Nicky Bianco

[B.]

He's well-known for many reasons, but what are the facts about him? I don't know much, so here are some questions I'm hoping those knowledgeable of the Colombos and/or the Patriarcas can answer.

- Originally from Providence, moved to Brooklyn and got hooked up with the Colombos. How did this come about and how did he gain their trust/respect so easily? I have seen it mentioned that he was close with the Gallos originally, but is there any truth to that?

- He maintained ties to Providence, where he served as a point of contact with Ray Patriarca, who made Bianco. Was Bianco already associated with the Patriarca family before he moved to NYC, or did the Colombos introduce him to Patriarca just so he could get his button?

- He is transferred to the Colombos, which is likely the reason he was made to begin with to get around the closed books. Membership transfers were extremely rare by this time, so why was this allowed and what was so special about him that not only the Colombos, but NYC as a whole would allow this?

- He becomes close to Greg Scarpa and is featured as one of the main figures in Scarpa's FBI reports through the 1960s and into the early 70s. He also becomes a close, trusted confidant of Joe Colombo, who promotes Bianco to captain but does not give him any soldiers and also doesn't give him any additional rackets.

- There is no doubt that Bianco was one of the more respected members of the family during this time despite his young age and outsider status. As a high-ranking Colombo member, he is privy to much of what goes on in the administration of the family. Despite all of the factionalism and problems going on throughout this time, he holds somewhat of a mediator's role in the family while staying loyal to Colombo's regime.

- He is demoted at some point but continues to be active in family affairs. After Joe Colombo is shot, Bianco decides to move to Providence full-time and becomes recognized once again with the Patriarcas. Did he immediately get recognition as a Patriarca member? Did the Colombos have to formally release him? Normally that would be the case but the whole story is rare and confusing.

- I know next to nothing about the Patriarcas or Bianco's story once he gets to Providence, but it sounds like he quickly becomes one of Ray Patriarca's top men and is promoted to captain. Just about a decade after moving back to Providence, he is in the running to be boss of the organization and is involved in many of the problems going on. From there the story is fairly well known, so I'll cut this here.

All in all, somewhat of an enigma in the 1950s - 1980s era of the US mob.

[willychichi]

- He is demoted at some point but continues to be active in family affairs. After Joe Colombo is shot, Bianco decides to move to Providence full-time and becomes recognized once again with the Patriarcas. Did he immediately get recognition as a Patriarca member? Did the Colombos have to formally release him? Normally that would be the case but the whole story is rare and confusing.

From what I've read Bianco was looking to rejoin the Patriarca's long before Colombo was shot due to all the attention Colombo was drawing to the family with his civil rights bullshit. According to Scarpa, Bianco had bought a house in Providence months earlier and was trying to distance himself from the Colombos and made the move after Colombo was taken out. Thanks for the thread!

[B.]

- He is demoted at some point but continues to be active in family affairs. After Joe Colombo is shot, Bianco decides to move to Providence full-time and becomes recognized once again with the Patriarcas. Did he immediately get recognition as a Patriarca member? Did the Colombos have to formally release him? Normally that would be the case but the whole story is rare and confusing.

From what I've read Bianco was looking to rejoin the Patriarca's long before Colombo was shot due to all the attention Colombo was drawing to the family with his civil rights bullshit. According to Scarpa, Bianco had bought a house in Providence months earlier and was trying to distance himself from the Colombos and made the move after Colombo was taken out. Thanks for the thread!

That's right. I do remember reading that Bianco had gotten sick of what Colombo had been doing as well as the lack of money he was making, so he was phasing out of NY before the shooting happened. Thanks.

It says a lot about the guy that he was in the thick of things in Brooklyn and officially a Colombo, but had the freedom to go where he pleased. What I have trouble wrapping my head around is the fact that they went out of their way to get this outsider made and transferred into their family, plus how he managed to be a ranking and respected figure in two different families in different cities during such a short time.

[dixiemafia]

Nicky was ALWAYS close to Raymond it seems. There are wiretap convos of Raymond telling him that if the Gallo's give him any shit to just pop them and if he needed help he would send 3 or 4 guys to help if needed (or something like that). Nicky was also made when the books were closed, that is true.

I think for some reason or another the Gallo's trusted him and he only went down there to help, and was a Patriarca the whole time but that is just my opinion (no facts of course). I am probably wrong but I just don't think anyone other than the Colombo's claimed him during that time, as it seemed everyone that knew him knew he was close to Ray.

The reason I think he was very close to Ray is because of those conversations and the fact he made him, then when Bianco held top spots in the Patriarca's as well after Sr. died. We seen how well they liked to follow orders of those they hated when Grasso was popped as well as Cadillac Frank.

I don't know a whole lot about this but the Bianco subject has ALWAYS interested me too. I had a thread on here somewhere (not sure if it was this board or the old one) where me and Five were discussing this where he found out the exact date I think Bianco was made. It was a restaurant somewhere in Manhattan maybe? It was in NYC and they had some special deal for him as the books were closed.

