Ciro Gallo (Bonanno)

[B.]

With all of the Bonanno history talk, thought I'd bring this guy up as he is never mentioned.

Background

- Born 1898 in Palazzo Adriano, Palermo. Allegedly entered the US through California via Tijuana in 1927. By the early 1930s lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn, which was a Bonanno stronghold. By 1940 he had moved residences but remained in Bushwick, where he was a close neighbor of future Bonanno captain Frank Tartamella, nephew of consigliere John Tartamella.

- Wife Caterina/Katherine Argento born in Alcamo, Trapani, and the couple married 1933 in Marlboro, NY, a small upstate town with a Sicilian colony connected to the DeCavalcante family. Longtime Bonanno leader Angelo Caruso also spent time in Marlboro, NY.

- If it's true Gallo entered the US for the first time in 1927, he likely had existing mafia ties as he was soon accepted in mafia circles in NYC. Though Gallo's hometown of Palazzo Adriano is not common in Bonanno history, Bonanno member Tony Canzoneri's heritage is from there as well. The FBI carried Canzoneri as a deceased Bonanno member by the early 1970s and Bill Bonanno later identified Canzoneri as a capodecina.

- I was initially interested in Ciro Gallo to see if there was a connection to early Schiro/Bonanno leader Benny Gallo, but Benny was from Santa Ninfa, Trapani, and I can't find any evidence linking them.

Bazzano Murder

- In 1932, Gallo was arrested in NYC as an alleged suspect in the disappearance/murder of Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano. Among those arrested with Gallo were Profaci members John Oddo and Tony Bonasera, Gambino capodecina Joe Traina, Buffalo members Paolo Palmeri and Sam DiCarlo, Pittston boss Santo Volpe, Peter Lombardi of Trenton and Pittsburgh figures Charles Sparlino/Spallino, Michael Russo, Michael Bua, Angelo Colizza (possibly Polizzi), and Frank "Adrana". There was also a Robert Anastasio of Brooklyn arrested. The men were suspected by police of preparing a celebration following the murder.

- The Bazzano murder has been covered by other sources. The Calabrian Bazzano was accused of having the Neapolitan Volpe brothers murdered in Pittsburgh, allies of Vito Genovese, and as a result Bazzano was called to account by the Commission in NYC. An underworld trial was held and the Commission ruled against Bazzano, who was executed in NYC following the meeting (or at the meeting itself according to some sources) and his body disposed of in Brooklyn.

- It is unclear what role, if any, the arrested men had in the murder, but assuming LE was correct in their allegations, some of these men likely carried out the execution on behalf of the NYC mafia leadership, especially given the physical nature of the murder (strangulation and stabbing) and bagged disposal. Bazzano's body being left in Brooklyn could indicate the participants were Brooklyn-based, like some of the arrestees including Gallo.

Adragna Connection?

- The Frank "Adrana" from Pittsburgh who was arrested alongside Gallo, etc. is likely an Adragna, a surname from Alcamo that connects to the mafia in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), Pittsburgh, and the CA Bay Area. The 1896 investigation into the Castellammare mafia revealed that the Castellammarese leadership had also assisted the "Adragna gang" in Trapani province, so this surname has a long history with the Castellammarese group in Sicily and the US.

- It is believed by some researchers that Pittsburgh member "Joe l'Alcamese" referenced by Nick Gentile as an ally in the Pittsburgh family is Giuseppe Adragna, father of Pittsburgh/NYC/California mafia figures George, Joseph, and Vito. One of the Bay Area member informants revealed that two brothers were made, George in Pittsburgh and Joseph in NYC, while another was an associate awaiting membership in San Francisco. The brother Joseph Adragna was identified as a made member of an unspecified NYC family; his residence in Williamsburg and Alcamese heritage make the Bonanno family most likely.

- If "Joe l'Alcamese" is Giuseppe Adragna, it means he split time between Pittsburgh and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he is documented as living, and was likely a Bonanno member like son Joseph. I'm not sure what Frank Adragna's relation to these Adragnas is, but he is likely a relative and his involvement in the Bazzano affair with Ciro Gallo might not be a coincidence. Gallo's wife was from Alcamo, like the Adragnas, and Gallo lived and operated near the Bushwick-Williamsburg border, making it likely he was familiar with the Williamsburg/Pittsburgh Adragnas.

- Like the Adragnas, Ciro Gallo also had close ties to the mafia in the California Bay Area that would bring him to the area.

Residence in San Francisco

- By 1945, Gallo was living in San Francisco. His naturalization that year was witnessed by Alphonse LaRocca, a leading member of the local SF family. I haven't seen any info that indicates Gallo transferred membership or how long he spent living in the Bay Area, but he appears to have been accepted by the local mafia element.

