Barney Miranda

[B.]

Said to be Mike Miranda's nephew, Barney Miranda was operating at the higher levels of the Genovese family in the 1960s. What's his story, though? Birth name was Bonaventura Miranda (b.1916) and he came over from Calabria at some point, being naturalized in the 1950s. He shows up on the DeCarlo tapes and is said to speak with a heavy Italian accent, meaning he must have come over in adulthood or close to it. He died in the early 1970s.

He denied to the government that he was related to Mike Miranda, which isn't surprising with the way these guys operate, but on a DeCarlo transcript he refers to Miranda simply as a Calabrese and paisano of his, indicating they are from the same place but he apparently doesn't mention a blood relation.

Anyone have more information on him?

[HairyKnuckles]

Said to be Mike Miranda's nephew, Barney Miranda was operating at the higher levels of the Genovese family in the 1960s. What's his story, though? Birth name was Bonaventura Miranda (b.1916) and he came over from Calabria at some point, being naturalized in the 1950s. He shows up on the DeCarlo tapes and is said to speak with a heavy Italian accent, meaning he must have come over in adulthood or close to it. He died in the early 1970s.

He denied to the government that he was related to Mike Miranda, which isn't surprising with the way these guys operate, but on a DeCarlo transcript he refers to Miranda simply as a Calabrese and paisano of his, indicating they are from the same place but he apparently doesn't mention a blood relation.

Anyone have more information on him?

I figure you know more about him than me. All I can find is his home address of 1405 71st Street, Brooklyn as shown on his naturalization papers (1956). In 1965, he was booked on charges of consorting for unlawful purposes with Mike Miranda, Pete Defeo, Tommy Ryan, Jimmy Napoli, Tony Carillo and others after a police raid at Lombardi's Restaurant on Spring Street in Little Italy. (Another bust that was dubbed by the media as "Little Appalachin".) In the papers, Barney was described as Mike Miranda´s brother. In documents found on MF, he is mentioned as being Mike´s nephew. So I´m not sure what the exact relation was.

[B.]

Said to be Mike Miranda's nephew, Barney Miranda was operating at the higher levels of the Genovese family in the 1960s. What's his story, though? Birth name was Bonaventura Miranda (b.1916) and he came over from Calabria at some point, being naturalized in the 1950s. He shows up on the DeCarlo tapes and is said to speak with a heavy Italian accent, meaning he must have come over in adulthood or close to it. He died in the early 1970s.

He denied to the government that he was related to Mike Miranda, which isn't surprising with the way these guys operate, but on a DeCarlo transcript he refers to Miranda simply as a Calabrese and paisano of his, indicating they are from the same place but he apparently doesn't mention a blood relation.

Anyone have more information on him?

I figure you know more about him than me. All I can find is his home address of 1405 71st Street, Brooklyn as shown on his naturalization papers (1956). In 1965, he was booked on charges of consorting for unlawful purposes with Mike Miranda, Pete Defeo, Tommy Ryan, Jimmy Napoli, Tony Carillo and others after a police raid at Lombardi's Restaurant on Spring Street in Little Italy. (Another bust that was dubbed by the media as "Little Appalachin".) In the papers, Barney was described as Mike Miranda´s brother. In documents found on MF, he is mentioned as being Mike´s nephew. So I´m not sure what the exact relation was.

Yeah, the fallout from the little Apalachin meeting is one of the main references to him. Outside of that, he seems to have been a go-between/aide for Mike Miranda and other family leaders, as Mike Miranda was at the time concerned about growing tension in the family and LE scrutiny, plus had health problems requiring hospitalization.

What caught my interest about Barney was that he seems to have come over from Italy later on and the transcript indicates that he has knowledge of mainland Italian criminal groups (he refers to an organization operating in Italian prison in a conversation with DeCarlo). I'd be curious if he came over after WWII and if so, whether Vito Genovese had any contact with him over there. Genovese and Mike Miranda's relationship is another subject -- I have always been under the impression that Miranda was Genovese's main man, but Miranda is one of the leaders said by informants to have turned on Genovese after he went to prison.

