Modern Bonanno + Sicilian Mafia ties

[jimmyb]

Sorry guys again, for being late to the party. I also apologize if this information is redundant. But anyhow, people have mentioned the names Calabro and Domingo.

Gioacchino Calabro was capomafia in CDG, starting around the early 90s. With Toto Riina's blessing, Calabro orchestrated the murders of the Evola brothers (Natale and Giuseppe). I believe Calabro took over the top spot. For some time the Italian press reported Calabro was running the cosca from prison. Francesco Domingo was his main dude on the streets. But I haven't read about Calabro in some time. He was a lifer, in terms of his prison sentence.

In terms of other Domingo Mafiosi in CDG, there was a Diego Domingo (killed in 83) and Vito Domingo b. 1927. I'm guessing that person is no longer living. And I thought I read there was an Antonio or Antonino Domingo back in the day too. If i recall, there was some confusion because there was a Bonanno member with same name active around same time.

Going back further, Michaelangelo Vitale (born in CDG, son of Vito Vitale) was married to Angelica Domingo. *On a related note, Vito Vitale's daughters all married prominent Mafiosi---one married Jimmy Q in Detroit, one married Gaetano Badalamenti, and one married Filippo Rimi.

I don't know if these Domingos are related to Buster Domingo, but I suspect the probability is high. Even if it's distant cousin thing.

I'm looking through some of my documents here and I see that Francesco Domingo's wife is Maria Antonella Di Graziano and Gio Calabro's wife is Rosa Fiordilino. The wives were arrested in 2004. Domingo and Calabro were in prison, so the wives were acting as the liaisons between their husbands and the street.

[B.]

Ah great find, I know nothing about Calabro so good to know he married a Fiordilino. Fiordilino clan gets little attention but played a crucial role in the NYC-CDG connection between the 1960s-1980s.

Frank Fiordilino saying Dino Calabro was his cousin might fit in with what you found. He's said his older relatives were members in CDG but hasn't named who. There were Fiordilinos in the CDG Family but I know Fiordilino was related to other surnames that show up in the CDG Family, so Calabro might be another one.

[jimmyb]

Ah great find, I know nothing about Calabro so good to know he married a Fiordilino. Fiordilino clan gets little attention but played a crucial role in the NYC-CDG connection between the 1960s-1980s.

Frank Fiordilino saying Dino Calabro was his cousin might fit in with what you found. He's said his older relatives were members in CDG but hasn't named who. There were Fiordilinos in the CDG Family but I know Fiordilino was related to other surnames that show up in the CDG Family, so Calabro might be another one.

Couple of other things: I noticed an Italian Senate report from early 2000s identified Alberto Calabro as a "capodecina" in CDG. He was Gio Calabro's cousin. I found it interesting they used the term "capodecina." Seems like a dated term. In fact, I can't remember seeing that used in any other post-WWII documents from Italy. IDK, maybe that's what they still say in Sicily.

Also, Dolci described the Fiordilino family as a "secondary, but dangerous" Mafia clan in post-WWII CDG.

I get the sense that from the early 1900s through the early 1990s, the hegemonic families were Bonventre, Buccellato, Magaddino, Plaja, and Vitale. By the 2000s, however, the secondary families were no longer "secondary." Families like Calabro, Domingo, Asaro, Bosco, Fiordilino, and Lentini seemed to have supplanted the traditional CDG ruling families.

[CabriniGreen]

I'd have to see a fully-initiated pentito say explicitly that one of these women was made in order to believe it. Women achieving suffrage in Sicilian Cosa Nostra would be revolutionary and as big as finding out they inducted someone with full African blood.

The press calls people a "boss" or "member" when they aren't, so I can't trust the press alone. There is huge incentive to publish a story about a "female mafia member". Doesn't mean the women weren't used as trusted messengers and maybe even weighed in on decisions but I have to take anything else with a grain of salt.

--

Side note but funny I just mentioned Dino Calabro's ties to Sal Montagna, as tonight Frank Fiordilino was on MBA and said Dino is his cousin. So Calabro definitely had ties to the Sicilian mafia and Bonanno Family based on that alone given who the Fiordilinos are.

This was the article I was thinking of at the time.... couldnt remember her name, I actually confused her with Denaros sister.....


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -reshuffle

[B.]

Jimmy -- in response to our conversation about Mattarella, the pentito who identified him as a made member was Francesco DiCarlo from Altofonte.

[TSNYC]

I'd have to see a fully-initiated pentito say explicitly that one of these women was made in order to believe it. Women achieving suffrage in Sicilian Cosa Nostra would be revolutionary and as big as finding out they inducted someone with full African blood.

The press calls people a "boss" or "member" when they aren't, so I can't trust the press alone. There is huge incentive to publish a story about a "female mafia member". Doesn't mean the women weren't used as trusted messengers and maybe even weighed in on decisions but I have to take anything else with a grain of salt.

--

Side note but funny I just mentioned Dino Calabro's ties to Sal Montagna, as tonight Frank Fiordilino was on MBA and said Dino is his cousin. So Calabro definitely had ties to the Sicilian mafia and Bonanno Family based on that alone given who the Fiordilinos are.

This was the article I was thinking of at the time.... couldnt remember her name, I actually confused her with Denaros sister.....


