40 years ago today

[Ivan]

You guys forgot that Pistone helped chop up Sonny Red. (according to the movie anyway)

That's the second-stupidest thing I've seen in a "true" mob movie.

Gold medal goes to Eliot Ness throwing Frank Nitti off a building to avenge the death of Mike Malone, of all people, in "The Untouchables."

[thekiduknow]

The three Capo’s get clipped.

So who was there? Apart from Massino, who was present?

I took these notes from Massino’s testimony:

“Sal Vitale, Vito Rizzuto, “Vinny from Canada”, Frank Navarra, and FNU Bonventre were the shooters. Massino and George from Canada were also there, and George shot and killed Sonny Red.

James Tartaglione, Sal Vitale, Anthony Rabito, Lefty Ruggiero, and Bobby Caposio(?) helped move the bodies

John Ligamati, captain from New Jersey, Massino, George from Canada, Joe Bayonne, Nick DiStefano were all at the three captains meeting. Not all of them knew that the captains would be murdered. Nick DiStefano and Joe Bayonne were with Sonny Red’s faction. They were there to make the three captains feel like it was a regular captains meeting”

I can’t remember where I read it but from what I remember Sonny Black was there as well, and was worried that the zips would betray them so he stayed outside.

Thinking back, in another thread I think B. mentioned that Manny Ragusa was also a shooter and that he could be the “Vinny from Canada”, and it was just a typo/Massino misspoke.

[Super]

This is the incident that I'm most interested in even forty years later. Sonny Red and Phil seemed to have huge sway and prestige in the family. I think maybe Sonny could of been boss if he didn't fuck with the Canadian crew this crew was also close with the NY zips who I think who's power he underestimated . Apart from junk what was red involved in gambling loan shark Joseph the brother as well all information appreciated.

[chin_gigante]

This is what I've got in terms of trying to keep track of everyone's involvement.


Waiting at the club:

- Santo Giordano (captain)
- Giovanni Ligammari (captain)
- Joseph Massino (captain)
- Gerlando Sciascia (captain)
- Francesco Navarra (soldier)

Waiting in closet:

- Salvatore Vitale (associate)
- Emanuel Ragusa (associate/ soldier)
- Vito Rizzuto (associate/ soldier)
- FNU Bonventre (associate/ soldier)

Lookout/ driver:

- Duane Leisenheimer (associate)

Clean-up crew:

- Dominick Napolitano (captain)
- Benjamin Ruggiero (acting captain)
- Anthony Rabito (soldier)
- Robert Capasio (associate)
- John Cerasani (associate)
- James Tartaglione (associate)

Unwitting witnesses:

- Nicholas DiStefano (captain)
- Joseph Zicarelli (captain)
- Frank Lino (acting captain)

Gambino disposal team:

- John Carneglia (Gambino soldier)
- Gene Gotti (Gambino soldier)
- Angelo Ruggiero (Gambino soldier)

Others:

- James Episcopia (soldier) described as "in on" the murders by Lefty Ruggiero in conversation with Joseph Pistone
- Nicholas Santora (associate) described as "in on" the murders by Ruggiero; later personally discussed witnessing Trinchera's murder in conversation with Pistone; Massino and Vitale later testified Santora had lied about his involvement
- Two individuals assigned by Napolitano to sit with Alfred Embarrato at the Motion Lounge until word came back that the murders had been successful

Other conspirators within the Bonanno family:

- Salvatore Ferrugia (acting boss) went with Massino and Sciascia to inform the Gambino and Colombo families that the rival captains were arming themselves
- Ferrugia and Stefano Cannone (consigliere) set up the captains' meeting
- Massino sent word in prison to Philip Rastelli (boss) through his brother Martin Rastelli (associate)

Conspirators from other families:

- Carmine Franzese (Colombo soldier) alerted Massino that the rival captains were hiding weapons at a junkyard owned by Trinchera in the Bronx
- Permission for the conspirators to defend themselves given by Paul Castellano (Gambino boss) and Carmine Persico (Colombo boss)
- John Gotti (Gambino acting captain) recruited by Massino to dispose of the bodies
- Aniello Dellacroce (Gambino underboss) and Edward Lino (Gambino associate) reached out to Frank Lino to see if he had alerted the police or the rival Bonanno faction to the murders after he escaped
- Frank DeCicco (Gambino soldier) and Angelo Ruggiero then sent back word that it was safe for the clean-up team to move the bodies

