Joe Bonanno – Boss of the Bonanno Crime Family
Joe Bonanno was one of the original mafia bosses in the U.S. and one of the most infamous, wealthiest, and most controversial to ever operate.
The Bonanno Crime Family
The Bonanno Crime Family is one of the Five Families that dominate organized crime in New York City. It originated from the picturesque Sicilian seaside fishing village of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily.
History
According to mob historians, the Bonnano Family began under the leadership of Sebastiano DiGaetano. Later, a Cola Schiro would lead for a time as a weak sister until the threat of death to all the Castellammarese by (Joe the Boss) Masseria would ultimately catapult Salvatore Maranzano to leadership during the tumultuous “Castellammarese War” years and the violence that would follow in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
After the Castellammarese and their allies had defeated Masseria and subsequently with Maranzano’s own killing, the leadership of the borgata fell to Giuseppe (Joe) Bonanno who would go on to lead one of the most tight-knit, secretive, and cohesive Family memberships for the next 35 years. With little fanfare or public exposure, it allowed Joseph Bonanno to accumulate one of the greatest wealth of any mob boss of his era.
The Bonanno Family boasted a membership of approximately 200 strong with over 750 associates. Some of these members included such iconic mafiosi as feared underboss Carmine (Lilo) Galante, consiglieri Giovanni (John) Bonventre, Francesco (Frankie Carroll) Garofalo, Stefano Cannone, and Philip (Rusty) Rastelli.
With power bases in gambling, shylocking, legitimate business holdings, and international heroin smuggling through its satellite regimes in Montreal, Canada, and Sicily. the Bonannos were a very influential Family across the entire United States, with members as far away as Arizona, California, Canada, and the Trapani Province of Sicily.
But by the mid-1960s, Joe Bonanno’s heavy-handed leadership style, greed, and ambitions would be not only his personal undoing but also the undoing of the Family at large. It led to the so-called “Banana War” which tore at the very fabric of its membership – a strife-torn Family that, to this day, has never fully recovered to the prestige and power it once enjoyed!
Below is a listing of bios and snapshots on Bonanno Family members and associates. They are generally listed in alphabetical order. New and updated bios will be highlighted under the Bonanno Family Spotlight tab in the sidebar column.
Paul Sciacca – The Reluctant Representante
Paul Sciacca was a low-profile Bonanno mafioso who was catapulted to acting boss during the Family's volatile Banana War years.
Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante was one of the most powerful and feared of the Mafia bosses until he met his fate during a Bonanno power struggle.
Philip (Rusty) Rastelli – Bonanno Boss
Philip (Rusty) Rastelli was a one-time boss of the Bonanno Family who eventually stepped down allowing Carmine Galante to once again rule.
Michael (Mike Adams) Adamo – Set Up for the Slaughter
Michael (Mike Adams) Adamo was once acting underboss of the Bonnano Family until he wasn't anymore because of an internal Family conflict.
Girolamo Asaro
Girolamo Asaro was heavily involved in the numbers and policy rackets for the Bonanno crime Family.
Michael Bonfondeo
Michael Bonfondeo was active in loansharking and worked closely with Tony Ducks Corallo of the Lucchese Family.
Francesco (Frank) Bonomo – Robbery and Murder
Francesco (Frank) Bonomo was a loy-key member of the Bonanno Family suspected of driving fellow family members to their deaths.
Ignazio (Sonny) Cannone
Ignazio (Sonny) Canonne was active in gambling and attended the infamous 1957 Apalachin Mafia Meeting on behalf of the Bonanno Family.
Stefano (Stevie Beef) Cannone – In the Shadows No More
Stefano (Stevie Beef) Cannone bounced around the underworld for decades without being generally known to the public - at least until one summer day in 1979.
Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale – Banana War Troublemaker
Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale was a soldier in the Bonanno Family serving in the regime of rebel faction leader Paul Sciacca.
Vincent Cassese
Vincent Cassese was a Bonnano Family member who was active in the policy rackets and controlled a large policy ring in the city's black neighborhoods.
Michael Consolo
Michael Consolo was a “soldier” in the Carmine Galante regime of the Bonanno Family who would meet his fate as one of the last fatalities of the vicious Banana War of the late-1960s.
Anthony Crisci
Anthony Crisci was considered to be an important narcotics importer, supplying large quantities of high-grade heroin to interstate dealers.
Gaetano (Smitty) D’Angelo and the Cypress Gardens Bloodbath
Gaetano(Smitty) D'Angelo was a Bonanno capo involved in many rackets but met an unfortunate end during the Bonanno War.
Nicholas DeStefano – “The Battler”
Nick DeStefano was a little-known member of the Bonanno Family who was active in numbers, bookmaking, shylocking and extortion.
George Di Benedetto – “George of All Trades”
George Di Benedetto was a member of the Bonanno Family who was accused of a massive fraud scheme involving a children's charity.
Alfred (Al Walker) Embarrato – Bonnano Soldier
Alfred (Al Walker) Embarrato was a Bonanno Family soldier who was suspected of ordering the hit on his nephew, the notorious Tony Mirra.
Natale Evola – “Silent Powerhouse”
Natale Evola was an important “original” founding member of the Bonanno Family and was at the very foundation of Italian organized crime.
Francesco Garofalo – “International Underboss”
Francesco Garofalo was a member of the Bonanno Family who was a powerful enforcer involved in the murder of publisher Carlo Tresca.
How Joseph Genna was Tied to a Murder Mystery with Tony Bender Strollo
Jimmy Genna was active in many rackets, but his ties to Tony Bender and the mysterious murder of a union official really gave him legs.
Gaspare Di Gregorio – “The Sickly Don”
Gaspare Di Gregorio was a Bonanno Family powerhouse who was close to Family Boss, Joe Bonanno, and a conduit to Sicily for the Family.
Gaetano (Tony) Lisi – Drug Trafficker with a Hidden Interest in the “C.I.A.”
Gaetano (Tony) Lisi was a Bonanno soldier active in the narcotics trade and was once accused of murder along with a future Bonanno capo.
Nicolo Marangello – “Always In The Shadows”
Nick Marangello ran a 20-year-long mob conspiracy to infiltrate and control the moving and storage industry for the Bonanno Family.
Frank (Frankie T) Mari – “Mafioso Miscalculation…Badly!”
Frank Mari was a member of the Bonanno Family who had held a powerful position until greed took control of his decisions.
Stefano Menna – “The Brooklyn Boxer”
Steve Menna was a Bonanno Family member and former semi-professional boxer who was active in truck hijaking and strong-arm enforcement.
Giovanni Morale – “Don Peppino’s Loyal Shadow”
Giovanni Morale was active in gambling and served as a driver and aide to Bonanno Family boss Joe Bonanno.
Rosario Morale – “He’s No Lay Down Sally”
Rosario Morale was a Bonanno Family member active in gambling and was the brother of the more high-profile member John Morale.
Joseph Morsellino – “The Loyal Nipote”
Joseph Morsellino was a member of the Bonanno Family who served as a driver and confidant for his uncle Vincent, a super capo in the Family.
Vincenzo Morsellino – “Serious Sicilian Sleeper”
Vincenzo Morsellino was a member of the Bonanno Family who law enforcement claimed was said to be a "super capo."
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