Typically these guys don't lie to the government about their blood relationships, as the gov can easily find that info on their own. If anything, kinship relations actually makes criminal associations look more legitimate, so I'm not sure why Barney would lie about his relation to Michele. His referring to Miranda simply as a Calabrese "paesano" to other gangsters is interesting, too... Angelo Bruno refers to John Simone only as a "paesano" in one transcript, too, when Simone is most commonly said to be Bruno's cousin (they at least have mutual cousins, indicating there is a relation). The Miranda situation could be more like that, or like Carlo Gambino/John Gambino and Angelo Gagliano/Tommaso Gagliano, where there is likely a relation but it is a couple generations removed. Or maybe Barney was just full of shit and Mike was his uncle. His full birth name was Bonaventura Michele Miranda, not that a common middle name indicates anything. Not sure how the timeline would match up for Barney's father to have been Mike's brother Antonio, who was in the US much earlier than Barney and was killed earlier on.

There is also Mike's son Anthony "Tony" Miranda, who lived in Phoenix. According to one FBI report, San Francisco boss Lanza was disturbed because Tony Miranda had visited San Francisco in the mid-1960s and contacted Lanza, but nobody had alerted Lanza ahead of time (we know from the Balistrieri transcripts that a boss of a local family is supposed to be notified when someone from elsewhere is visiting his city, and that it is considered an insult when the boss is not notified). Lanza was apparently upset about this and may have felt Mike Miranda was making a play of some kind. Mike Miranda had a brother named Antonio Miranda who was killed decades earlier, so Mike's son Anthony would be a younger namesake of him. No indication that this Tony of Phoenix was a member but he was in contact with Los Angeles members in addition to his meeting with Lanza.

Anyway, thanks for weighing in.

[Eld]

Surveillance photos from c. 1957 outside Alto knights social club.

Upper left to right John Ardito, Alfred Criscuolo
Lower left to right Barney Miranda, Louis Arminante

Besides that 1965 arrest he had an 1955 arrest for carrying a knife.

[B.]

Excellent! I'd seen references to this set of photos in a document but the photo itself was redacted so I appreciate it. In one document, Ardito was described as something of a protege of Mike Miranda and Ardito rose in power following Miranda's death. Anyone know if that's accurate?

[Cheech]

Busters father or is that Buster?

[Eld]

It is Buster.

[Pogo The Clown]

In one document, Ardito was described as something of a protege of Mike Miranda and Ardito rose in power following Miranda's death. Anyone know if that's accurate?

Probably. Ardito was a Soldier in the Miranda Crew and he was promoted to Capo and the ruling panel right around the time Miranda died.


Pogo

[SonnyBlackstein]

Fantastic pic Eld

[Cheech]

It is Buster.

thanks Eld. appreciate it

[HairyKnuckles]

It is Buster.

thanks Eld. appreciate it

I second that.

Buster was very close to Miranda and may have been directly assaigned to him after Miranda's huge crew was split up. He succeeded him as consigliere after his death and was part of a ruling panel when Tieri was indicted and ill. The story goes that Ardito was a very bad man, disliked and not particulary popular with the troops. A man that was only out for himself. He was demoted from his consigliere position sometime in the late 1970s but rose again to a rank of caporegime in the 1990s.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

Said to be Mike Miranda's nephew, Barney Miranda was operating at the higher levels of the Genovese family in the 1960s. What's his story, though? Birth name was Bonaventura Miranda (b.1916) and he came over from Calabria at some point, being naturalized in the 1950s. He shows up on the DeCarlo tapes and is said to speak with a heavy Italian accent, meaning he must have come over in adulthood or close to it. He died in the early 1970s.

He denied to the government that he was related to Mike Miranda, which isn't surprising with the way these guys operate, but on a DeCarlo transcript he refers to Miranda simply as a Calabrese and paisano of his, indicating they are from the same place but he apparently doesn't mention a blood relation.

Anyone have more information on him?

I figure you know more about him than me. All I can find is his home address of 1405 71st Street, Brooklyn as shown on his naturalization papers (1956). In 1965, he was booked on charges of consorting for unlawful purposes with Mike Miranda, Pete Defeo, Tommy Ryan, Jimmy Napoli, Tony Carillo and others after a police raid at Lombardi's Restaurant on Spring Street in Little Italy. (Another bust that was dubbed by the media as "Little Appalachin".) In the papers, Barney was described as Mike Miranda´s brother. In documents found on MF, he is mentioned as being Mike´s nephew. So I´m not sure what the exact relation was.

Yeah, the fallout from the little Apalachin meeting is one of the main references to him. Outside of that, he seems to have been a go-between/aide for Mike Miranda and other family leaders, as Mike Miranda was at the time concerned about growing tension in the family and LE scrutiny, plus had health problems requiring hospitalization.

