Bruno Plot - Gambinos and Stanfa

[Tasker]

When it comes to the Bruno assassination, much has been written about Tieri, Tony Bananas, and the Geneovese-backed double cross. But to me it always seemed like there’s a missing piece to the puzzle with the Gambino side of things.

One aspect to that is Stanfa, who was seemingly a Gambino family ally, having a possible role in the plot. Assume for sake of discussion that Stanfa was involved, it raises lot of questions that I don’t see discussed too often. Such as…

-What would Stanfa gain from Bruno’s murder?
-Wouldn’t Stanfa’s involvement be a betrayal to his Gambino allies in Cherry Hill, who had the arrangement with Bruno with narcotics? As well as NY Gambinos under Castellano? Did he not expect there to be blowback?

Regardless of what you think about Stanfa’s role, as a general statement I haven’t come across much info on how the Gambinos reacted to Bruno’s killing. Especially the Gambinos in Cherry Hill who were benefitting from Bruno’s control of Philly. Is there any evidence of the Gambinos being complicit in this plot beforehand, or appeased somehow after the fact?

[johnny_scootch]

From what Phil Leonetti said Stanfa was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and offered to give Bruno a ride home from a restaurant that night.

[Proletarian187]

I've gone back and forth through the years regarding Stanfa's involvement.. Still not sure where I stand but the strongest indicator of his innocence is the fact that Bruno was blown away with a shotgun. I wouldn't volunteer to sit just inches away from a (sawed off?) shot gun blast. Stanfa was actually hit as well.

Then again, maybe it was supposed to be a pistol but Psycho Banana wanted to make sure and switched to a shot gun.

[Wiseguy]

If I remember right, Freselone said the same thing. Stanfa only ended up driving that night by happenstance. And he was hit by some of the pellets. The Gambinos and Bruno were tight. Castellano very much wanted to know who was behind it and the Genovese, once Caponigro had served his purpose, were more than happy to throw him under the bus and take him out themselves.

[Ivan]

If I remember right, Freselone said the same thing. Stanfa only ended up driving that night by happenstance. And he was hit by some of the pellets. The Gambinos and Bruno were tight. Castellano very much wanted to know who was behind it and the Genovese, once Caponigro had served his purpose, were more than happy to throw him under the bus and take him out themselves.

Yep, the driver that night was supposed to be Long John Martorano, but he backed out at the last minute and Stanfa was used instead because Long John was in on it and knew what would happen.

[Tasker]

Stanfa traveled to Newark and NY with Frank Sindone and Johnnny Simone shortly after the hit. I think one of those two was also rumored to have visited Stanfa in the hospital. Not saying this proves anything, but why would Stanfa be meeting with people who helped orchestrate the hit soon thereafter?

[johnny_scootch]

The Gambino’s vouched for Stanfa with Bruno and Bruno took him in. If it comes out Stanfa was part of the Bruno hit he’d be number one on the Gambino’s to do list.

[Tasker]

If it comes out Stanfa was part of the Bruno hit he’d be number one on the Gambino’s to do list.

This is the part I never see talked about when its suggested that Stanfa was involved. I never see any reasons for why he wasn’t taken out after or what his motivation would have been in the first place.

[ShotgunTheRifle]

Stanfa traveled to Newark and NY with Frank Sindone and Johnnny Simone shortly after the hit. I think one of those two was also rumored to have visited Stanfa in the hospital. Not saying this proves anything, but why would Stanfa be meeting with people who helped orchestrate the hit soon thereafter?

Is this where he was mistaken for Nicky Scarfo?

[Tasker]

Stanfa traveled to Newark and NY with Frank Sindone and Johnnny Simone shortly after the hit. I think one of those two was also rumored to have visited Stanfa in the hospital. Not saying this proves anything, but why would Stanfa be meeting with people who helped orchestrate the hit soon thereafter?

Is this where he was mistaken for Nicky Scarfo?

I think that is the story Phil Leonetti tells in Mafia Prince. But I was referencing the official account by the feds. They proved that he traveled to NJ and NY with Sindone and Simone in March of 1980, and had lied about it to a grand jury. He was later indicted for perjury and found guilty in 81.

[Mukremin]

Can it somehow be linked to his short term as the boss?

[Tasker]

That was more to do with him being the outsider, gone for years then installed by NY. Which led to the turf war and his indictment. I don’t recall there being any lingering animosity towards him over the Bruno hit a decade earlier.

[B.]

We've gone over it quite a bit over the years but the issue with the Bruno hit is we don't have that definitive firsthand account like the Castellano hit where details of the conspiracy and participants are all confirmed.

- Caponigro is universally agreed upon as the main conspirator and his murder was unquestionably punishment for it. He openly admitted his involvement if the story is true that he believed the Genovese Family sanctioned it and tried to claim that afterward. Fresolone said too that Caponigro made comments before the hit that implied it was going to happen. However I don't buy Fresolone's idea that Caponigro pulled the trigger and Fresolone admits he was speculating.

