Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale – Banana War Troublemaker

Mike Casale was a soldier in the Bonanno Family serving in the rebel Paul Sciacca regime. In 1968, Casale traveled to Tucson, Arizona just a few weeks after the Bonanno home bombings because he told police, he had a "sore throat." Obviously, there were other reasons for his trip.

Mike Casale - Early Life

Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale was born in 1914. He lived in Brooklyn and later relocated to 212 N. Walnut Street in Massapequa, Long Island.

Casale was a Bonanno Family soldier believed by authorities to have risen to a capo position under Paul Sciacca during the Bonanno War years. He was a close associate and aide to Michael (Mikey Adams) Adamo , a longtime capodecina and later consigliere in the Family.

During his lifetime, Mike Casale racked up over 14 arrests for grand larceny, armed robbery, gun possession, assault and robbery, possession of counterfeit money, bribery, burglary, bookmaking, jostling, and narcotics, among others.

Michael Casale

He served several prison terms for attempted burglary (2.5 years), parole violation (returned to jail after counterfeiting arrest), robbery (5 years), and jostling (3 convictions - 4 months on the first, 5 months on the second, and 20 days on a third), and bookmaking (3 convictions).

Casale was active in gambling, shylocking, and strong-arm work. He was also the director and overseer of a Suffolk private social club specializing in high-stakes card games and shylocking that police raided.

Stirring Things Up in Tucson

In August 1968, Mike 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.

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.

Just prior to his arrival in Arizona, Casale had been surveilled traveling to Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily to meet with deported Bonanno consigliere Frank (Frankie Carroll) Garafalo. Authorities believed he was trying to "woo" Garafalo away from Bonanno's side in the war.

As a side note, Joe Bonanno's bodyguard Joseph Notaro's home was bombed the very next day after Casale was arrested. He was never implicated in the bombing .

In 1971, Mike Casale was arrested along with Sciacca for heroin trafficking during the highly-publicized “Operation Flanker" narcotics investigation.

This sweeping undercover probe saw the indictment of over 100 mob figures across the country. At the time of his arrest, Casale claimed he was a plumbing equipment salesman. He took two lie detector tests to prove his innocence and passed. The charges were dismissed.

Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale died on June 21, 1974. He had been walking in a park on Long Island when was felled from a heart attack. He was 60 years old.

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale – Banana War Troublemaker

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Michael (Mike the Sailor) Casale – Banana War Troublemaker

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You May Also Enjoy

Racketeer Snapshot: Lucchese Family Soldier Carlo Piccioli

A Question About The Commission

Racketeer Snapshot: Detroit Mafia Soldier “Tony the Chump” Abate

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