Mysterious Bonventres

[B.]

Came across a couple names that caught my interest and wanted to post about them, but thought I'd throw in a few other Bonventres (or "Bonventres") while I'm at it. This has probably been the most constant name in the history of the Bonanno family and with the number of relatives involved in both the US and Sicily both past and present, it seems like there are bound to be some lesser-known or even completely unknown guys.

Maybe some of you are more familiar with these guys or others I'm not aware of, so please feel free to add, correct, ask questions, etc. Also feel free to bring up the more well-known Bonventres or other CDG/Bonanno connections. This is mostly basic info with speculation thrown in.

Antonio/Antonino Bonventre
The FBI's dead list has an Antonio Bonventre listed, said to be 63 years old in 1966 and described as "LCN". There is a note that he is John Bonventre's brother, which I believe would make him the youngest of the Bonventre brothers. I found an Antonino Bonventre born 5/30/1903 who died 4/1982 in Queens. Seems like this is the same guy, as I can't find any other close matches.

There is a current member, who is elderly now, named Antonino Bonventre (b. 1930 or 1931) that lives in Queens. He is the father of Giacomo "Jack" Bonventre, a member said to be a cousin of the Asaros. The elder Vincenzo Asaro's brother-in-law was Vito Bonventre (another of John's brothers), so that may be where the relation between the current Asaro and Bonventre members originally comes from. If that's the case, then it appears John's brother Antonino (1903) and the current Antonino (b. 1930s) have some kind of relation, however removed it may be. I should mention Antonino (b.1930s) has another son in addition to Jack named Vito Bonventre, which is another indication they could come from the same line of Bonventres.

Gaspare Bonventre
A Gaspare Bonventre is also on the dead list, said to be born 11/2/1916 and died 1/1/1982. Also described as "LCN", but no other info. However, there is an SSDI record for a Gaspare Bonventre born on 11/2/1916 who died 8/10/2011 and other records suggesting that a Gaspare Bonventre born 11/2/1916 and living in Brooklyn was alive well past 1982. Couldn't find any records for someone of that name (or any similar names) dying in the 1980s. I would guess it's the same guy and the 1/1/1982 DOD is a mistake, especially given the January 1st date.

Bonanno member Santo Giordano, who was from Castellammare, had an uncle living in Brooklyn named Gaspare Bonventre, who for some reason went by "Nino". Giordano is said to have been taken to Bonventre's apartment for help after getting shot in the three captains hit, but to my knowledge that's the only time this Bonventre has been mentioned. What's interesting is JD posted something a little while back saying that the unknown "old timer" described by Vitale as a participant in the three captains hit was identified by Massino as a FNU Bonventre. Seems like more than a coincidence that there would be an old-timer named Bonventre on the hit team and then members of the hit team fled to an old-timer named Gaspare Bonventre's house, who happened to be uncle to an injured member of said hit team. It seems entirely possible to me that Gaspare "Nino" Bonventre was the "old-timer" FNU Bonventre on the hit team and that he led the injured Giordano and the other Sicilian shooters to his apartment rather than them simply showing up and knocking. After all, his nephew was one of the main conspirators in the murders and according to the latest info was helping run the family.

What is the source on them showing up at Bonventre's apartment anyway? I don't believe any of the men who fled the murder scene with Giordano flipped or gave up any info (and Massino and Vitale stayed behind, while Lino fled by himself), so was this based on Giordano's police statement or what? Wherever it comes from, there doesn't seem to be an objective firsthand source.

From doing more research, a Gaspare Bonventre whose age perfectly matches the one on the dead list had a brother named Pietro (b. ~1919) who died early in 2011. Pietro's obituary mentions being born in Italy and involvement with a Castellammare del Golfo club in NYC, indicating he is from CDG. The obituary mentions that his brother Gaspare is residing in Italy (which would jive with the 8/2011 SSDI date), plus Pietro's daughter married a Fiordilino. JD has mentioned that Santo Giordano was related to the Fiordilinos, so this is another indication that this Gaspare Bonventre is indeed related to Giordano.

