 A successful gambler who played craps games or roulette, DeCicco frequented many illegal gambling establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan and owned his own social club in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family and soon became a "soldier".In 1973, DeCicco and future Lucchese crime family underboss Anthony Casso were robbing diamond dealers and hijacking trucks throughout New York State.