The San Francisco Mafia's Quiet and Shadowy Vito Bruno

He never married. He never talked. And he never strayed far from the shadows.

Vito Bruno was the kind of old-world mafioso who ensured his name stayed out of the headlines, but he was not off the FBI's radar. From Sicily to San Francisco, his story spans bootlegging busts, clandestine meetings, and quiet power in one of the West Coast’s most secretive Mafia families. He had many names, many allies, and a reputation that spoke volumes — without him saying a word.

This is the story of the man who walked softly… and kept very dangerous company.

Vito Bruno — aka Vito Ferraro, Vito Manfre, Salvatore Monfre, Salvatore DeNicola, and Salvatore Internicola — was born on December 28, 1895, in the City of Trapani, Trapani Province, Sicily. He was one of four children born to Vito Bruno and Calogera Leo. He had a brother named Giuseppe and two sisters, Francesca and Vita.

After immigrating to the United States as a young man, Vito made his way to the West Coast, specifically Northern California, where he had many acquaintances from the old country. He eventually set down permanent roots in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vito Bruno

As a youth growing up in the Mafia-laden territory of western Sicily, Bruno was believed to have had many friends who were steeped in the Mafia tradition, who also later immigrated to the United States. Once on American soil, Bruno quickly reestablished his connections to these "friends" who had since planted Cosa Nostra’s flag within "The City by the Bay" some years earlier.

Vito was quickly accepted into their fold and, in the coming decades, would work hand-in-glove with some of the most important and powerful mafiosi the West Coast had to offer.

FBI #451367, IN&S #A-5616068

Bruno was a stocky, solidly built man, standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds. He had dark brown eyes, a Mediterranean complexion, and a thick head of dark hair that turned salt-and-pepper by his early forties. He was also once described as having hazel-colored eyes and a light complexion.

Vito’s early background is somewhat unclear and difficult to trace, but we do know that by at least the early 1940s — if not earlier — Bruno had already immigrated to the U.S. and was living in San Francisco, as evidenced by his registration with the local U.S. Draft Board Office in 1942. On his WWII Draft Card, the 47-year-old Bruno said he was then residing at 1547 Mason Street, San Francisco.

But an interesting side note is that on that same document, he provided a mailing address at another location, 559 Washington Street. This address just happened to be connected to one of the most notorious and powerful mafioso in the country.

Bruno also listed his employment as a non-specified worker for the Simmons Company, located at 295 Bay Street.

Silent and Respected

According to various official government records documented through the years, Vito Bruno never listed himself as being married. To the best that can be determined, he was always single. If he did marry, there is no solid evidence of it. Instead, he seems to have remained a bachelor and always lived alone.

As part of the fallout and collateral damage generated by the infamous 1957 Apalachin Mafia Meeting in upstate New York , federal and local law enforcement conducted intermittent surveillance of underworld figures throughout the country — including Vito Bruno — in the late 1950s and 1960s.

At that time, the surveillance team noted that Bruno’s status was "single and living alone" in a small one-bedroom rental unit above several storefronts, apartment #33, in a building located at 1449 Powell Street.

1449 Powell Street, San Francisco

FBI agents who periodically kept an eye on Bruno say that he maintained regular close contact with many local underworld figures, and, in particular, with men whom Federal law enforcement considered to be the crème de la crème of San Francisco’s Italian underworld.

They say that among Bruno’s closest associates were none other than the top leadership of the San Francisco Family, including Michele (Mr. Mike) Abati , the Family’s boss, and Abati’s ultimate successor, future boss James (Jimmy the Hat) Lanza . Another known associate was Lanza’s brother and partner, Family soldier, Antonio (Tony) Lanza.

Michele Abati

Agents say that Bruno regularly visited Jimmy Lanza weekly at the latter’s business office, the Lanza Olive Oil Company, located at 559 Washington Street, San Francisco. Coincidentally, this was the very same location that Bruno listed back in 1942 as a mailing address.

The FBI noted that Bruno also maintained regular contact with Giuseppe (Joe) Cerrito and Filippo (Little Phil) Maita, whom authorities described as the boss and underboss, respectively, of the Cosa Nostra borgata headquartered in the nearby city of San Jose.

Other known associates included fellow Lanza Family soldiers Salvatore (Sam) Maugeri, Alphonse (Big Al) La Rocca , and Vincent P. (Vince) Bruno (no relation).

A Shadowy Career

A second favorite Bay Area haunt of Vito’s seems to have been the Tropical Grill, a known hangout for members and associates of the Lanza Family, as well as men known to be active in the smuggling and wholesale distribution of narcotics in the State of California.

Although Bruno himself was never directly tied to drug dealing, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (FBNDD) noted in their internal memos that he seemed to be especially close to many top-level Mafia traffickers.

Authorities say Bruno’s police record dates back to the 1920s Prohibition Era, when he was first arrested on a charge of bootlegging. In the coming years, he was charged several more times with illegal possession or sale of liquor, evading payment of alcohol taxes, and related violations of the Volstead Act.

Aside from his early involvement in bootlegging rackets — try as they might — the FBI, FBN, and other government agencies developed very little information regarding any additional criminal activities that Bruno may have been involved with over the years.

So, by the late 1950s, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service assigned several agents to see what they could dig up about Vito Bruno’s background. Subsequently, after conducting an investigation, they charged Bruno with being an undesirable illegal alien and started court proceedings to have him expelled from the U.S. and deported back to his native Italy.

Around the same time, Bruno found himself before a Federal Judge in another courtroom in Los Angeles.

James J. Lanza

On February 10, 1959, Bruno was one of two men commanded to appear that day before a Federal Grand Jury in L.A.

After being sworn in, he was ordered to testify before a special grand jury that had been empaneled to hear testimony and gather evidence about organized crime activity in Southern California.

Bruno was specifically questioned about what he knew, if anything, regarding organized crime operations on the West Coast and about his close friendship with high-ranking Mafia leaders. Government prosecutors also quizzed Vito about what he knew about the murder of hoodlum Nick DeJohn, who had been slain gangland-style some years earlier.

Two weeks later, several of Bruno’s most important associates were also brought before the grand jury to give their testimony, including Mafia bosses Jimmy Lanza, Joe Cerrito, and Mike Abati.

Family associates Anthony Perconti and Henry Irving were also subpoenaed to appear.

A Shadowy Departure

Vito Bruno’s death — as was his life — largely remains a mystery. Very little firm information is available about his final years.

Some say that Bruno died around the mid-1980s or so. But as mentioned, Button Guys could find no firm documentation to confirm this, one way or the other. But, if true, Vito would have been approximately 90 years old at the time of his passing…Not bad!

What we do know is that Vito Bruno was a very elusive fellow to say the least -- One who always lived his life in the shadows, the way true mafiosi are schooled.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

The San Francisco Mafia’s Quiet and Shadowy Vito Bruno

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