Tony Bruno and Sam Bruno of Los Angeles

[Antiliar]

Sam and Tony Bruno were reported to be brothers who played important roles in the Los Angeles Family in the 1920s and 30s, but I can't find anything that shows they were actually related. Tony Bruno was born Antonino Bruno in San Giuseppe Jato in 1896 and entered the U.S. in 1920. Sam Bruno was really Sam Bartolotta who died in Detroit in December 1954. He may have been the brother of Rosolino Bartolotta, who was born in Cinisi in 1893 and married a Rubino. He was the father of Danny Bruno Bartolotta. Rosolino moved to L.A. around 1929 from Detroit, and died in L.A. in September 1954. The question is when he was born. There was a Sam Bruno who was arrested and sent to San Quentin for homicide in 1934, and he was born in 1893. There was also a Sam Bartolotta who was born in 1902 in Cinisi and lived in the Detroit area. There is another Sam Bruno in L.A. who was born in 1893 and died in 1930, and another who was born in 1885, and still another in 1898. Does anyone have documentation about the Sam Bruno connected to Dragna (and probably the same guy who did killings with Jimmy Fratianno)?

[Angelo Santino]

Was this Bartolotta connected to anyone in Louisiana?

There was a Domenico Bartolotta born 1859 (appox). Galvez St, New Orleans, LA. (1910). Wife Francesca. Son Salvatore.
Connected with
1 Son-in-law Charles Saltoformaggio, Julia St
2 A Carollo- 'friend', St Phillip St
3 D Carollo -'cousin' St Phillip St
4 Nipote- Giacchino Alongi, St Phillip St
5 Dominick Gamello -'cousin'
6 Tony Gulloto -'cousin'

Any of this hitting any chords?

[Antiliar]

I rechecked more newspapers and confirmed that the one who went to San Quentin and was born between 1893 and 1896 in Italy is the one associated with Dragna. He was released from San Quentin in 1939, so would have been able to kill with Fratianno in the late 1940s. Since he was born in Italy he couldn't have been the son of Domenico from New Orleans. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[Angelo Santino]

I rechecked more newspapers and confirmed that the one who went to San Quentin and was born between 1893 and 1896 in Italy is the one associated with Dragna. He was released from San Quentin in 1939, so would have been able to kill with Fratianno in the late 1940s. Since he was born in Italy he couldn't have been the son of Domenico from New Orleans. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I think my guy arrived in the 1890's, so he and his family were earlier.

[Antiliar]

I figured it out. The FBI had the wrong date of death and that threw me off. Sam Bruno wasn't the brother of Rosolino Bartolotta, he *was* Rosolino Bartolotta. He went to L.A. in the 1920s and began using the name of Bruno. Makes me wonder if the FBI is mistaken about Tony Bruno too.

[Dwalin2014]

I rechecked more newspapers and confirmed that the one who went to San Quentin and was born between 1893 and 1896 in Italy is the one associated with Dragna. He was released from San Quentin in 1939, so would have been able to kill with Fratianno in the late 1940s. Since he was born in Italy he couldn't have been the son of Domenico from New Orleans. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Is it the same Sam Bruno who got 14 years for the Joseph Adduci murder in Chicago? But was he a member of the LA family, not of the Chicago Outfit?

[Antiliar]

No, not the Chicago guy. Something weird though. I found his naturalization and it says his last residence was San Giuseppe Jato, not that he was born there. But according to his passenger manifest his last residence was Partinico and he was born in Bisaquino. It does give his surname as Bruno, so he probably was not Rosolino "Sam Bruno" Bartolotta's brother. He has an uncle named Salvatore LaPuma who lived at 337 E 107th Street in Italian Harlem in 1920, and his mother was Provvidenza LaPuma. D'Aquila had run the Morellos out of that area after the LoMontes were killed, so maybe there's a connection to Vincenzo DiLeonardo? Who knows?