Maxie's Bonanno Profiles

[thekiduknow]

Who's his uncle Matty? Is that Matteo Valvo?

[maxiestern11]

Who's his uncle Matty? Is that Matteo Valvo?

Matteo (Matty) Di Gregorio - his father’s brother

[thekiduknow]

Ah thanks, I didn't realize Gaspar had a brother! On the membership reports I gathered from the 60s he wasn't listed, must have flown under the radar!

[maxiestern11]

Ah thanks, I didn't realize Gaspar had a brother! On the membership reports I gathered from the 60s he wasn't listed, must have flown under the radar!

Correct

[maxiestern11]

Ah thanks, I didn't realize Gaspar had a brother! On the membership reports I gathered from the 60s he wasn't listed, must have flown under the radar!

Hey kid, I got a treat for you too!.... I got profiles on two Bonanno guys from downtown Brooklyn your gonna flip over! One people have heard very little on.... the other? Lol..... a guy from the woodwork believe me! It’ll take a bit but I think you especially will appreciate it since you study the Bonanno’s ok!

[thekiduknow]

Ah thanks, I didn't realize Gaspar had a brother! On the membership reports I gathered from the 60s he wasn't listed, must have flown under the radar!

Hey kid, I got a treat for you too!.... I got profiles on two Bonanno guys from downtown Brooklyn your gonna flip over! One people have heard very little on.... the other? Lol..... a guy from the woodwork believe me! It’ll take a bit but I think you especially will appreciate it since you study the Bonanno’s ok!

Looking forward to it!

[maxiestern11]

VINCENT (LEFTY) CASSESE - born 1910 and raised (890 Flushing Ave) in the Fort Greene/Downtown (229 Johnson St) Brooklyn section of the borough (921 Gold St). He later resided at (927 80th St). Alias: “James Cassese”, “Frank Leone”.
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NYCPD # B-90347.
———
Identified as a longtime veteran member - “soldier” in the old Bonanno Family, mostly active in the Fort Greene-Bedford Styvesant section.
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Activities: policy (numbers), bribery, strong-arm enforcer.
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He controlled the “numbers” racket for decades for the family in that area. He was a “controller” and ultimately partner in the “bank” for the operation.
——-
Longtime criminal associates include:
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Vincent (Jimmy Elmo) Amarante Sr. - boyhood friend, lifelong partner, suspected Bonanno member - father of future soldier Vincent (Elmo) Amarante Jr.
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Vincent Garofalo - soldier, brother of Joe Bonanno’s famed underboss Frank Garofalo
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Louis (Louie HaHa) Attanasio - a young protege of Cassese, who grew up along Myrtle Avenue in the neighborhood, future inducted member and capo
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Vincent (Elmo) Amarante Jr. - son of Jimmy Elmo and another young protege of Lefty, also later an inducted member
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Robert (Bobby HaHa) Attanasio - Louie’s brother and associate, later an inducted member
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Joseph (Joe Adonis) Doto - legendary Luciano Capo and Brooklyn gambling kingpin, later deported back to Italy
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Anthony Vestuto
Vincent Giordano
Charles De Pietro - important Bonanno numbers racketeers and suspected Bonanno members
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Salvatore Missena - boyhood friend, “Red Onion Gang” member
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Frank (The Snake) Serpe - boyhood friend, robbery partner, twice-convicted killer (uncle of future Colombo soldier Robert Falvo)
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Anthony Masone - boyhood friend, gunman, “Red Onion Gang” member