- Among those Gallo associated with in the Bay Area was Sebastiano Nani, a former Profaci member who would return to Sicily. Nani's hometown is listed as Pozzallo, Ragusa, Sicily, which led me to question whether there was a transcription error due to the similarity between Gallo's hometown "Palazzo" and Nani's "Pozzallo" but I couldn't find evidence of a connection. Ragusa province has no known mafia history, which would make Nani one of the only Sicilians in the early Profaci family who didn't come from a Sicilian mafia stronghold.

- Most importantly, another Gallo from Palazzo Adriano, Geraldo Giuseppe Gallo, also lived in the Bay Area where he was identified by CIs as a member of the San Jose family. Both Ciro and Geraldo "Joe" Gallo had a father named Vincenzo Gallo in Palazzo Adriano, suggesting they are brothers, with Geraldo "Joe" being elder.

- Geraldo "Joe" Gallo arrived to the US in 1914, citing relatives in Chicago as his destination. Joe Gallo lived in Los Angeles throughout the 1920s but was living in San Francisco by 1930. Gallo was still living in Los Angeles when Ciro Gallo entered California via Tijuana in 1927, which might explain why Ciro chose to enter via California.

Return to NY and Death

- By the time of his 1975 death, Ciro Gallo had returned from the California Bay Area and was living in Naussau County on Long Island. Geraldo "Joe" remained in the Bay Area and died in 1977.

- I'm not sure when Ciro Gallo returned to the NYC area, but there is no indication he remained significant in Bonanno family affairs in the years before his death, or really at any point aside from his alleged involvement in the 1932 Bazzano murder. Given the low level of criminal activity among the Bay Area mafia groups, there is also little indication Gallo did more than maintain social relationships to local mafioso.

--

Gallo was an obscure figure who highlights the national connections of the early mafia and the way that an early mafioso can feature prominently in one noteworthy incident (the Bazzano murder) and maintain mafia membership and ties to other members, yet remain barely a footnote in mafia history.

[B.]

Hmm, don't want to rule out a Benny Gallo connection quite yet even though they descend from different towns.

- When Benny's father Gaspare Gallo came to the US from Santa Ninfa in 1904, he is listed just two slots away from a Ciro LoBurgio from Palazzo Adriano headed to Chicago. Records for Geraldo "Joe" Gallo (possible brother of Ciro) show that his mother was a LoBurgio and as mentioned above Joe Gallo initially headed to Chicago. It's interesting too this LoBurgio shares the first name Ciro.

Odd coincidence that the LoBurgio name from Palazzo Adriano are maternal relatives of the Bonanno/California Gallos, meanwhile one was listed alongside Benny Gallo's father when he arrived to the US.

Going through Benny Gallo's records are a little confusing. It looks to me like he was born Baldassare Gallo and comes from Santa Ninfa, but may have been living in nearby Salemi before coming to the US.

Maybe Antiliar or CC, who have done great work on the early Bonanno family, can weigh in on Benny Gallo's roots and clear it up.

[Eld]

Very interesting as always, B.

Robert Anastasio is Albert Anastasia right? I belive Albert's photos appears in the articles about the Bazzano murder.

[thekiduknow]

Great write up B. Seems the Bonanno/San Jose connection goes back a bit further then? Bonanno's son in law Greg Genovese was a member, and we know that Nick Guestalla and Prospect Mule, both Arizona guys, transferred to San Jose, and Bill lived out there. I think that Cerrito even came to their Sunday dinners from what I recall.

[DannyTrio]

Ciro Gallo second from left and also Sebastiano Nani!

[thekiduknow]

Ciro Gallo second from left and also Sebastiano Nani!

Great find!

[motorfab]

Excellent B., I'm not sure I've heard of him before.

Great write up B. Seems the Bonanno/San Jose connection goes back a bit further then? Bonanno's son in law Greg Genovese was a member, and we know that Nick Guestalla and Prospect Mule, both Arizona guys, transferred to San Jose, and Bill lived out there. I think that Cerrito even came to their Sunday dinners from what I recall.

Not San Jose but still California, If I'm not mistaken Giuseppe Venza was also transferred to San Francisco. There is also the photo with Garofalo walking with Cerrito in Palermo in the 60s, if you know what I'm talking about.

There was definitely connections between California & The Bonannos

Cool find Danny, thanks

[Hired_Goonz]

Great write up on a random and obscure figure. I wonder how long he stayed out in CA and if he was tasked with helping in some way to pave the way for Bonanno's attempted takeover of the west coast.

