Bonanno Info (1980s - 2000s)

[HairyKnuckles]

Salvatore Ferrugia was elected Acting Boss through vote of the captains in Spring 1981. He won eight to seven against someone unspecified, and had support of the Massino-Napolitano group as well as the Sicilians. Also sounds like Ferrugia, assisted by Sciascia, was a lot more active in running things than previously assumed. Underboss spot vacant until 1984.

Assuming Farrugia´s rival for the acting boss spot was a captain, it´s interesting that the Bonannos had 17 captains at the time. (The two of them not being allowed to vote.) These seems to have been the captains:

- Catalano
- Napolitano
- Massino
- Cotroni
- Zicorelli
- DiStefano
- Bonventre
- Mauro
- Spero
- Embarrato
- Musillo
- Lino (acting captain)
- Farrugia

I wonder who the four other captains were.

- Infanti (??)
- Frank Tartamella (??)
- D´Ottavio (??)

Was Massino the one who got the underboss spot in 1984?

Here is the list for the Lucchese inductees from the early 1990s ceased in the Gotti Jr raid. But for the sake of this thread´s subject, take a look at the bottom left, you´ll see the names of the Bonannos (Vincent Basciano and Sally "Horse" Pozzi (or Tozzi) replacing Bobby Bad Heart and what seems to be Albert Chico. I have looked, but can´t find anything on Albert Chico. Does anyone have any info on this Chico. Most likely his last name is misspelled or just a nickname. His last name could have been DeCicco or something close to that.

[stevan tod]

when is D'Ottavio became a captain? wasnt'that after Napolitano death?

[toto]

JD, the guy you identify as Jack Mirabile is actually Salvatore Mirabile. Was Salvatore nicknamed Jack?

I think he means the standing guy next to Amato. That's the only man unidentified in that photograph.

[LcnBios]

.

[Hailbritain]

Re the estimated fifteen captains circa Spring 1981, when the Indelicatos were brought back into the Family a couple of months later it says there were '12 or 13' captains at the time.

Edit: To add onto this subject, these are the confirmed captains circa 1981 before factoring in this updated info:

1.) Cesare Bonventre
2.) Salvatore Catalano
3.) Nicholas DiStefano
4.) Salvatore Ferrugia
5.) Philip Giaccone
6.) Alfonse Indelicato
7.) Anthony Indelicato
8.) Joseph Massino
9.) Dominick Napolitano
10.) Dominick Trinchera
11.) Joseph Zicarelli

Updated info has the following as additional captains: Gerlando Sciascia, Giovanni Ligammari, Santo Giordano. I'm assuming Sciascia covers Montreal. Doesn't specify whether or not Ferrugia retained a crew after promotion.

Infanti, Musillo, Spero not official captains yet. Infanti after Trinchera hit, Spero circa 1985. Don't think Embarrato and especially Mauro were ever official captains. Mauro's crew assignments are pretty well established: Indelicato, then to Lino, then to Vitale, then he was killed. Embarrato possibly an acting circa early 1980s.

JD, the guy you identify as Jack Mirabile is actually Salvatore Mirabile. Was Salvatore nicknamed Jack?

Salvatore Mirabile is sitting at the table, the guy supposed to be Jack is standing behind Salvatore. He's also named as Gioachino elsewhere. Also claims Jack is Salvatore's son but not sure how accurate that is.

Information re this Catalano photo:



Back Row: Domenico Catalano, Vita Catalano, Salvatore Catalano, Dominick Tartamella, Santo Giordano

Table: Vito Catalano

Domenico/Vito/Vita listed as Salvatore's brothers/sisters. Felice can probably confirm if these IDs match up. It doesn't go into any other detail.

==

Edit: For those asking about Ligammari and the 3 captains hit etc. Some of this looks contradictory to what's already been reported but here's what it says: Ligammari identified as a captain at the time of the 3 captains hit, specifically described as 'from Jersey'. No indication this is the same crew as Zicarelli or Sciascia who are listed along with him. Claims Zicarelli and Nick DiStefano were on Indelicato's side rather than neutral and this is why they weren't told what was going to happen. Also says there were five gunmen assigned: Sal Vitale; 'Vito from Canada' (Rizzuto); 'Vinny from Canada' (typo re Manny Ragusa?); Frank Navarra; 'some old timer by the name of Bonventre'.

Re Ligammari and their suicide: Only brief mention about the son being made in the 1990s so he could carry messages from his imprisoned father. Vitale was informed of their suicides by Baldo Amato and passed on word to the boss. That's surprisingly it, can't find anything else on the motive, repercussions, etc.

==

There's a lot to go through and it'll probably be awhile but the topic will be updated with more eventually.

JD , I thought Mauro was under Louis restivo for a time aswel , and one of the reasons he was killed was because he put his hands on him and bullied him ???

[B.]

So there were potentially five separate zip captains at this time. Giordano and Ligammari also seem to have been way more influential than I imagined. I had been curious why Giordano had been previously described as acting like a host to the "meeting" between factions, but if he was in a leadership role that explains it.