Note: [not sure if current Bonanno member Michael Cassese is related]
———-
Criminal arrests start 1931:
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1931 - armed robbery
1932 - possession of a gun
1932 - homicide
1933 - burglary, grand larceny (served 1.3-2.6 years Sing Sing)
1934 - disorderly conduct (twice)
1937 - policy, possessing policy slips (paid a fine)
1941 - policy and conspiracy (fine)
1950 - possession of policy slips
1951 - held as a material witness
1951 - contempt ?
1964 - policy
———-
In 1931, he was among over a dozen arrested on multiple robbery and murder charges for being members of the “Red Onion Gang”, a notorious group alleged to be responsible for dozens of robberies and several homicides in Downtown Brooklyn.
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They were said to have pulled many kidnappings, shootings and stick ups of supermarkets, bars, clothing stores, retail shops, etc., and terrorized their neighborhood.
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Among the more well known “Red Onion Gang” members included:
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Vincent Cassese
Vincent Amarante
Anthony Masone
Philip Sottile
Andrew Perrone
John Crockett
Joseph Carmato
Angelo Appedisano
Saverio Serala
Carmine De Chiara
Salvatore Cerba
Michael Florio
Americo Matteo
Thomas Ciro
John Marchetti
Thomas Serpe
Sam Sasparella
————
In 1951, Cassese became the focus in a major investigation into police corruption and bribery that exposed an intricate network of mobsters, police and higher-ups at the top levels in NYC to protect gambling operations throughout the city. Said at the time to be a minion of Joe Adonis.
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Public hearings were held and it was front page news for months. Cassese and Amarante figured prominently in testimony. Both were were arrested in a raid at (110 Flushing Ave) where beside gambling records, names and amounts of policeman on bribery lists paid were seized.
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A lieutenant and four patrolmen were among five LE named as having been paid off by Cassese and his associates.
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Many more policemen were either fired or indicted on corruption charges.
———-
In 1964, he was one of six arrested for operating a $2,500,000. policy ring across the street from Pratt University in Ft. Greene (215 Willoughby Ave).
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Charged as policy “bankers”, raiders crashed three apartments and found slips representing about 200,000 plays.
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Co-dependents included: Vestuto, Giordano, Onofrio Laudano, Freddy de Vuolo, Henry Mass
———
In 1967, soldiers Vincent Cassese and Vincent Garofalo were both shot while walking together on a Brooklyn street at the height of the “Banana War”.
-
Cassese sustained a gunshot to the arm, was hospitalized but ultimately recovered.
————
“Lefty Cassese” was a well-known soldier and family power very active in controlling the policy-racket among the black population of Fort Greene and Bed-Sty for decades. As they became young adults, he utilized Elmo Amarante and Louie HaHa as his key operatives.
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This was a huge numbers operation that incorporated many various black numbers runners and controllers.
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Note: [a little known story that went around the neighborhood was that once, during the late 1960’s a black numbers player “hit” for very large amount of money. Several days later the player was subsequently found lying dead along Myrtle Avenue (the main drag), having been shot dead..... I suspect Cassese and company saved a lot of money on that one]
————
I believe that Cassese died by the late 1970’s-early 1980’s, although I could find no official record of his dod.
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[Raven]

Sing Sing Register

[maxiestern11]

Sing Sing Register

That’s fantastic Raven!..... thank you for adding so positively to the post. I appreciate it!..... and it says he was born 1908. I had it as 1910.....

[bert]

Sing Sing Register

Is that from an online source? I saw the Sing Sing register that they have in the archives upstate, it is a different format. The ones I saw were from the same year.

[maxiestern11]

BTW: kid, Cassese was for you ok. Elmo Amarante was also very intricate in the Fort Greene area for the Bonanno crew but I figured I’d combine the two of them. They were boyhood friends and racket partners for years. His kid is the Elmo now active. ..... and Louie Haha grew up with the younger Elmo. They owned a bar on Myrtle Avenue called the Capri Lounge during the 1970’s. Big hangout for all their guys

[thekiduknow]

great info Maxie! I was never sure if Cassese was a Bonanno, I’ve seen him listed as a Genovese member but with all his connections it looks like he was a Bonanno through and through! Great work, I appreciate your profiles of more obscure members

[maxiestern11]

