In August 1968, Mike (Mike the Sailor) Casale decided to take a trip to Tucson, Arizona. At the time, authorities believed he was sent there to stir things up during the tumultuous Bonanno War. Joe Bonanno and many of his minions had retreated to Tuscon, where Bonanno owned a home, and had been the victim of a bombing that previous July. Casale was a soldier in the rebel Paul Sciacca faction of the Family.
Authorities watched Casale for about a week before they arrested him for registering at a motel using a false name and possessing false identification under the name Vincent Romano. They claimed he was seen engaging in “target practice” at canyons outside of Tucson.
He told police he was in Arizona because he had a “sore throat.” After paying his $24 fine, Casale hightailed it back to New York within hours after being released from jail. He reportedly told police he was leaving the city immediately.
“If you were a member of the Sciacca group and you were picked up by police and your name came out in the paper, how soon would you want to leave Tucson,” he reportedly said.
As a side note, the home of Peter Notaro, Joe Bonanno’s bodyguard, had been bombed just one day after Casale was arrested. He was never implicated in that bombing.
Learn more about Mike Casale via his bio, Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale: Bonanno War Troublemaker, and the history of the Bonanno War via The Bonanno Family War of 1966-1969.
