JakeTheSnake630 wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:47 pm
So is it fair to say Rusty and and Lilo never liked each other, before Galantes take over attempt? At least since the banana wars when the family split.
Don't know where, but I've read they respected each other and weren't on bad terms. As for Rastelli, Massino once said "he spent half his life in jail, how good of a boss can he be?" or sth like that.
Massino said that?? Surprised to hear massino would say that because Massino waited until Rastelli passed away to officially claim the boss spot out of respect.
Part of Rastelli rise was that his crew members became capos and had lotta loyalty to him....
Remember at this time it wasn't un common to have bosses run the fam from prison.
JeremyTheJew wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 1:25 pm
Massino said that?? Surprised to hear massino would say that because Massino waited until Rastelli passed away to officially claim the boss spot out of respect.
It's from Destefano's book on big Joey.
"Massino liked Rastelli but didn't respect his leadership ability. How smart could Rastelli be-he spent half of his life in jail, Vitale remembered Massino saying."
I'd be curious to find out more about the roles Santo Giordano and Michael Zaffarano played on the panel after Galante's death. From Massino's testimony:
Q Staying in the late 1970's and early 1980's, after Carmine Galante was killed, who was the boss of the Bonanno Crime Family?
A When he got killed?
Q After Galante was killed?
A We had a few, I believe after he got killed, we had an acting boss by the name of Salvatore Catalano.
Q Who was the official boss?
A Phil Rastelli was the official boss.
Q Where was he at the time?
A Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.
Q He was still in prison?
A Yes.
Q You mentioned that there was a few different people running the family?
A Uh-hum (affirmative response).
Q Who were some of the others running the family?
A We had Mikey Safarino [sic.], you had Sonny Red, then you had Tony Giordano.
If I'm remembering correctly Zaffarano was on the panel earlier as well when Galante was in jail.
'You don't go crucifying people outside a church; not on Good Friday.'
thekiduknow wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:57 am
But Rastelli was elected by the captains right?
Most likely. He was the UnderBoss when the Boss died so he would have been next in line. The link B. posted up top has a lot of good info on this period.
Pogo
It's a new morning in America... fresh, vital. The old cynicism is gone. We have faith in our leaders. We're optimistic as to what becomes of it all. It really boils down to our ability to accept. We don't need pessimism. There are no limits.
Pogo The Clown wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 1:13 pm
If I remember right they were not so much asking his opinion as telling him that he better not try making any moves after it went down. Shows that even 11 years after he had left the scene they still worried about what he might do.
Pogo
That sounds more plausible.
What is that made bonanno so feared...?? He had the smallest family I think at all times...... His family at the time didnt even fully support him.....yet he's still feared?
They've pretty much always been third in numbers. The Luccheses/Colombos were the smallest if you go by historic numbers.
Wiseguy wrote:The Bonannos were the third largest in the earlier years. From about the late 1970s to the early 1990s they seem to have been the smallest.
Around 1980 they were listed as having 150 members by some sources.
They were still the third largest up to the late 1979s but fell off soon after due their books being closed from 1979-1984 (when a lot of their members were killed) and not many members being made until Massino got out in the early 1990s. During the 1990s they regained their status as the third largest.
Pogo
It's a new morning in America... fresh, vital. The old cynicism is gone. We have faith in our leaders. We're optimistic as to what becomes of it all. It really boils down to our ability to accept. We don't need pessimism. There are no limits.
thekiduknow wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:57 am
But Rastelli was elected by the captains right?
That's right. Montreal Bonanno member Paolo Violi was caught on a bug talking about having to go to New York City to vote in the election of the new boss. He had to go because Vic Cotroni was barred from entering the United States. The election was held at the Hotel Americana. He voted for Rastelli who apparently became official boss in February of 1974.
Source: Mafia Inc by Andre Cedilot and Andre Noel.
thekiduknow wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:57 am
But Rastelli was elected by the captains right?
That's right. Montreal Bonanno member Paolo Violi was caught on a bug talking about having to go to New York City to vote in the election of the new boss. He had to go because Vic Cotroni was barred from entering the United States. The election was held at the Hotel Americana. He voted for Rastelli who apparently became official boss in February of 1974.
Source: Mafia Inc by Andre Cedilot and Andre Noel.
That's right. It was written about in the sixth family also.
I wonder if it was Bonanno or Galante that had the Canadian connection and loyalty....
I think it was a someone named Salvatore Greco who was family to Bonanno before the Controni/Violi became boss.
So you got Bonanno establishing it....
Giving controll to Galante....
Then the Canadians voting for Rastelli so they must've liked him ...
thekiduknow wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:57 am
But Rastelli was elected by the captains right?
That's right. Montreal Bonanno member Paolo Violi was caught on a bug talking about having to go to New York City to vote in the election of the new boss. He had to go because Vic Cotroni was barred from entering the United States. The election was held at the Hotel Americana. He voted for Rastelli who apparently became official boss in February of 1974.
Source: Mafia Inc by Andre Cedilot and Andre Noel.