[Dave65827]

Gravano talked about this in his new video https://youtu.be/I9xR5a-qtCA
Also talks about the Galante hit and says Gotti was involved in getting rid of the guns/burying bodies in the three captains murder

Also can’t remember the names of Nick/Vito Rizzuto and said that “they aren’t a family there a crew of the bonnanos, the family is a media/newspaper invention”. His info may be a out of touch depending

[PolackTony]

I recall reading something once that claimed Gotti helped with the bodies because he’d been friends with Massino since they were kids. This might have been some piece on the “mafia graveyard” in the “Hole” section of ENY where the three capos were buried. They way it was worded made it seem like they were from the same neighborhood. But that didn’t make any sense to me — Gotti grew up in ENY and Massino in Maspeth (?). So unless they had some other connection I don’t see that they would likely go back that far. They met when they were associates on the street in the 60s or 70s, correct? Did they know each other from running in the same hijacking circles?

[B.]

FNU Bonventre is probably Gaspare Bonventre, Santo Giordano's uncle.

There is an account of the injured Giordano being taken to his uncle Gaspare Bonventre's Brooklyn apartment before getting medical help. The story makes it out that Bonventre was already at home and the other men knocked on his door, but seems more likely he was the FNU Bonventre ID'd by Massino as an old timer at the murder scene. Another relative of Giordano, Francesco Navarra, also participated in the hit.

JimmyB had some info about a Gaspare Bonventre in the Castellammare family who had a reputation for violence and traveled between the US and Sicily during this period. Giordano and Navarra were related to Castellammarese mafia figures so there's a good chance this is the same Gaspare Bonventre.

Giordano was also involved with the Carmine Galante murder. Turns out to be a more important guy than a lot of us previously thought.

[motorfab]

I don't remember who it is anymore (Lino? Vitale?) But one of the informants had designated in addition of Rizzuto & Ragusa another zip from Montreal among the shooters, a guy nicknamed "The Old Man"

[Manhattan_]

Russell Mauro ? His name always pops up as the actual murder of Carmine Galante.

[chin_gigante]

I don't remember who it is anymore (Lino? Vitale?) But one of the informants had designated in addition of Rizzuto & Ragusa another zip from Montreal among the shooters, a guy nicknamed "The Old Man"

FNU Bonventre and the old timer are the same guy. Some of the sources said he was from Montreal and some said he was from New York

[chin_gigante]

Russell Mauro ? His name always pops up as the actual murder of Carmine Galante.

To the best of my knowledge Mauro's name hasn't come up in connection to the three captains

[motorfab]

I don't remember who it is anymore (Lino? Vitale?) But one of the informants had designated in addition of Rizzuto & Ragusa another zip from Montreal among the shooters, a guy nicknamed "The Old Man"

FNU Bonventre and the old timer are the same guy. Some of the sources said he was from Montreal and some said he was from New York

Thanks for clearing it up Chin

[Pmac2]

crazy that many guys kept that a secret for 20+ years till they all flipped. also clears up rumour sammys club was the scence of the hits

[mike68]

Vito Rizzuto's attendance and participation back then ended up setting up the great Montreal mob war over the past several years.

Fellas I'm ignorant and uncultured, someone please explain to me how this eventually culminated in the Montreal mayhem.

The 3 Capo Murders is what got Vito sent to prison in the US. People believe if he wasn't in jail none of what happened in Montreal would of happened.

So it's not like the 3 capos murders led to the war but it was a domino that fell leading up to it.

Exactly, Vito even predicted while the authorities were taking him way, that it would happen. He said he was the only one who could keep all of the factions working together, and he was right. They waited for him to be gone, and then they started the insurrection.

[Manhattan_]

Russell Mauro ? His name always pops up as the actual murder of Carmine Galante.

To the best of my knowledge Mauro's name hasn't come up in connection to the three captains