Biaggio Bonventre (Los Angeles / San Diego soldier)

[B.]

It's cool to see more people digging into LA recently, so I thought I'd share some info on the mysterious San Diego-based LA family member Biagio/Biaggio Bonventre. He stood out to me when I first read Last Mafioso because of his last name and low-key involvement in a number of murders. He appears to be the only known Bonventre in the US or Sicily with no direct ties to Castellammare Del Golfo, though we may be missing some pieces.

General Background

- Biagio Bonventre arrived to Detroit from San Vito Lo Capo, Trapani, where a brother was already living. His brother Antonino looks to have arrived to the US from Monte San Giuliano (Erice), while another brother may have come to Detroit from MSG as well but lists his wife as living in San Vito Lo Capo back in Sicily. San Vito is a tourist resort town which makes it more likely the Bonventres originally had ties to another town, hence Monte San Giuliano. San Vito is also close to Castellammare Del Golfo.

- Bonventre married in Flint in 1922, where his wife's family lived, and where the couple settled. His wife was born in Chicago and her parents (surname Busceglia/Busciglia, both spellings used) were from Agrigento province, though village is not specified. A record potentially matching her father suggests he came from Alessandro della Rocca, where Bonanno member Nino Busciglio came from. Early immigrants often transposed the a/o at the end of Italian surnames, so would be interesting if there is a Bonanno connection there given Bonventre's own surname.

- At some point, Biagio began using an extra "G" in his first name, going by Biaggio and he appears to have at times used the English name William, which he would also name his son. His death record says his own father was also called William, though I have seen no indication the father lived in the US; this could suggest his father too was named Biagio or had a more common Italian equivalent like Guglielmo.

Move to San Diego and Participation in Murders

- By the mid-late 1930s, Bonventre was living in Southern California. The 1940 census shows the Bonventres living in San Diego and Bonventre was naturalized there in 1941. After arrival, the Bonventres lodged with the Verza (Virzi?) family. Head of household Albert Verza's wife was from Michigan, where the Bonventres came from, which could explain the connection. Bonventre listed himself as a fisherman.

- Jimmy Fratianno met Bonventre shortly after his own arrival in LA in 1946 and Bonventre was already part of the LA family in San Diego. By this time Bonventre was in his early 50s though Fratianno says Bonventre "looked ready for action, and was" indicating a willingness to murder, and linked Bonventre with Sam Bruno in this regard. Fratianno's few references to Bonventre say nothing about his other mafia activities, only Bonventre's participation in murders for the LA family.

- In the late 1940s, Detroit/Cleveland figure Leo Moceri told Fratianno about the 1937 LA murder of Les Brunneman, in which Moceri killed Brunneman while Bompensiero was supposed to cover him and didn't, ending up in the car with Biaggio Bonventre. The implication is that Bonventre served as driver in the hit.

- Bonventre and Sam Bruno assisted Frank Bompensiero and others in the 1948 attempted murder of Mickey Cohen that resulted in the murder of Cohen associate Hooky Rothman. Bonventre and Bruno apparently shot Cohen associate Al Snyder in the arm during the attempt and then left the scene. Leo Moceri criticized their conduct on the hit, while Fratianno defended their actions.

- According to Fratianno, Bonventre was involved in the disposal of LA murder victim Frank Borgia in 1951 along with fellow San Diego decina member Joseph Adamo. Like Bonventre, Adamo had heritage in Trapani and ties to Detroit.

- Frank Bompensiero also told Fratianno that he (Bompensiero) and Bonventre killed Red Sagunda in San Diego around 1955. At the time of the latter murder, Bonventre would have been 61- or 62-years-old. Bompensiero didn't specify Biaggio's exact role in the killing.

San Diego, Detroit, and Trapani

- Given Bonventre first went to Detroit, we might have some clue how he ended up in San Diego with the LA family. San Diego LA members Tony Mirabile and the Adamo brothers were from Alcamo and either lived or had strong ties to Detroit before SD. These guys were birds of a feather given they share the Trapani->Detroit->San Diego connecton. San Diego member Liborio Dia was also from Alcamo, Trapani, and married a Mirabile relative, though I haven't confirmed if he was a Detroit transplant. The San Diego decina would associate regularly with Detroit members who stayed in San Diego, showing an ongoing connection.

- There was a significant mafia element from Trapani in Detroit when Bonventre lived in the area and given his age (b. 1893) prior to moving to San Diego, it seems likely he was at least familiar with mafia activities, if not already a member or associate. Did his reputation for murder begin after joining the LA family well into his 40s, or had he been involved some of the ongoing Detroit warfare during the period he lived there?