- Salerno could have been killed just for his proximity to Caponigro but he was probably involved. Friel said Salerno was a suspected shooter in the hit but they didn't have solid evidence.

- Caramandi said Sindone was involved and that Chick Ciancaglini was interrogated at gunpoint to see if he was part of it too. Can't remember offhand if Leonetti commented on Sindone's involvement. Shortly after Sindone was made in the mid-1970s the FBI reported that the Family was split between two factions, one led by Bruno, Simone, and Sindone and the other led by Testa and Scarfo. But by 1977 we have Sindone recorded complaining about Bruno to Chuckie Merlino. It does seem likely he was part of it but I can't recall anyone in the know 100% confirming.

- When Sonny Riccobene cooperated he said he was told by Long John Martorano that Martorano had been part of five murders, one being Angelo Bruno. Martorano is said to have been in the restaurant with Bruno that night and allegedly placed a phone call right before Bruno left, Frank Friel believing Martorano alerted the killers to be ready. Caramandi also said Martorano was extremely paranoid after the hit and had armed guards stationed around him. I think we can trust Riccobene that Long John admitted to it as they were close. He had been barred from getting made under Bruno and sure enough he was made afterward. What's interesting is he doesn't look to have been targeted at all for his involvement even though it looks like he played a central role.

- Stanfa is one we've talked about a lot. Allegedly Martorano was supposed to drive Bruno home but suggested Stanfa instead at the last minute. Stanfa drove his personal car, was hit with the buckshot, then abandoned his car at the scene and ran home. He was very close to Bruno and not many other members so it's hard to understand what his motivation would be unless he was told it was sanctioned. You'd think if that was the case he'd consult his friends in the Gambino Family but who knows. He did flee Philadelphia and even the US afterward but he was having legal issues due to the fallout. Him being visited by certain people in the hospital and traveling to NYC with Sindone and Simone afterward is hardly evidence of his involvement to me - he was a surviving witness to the murder and I'm sure both Philly and NYC leaders wanted to talk with him.

- Simone was killed by Sammy Gravano who said nothing about it being retaliation for the Bruno hit. He said Simone was accused of making a power play to take over the Family even though NYC had backed Testa as the new boss. Along with being a paesan of Bruno, the two were extremely close. There was an issue in the 1960s where Bruno was thinking of reprimanding Simone for acting like a "playboy" in Florida but I'm not aware of any serious issues between them after 1975 when he was reported by the FBI as one of Bruno's main loyalists.

- For the shooter, interestingly Vic DeLuca was reportedly seen by witnesses near the murder scene. He is exactly the kind of guy we'd expect to see pull the trigger in a hit like that but he cooperated and I'm not aware of him admitting involvement. When his associate Joe Pedulla flipped though one of the murders he provided info on was the Bruno hit but I'm not aware of what he said. These were Riccobene guys but keep in mind Martorano came up in that circle and was close to them. A witness saw two people run away from the murder scene but one of them was probably Stanfa.

This is just from memory so feel free to throw in any additions/corrections. Dack is a poster who has done his homework with this.

[Ivan]

This is just from memory so feel free to throw in any additions/corrections.

Ralph Natale said that Felix Bocchino provided the shotgun and that Bocchino and Anthony Ferrante got rid of the shotgun. I believe Leonetti corroborated Bocchino's involvement, and his shot credibility notwithstanding I actually believe Natale's story about the Bocchino and Ferrante because they are obscure figures about whom there is no reason to lie (no one is going to buy books based on stories about them like they would with Natale's goofy story about Carlo Gambino making him).

B. did you ever get around to reading Breaking the Mob? I recommend it, has some weird Scarfo quotes in it and other cool things.

[dack2001]

That's not exactly what Leonetti says in his book. He says that Stanfa WAS involved with Caponigro and Sindone when they hit Ange. The evidence definitely suggests he was. Sindone went to the hospital the day after Bruno was killed and spoke with Stanfa in Italian. Stanfa was spotted in New York with Sindone several days afterwards. Stanfa was spotted meeting with Caponigro and Simone and Sindone six days after the killing. He was later convicted of perjury and did 6 years for lying to the grand jury about that meeting. Not only that but John Gotti and Gravano specifically asked Scarfo to give Stanfa a pass in order to return to Philly. That was in 1986, in Staten Island. They were still worried Scarfo was going to hit Stanfa for his role in the killing six years later.

Besides that, I just don't believe that Caponigro would take the chance that Bruno doesn't go home that night or the the driver jumps out and starts a shootout. If you're stepping out of the shadows with a shotgun to kill your boss only a fool leaves the circumstances to chance. You need to know your target will be there when you expect him to be present.