Joseph Bonanno | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bonanno's c. 1964 mugshot | |
| Born | Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno January 18, 1905 |
| Died | May 11, 2002 (aged 97) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum, Tucson |
| Other names | "Joe Bananas", "Don Peppino" |
| Occupation | Crime boss |
| Predecessor | Salvatore Maranzano |
| Successor | Paul Sciacca |
| Spouse |
Fay Labruzzo
(m. 1931; died 1980) |
| Children | 3, including Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno |
| Relatives | Stefano Magaddino (great uncle) Giovanni Bonventre (uncle) Cesare Bonventre (cousin) |
| Allegiance | Bonanno crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Obstruction of justice (1983) Contempt of court (1985) |
| Criminal penalty | 8 months in prison 14 months in prison |
Joseph Charles Bonanno (born Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno; Italian: [dʒuˈzɛppe ˈkarlo boˈnanno]; January 18, 1905 – May 11, 2002), sometimes referred to as Joe Bananas, was an Italian-American crime boss of the Bonanno crime family, which he ran from 1931 to 1968.
Bonanno was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, where his father was also involved in organized crime. At the age of three, Bonanno immigrated to New York City with his family, where he lived for about 10 years before he moved back to Italy. He later slipped back into the United States in 1924, by stowing away on a Cuban fishing boat bound for Tampa, Florida. After the Castellammarese War, Salvatore Maranzano was murdered in 1931, Bonanno reorganized most of the crime family as the Bonanno family. At age 26, Bonanno became one of the youngest-ever bosses of a crime family. In 1963, Bonanno made plans with Joseph Magliocco to assassinate several rivals on the Mafia Commission. When Magliocco gave the contract to one of his top hit men, Joseph Colombo, he revealed the plot to its targets. The Commission spared Magliocco's life but forced him into retirement, while Bonanno fled to Canada. In 1964, he briefly returned to New York before disappearing until 1966. The "Banana War" ensued and lasted until 1968, when Bonanno retired to Arizona. Later in life, he became a writer, publishing the book A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno in 1983. Bonanno died on May 11, 2002, in Tucson, Arizona.