But like you it makes you wonder why the Gallo's listened to him as he was keeping the peace it seemed for a long time with Ray advising him that whole time as well. I don't think most families would have liked that, but Ray had a higher standing with the commission and bosses than most think as well.

I just wished we had something more on Bianco out there.

[dixiemafia]

I think he was born and raised on Federal Hill too, so that makes me think even more he was always a Patriarca that was just helping the Colombo's with the help of Ray.


Of course I'm probably way off

[B.]

You could be onto something about his early ties to Patriarca and that family (would make more sense than if he was just some unconnected guy who went to NY), but he was definitely a Colombo member and captain during the 1960s and early 70s. If he was brought in to help mediate the problem within the Colombos, the question is why him? What about this kid from Rhode Island would mean anything to a bunch of guys who lived in a South Brooklyn bubble?

[Pogo The Clown]

According to the info JD discovered Bianco was made sometime during Magliocco's reign, promoted to Capo in 1970, demoted in 1971 and trasfered to the Patriarca's in 1973.


Also this may be nothing but there was a Salvatore Bianco (born in 1900) who was an early member of the Colombo family. Perhaps he is a relative of Nicky Bianco? It would explain his connections to this family.


Pogo

[dixiemafia]

You could be onto something about his early ties to Patriarca and that family (would make more sense than if he was just some unconnected guy who went to NY), but he was definitely a Colombo member and captain during the 1960s and early 70s. If he was brought in to help mediate the problem within the Colombos, the question is why him? What about this kid from Rhode Island would mean anything to a bunch of guys who lived in a South Brooklyn bubble?

That's what I always wondered. He was either a Colombo that worked a lot with Ray and got his respect, or he was either a RI guy that Ray used to help the Colombo's for some reason and like you say why would the Gallo's be following him?

Honestly I'm not sure we'll ever find out. I find Bianco's route very interesting and wished we knew more.

[B.]

That's what I always wondered. He was either a Colombo that worked a lot with Ray and got his respect, or he was either a RI guy that Ray used to help the Colombo's for some reason and like you say why would the Gallo's be following him?

Honestly I'm not sure we'll ever find out. I find Bianco's route very interesting and wished we knew more.

Bianco was 100% recognized as a member of the Colombos in the 1960s and early 70s, that much we know.

And Pogo, that would definitely explain something if Bianco was related to an older Colombo member.

[dixiemafia]

Oh yea I'm not refuting the fact he was recognized as a Colombo.

I just still wonder why it was Ray that made him, and by the sounds of their conversations they were more than close. I don't think Ray talked like that to all his soldiers, they just seemed too close for it to be a soldier/boss relationship, know what I mean? I know back then the bosses were not worried about insulating themselves from orders, etc. but why would Ray intercede, make someone, etc. if they were not close? Nobody in Rhode Island vouched for Nicky but Ray (we think) and Ray showed his power by getting him made when the books were closed, and the fact he asked the Commission to have him made and was granted that. I'm sure there were better choices to have someone look over the Gallo's too than Bianco, I'm not saying he was a bad choice or wasn't respected because I think he was, by why him and not say a Capo both sides respected because you know the Gallo's weren't after everybody. Some Capos I'm sure were on their side either quietly or was out in the open about it? I don't know the whole story behind that though.

Something I did like though is it seems even Bianco figured out right away that not all of that crew was bad. He told Ray something about it only seemed Joey was the only one hungry for power and was wild (something to that affect) and that was sometime right before Ray told him if they gave him any shit to kill them or let him know and he would send some folks down there.

Man I would kill for a book on just Bianco but I don't think anybody knows about him. Just think, he would have probably gotten out if it wasn't for the ALS. I think he only had 11 years on his sentence right?

[davidf1989]

how close was Louis Manocchio to Raymond Patriarca, Bianco and Salemme?

[Pmac2]

i think the books in nyc were closed so they had ray go down the manhattan i think its was patsys restaurant or something close in a big place in midtown/ he inducts nick then transfers him to the colombos. carlo gambino must have oked it

[B.]

This thread was created six years ago, surprised to see it bumped. Still haven't seen any answers on how Bianco first earned the trust/respect of the Colombo family. We have since learned that Patriarca inducted associates of other groups into his family and transferred them (i.e. Genovese Springfield members), but in that case they were originally associates of the family they ended up with. Bianco was a Patriarca associate originally, so still a mystery how/why the Colombo family accepted him so quickly and easily.

[Extortion]

Nicky Bianco was known to be very articulate and intelligent, he was also capable of work. I think this made him an asset. Read his FBI wiretaps from the 1960s..

[davidf1989]

Nicky Bianco was known to be very articulate and intelligent, he was also capable of work. I think this made him an asset. Read his FBI wiretaps from the 1960s..

thanks for the background information on Bianco and I wonder why junior Patriarca was chosen to be the boss after his father's death. when Bianco would have made a better candidate