Epifanio "Frank Fauney" D'Angelo (Bonanno)

[stevan tod]

Lcnbios posted textual info, photograph is from me.

[B.]

I posted this mug some time ago in Bonanno section. At first i posted this without watermark, but i repost it now with watermark on. And iam waitin for Alex and Hailbritain to make beef over this.Just so everybody can know, you can go back in Bonanno mugs section and will see it i posted this mug first

Anyway Arrest photo of Anthony Nino Spadaro
Lcnbios posted this in earlier topic:

Don't worry, nobody will be fighting about photos in this thread. Thanks for sharing the photo + info.

Didn't know Anthony Spadaro also used the spelling "Spataro" like Frank Fauney's mother. Also more evidence the spellings were interchangeable. That and his connection to the East Village add a lot to this thread.

[stevan tod]

I posted this mug some time ago in Bonanno section. At first i posted this without watermark, but i repost it now with watermark on. And iam waitin for Alex and Hailbritain to make beef over this.Just so everybody can know, you can go back in Bonanno mugs section and will see it i posted this mug first

Anyway Arrest photo of Anthony Nino Spadaro
Lcnbios posted this in earlier topic:

Don't worry, nobody will be fighting about photos in this thread. Thanks for sharing the photo + info.

Didn't know Anthony Spadaro also used the spelling "Spataro" like Frank Fauney's mother. Also more evidence the spellings were interchangeable. That and his connection to the East Village add a lot to this thread.

Thanks B. Is it possible there Is some newspapers article s with mention of Frank Fauney? I was tryin to find something but no luck. To many variations of his name and Last name. I will try to dig something about the guy via Foia. Strong possibilites the guy is on Bono wedding photos too. That one with Bonomo and Ligammari i cant sleep at night coz that one. I think everyone at the table are made guys. I got photo resemblin the guy with mustache but no name. There Is a guy named Deangelis on Bonanno chart but i think the name Is Albert or something. Bonanno crews from 70s are freakin mess.

[stevan tod]

Cant find obituary or something for the guy. I was always wondering about Frank Fauney,ever since JD discover this guy. Never heard before about him. Iam goin through your outstanding post no flatter really, once again, damn i really wish his photo. No way he Is alive at 107 years.i think that in thread about Bonanno/Montreal 2002 someone said that Epifanio died in 1977. And i was wrong about FBI dead list. They only have Gaetano D Angelo entry.

[B.]

Yeah, I thought of the Bono wedding photo too. The known guys in the photo are Frank Bonomo, Vito "Willie" Badamo Sr., and Giovanni Ligammari. Bonomo and Badamo were both Castellammarese, while Bonomo and Ligammari were both believed to be Salvo crew members at one point. D'Angelo would def fit in with that table if he attended.

[stevan tod]

Not in connection with this, but maybe. From Lcn bios on Nicholas Castello: On March 29, 1973 FBI questioned a potential source about Castello: "Target stated that Castello was a 'nice boy' who was killed by his girlfriend last summer. Target stated he was not really sorry 'Nicky' was dead because target said 'he should have stayed home with his wife'." (FBI noted re this source: "[Target] gave background on local Knickerbocker Avenue hoodlums and information regarding old and deceased Bonanno Family members. All above men are members of Evola LCN Family..Target is a Capo in above Family. Target has been contacted on one occasion by the alternate agent. It is to be noted that target speaks very little English." Later reports indicate that, despite these early interviews, this individual did not cooperate further and was abandoned as a potential source.) who the hell is this guy? Potential source? I got something rollin through my head Farrugia's english was bad, or someone. I saw somewhere Catalano had issues with language but he cant be our '' D'angelo'' informant.

