Born in Brooklyn, New York, DeLuna rose through the ranks of the family to eventually become underboss and second-in-command to Nicholas Civella.
He was said to be personally responsible for the ambush of a rival mob crew, the Spero brothers, at the Virginia Tavern in Kansas City, Missouri in 1978.
Artie Piscano (portrayed by Vinny Vella) in the film Casino was based in large part on Carl DeLuna.
In reality, DeLuna's home was raided on February 14, 1979, and it was found that he kept extensive cryptic notes hidden in his basement which, together with wiretaps, connected all the dots the FBI needed in linking the mob to illegal control of Las Vegas casinos.
Chicago Outfit mobsters, including its then reputed boss, Joseph Aiuppa, were convicted along with DeLuna, based on the evidence seized from him.