I strongly believe that the Gaspare on the dead list, the Gaspare mentioned in Pietro's obituary, and Giordano's uncle Gaspare are all the same man. Assuming I am correct, the question then is what was his membership status, if any? He is listed simply as "LCN" on the dead list, and while this normally indicates membership, it doesn't say he was a "soldier" or "member" like it occasionally does for other guys and the dead list does use "LCN" to describe some associates and relatives in addition to the members, so I wouldn't take this as a clear sign he was a made member. If he was part of the three captains hit team, this isn't an indication of membership either as Sal Vitale and possibly Vito Rizzuto were not made yet at the time of the murder.

Since his brother Pietro was born in Italy (likely CDG, Sicily), they would have had to come to the US sometime after 1919, but I can't find any records for either of them until much later, so they may not have come to the US until well into adulthood. A number of the older Bonventres are disqualified from being the father to these two based on the fact that they were still in Italy as of 1919 and possibly much later. If anyone is good at digging through immigration records please let me know if you can find anything about Pietro and Gaspare's immigration.

The names Antonino and Gaspare Bonventre, plus a couple other Bonventres, appear as members of the Castellammare del Golfo family JimmyB posted a while back, with the list representing members active in the 1970s through 90s. Since it appears the Gaspare Bonventre on the dead list is the aforementioned Pietro's brother and he was alive and living in Italy in 2011, I have to wonder when Gaspare moved back to Italy. If it was sometime in the 1980s or 90s, it seems possible that yet again this is the same Gaspare Bonventre that appears on the list of CDG cosca members. Maybe the incorrect 1/1/1982 DOD date given on the dead list was a mistake and in fact he had disappeared/left the country around that time (which would coincide with him possibly participating in a messy triple murder and his nephew being crippled). The Fiordilinos (and Navarras, as well as others) had relatives/ties to the CDG family, with Giovanni Fiordilino bouncing back and forth, so it's a leap but not a huge one to think that their relative-by-marriage Gaspare Bonventre associated with the organizations on both sides as well. Maybe he's never shown up as a Bonanno member because he was a member of the CDG family living in the US, who knows.

Final side note, but an Ignazio and Vito Bonventre are the other ones on Jimmy's CDG list for the 1970s-90s. This Vito is most likely not the brother of John. Even though he was still alive through the 1980s he didn't move back to Italy. I should note that Cesare Bonventre's father's name was Vito though I've never found any mention of him being connected. I'd be curious if the immigration of Vito/Cesare coincides at all with the immigration of the brothers Gaspare and Pietro. Could be a connection there but there isn't enough for even me to speculate about.

Martin Bonventre
Son of Pietro Bonventre (not to be confused with Gaspare's brother mentioned earlier) and namesake of his grandfather Martino, the father of John/Pietro/Vito/Antonino and also grandfather to Joe Bonanno, Martin's first cousin. The only place Martin has been named as a member is in a photo caption in Bill Bonanno's last book. Bonventre is sitting with Joe Bonanno, Carmine Galante, Gaspare DiGregorio, Vincent Danna, and Salvatore Profaci. Bill's book identifies them all as members of the Bonanno family. Given that Profaci isn't a Bonanno member, that is one mistake and that makes me wonder if ID'ing Martin Bonventre as a member is also a mistake. However I'm willing to believe Bonventre is a member given the fact that he's sitting at a table where everyone else is a captain or higher not to mention virtually all of Martin's male relatives were members and the Bonannos had more of a tendency to make "legit" members then (his father Pietro being an example of that). He was born in 1919 and died in 1987.

A photo of alleged Bonanno member/relative Joseph Spadaro appears in some newspaper clippings for some kind of award ceremony in the 1960s, and there are photos of Spadaro with a man ID'd as "Dr. Martin Bonventre". At first I believed this was the same Martin Bonventre and while there are some similarities and they're about the same age, they look quite a bit different when comparing their photos (though it's been a while since I looked). However, I can't find any records for another Martin Bonventre who would fit the right age range except for the one who is alleged to be a Bonanno member. If it is a different guy, then Dr. Martin Bonventre must have been another grandson of Martino Bonventre given the naming tradition and connection to Spadaro.