ROSARIO (SALLY BURNS) MORALE - born 1916. Lifelong resident of Little Italy. Resided for many years at (235 Elizabeth Street) in Manhattan.
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FBI # 856285, NYPD # B-121066.
By the mid-1960’s, Morale has been identified by authorities as a “soldier” in the Joseph Bonanno Family.
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The brother of former Underboss John (Johnny Burns) Morale. He also had a son Salvatore (Sally Pens), who followed him into “The Life”. Also related through marriage to former capo Vito Bonventre.
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Activities: gambling (policy, card games), extortion, stolen goods.
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Over the years he held interest in a Little Italy florist shop, and operated a private social club on Elizabeth Street, where he was a daily fixture on Elizabeth Street.
———-
Criminal associates have included:
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Joseph Bonanno
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Giovanni Morale - his brother and the family member who most probably sponsored his induction
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Carmine (Lilo) Galante
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Peter Di Palermo - top Lucchese member
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Among the family’s soldiers, Sally was known to be close to:
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Michael Sabella
Frank D’Angelo
Jerry Chilli
Anthony Parisi
John Campanella
———-
Following his brother Johnny’s lead, Sally stayed loyal to Joe Bonanno during the “Banana War” conflict of the mid-1960’s.
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Although a very low-profile guy all his life, Sally was identified by LE and indicted on criminal contempt charges repeatedly in the late 1960’s by a Nassau Grand Jury investigating the Bonanno Family, the ensuing conflict and several related gangland murders. After given immunity, when he still refused to answer questions citing his fifth-amendment privilege, he was arrested and thrown in jail..... the Nassau County Jail where he served multiple, revolving 30-day sentences.
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Subsequently bad went to worse, when in 1972, he and Paul Vario were again indicted for the 1968-1969 “bribing” of twenty-four varied corrections officers to illegally smuggle in Italian specialty foods, women prostitutes, liquor and drugs to ease their jail stay and that of fellow mobsters from the five families.

After launching a two-year undercover investigation at the jail, it became a major scandal that resulted in the indictment and/or dismissal of dozens more prison guards for bribery and corruption and a total shakeup and re-structuring of that jail system.
———
“Sally Burns” Morale although active, was always in his brother’s shadow, never achieving the Family status or influence John had.

In the neighborhood, Sally was known to be a very friendly and approachable mafioso nonetheless, and well-liked.
He lived till the age of 78, dying in 1994.
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[gohnjotti]

Loving the articles Maxie!

[maxiestern11]

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BEING A BONANNO!
—
Note: [incorporating this post I think compliments Bonanno history]
———-
During the “Bonanno War” years and directly thereafter - 1966-1971 - many active members and associates from New York City’s five-boro’s and outer environs (Long Island, Westchester and NJ) who were subpoenaed to testify before both the Nassau and Kings County Grand Juries probing the family’s operations, gangland murders, politics and structure found themselves buried under so-called “contempt of court”, “criminal contempt” or even “civil contempt” charges.
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Frustrated law enforcement authorities, hampered in their efforts to probe the family and stop the wanton gangland violence, had started to subpoena the Family’s membership and various associates from the other four Families in an attempt to curtail their activities, stop the war and the resultant killings.

First among equals in this effort, was Nassau County D.A. William Cahn, Nassau’s top prosecutor, a man will political aspirations, who would become a famed “mob-buster” during these years by building his reputation by harassing and cracking down on the mob.
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Following Cahn’s lead close behind was the Brooklyn D.A. Aaron E. Koota, who “jumped on the bandwagon”, wanting some of the positive publicity that the Nassau D.A. was garnering. Cracking down on the so-called Mafia was very in vogue in this era, as it would be in the coming years under prosecutors Denis Dillon, Tom Puccio and Rudy Giuliani. But this is where it started in earnest for the NYC area, under the local D.A’s in
Nassau, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
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Although the various “contempt” charges carried only a measly thirty-day sentence and paltry $250. fine..... a little used provision in the law books was “dusted off”, allowing for prosecutors to re-call witnesses before the same grand jury over and over, asking the same exact questions, and re-charging those same witnesses with another fresh contempt arrest. The subsequent result was that mob figures (and others), were repeating hauled before these grand juries and jailed with a “back to back” 30 days, resulting in some mobsters serving what amounted to draconian sentences of one, two and three years in prison. As an extreme case, in New Jersey, Genovese acting-boss Jerry Catena served approximately five years in a NJ jail, all for “refusing to answer questions”!......
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It became a catch twenty-two situation, in that if you talked (besides violating “Omertà” and possible mob retribution), mob guys often faced “perjury” counts because prosecutors did their very best to “trap” witnesses in any discrepancies in testimony. And if you didn’t talk you were automatically jailed for contempt! A “no win” situation for sure!
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Most guys chose contempt over perjury because although the thirty-day “bits” could add up if a prosecutor chose to go that route, perjury automatically carried a five year term.
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The prosecutors had a field day “braking balls”! ..... in short order, the jails were overflowing with “wiseguy’s” and their associates. A perfect example of this was the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow, LI.

