo's career hit an inflection point in 1964 when he faced a pivotal choice: to carry out a hit on the powerful Mafia boss Carlo Gambino or to tip him off. Surprising many, Columbo chose the latter, breaking fundamental Mafia tenets of loyalty and risking the ire of his peers.