Living Like a Soprano? NJ Estate Owned by Notorious Mobster Is Up for Auction

If you ever dreamed about living like a rich mobster, now's your chance.

The New Jersey home of a former mob boss is being auctioned off by New York auction house Guernsey's, which is accepting bids for an 8,000-square-foot palatial Fort Lee, N.J., estate, located high on a hill with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline.

The views are almost as amazing as the home's history. It was built in the late 1940s for the notorious gangster, Albert Anastasia, who lived there for many years.

"Mr. Anastasia not only had all the money in the world to build what he wanted, he was also known as the kingpin of the mob. Number one on the bad guys list," explained Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey's.

"About 10 years later in 1957, while getting a haircut in New York City in a barber shop, he was rubbed out.  Gangland style. Shot in the barber chair."

According to an article in the New York Daily News written after his murder, Anastasia was a Cosa Nostra mobster who was known as "Lord High Executioner of the old Murder Inc. mob."

For Anastasia, one of the home's best features may have been the massive safe still sitting in the basement.

"The house itself, going back to the fact that it was built by Mr. Anastasia, you can see evidence of that in the strength of this house. There are places where the walls are a foot and a half thick, which would suggest the priority of his was protection," said Ettinger.

"It was said there were gangland-style, "Godfather" kind of meetings here among crime family heads and I wouldn't doubt it."

After Anastasia's death, the home was owned by comedian Buddy Hackett, New York Yankees co-owner Del Webb, and the founder of the N.Y. Waterway, Arthur Imperatore, who could watch his ferries cross the Hudson from his backyard.

In addition to all that history, the home comes with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and dens. The 1.3 acre property also features a pool, patio and cabana house.

The minimum starting bid for the home is $5 million, which could be a bargain in this neighborhood.

"The house next door for a brief while was on the market a few months ago. It was put on and taken off. Now on (less than half) of an acre, that was put on the market for $18.9 million," said Ettinger. 

Guernsey's will hold its auction on June 8.