[thekiduknow]

Excellent B., I'm not sure I've heard of him before.

Great write up B. Seems the Bonanno/San Jose connection goes back a bit further then? Bonanno's son in law Greg Genovese was a member, and we know that Nick Guestalla and Prospect Mule, both Arizona guys, transferred to San Jose, and Bill lived out there. I think that Cerrito even came to their Sunday dinners from what I recall.

Not San Jose but still California, If I'm not mistaken Giuseppe Venza was also transferred to San Francisco. There is also the photo with Garofalo walking with Cerrito in Palermo in the 60s, if you know what I'm talking about.

There was definitely connections between California & The Bonannos

Cool find Danny, thanks

That’s right, Bill says Venza was a capo in Arizona. I found a newspaper clipping from 51 where it says he moved to Arizona from San Francisco to set up a construction firm. So maybe he transferred to the Bonannos and back, or was made by Bonanno and transferred back? I’m just speculating.

[Angelo Santino]

Great conversation, guys.

[B.]

Robert Anastasio is Albert Anastasia right? I belive Albert's photos appears in the articles about the Bazzano murder.

Yeah, "Robert Anastasio" was living in the Sheraton Hotel at the time of the arrest and other sources say it was Albert, so I suspect they're right. Other sources have him playing a central role in the Bazzano/Volpe situation.

Great write up B. Seems the Bonanno/San Jose connection goes back a bit further then? Bonanno's son in law Greg Genovese was a member, and we know that Nick Guestalla and Prospect Mule, both Arizona guys, transferred to San Jose, and Bill lived out there. I think that Cerrito even came to their Sunday dinners from what I recall.

The Bonanno family represented San Francisco on the Commission and the relationship goes back at least as far as Nick Schiro's time as boss. A lot of info on this here if you haven't seen it: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5857&p=140901

It looks like Greg Genovese was actually a San Francisco member, though he is sometimes listed with San Jose. His father's cousin Frank "Joe" Genovese was also a member.

Nick Guastella's ties to San Jose go back to the 1920s, when he traveled from Sicily with Sciortinos of Bagheria who were headed to San Jose. The Bonannos and SF/SJ are all intertwined for sure.

Ciro Gallo second from left and also Sebastiano Nani!

Great find -- I didn't know Gallo was questioned in connection to the DeJohn murder but there is def more here.

Nick DeJohn's family (DiGiovanni) came from Palazzo Adriano, the same hometown as Ciro and Geraldo "Joe" Gallo. Remember too I mentioned Joe Gallo went to Chicago when he arrived to the US in 1914 -- they were likely familiar with the DeJohns given they were their compaesani in Chicago. Nick DeJohn's father Giovanni was also involved in mafia circles, holding the same union position once held by boss D'Andrea, and DeJohn's mother's naturalization was witnessed by boss Michele Merlo.

I doubt it's a coincidence that Ciro Gallo and his paesano Nick DeJohn ended up in the Bay Area around the same time, with Gallo's presumed brother already living there as a mafia member.

[PolackTony]

Nick DeJohn's family (DiGiovanni) came from Palazzo Adriano, the same hometown as Ciro and Geraldo "Joe" Gallo. Remember too I mentioned Joe Gallo went to Chicago when he arrived to the US in 1914 -- they were likely familiar with the DeJohns given they were their compaesani in Chicago. Nick DeJohn's father Giovanni was also involved in mafia circles, holding the same union position once held by boss D'Andrea, and DeJohn's mother's naturalization was witnessed by boss Michele Merlo.

I doubt it's a coincidence that Ciro Gallo and his paesano Nick DeJohn ended up in the Bay Area around the same time, with Gallo's presumed brother already living there as a mafia member.

I came to make the same comments on DeJohn re Chicago, Palazzo Adriano, and the Bay Area, but then saw that you beat me to it lol.

There were other Chicago guys back in the day from Palazzo Adriano, including the Di Giovanni brothers in Chi Heights. I believe that they were cousins of DeJohn, as their father Giuseppe Di Giovanni may have been the brother of Giovanni Di Giovanni. Do you recall the names of the relatives in Chicago that Geraldo Gallo was visiting?

[B.]

Geraldo "Joe" Gallo was arriving to his brother-in-law Leonardo Ferrera in Chicago. Not sure how long Gallo would have stayed in Chicago. He was in Los Angeles by 1921.

[B.]

Taking a look at some of the arrestees:

Profaci members John Oddo and Tony Bonasera
Up and coming Profaci members who would gain immense stature in the years to come. Suspected in other mafia murders during this era. If they were involved, it was probably as hands-on participants in the murder itself.