All of this info matches up pretty closely with Simon Crittle's description of events, including the "two Montreal shooters" and Giordano's role.

[OlBlueEyesClub]

This info in regards to Canada pretty much completes the puzzle regarding Scaiscia, the book Northern Connection hints of Frank Cotroni, despite his old age, was still active albeit discreet in his criminal affairs. I think the Scaiscia thing could be true, and it changes my opinion on the whole Montreal/NY Bonanno connection.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Was Massino ever quoted as saying Sciascia was hit because of Graziano?

Where did we get this from, Vitale?

[OlBlueEyesClub]

Quoted by Vitale I believe.


Actually, I don't believe Vitale ever said specifically that Massino told him this, but that instead Vitale himself thought or knew that Graziano's relationship with Massino & Sciascia's supposed allegation about TG Graziano's drug use, were the reason for Sciascia's murder. As we know Vitale was at some point fazed out of actual Bonanno criminal activity. So Massino could've just been giving Vitale lip service to suffice his ego and have him believing he was still "in the know", that'd be some pretty dangerous lip service, if the case, as it turned out.

[felice]

oh, right, I forgot there was a fifth guy in that photo.
about the Catalano family photo I remember Barbarian used to suggest that the first guy could be John Palazzolo, he was really similar. Now we know for sure he's Domenico Catalano. Domenico used to run the bakery where his brother used to work. He was an american citizen.

I remember one of the hitters in the three capos' hit could have been a "Manny from Canada", not "Vinny". I used to think it could have been either Emanuele Ragusa or Emanuele Guaragna.

The Ligammari's were from Alessandria della Rocca, their relative Emanuele Seidita was the family boss over there.

[Pogo The Clown]

Actually Vitale was the one who organized the Sciascia murder. Don't recall which informant the original info came from though. It was in a Gangland column in the early 2000s.


Pogo

[viper]

I thouht the first one was John Palozzolo, and it's the guy sitting down with the beard Frank Bonura?

[felice]

no way he could have been Bonura. JD finally got their names

[B.]

I thought it was John Palazollo but now we know it is the Catalano brother. Makes more sense, as it seems unlikely Palazollo would be sitting with Sal Catalano.

There have been multiple discrepancies between what Massino has said versus "common knowledge" (i.e. Vitale's info, the info of other informants, books, etc.). There is the motivation for the Sciascia hit which we are discussing here, but also the Napolitano and Mirra hits. It has long been accepted that Napolitano and Mirra were killed for bringing Pistone into the family.

However, Massino has said Napolitano was killed for making a power play. Though the book Donnie Brasco seems to say that Napolitano was killed because of Pistone (which plays into the drama of the story), the actual events in the book back Massino up somewhat. Before Pistone left the street, Ruggiero was talking to him about a new conflict between Massino and Napolitano over running the family, with Napolitano trying to claim an administration position (supposedly consigliere). From what Ruggiero says, it sounds like Massino and Napolitano had cut off communication with each other despite having been allies just months earlier and things were beginning to boil over. I do believe the Brasco situation factored in, but it seems to have been just one reason for the murder.

Massino has also said that Tony Mirra was killed for being an informant. Again, this is backed up by some other info in the Brasco book. Ruggiero repeatedly refers to Mirra as a "stool pigeon" when Pistone first hooks up with him. I assume Mirra was a Greg Scarpa type figure who people (at least Ruggiero) suspected of informing but whose violence and criminal behavior made people unsure. JD has also found information from an informant who was made around the same time as Mirra, active in some of the same areas, and as far as I know can't be counted out as him.

Despite their relation and closeness, Vitale doesn't seem to have been in the loop on all of the politics. He wasn't made until the mid-1980s and it doesn't sound like Massino shared everything with him that was going on during events before that. Later, by the late 90s and early 2000s, Vitale was admittedly kept out of the loop so again he may not have been getting reliable info.

When I first heard of these discrepancies my first thought was that Massino, as the final authority, was trying to minimize his responsibility for these hits, but now I am starting to trust him as more info comes out. There may be other information he has provided that clears other things up, and I would guess some of what JD is currently posting comes from Massino.

[HairyKnuckles]

Right B.

Another mystery is that Sonny Black supposedly had his hands cut off when he was killed. But we really don´t know if that´s actually the case. It spread like a bonfire among jounalists and authors (and LE I must say) stating the hands being cut off was symbolism for him bringing in a fed.

I wonder who Farrugia´s oppenent was in the election for acting boss. My first thought is consigliere Cannone. But he had trouble at the time being indicted for contempt when refused to answer questions on the Galante killing. It also seems Cannone was ready to retire around this time which could explain why Napolitano wanted the spot.

The original story why Sciasca was killed came from Vitale, Coppa and Cantarella. All three of them said the same during Massino´s trial. It beats me why they woul have described it the way they did if Sciascia actually was killed over the murder of Frank Cotroni´s son.