At any given time, there could be upwards of 60-70 mob figures or more all housed together doing contempt bits. It was like “old home week” for the underworld. Besides the Bonanno contingent, you had many Colombo mobsters who at the time dominated Long Island gangland.

You also had a healthy share of Lucchese guys, with Paul Vario and even Carmine Tramunti leading the pack. Cahn tortured Vario with many back to back contempt citations. Altogether, Vario served several years on contempt convictions.
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Literally hundreds of mob guys disappeared from their homes and usual haunts in an often futile attempt to avoid testifying. Others “went on the lam” for extended periods of time after seeing their brethren repeatedly jailed.
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Note: [wiseguys will be wiseguys.... as a result of their extended “stay” courtesy of the government, several mob guys did their best to make good of a very bad situation. Bonanno soldier Rosario morale and Lucchese captain Paul Vario were the leading mob “point men” who befriended and bribed many prison guards to smuggle in Italian food provisions, liquor, drugs and even prostitutes to make their stay a bit more enjoyable. Eventually both were indicted along with over 24 jail guards on corruption charges. - read my profile on Morale for more info on the investigation]
—-
What follows here is a short list of some of the more well publicized contempt jailing of Bonanno figures. From bosses to associates, with little discretion, they were all repeatedly jailed during the Bonanno War “conflict”!
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After the famed “Troutman Street” shootout in 1966 between rival Bonanno factions, again after the triple-homicide of the D’Angelo brothers and Frank Telleri, and finally the 1969 disappearance and presumed double-murder of Frank Mari and Mike Adamo, grand juries were empaneled and their “life” repeatedly extended for six months intervals and a major mob crackdown was sustained in earnest.......hundreds were subpoenaed!
—
Note: [many fought contempt sentences as “double jeopardy” and unconstitutional to no avail. Despite the constitution, the government was not about to give up their “ace in the hole”! ....As time past, applications were made before congress to increase the penalties for contempt. Eventually contempt became punishable by up to four years imprisonment, and up to the judges discretion..... thereby bolstering the weapons in LE’s arsenal against the mob]
-
SCIACCA LOYALISTS:
—-
Paul Sciacca
Gaspare Di Gregorio
Nicholas Marangello
Sereno Tartamella
James Genna
Pietro Crociata
Frank Mari
Giacomo Musumeci
Michael Adamo
Antonio Adamo
Joseph Mastracola
Matteo Valvo
Benjamin Valvo
Thomas D’Angelo
Frank Telleri
Anthony Leone
Steven Cannone
Philip Rastelli
Rocco Matra
Peter Monteleone
Anthony Lisi
Jerry Chilli
Joseph Chilli
Peter Pomaro
Michael Casale
Vito Licata
Nichols DeStefano
Michael Sabella
Thomas Zummo
Joseph Zummo
Joseph Tegano
Pasquale Gigante
Carmine Castellano
George Guarino
Anthony Crisci
Nicolino Alfano
Anthony Cosenza
Louis Fragiliossi - Mari’s chauffeur
Salvatore Ferrugia
Jerome Asaro
Pasquale Zirpoli
Nicholas Castello
Anthony Leone
Angelo Sparaco

__________________________
BONANNO LOYALISTS:
—-
Bill Bonanno
Frank Bonomo
Peter Notaro
Philip Notaro
Steven Menna
Vincent Morsellino
Joseph Morsellino
Samuel Perrone
Vincent Pedone
Angelo Presinzano
Frank Presinzano
Michael Bonfondeo
Natale Evola
John Fiordilino
Camillo Sardegna
Frank D’Ambrosia
Bruno Capio - New Rochelle
Guy Musillo
Joseph Messina
Pietro Magaddino
Michael Consolo
Vito DeFilippo
Patrick DeFilippo
Carlo Simari
Armando Pollastrino
Rosario Morale
John Morale
Angelo Lapi
Murad Nersissian
Dominick Colavita
Joseph Di Maria
Walter Falcetta
Julius Sirowitz
Michael Comparetti
William Gonzalez

____________________________
SITTING ON THE FENCE:
—-
John Petrone
Patrick Colarusso
Vincent Curatola
Ernest Montevecchi
Michael Nido

—-
Note: [there were many others subpoenaed and subsequently jailed, but not all the jailing’s made the newspapers. The mobsters listed above is only of those so publicly named]
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