Jimmy mentioned trying to interview some Bonventres and they indicated that there was a Martin Bonventre who would not be willing to talk to him for whatever reason (am I getting that right?). Since the one believed to be a member died in 1987, this must be yet another one or the doctor. Maybe Jimmy can fill in more about this.

Biagio/Biaggio Bonventre
Member of the Los Angeles family ID'd by Jimmy Fratianno. His residence before immigrating to the US was listed as San Vito Lo Capo, which is just up from the coast from CDG in Trapani. Bonventre is a fairly common name not just in CDG but also in surrounding towns in Trapani, with San Vito being no exception I'm sure. I don't know much about LA but there doesn't seem to be any known connection between this Bonventre and the Bonanno members. Limey correctly lists Biagio as being from San Vito, but lists a brother of Biagio named Giuseppe as a possible member, however he says the brother is from CDG. Limey, for all of the great work he does, does make small mistakes especially with his "possible members", so I'd be curious if there is more info on this.

Antonio Bonaventa, aka "Anthony Bonventre"
Bonaventa from Alcamo, killed in NYC 1930, is often mislabeled as Anthony/Antonio Bonventre. I believe this last name mistake even made it into the news at the time. There is no known relation between Bonaventa and the well-known Bonventres and I'm not sure if he was even affiliated with the future Bonanno family, though he was from Alcamo. Alcamo, not far from Castellammare, was one recruiting ground for future Bonanno members and the last name Bonventre is also common in Alcamo. Would be curious if Bonaventa used the alias "Bonventre" or if it was simply a mistake. Typically Bonventre is mistaken for names like Bonaventura/Bonaventure/Benvento/Bonavento/etc., not the other way around like in this case.
EDIT: After doing more research, it seems he was buried under the name "Bonventre". This is definitely a confusing one.

[UTC]

6'9" Cesare was cooler though, stepping out to those night clubs in his latest Italian styles, aviators and chains.

[stevan tod]

Nice post B.one of interesting facts related to three capos hit is that one of the shooters was Francesco Navarra.aparently when he came out he drop his pistol and that was gun which is used to kill indelicato dont remember who was shooter.Here is Navarra photo.

[B.]

Nice post B.one of interesting facts related to three capos hit is that one of the shooters was Francesco Navarra.aparently when he came out he drop his pistol and that was gun which is used to kill indelicato dont remember who was shooter.Here is Navarra photo.

Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks for remembering that. I don't know what the exact connection is, but apparently Navarra was related to Fiordilino and Giordano, which would make him a relative of Gaspare Bonventre. There are a number of Giordanos (all legit) from Castellammare living in New York, but it's not a name I've seen connected to the CDG or Bonanno families aside from Santo. However Navarra, Fiordilino, and Bonventre are obviously names that have been seen in both families and who have many relations/connections. I would guess Santo Giordano was responsible for bringing Navarra and FNU Bonventre (possibly Gaspare) into the murder plot. Hopefully JD still checks in occasionally, as I'd like to know what he thinks of all this.

Complete side note, but it's always stood out to me that Sal Vitale himself has Castellammarese heritage. There are many Vitales from CDG who have been involved in the mob but doesn't seem he has any known relation. Strange he ended up with the Bonanno family through a random Neapolitan who was dating his sister.

[AlexfromSouth]

Nice post B.one of interesting facts related to three capos hit is that one of the shooters was Francesco Navarra.aparently when he came out he drop his pistol and that was gun which is used to kill indelicato dont remember who was shooter.Here is Navarra photo.

Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks for remembering that. I don't know what the exact connection is, but apparently Navarra was related to Fiordilino and Giordano, which would make him a relative of Gaspare Bonventre. There are a number of Giordanos (all legit) from Castellammare living in New York, but it's not a name I've seen connected to the CDG or Bonanno families aside from Santo. However Navarra, Fiordilino, and Bonventre are obviously names that have been seen in both families and who have many relations/connections. I would guess Santo Giordano was responsible for bringing Navarra and FNU Bonventre (possibly Gaspare) into the murder plot. Hopefully JD still checks in occasionally, as I'd like to know what he thinks of all this.