Bonanno member Ciro Gallo
Like Oddo and Bonasera, there isn't an obvious reason for him to have participated in the Bazzano affair. Given Bazzano was murdered on Commission orders, they may have used members of different families to carry out the murder.

Gambino capodecina Joe Traina
Former stand-in for the capo dei capi who remained involved in high-level Commission activities for decades according to multiple sources. No surprise he would be involved in the Bazzano trial, especially on the heels of the Castellammarese War.

Buffalo members Paolo Palmeri and Sam DiCarlo
Palmeri was brother to a Buffalo underboss and close to high-level NYC members, accompanying Jimmy DiLeonardo on a visit to Sicily years earlier. He appears to have served as a high-level representative of the Buffalo family in the 1920s/1930s. A reference on the Magaddino tapes to someone who moved to NJ and essentially became too big for his britches might be Palmeri; perhaps Magaddino felt Palmeri's role in these affairs went to his head.

DiCarlo was the son of the former boss and previously represented the Buffalo family at the 1928 Cleveland meeting. Like Palmeri, there is a pattern of him serving as a national representative of Buffalo during this period, before and during the Commission years.

Pittston boss Santo Volpe
Speaks for itself. The boss of another PA family attended the underworld trial of another PA boss. Be interesting to know if he was there as a matter of protocol or if he actively participated in the trial for/against Bazzano.

Peter Lombardi of Trenton
Mystery figure, as far as I can tell. Checking records for Pietro/Peter Lombardi/Lombardo in Trenton, the only one I could find was a mental patient confined to the NJ State Hospital for decades, including the time of the Bazzano murder. If Lombardi/Lombardo was a figure from Trenton involved in the Bazzano affair, which family did he represent? The DeCavalcante and Philadelphia families both had a presence in Trenton in 1932, but it isn't known when the Gambino family first had members there. It's possible this was an alias or is an otherwise unknown member who represented one of the families with a presence in Trenton.

Pittsburgh figures Charles Sparlino/Spallino, Michael Russo, Michael Bua, Angelo Colizza (possibly Polizzi), and Frank "Adrana".
Newspaper reported erroneously that Santo Volpe was from Pittsburgh (easy to confuse with Pittston), so some of the above could be erroneous, too. Spallino, Bua, and Adragna were Pittsburgh area residents, at least.

One account has "Colizza" living in Dunmore, PA, which is near Pittston and one researcher believes this is Angelo Polizzi. He would have been very young at the time but we know he was a second-generation nationally connected figure and the 1928 Cleveland meeting also included young men. It's possible he attended as Volpe's aide, if this was indeed Polizzi.

I've seen speculation that Michael Russo is the same Mike Russo from NJ who attended the 1928 Cleveland meeting --- the name is so generic I have no clue and I don't know enough about the NJ Mike Russo to know if he had Pittsburgh ties. Could be another error, like with Volpe, and they mislabeled him as being from Pittsburgh. If this is the NJ Mike Russo, like with DiCarlo, it shows his role as a national representative was not just a one-off but a role he held before and during the early Commission years.

It turns out Frank Adragna is the eldest brother of Pittsburgh/NYC/CA mafia figures George, Joseph, and Vito. Francesco (b. 1892) shows up on a manifest with their father Giuseppe, heading to NYC, but it appears they didn't board. He did end up in the Pittsburgh area and died in the early 1960s, which might be why he isn't mentioned later on by the Bay Area sources.

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Assuming most of the arrestees were involved in the Bazzano affair, we can see where local Sicilian Brooklyn figures like Bonasera, Oddo, and Gallo may have been participants in the murder (none of them fit politically into a Calabrian vs. Neapolitan affair in Pittsburgh), among others, while most of the others were there as representatives of different US families, meaning it was more like the old National Assembly meetings than simply a meeting of the Commission alone.

This could suggest that in 1932 they were still sort of transitioning out of the old Capo dei Capi / Grand Council / National Assembly system and into the modern Commission system. Or it could tell us that they always kept remnants of the old National Assembly, which we see later with Apalachin.

Personally I don't buy the idea that the Commission members themselves strangled and stabbed Bazzano to death. Maybe the murder was committed in front of them, but they either planned Bazzano's murder in advance or at least knew it was a possible outcome, so I can't imagine they did it themselves unless it was for highly symbolic reasons. It's more likely to me that Brooklyn members Bonasera, Oddo, Gallo, and likely others either supervised or carried out the murder, disposing of Bazzano in their familiar territory of Brooklyn.

[Antiliar]

This may correct a few things:

FBI file img_87794_16_300 - Bazzano murder.jpg