What caught my interest about Barney was that he seems to have come over from Italy later on and the transcript indicates that he has knowledge of mainland Italian criminal groups (he refers to an organization operating in Italian prison in a conversation with DeCarlo). I'd be curious if he came over after WWII and if so, whether Vito Genovese had any contact with him over there. Genovese and Mike Miranda's relationship is another subject -- I have always been under the impression that Miranda was Genovese's main man, but Miranda is one of the leaders said by informants to have turned on Genovese after he went to prison.

Typically these guys don't lie to the government about their blood relationships, as the gov can easily find that info on their own. If anything, kinship relations actually makes criminal associations look more legitimate, so I'm not sure why Barney would lie about his relation to Michele. His referring to Miranda simply as a Calabrese "paesano" to other gangsters is interesting, too... Angelo Bruno refers to John Simone only as a "paesano" in one transcript, too, when Simone is most commonly said to be Bruno's cousin (they at least have mutual cousins, indicating there is a relation). The Miranda situation could be more like that, or like Carlo Gambino/John Gambino and Angelo Gagliano/Tommaso Gagliano, where there is likely a relation but it is a couple generations removed. Or maybe Barney was just full of shit and Mike was his uncle. His full birth name was Bonaventura Michele Miranda, not that a common middle name indicates anything. Not sure how the timeline would match up for Barney's father to have been Mike's brother Antonio, who was in the US much earlier than Barney and was killed earlier on.

There is also Mike's son Anthony "Tony" Miranda, who lived in Phoenix. According to one FBI report, San Francisco boss Lanza was disturbed because Tony Miranda had visited San Francisco in the mid-1960s and contacted Lanza, but nobody had alerted Lanza ahead of time (we know from the Balistrieri transcripts that a boss of a local family is supposed to be notified when someone from elsewhere is visiting his city, and that it is considered an insult when the boss is not notified). Lanza was apparently upset about this and may have felt Mike Miranda was making a play of some kind. Mike Miranda had a brother named Antonio Miranda who was killed decades earlier, so Mike's son Anthony would be a younger namesake of him. No indication that this Tony of Phoenix was a member but he was in contact with Los Angeles members in addition to his meeting with Lanza.

Does anyone have a link to these tape transcripts?
Thanks, SP

[Pogo The Clown]

Buster was very close to Miranda and may have been directly assaigned to him after Miranda's huge crew was split up. He succeeded him as consigliere after his death and was part of a ruling panel when Tieri was indicted and ill. The story goes that Ardito was a very bad man, disliked and not particulary popular with the troops. A man that was only out for himself. He was demoted from his consigliere position sometime in the late 1970s but rose again to a rank of caporegime in the 1990s.

I thought Salerno succeeded Miranda as Consiglieri?


Pogo

[HairyKnuckles]

Buster was very close to Miranda and may have been directly assaigned to him after Miranda's huge crew was split up. He succeeded him as consigliere after his death and was part of a ruling panel when Tieri was indicted and ill. The story goes that Ardito was a very bad man, disliked and not particulary popular with the troops. A man that was only out for himself. He was demoted from his consigliere position sometime in the late 1970s but rose again to a rank of caporegime in the 1990s.

I thought Salerno succeeded Miranda as Consiglieri?


Pogo

Not according to FBI reports. I've posted snippets from them but not sure if those snippets can be viewed any more. I was forced to change image hosting site some time ago. But I'm sure you've seen it. Anyway, by Feb 1978, Salerno was the consigliere and Gigante the underboss. That's from JD.

[Frank]

Buster was very close to Miranda and may have been directly assaigned to him after Miranda's huge crew was split up. He succeeded him as consigliere after his death and was part of a ruling panel when Tieri was indicted and ill. The story goes that Ardito was a very bad man, disliked and not particulary popular with the troops. A man that was only out for himself. He was demoted from his consigliere position sometime in the late 1970s but rose again to a rank of caporegime in the 1990s.

I thought Salerno succeeded Miranda as Consiglieri?


Pogo

Not according to FBI reports. I've posted snippets from them but not sure if those snippets can be viewed any more. I was forced to change image hosting site some time ago. But I'm sure you've seen it. Anyway, by Feb 1978, Salerno was the consigliere and Gigante the underboss. That's from JD.

Who was boss by Feb 1978 Tieri or Lombardo or both