Complete side note, but it's always stood out to me that Sal Vitale himself has Castellammarese heritage. There are many Vitales from CDG who have been involved in the mob but doesn't seem he has any known relation. Strange he ended up with the Bonanno family through a random Neapolitan who was dating his sister.

Joey Massino was neapolitan?

[jimmyb]

Great post B.

[jimmyb]

Here's description of Gaspare Bonventre from Danilo Dolci "'mafioso landowner, from a mafia family involved in serious blood feuds with other families; has shuttled to and from between Castellammare and America."

[jimmyb]

Looking over my notes, to confuse things further: there was a "Vincenzo Bonventre" arrested in CDG on corruption charges in 2005.

[jimmyb]

"Vincenzo" was also arrested on corruption charges in 1988.

[jimmyb]

Right, Anthony Tarantola told me "Martino Bonventre" was still alive, living in NY, but "probably wouldn't talk." That was a few yrs ago and I never followed up.

[jimmyb]

Sort of frustrating, but when I look at my Italian documents, you see a number of references to "the Bonventre" family in general, but rarely specific individuals. Gaspare and Vincenzo two exceptions. Not seeing anything else on "Antonino, Ignazio, and Vito" other than original list.

[B.]

Here's description of Gaspare Bonventre from Danilo Dolci "'mafioso landowner, from a mafia family involved in serious blood feuds with other families; has shuttled to and from between Castellammare and America."

That's the Gaspare who appears on your CDG cosca member list? The "between Castellammare and America" bit lends itself to my theory. Do you have a DOB (or general age range) for this Gaspare Bonventre? Even if this is a completely different one than I originally posted about, the fact that this Bonventre is ID'd as a mafioso who bounced between Sicily and America and shares the name Gaspare is good to know.

Vincenzo Bonventre is a name I haven't seen before. I've seen the name Ignazio a couple of times when doing genealogical searches and looking up peripheral relatives of the "main" Bonventres. There was an Ignazio (b.1919) who was the son of an Antonino/"Anthony" (b.1880) in Brooklyn, whose father in turn was named Ignazio. Vito Bonventre (1875-1930), the underboss to Schiro who was killed in 1930, had a brother named Antonino living in Brooklyn, but I don't know his age or if Vito's father was named Ignazio. There was another Ignazio (1889-1977) living in Middle Village, which is where some of the mafia Bonventres and many other Castellammaresi gathered, could be another relative.

The Vito mentioned above had a son named Gaspare who was born around 1919/NYC. Not 1916/Sicily like the Gaspare from the first post, though... at least we've found one we can disqualify so far, ha.

Thanks for the info!

[toto]

There are many gaps in our knowledge of the family relationships of CDG blood families. This is clear from what you posted in this thread and even what emerged in the recent past about the mother of Sergio Mattarella who was a Buccellato from CDG but it's not clear how closely related she was to the Buccellato's who are mafiosi. Only some allegation she was related closely to Nino Buccellato. Maybe JimmyB knows the answer to that one.

[Cheech]

thanks B. always love your insight

[jimmyb]

There are many gaps in our knowledge of the family relationships of CDG blood families. This is clear from what you posted in this thread and even what emerged in the recent past about the mother of Sergio Mattarella who was a Buccellato from CDG but it's not clear how closely related she was to the Buccellato's who are mafiosi. Only some allegation she was related closely to Nino Buccellato. Maybe JimmyB knows the answer to that one.

Sure, my older relatives in cdg remember the Mattarella family well and were friendly with them, but Maria Buccellato was from a different line of the family. So if you look at crude family tree i put in my book, know that "Maria" was from a different line.

Most of the Buccellatos you read about (most, not all) trace their lineage to the chart in my book, including myself. Mattarella's wife, however, does not. Hope that makes sense.