[Chaps]

Not in connection with this, but maybe. From Lcn bios on Nicholas Castello: On March 29, 1973 FBI questioned a potential source about Castello: "Target stated that Castello was a 'nice boy' who was killed by his girlfriend last summer. Target stated he was not really sorry 'Nicky' was dead because target said 'he should have stayed home with his wife'." (FBI noted re this source: "[Target] gave background on local Knickerbocker Avenue hoodlums and information regarding old and deceased Bonanno Family members. All above men are members of Evola LCN Family..Target is a Capo in above Family. Target has been contacted on one occasion by the alternate agent. It is to be noted that target speaks very little English." Later reports indicate that, despite these early interviews, this individual did not cooperate further and was abandoned as a potential source.) who the hell is this guy? Potential source? I got something rollin through my head Farrugia's english was bad, or someone. I saw somewhere Catalano had issues with language but he cant be our '' D'angelo'' informant.

I remember reading this Stevan and I have always felt that is was Pietro Licata. He was a capo around this time and operated on Knickerbocker Ave. He also would have had extensive knowledge of older Bonanno members.

[B.]

Not in connection with this, but maybe. From Lcn bios on Nicholas Castello: On March 29, 1973 FBI questioned a potential source about Castello: "Target stated that Castello was a 'nice boy' who was killed by his girlfriend last summer. Target stated he was not really sorry 'Nicky' was dead because target said 'he should have stayed home with his wife'." (FBI noted re this source: "[Target] gave background on local Knickerbocker Avenue hoodlums and information regarding old and deceased Bonanno Family members. All above men are members of Evola LCN Family..Target is a Capo in above Family. Target has been contacted on one occasion by the alternate agent. It is to be noted that target speaks very little English." Later reports indicate that, despite these early interviews, this individual did not cooperate further and was abandoned as a potential source.) who the hell is this guy? Potential source? I got something rollin through my head Farrugia's english was bad, or someone. I saw somewhere Catalano had issues with language but he cant be our '' D'angelo'' informant.

I remember reading this Stevan and I have always felt that is was Pietro Licata. He was a capo around this time and operated on Knickerbocker Ave. He also would have had extensive knowledge of older Bonanno members.

I'm 99% sure it was Licata.

There is a report in addition to the one Stevan mentioned where they talked to the same source about the murder of Vito Licata and asked about his relation to him. Pietro Licata spoke broken English, which is consistent also.

It didn't seem like he fully cooperated, just gave basic info on people he knew.

[stevan tod]

I should sharpen up. Thanks gents.

[thekiduknow]

Not in connection with this, but maybe. From Lcn bios on Nicholas Castello: On March 29, 1973 FBI questioned a potential source about Castello: "Target stated that Castello was a 'nice boy' who was killed by his girlfriend last summer. Target stated he was not really sorry 'Nicky' was dead because target said 'he should have stayed home with his wife'." (FBI noted re this source: "[Target] gave background on local Knickerbocker Avenue hoodlums and information regarding old and deceased Bonanno Family members. All above men are members of Evola LCN Family..Target is a Capo in above Family. Target has been contacted on one occasion by the alternate agent. It is to be noted that target speaks very little English." Later reports indicate that, despite these early interviews, this individual did not cooperate further and was abandoned as a potential source.) who the hell is this guy? Potential source? I got something rollin through my head Farrugia's english was bad, or someone. I saw somewhere Catalano had issues with language but he cant be our '' D'angelo'' informant.

I remember reading this Stevan and I have always felt that is was Pietro Licata. He was a capo around this time and operated on Knickerbocker Ave. He also would have had extensive knowledge of older Bonanno members.

I'm 99% sure it was Licata.

There is a report in addition to the one Stevan mentioned where they talked to the same source about the murder of Vito Licata and asked about his relation to him. Pietro Licata spoke broken English, which is consistent also.

It didn't seem like he fully cooperated, just gave basic info on people he knew.

This sounds like it:



It’s in Licata’s file. Looks like the Castello source was Licata I looked a little past it, but didn’t see anything about Castello, but they probably removed it.

I’ve seen interviews other members gave the FBI, and it seems common for them talk about other members without saying they’re members, especially if the feds are showing them photographs.

