by B. » Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:13 pm
If there is any truth to the Bonanno affiliation this is my theory based on how politics and protocol typically work:
- We know Rochester was never a Commission-sanctioned family. Members who were made prior to them breaking off belonged to Buffalo, while members made on their own would not be recognized as members, similar to how the Gallo brothers were Colombo members but when they rebelled and allegedly inducted members on their own those guys were not recognized.
- There were issues between Rochester and Buffalo, so Rochester may have protested their affiliation with Buffalo and/or vice versa. While the Commission refused to recognize Rochester, maybe they allowed Rochester members to fall under another group (i.e. Bonanno) in order to have their membership recognized. We can also see that a small number Rochester members were alleged to be Bonanno members, so maybe only some were recognized or they were given a choice. I know that Frank Valenti and Rene Piccarreto were identified as Buffalo members in the early 1960s, so they would have had to transfer their membership if there is truth to any of this.
- The question is whether any Bonanno CIs or CWs mentioned it, or what sources the 1983/1988 info is based on. Most of the post-2000 Bonanno CWs were fairly clueless about Montreal, including the two who visited the crew there, so it's possible WNY members were off their radar as well. Massino should have been aware of a Rochester connection if it existed and I don't think we've scratched the surface when it comes to his knowledge based on what JD shared and what's been made public.
If there is any truth to the Bonanno affiliation this is my theory based on how politics and protocol typically work:
- We know Rochester was never a Commission-sanctioned family. Members who were made prior to them breaking off belonged to Buffalo, while members made on their own would not be recognized as members, similar to how the Gallo brothers were Colombo members but when they rebelled and allegedly inducted members on their own those guys were not recognized.
- There were issues between Rochester and Buffalo, so Rochester may have protested their affiliation with Buffalo and/or vice versa. While the Commission refused to recognize Rochester, maybe they allowed Rochester members to fall under another group (i.e. Bonanno) in order to have their membership recognized. We can also see that a small number Rochester members were alleged to be Bonanno members, so maybe only some were recognized or they were given a choice. I know that Frank Valenti and Rene Piccarreto were identified as Buffalo members in the early 1960s, so they would have had to transfer their membership if there is truth to any of this.
- The question is whether any Bonanno CIs or CWs mentioned it, or what sources the 1983/1988 info is based on. Most of the post-2000 Bonanno CWs were fairly clueless about Montreal, including the two who visited the crew there, so it's possible WNY members were off their radar as well. Massino should have been aware of a Rochester connection if it existed and I don't think we've scratched the surface when it comes to his knowledge based on what JD shared and what's been made public.