 Salerno's gambling empire included numbers, bookmaking and floating dice games.Even when the East Harlem neighborhood went from a predominantly Italian to a predominantly black neighborhood, Salerno managed to hold onto their interests and employ over 200 people in their street rackets.Salerno was a highly respected and feared gangster, and a well-known New York Mafia powerhouse who continued to rise through the ranks of the Genovese crime family becoming consigliere from 1972–75, underboss in 1975, and eventually the acting–front boss from 1981-86.