Bonanno crime family

Bonanno crime family
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Massino
Vincent Basciano
Foundedc. 1890s; 133 years ago (1890s)
FounderSalvatore Maranzano
Named afterJoseph Bonanno
Founding locationNew York City, New York, United States
Years activec. 1890s–present
TerritoryPrimarily New York City, with additional territory in Long Island, Rochester, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Florida, Arizona, Las Vegas, Northern California and Montreal[1]
EthnicityItalians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates
Membership (est.)
  • 195 made members and 500 associates (1986)[2]
  • 130–145 made members (2005)[3]
ActivitiesRacketeering, loansharking, money laundering, murder, drug trafficking, extortion, illegal gambling, labor union corruption, fraud, prostitution and pornography[4]
Allies
Rivals

The Bonanno crime family (pronounced [boˈnanno]) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia.

The family was known as the Maranzano crime family until its founder Salvatore Maranzano was murdered in 1931. Joseph Bonanno was awarded most of Maranzano's operations when Charles "Lucky" Luciano oversaw the creation of the Commission to divide up criminal enterprises in New York City among the Five Families. Under the leadership of Bonanno between the 1930s and 1960s, the family was one of the most powerful in the country.

However, in the early 1960s, Bonanno attempted to overthrow several leaders of the Commission, but failed. Bonanno disappeared from 1964 to 1966, triggering an intra-family war colloquially referred to as the "Banana War" that lasted until 1968, when Bonanno retired to Arizona.

Between 1976 and 1981, the family was infiltrated by FBI agent Joseph Pistone, who went undercover using the alias, "Donnie Brasco". This resulted in the Bonannos becoming the first of the New York families to be expelled from the Commission.[7] It took until the 1990s for the family to recover, a process overseen by new boss Joseph Massino. Despite these issues, by the dawn of the new millennium, the Bonanno family had not only regained their seat on the Commission but had also become the second-most powerful family in New York after the Genovese family.[8]

However, in the early 2000s, a rash of convictions culminated in Massino himself becoming a government informant, the first boss of one of the Five Families in New York City to do so. The Bonanno family was seen as the most brutal of the Five Families during the 20th century.[9]

  1. ^
    • U.S. Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission Arnold H. Lubasch, The New York Times (November 20, 1986) Archived February 2, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
    • Organized crime loses its foothold Las Vegas Sun (July 2, 2002) Archived March 16, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
    • Reputed boss of Montreal Mafia arrested in murder case Tu Thanh Ha and Colin Freeze, The Globe and Mail (January 21, 2004) Archived April 13, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
    • Truth and Justice for Fun and Profit: Collected Reporting Michael Heaton (2007) ISBN 9781598510393
    • Two of New York’s Oldest Mafia Clans Charged in Money Laundering Scheme Troy Closson, The New York Times (August 16, 2022) Archived August 16, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ U.S. Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission Arnold H. Lubasch, The New York Times (November 20, 1986) Archived February 2, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ What’s Left of the Mob Jerry Capeci, New York (January 19, 2005) Archived January 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^
  5. ^ a b * "Shot down in a 'sloppy' hit, another Montreal mobster dies". The Globe and Mail. November 24, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. ^ The Legacy of East Harlem’s Purple Gang Is One of Fear and Violence Tim Reynolds, Medium (October 12, 2023) Archived April 14, 2024, at archive.today
  7. ^ Getlin, Josh (May 3, 2004). "The Nation; A Simple Queens Caterer, or 'Big Joey' the Mob Killer?; Joseph Massino, the reputed head of the Bonanno family, faces a murder trial this month". Los Angeles Times. p. A.1. ProQuest 422062807.
  8. ^ A Mafia Family's Second Wind; Authorities Say Bonannos, All but Written Off, Are Back Selwyn Raab, The New York Times (April 29, 2000) Archived June 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Joe Bonanno Interview Documentary Bonanno Crime Family Mafia Boss Biography 60 Min. / 18:11". YouTube. Retrieved September 8, 2018.