- The Castellammarese "Good Killers" included Vito Bonventre and future Detroit boss Gaspare Milazzo. This infamous group earned a reputation for murder in Detroit (and elsewhere) that may have been exaggerated by some sources, but nonetheless had a presence in Detroit and participated in murders in the area at the same time Biaggio Bonventre lived in Michigan. Additionally, Vito Bonventre's in-laws the Domingos lived across the state in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where they were involved in their own mafia warfare. There is no evidence linking Biaggio Bonventre to this Castellammarese group, but I mention it as there was certainly opportunity for Trapanese mafiosi to participate in mafia violence in Michigan during the time Biaggio lived there. Castellammarese boss Gaspare Milazzo and his ally Alcamese Rosario Parrino were murdered in Detroit in 1930.

- Fratianno mentions Bonventre in context with LA member Sam Bruno Bartolotta, describing them both as killers and linking them a couple of times. Bartolotta is another LA member from Detroit, being from Cinisi like other Detroit members.

A Bonanno Connection After All?

- Bonventre might have the distinction of being the only identified mafia member named Bonventre to have no known ties / relation to the Bonanno or Castellammare families. He came to the US from San Vito Lo Capo, near Castellammare, though, and there is one known connection...

- During his cooperation with the FBI, Frank Bompensiero reported that Joe Bonanno arranged meetings with Frank Bompensiero, Jimmy Fratianno, and Biaggio Bonventre to discuss his plot to to take over the LA family around 1960-1961. Bonventre is an odd duck here, as he was nearing 70-years-old by this time and unlike Bompensiero and Fratianno was not a disgruntled former LA leader looking to take over the organization, nor is he ever mentioned in context with LA family politics. He was close to Bompensiero, but this doesn't necessarily explain his attendance.

- I suspect Bonventre may have been used to make the introduction between Bonanno and Bompensiero / Fratianno, assuming they hadn't met prior. Fratianno later denied ever having met Bonanno, which is directly contradicted by this info provided by Bompensiero to the FBI, but there is no evidence indicating Bompensiero or Fratianno had existing ties to Bonanno circa 1960-1961.

- Murdered San Diego captain Tony Mirabile was photographed having a meal with Joe Bonanno, John DiBella, and a few unidentified men on the west coast during the 1950s. There is another photo from roughly the same period of Joe Bonanno again sitting with Tony Mirabile in Hollywood, CA. Given his close ties to Mirabile, Joe Bonanno could have been familiar with Mirabile's soldier Biaggio Bonventre, especially given the Bonventre surname, their mutual relationship to Mirabile, and their shared Trapani heritage. We don't have a photo of Bonventre (yet?) so we can't confirm if he is one of the men in the photo with Mirabile, Bonanno, and DiBella, but it's possible he had prior contact with Bonanno. It should be noted Bompensiero was likely in prison when the photos were taken.

- Speculation is all we have but I suspect Bonventre may have been the contact Joe Bonanno trusted to arrange his meetings with the highly treacherous, violent Bompensiero and Fratianno in his plot to take over LA.

- One of Bonventre's daughters would marry an Asaro. I can't confirm whether this was a Castellammarese Asaro or where this daughter lived, but it is again a common Castellammarese / Bonanno name connected to Bonventre. It should be noted the NYC Asaros were married into the Bonventres from Castellammare.

- Bonventre died in 1967. Aside from his meetings with Bonanno and Bompensiero-Fratianno, there is no info suggesting he was active in Los Angeles mafia affairs nor was his death particularly significant in local mafia circles.

[thekiduknow]

Great write up, I enjoy reading about these lesser known individuals.

[motorfab]

Excellent job B. Bonventre is one of those guys whose name we know (especially thanks to Fratianno) and whom we don't really know much about. The only thing I had on him, and I found it last week, was a short article on a case in Detroit, so thanks for that.

Speaking of Sam Bruno Bartolotta and Detroit, there were two other Bartolotta also present in Los Angeles: Domiano "Danny Bruno" Bartolotta & Tsidora "Sid Bruno" Bartolotta. As for Sid I don't know, but I think that Danny was a member of the Detroit borgata and nephew of Michael Rubino. I guess all these guys are cousins or something.

I'm sharing the two photos you allude to in your article for those who haven't seen them. With luck, someone can tell us more about the guys at the picnic with Mirabile

[nash143]

A bit more info:
- Biaggio was aka "Bill"
- His Mother was Frances Cusenza, b. in Alcano, close to CDG
- His Father was named Vito
- Hi son-in-law Mateo Asaro's Father Salvatore, was b. in Mazara Del Vallo, Trapani.