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -reshuffle

Frank Fiordilino was a recent guest on a podcast called The Sit Down: A Mafia History Podcast by Jeff Nadu (available on Apple). Was decent. Talked about the Giannini Crew, Bobby Vernace, his various family members in mob, and being held pretrial with Allie Boy Persico, TG, Joe Massino.

[PolackTony]

I'd have to see a fully-initiated pentito say explicitly that one of these women was made in order to believe it. Women achieving suffrage in Sicilian Cosa Nostra would be revolutionary and as big as finding out they inducted someone with full African blood.

The press calls people a "boss" or "member" when they aren't, so I can't trust the press alone. There is huge incentive to publish a story about a "female mafia member". Doesn't mean the women weren't used as trusted messengers and maybe even weighed in on decisions but I have to take anything else with a grain of salt.

--

Side note but funny I just mentioned Dino Calabro's ties to Sal Montagna, as tonight Frank Fiordilino was on MBA and said Dino is his cousin. So Calabro definitely had ties to the Sicilian mafia and Bonanno Family based on that alone given who the Fiordilinos are.

This was the article I was thinking of at the time.... couldnt remember her name, I actually confused her with Denaros sister.....


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -reshuffle

Frank Fiordilino was a recent guest on a podcast called The Sit Down: A Mafia History Podcast by Jeff Nadu (available on Apple). Was decent. Talked about the Giannini Crew, Bobby Vernace, his various family members in mob, and being held pretrial with Allie Boy Persico, TG, Joe Massino.

As a side note, I tried listening to this podcast (not the Fiordilino episode) and was disappointed. This is a “mafia history” podcast where the hosts explicitly and repeatedly state stuff like Chicago didn’t have a “crime family” before Capone and that Capone was “never inducted” into the mafia. Like they never even saw the Hotel Statler photo or read Joe Bonanno’s memoir.

[OcSleeper]

Yeah I'm not a fan of Nadu. I believe he has also said the Colombos are a street gang or were/are about to be absorbed by the other NY families.

As B has mentioned a few times, the Fiordilino episodes on Armchair MBA are pretty good though.

[TSNYC]

Yeah, I only listened to the one episode / interview but felt rest of the non interview content would be trash.

[OcSleeper]

Another article discussing Mistretta, Turriciano, and Gucciardi https://itacanotizie.it/2022/05/11/proc ... microspie/

[PolackTony]

Zummo's father was apparently the 1980s NYC heroin trafficker Paolo Zummo who was ID'd as a Sicilian mafioso who hung out at Caffe Aiello. I think they're from that inland Trapani area but don't know for sure. There were Zummos in the Gibellina Family.

Bartolotta came up a lot in conversation. His father was also involved in drug trafficking with these guys, Salvatore Bartolotta. An Article says his grandfather was involved too. They're relatives of the Ragusas so maybe from Bagheria like them where Filippo Ragusa was made.

Yeah, I'd bet good money that Zummo's family is from Gibellina or the immediate area. Connections to the guys from Partanna/Santa Ninfa would make sense, so it's unsurprising that Paolo Zummo hung out at Caffe Aiello.

The Bartolottas are Bagheresi. Lots of Bagheresi in these circles, as it turns out. The Ragusas, the Bartolottas, Andrea Aiello, Salvatore Greco, Francesco Affatigato (working with La Portas moving heroin to Philly); the Castronovos I'm pretty sure were also Bagheresi. And, of course, in Bagheria itself Leonardo Greco and Domenico Lo Galbo. Bagheria was, I believe, a really critical part of this network, as it seems that they were using Leonardo Greco's iron factory in Bagheria not just as a storage warehouse, but as a clandestine lab to refine morphine base into heroin.

As a side note, but still Bonanno connected: while following up on some of the Bagheria mafia network people, I came across a Simone Castello from Villabate who was ID'd as a partner of the Grecos and Castronovos in Bagheria. This could connect to the Angelo Castello from Villabate who thekiduknow recently brought up as an apparent Bonanno (instead of Profaci) member in BK.

As it doesn't directly pertain to Castellammare, I'm cross-posting this here from the Castellammare Post WW2 thread, as this seems like the active thread most relevant to the non-Castellammaresi Sicilians linked to the Bonannos.

Per court documents from the Buffalo BUSICO case, Filippo Ragusa was the father of Francesca Bartolotta (also convicted in BUSICO), wife of Sal Bartolotta, and Maria Scaduto, wife of Lorenzo Scaduto. Hence, Fabio Bartolotta's grandfather was indeed involved in narcotics trafficking (his maternal nonno, not sure about Sal's father). I believe that the same Queens Bonanno source cited in this thread also confirmed that Lorenzo Scaduto was related to the infamous Scadutos who came to control the Bagheria family. Paul Ragusa is thus also the uncle of Fabio Bartolotta.

[B.]

Yeah Francesco Castronovo was a made member in Bagheria living in the US and close to the Bonanno zips. His cousin Carlo Castronovo was also made in Bagheria. Cotorno said the Castronovos were specifically recruiting inducted "men of honor" to invest in the Pizza Connection operation to ensure trust which is how he got involved.

Makes sense the grandfather was Filippo Ragusa. There's no question Paul Ragusa still has ties there.

[CornerBoy]

Big dino was born in sicily i think. sick fucking animal. bad egg.