Do we know if Vito was related? He claims they might be distant cousins here but later in the file they refer to him as his nephew.

[B.]

Not sure about the relation. Pietro may have downplayed it given what he said about Vito's reputation.

If Pietro Licata fully cooperated it would have been incredible as he was arrested for mafia involvement in Sicily under Mussolini. Who knows what all he knew.

You're right about FBI interviews, sometimes they are surprisingly candid. Many old time NYC guys were surprisingly candid without fully cooperating. Angelo Bruno was against members talking too much to the FBI but did say it was okay to admit to the FBI they knew certain people because many guys were neighbors and openly socialized together, kind of an earlier version of the Merlino guys using the childhood friends argument in court.

[B.]

Forgot to mention this:

https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2019/05/bi ... o.html?m=0

He has Frank D'Angelo as a close associate of Nino Adamo and it looks like D'Angelo may have been under Mike Sabella circa mid-1960s. He says D'Angelo was a captain around 1968 and took over many of Mike Sabella's men.

Seems the FBI was receiving updates on Adamo so interesting D'Angelo was close to him. Adamo was in the Prisinzano crew during the same period an informant was active there.

[HairyKnuckles]

Nice thread. I always enjoy reading all your topics B. I´ve said it a couple of times but it´s worth mentioning it again. You are a great asset to this forum.

I have D´Angelo as deceased in 1977. I base that on his SSDI page. I could be wrong since you said he was alive in 2002. Note that his death is not confirmed. Also note that his YOB is listed as 1906.

Name: Epiphano Dangelo
State of Issue: New York
Date of Birth: Wednesday December 12, 1906
Date of Death: April 1977
Est. Age at Death: 70 years, 4 months
Last known residence:
City: Brooklyn
County: Kings
State: New York
ZIP Code: 11235

For some reason, I have him sponsered by John Bonventre. For the life of me, I can not remember where I got that info from but possibly it comes from one of the files I´ve read. He was under Mike Sabella and later under Salvo.

[B.]

Thanks for the kind words, HK. Always look forward to your info also.

- That's definitely a different D'Angelo in the SSDI. Like you pointed out, the DOB doesn't fit as Fauney was born in 1914. The SSDI index stopped including people who have died more recently due to identity theft concerns so Fauney's presumed death in 2000s might be hard to find right now without an obituary. His use of different first names and "Frank D'Angelo" being so common makes it more difficult (same is true for newspaper article, etc.).

- There could well be a John Bonventre connection, as Bonventre had interests in the East Village+Brooklyn and was Castellammarese like the sponsor. He was still living in Sicily when Frank Fauney and his family were living there which fits. I suspect the sponsor was older than the informant and if it was John Bonventre that might explain why Joe Bonanno took such a direct role in the ceremony.

- Bonventre seems to have had a big role in recruiting new members before he left the US and Mike Sabella took over part of his crew. Because D'Angelo ended up under Sabella and LCNBios has D'Angelo taking over part of Sabella's crew for a time there could well be more history with Bonventre. Bonventre was also closely involved with Carmine Galante, so he's still in the mix here.

- D'Angelo's alleged promotion seems to coincide with the period where Frank Mari was gaining power over the family so maybe that factored into his role at the time.

[B.]

Another Castellammarese name the D'Angelos were related to is Messina. Frank Fauney's mother was a Spataro but her mother's maiden name was Messina. I'm finding the name Messina comes up in a few Castellammarese family trees adjacent to Bonanno members.

Does anyone know where the Messinas in the Bonanno family came from or have any further info on them? There were two or three of them ID'd as members.

Boston boss Gaspare Messina was originally a Bonanno member but he was from Salemi, not Castellammare.

- There could well be a John Bonventre connection, as Bonventre had interests in the East Village+Brooklyn and was Castellammarese like the sponsor.

Clarification -- the sponsor isn't said to be Castellammarese in the FBI report, only from Sicily, so that much is informed speculation based on D'Angelo being the likely informant. Just want that to be clear.