1922 photo, believed to be of Biaggio Bonventre (family member states further verification needed)

[motorfab]

A bit more info:
- Biaggio was aka "Bill"
- His Mother was Frances Cusenza, b. in Alcano, close to CDG
- His Father was named Vito
- Hi son-in-law Mateo Asaro's Father Salvatore, was b. in Mazara Del Vallo, Trapani.

1922 photo, believed to be of Biaggio Bonventre (family member states further verification needed)

nash143, if it is Biaggio Bonventre's photo, know that you become my hero and my new best friend. I've been looking for a photo of him for years ...

[B.]

A bit more info:
- Biaggio was aka "Bill"
- His Mother was Frances Cusenza, b. in Alcano, close to CDG
- His Father was named Vito
- Hi son-in-law Mateo Asaro's Father Salvatore, was b. in Mazara Del Vallo, Trapani.

1922 photo, believed to be of Biaggio Bonventre (family member states further verification needed)

Excellent job!

So these Bonventres appear to be connected to Alcamo, Monte San Giuliano, Mazara Del Vallo, and San Vito Lo Capo. And his father is yet another Vito Bonventre -- we have Joe Bonanno's uncle Vito, the Good Killers Vito, Cesare Bonventre's father Vito, as well as another later Vito Bonventre who Jimmy Buccellato ID'd as a member in CDG.

The Mazara reference is very interesting, as in the thread I posted about Girolamo Asaro, I posted a summary of the letter he received from Stefano Magaddino (the uncle in CDG) where Magaddino says he cannot vouch for a certain man because he is from Mazara. Curious why Asaro asked Magaddino to vouch for a man from Mazara unless he thought the man was connected to Castellammare. Immigration records show a number of Asaros came to the US from Mazara.

If that photo is accurate, he could potentially match the older balding man sitting right next to Joe Bonanno at the picnic table. Given the photo quality and distance in years, it's not possible to say for sure, but nobody else in the photo has comparable facial features and that man's age would fit. If we can get a later photo of Biaggio maybe we could say for sure.

Excellent job B. Bonventre is one of those guys whose name we know (especially thanks to Fratianno) and whom we don't really know much about. The only thing I had on him, and I found it last week, was a short article on a case in Detroit, so thanks for that.

Speaking of Sam Bruno Bartolotta and Detroit, there were two other Bartolotta also present in Los Angeles: Domiano "Danny Bruno" Bartolotta & Tsidora "Sid Bruno" Bartolotta. As for Sid I don't know, but I think that Danny was a member of the Detroit borgata and nephew of Michael Rubino. I guess all these guys are cousins or something.

Can you share more about the article you found? So he was involved in crime in Detroit, as suspected.

I saw those other Bartolottas listed on Bill Feather's site but I always try to do further verification from his lists. He also lists a brother of Sam Bruno Bartolotta as a member -- is the brother confirmed elsewhere?

Thanks, man.

[Antiliar]

Unfortunately the birth records for San Vito lo Capo are incomplete, and his name does not appear in the year 1894.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... o+lo+Capo/

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

I also looked at the marriage index back to 1883 and didn't see his parents listed. 1882 isn't indexed.

[PolackTony]

Unfortunately the birth records for San Vito lo Capo are incomplete, and his name does not appear in the year 1894.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... o+lo+Capo/

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

I also looked at the marriage index back to 1883 and didn't see his parents listed. 1882 isn't indexed.

I notice that on Biaggio's death certificate his mother was listed as "Frances Cruzenza" born in Illinois. If true, maybe his parents were married in the US and then returned to Sicily?

[PolackTony]

Other records seem to list Biaggio's mother as Francesca Cruzenza or Francesca Montana, born in Alcamo. Even so, perhaps his parents still spent time in the US before he was born (hence "Illinois" appearing for his mother in his death certificate -- or maybe someone confused his mother's birthplace with his wife's birthplace).

[Pogo The Clown]

When did Sam Bruno Bartolotta die? Thanks.


Pogo

[PolackTony]

Unfortunately the birth records for San Vito lo Capo are incomplete, and his name does not appear in the year 1894.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... o+lo+Capo/

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

I also looked at the marriage index back to 1883 and didn't see his parents listed. 1882 isn't indexed.

I notice that on Biaggio's death certificate his mother was listed as "Frances Cruzenza" born in Illinois. If true, maybe his parents were married in the US and then returned to Sicily?

Looks like the initial death record mistakenly listed his mother Francesca Cruzenza as born in Illinois, and a later affidavit corrected this to Italy.

