Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, DeCarlo represented Genovese family business interests in the New Jersey underworld; he was an associate of Abner Zwillman and Gerardo Catena. DeCarlo was an excellent cook; his specialty was fried pasta with anchovies. His wife died mysteriously after giving birth. He reportedly later married a woman named Frances Ryan and had two children. His arrest record included income tax evasion, breaking and entering, counterfeiting, robbery, and liquor law violations. DeCarlo owned the La Martinique Tavern in Mountainside, New Jersey.