[motorfab]

Excellent job B. Bonventre is one of those guys whose name we know (especially thanks to Fratianno) and whom we don't really know much about. The only thing I had on him, and I found it last week, was a short article on a case in Detroit, so thanks for that.

Speaking of Sam Bruno Bartolotta and Detroit, there were two other Bartolotta also present in Los Angeles: Domiano "Danny Bruno" Bartolotta & Tsidora "Sid Bruno" Bartolotta. As for Sid I don't know, but I think that Danny was a member of the Detroit borgata and nephew of Michael Rubino. I guess all these guys are cousins or something.

Can you share more about the article you found? So he was involved in crime in Detroit, as suspected.

I saw those other Bartolottas listed on Bill Feather's site but I always try to do further verification from his lists. He also lists a brother of Sam Bruno Bartolotta as a member -- is the brother confirmed elsewhere?

Thanks, man.

Sure there it is, Detroit Free Press November 2, 1939



As for the Bartolottas, I just checked: Matteo (aka "Michael Bruno" in Detroit) & Domiano (aka "Danny Bruno" in Los Angeles) are the sons of Rosolino ("Sam Bruno"). I don't really know the link with Tsidora ("Syd Bruno" in Los Angeles too), according to Bill Feather he was born in 1928 and died in 1984. I saw nothing about a brother of Sam Bruno but Detroit is not too my domain.

When did Sam Bruno Bartolotta die? Thanks.

Still according to Bill Feathers (it's worth what it's worth), 1954. I think I remember seeing this date elsewhere, so I think it's the right one.

[B.]

Unfortunately the birth records for San Vito lo Capo are incomplete, and his name does not appear in the year 1894.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... o+lo+Capo/

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

I also looked at the marriage index back to 1883 and didn't see his parents listed. 1882 isn't indexed.

Thanks for checking. I don't think he was born in San Vito, only that he was was living there immediately prior to coming to the US. His brother appears to have listed his hometown as Monte San Giuliano but was leaving a wife in San Vito. I would guess he was born in Monte San Giuliano or possibly Alcamo if it's true his mother was from there. Given his ties to the other Detroit Alcamese who moved to San Diego, it makes sense that he had at least maternal ties there.

Unfortunately the birth records for San Vito lo Capo are incomplete, and his name does not appear in the year 1894.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... o+lo+Capo/

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

I also looked at the marriage index back to 1883 and didn't see his parents listed. 1882 isn't indexed.

I notice that on Biaggio's death certificate his mother was listed as "Frances Cruzenza" born in Illinois. If true, maybe his parents were married in the US and then returned to Sicily?

His wife was positively born in Illinois, so the listing may have confused his mother's birthplace with his wife's.

Sure there it is, Detroit Free Press November 2, 1939

Awesome! So he was definitely involved with the underworld in Michigan. The Wynandotte connection makes it more likely he was connected to the Detroit family.

Curious about the Biaggio "Jim" Barrocco. Can't find any records for him, but given they share a first name it's possible he and Bonventre are cousins named after a common grandfather.

Salvatore Vassallo was a San Jose member and his age matches the "Sam" Vassallo mentioned in the article. Bonanno/San Jose member Nick Guastella was married to a Vassallo, a relative (sister?) of Salvatore. I don't know if Salvatore Vassallo lived in the Detroit area before SJ, but most SJ members were transplants and SJ had Detroit connections. Seems like too much of a coincidence given the California and Bonanno ties and the age matches.

[Antiliar]

There was a Paul Vassallo killed in Los Angeles in the early 1920s. Not much background info on him though, but would love to know if he was related.

BTW, I just looked through the Alcamo and M.S. Giuliano birth indexes and Bonventre wasn't there.

[B.]

Interesting.

Bill Feather's LA list has a Giuseppe Bonventre (b.1904) from Castellammare he believes was a brother of Biaggio who was connected to Detroit. Not sure where he found his name or why he suspects him to have been an LA member, but there was a Giuseppe Bonventre 1904-1994 who lived in Michigan.

A Joseph Bonventre (b. around 1884) lived with Biaggio's in-laws the Busciglias in Flint, but he appears to be from Monte San Giuliano with a wife in San Vito. His son was Joseph Jr. and born in San Vito Lo Capo according to immigration records and his grandmother was a Cosenza/Cusenza like Biaggio's mother, but her name was Caterina Cosenza/Cusenza while Biaggio's mother was Francesca. So this may have been a cousin rather than brother of Biaggio, but they were both the sons of Bonventre/Cusenzas and lived in Flint with direct ties to the Busciglias