Philip Rusty Rastelli – 1981 Bonanno War

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Phillip “Rusty” Rastelli was a former boss of the Bonanno crime family, taking over the rein in the early 1970s, following the retirement of Joseph Bonanno. Rastelli, who listed his occupation as a radio dispatcher for a taxi company, was eventually convicted of antitrust violations and sentenced to a 10-year prison term. He reportedly directed the operations of the family from prison, however; he could not be influential from behind bars and his control waned.

Rastelli was born January 31, 1918 in Maspeth, Queens. He had five siblings; Carmine, Marinello, Agustus, Justina and Grace.

Rastelli was heavily involved in loansharking, extortion and drug trafficking activities before joining the Bonanno crime family. He was said to be close friends with Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano, Carmine Galante, Joseph Bonanno and Joseph Massino.

On December 3, 1953, Rastelli and an associate allegedly shot William Russo in Queens. However, Russo survived the shooting, and Rastelli, fearing identification, went into hiding. Over the next year, Rastelli’s wife Connie allegedly approached Russo’s wife many times with an offer of $5,000 if her husband did not identify Rastelli. The bribe was said to be refused each time. On December 13, 1954, Connie Rastelli was indicted on charges of attempting to bribe a witness. Around the same time, Russo was killed in Brooklyn. No one has been charged with his murder.

Connie Rastelli was believed to have been killed in 1962 after she became a Federal informer, according to a New York Times obituary for Phillip Rastelli.  Mrs. Rastelli, who had been angered over her husband’s suspected infidelities, began telling Federal investigators about the family’s criminal activities. Her body reportedly has never been found.

In 1969, in an attempt to restore order to the Bonanno family, the Commission appointed a three-man panel to run the family comprised of Rastelli, Joseph DiFilippi, and Natale “Joe Diamonds” Evola.

On July 21, 1971, Rastelli was indicted in Riverhead, New York on loansharking charges. The loansharking ring, centered in Babylon, New York and Islip, New York, charged victims from 250 to 300 percent interest annually and reportedly generated over $1 million per year in revenue for the Bonanno family. On December 28, 1972, Rastelli was convicted in state court on seven counts of loansharking.

On August 28, 1973, Evola died and Rastelli became acting boss of the Bonanno family. On February 23, 1974, at a meeting at the Americana Hotel (now the Sheraton New York) located in Manhattan, the Commission named Rastelli as official boss, but the real power in the family soon migrated to rival and underboss Carmine Galante.

On March 6, 1975, Rastelli was indicted on racketeering charges for extortion and anti-trust violations.  He was convicted of the anti-trust and extortion on August 27, 1976 and given one year on the anti-trust violation and three concurrent ten-year sentences on the extortion.

Sent to federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Rastelli was sent to federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.  In 1979,  the imprisoned Rastelli allegedly ordered Galante’s murder. The other Commission members had decided that Galante was bad for their business and gave Rastelli permission to remove him. Rastelli would become the undisputed boss, controlling from behind bars through the use of acting bosses such as longtime Bonanno mobster Salvatore “Sally Fruits” Ferrugia.

There was disagreement within the Bonanno crime family as to whether Rastelli should be the boss, which led to an internal war in 1981. This resulted in the murders of several people including opposition leader Bonanno caporegime Alphonse “Sonny Red” Indelicato, who had opposed Rastelli remaining the boss. This power struggle was reported to be witnessed by FBI agent Joseph “Donnie Brasco” Pistone, who was working undercover.

Rastelli was paroled from prison in late 1983, as it was said that he attempted to restore order, unity and respect to his crime family which had been greatly damaged and diminished from underworld power and influence.

Over the years, there has been a belief that the American mafia was not directly involved in the drug trade as some bosses ordered their men not to get involved with drugs, but many disobeyed. For the Bonanno family, the drug trade became one of its most lucrative rackets.

In 1985, Rastelli was indicted, along with other Cosa Nostra leaders, in the famous Mafia Commission Trial. The Bonanno family was spared from getting caught up in the Commission Trial, which sentenced many Mafia bosses and members to prison. However, when Rastelli was indicted on separate labor racketeering charges, prosecutors decided to remove him from the Commission trial. Having previously lost their seat on the Commission, the Bonanno family suffered less exposure than the others in the case.

On June 4, 1991, Rastelli was released from the Federal Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri, where he had undergone surgery, on humanitarian grounds. His release was ordered by Judge Charles P. Sifton of Federal District Court, the judge who had sentenced him, because he was believed to be dying.

On July 21, 1991, Rastelli died at Booth Memorial Hospital in Queens from liver cancer at age 73. His survivors included three brothers, Carmine, of Queens, who was convicted with his brother in the conspiracy case and who was also ordered to federal prison; Marinello, of Queens  and Augustus, of Florida, and two sisters, Justina Devita and Grace Iacomini, both of Queens.  He is buried in Saint John Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens.

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel – Flamingo Hotel and Casino

March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was born February 28, 1906, in Williamsville, Brooklyn.  The organized crime boss is best known for his bootlegging and gambling operations that included the Flamingo casino in Las Vegas. He is known by many to be the “Father of Las Vegas.” Bugsy’s legacy is that of being one of the most infamous and feared gangsters of the era.

The son of Jewish immigrants, Siegel was raised in the crime-ridden section of Williamsburg.  As a teenager, he is said to have extorted money from pushcart peddlers on New York City’s Lower East Side. Siegel befriended Meyer Lansky and in 1918 the two formed the Bugs-Meyer Gang, a group of contract killers who operated under the name Murder, Inc. Siegel was also a friend of Al Capone and is said to have hid Capone at the home of one of his aunts when there was a warrant out on Capone for murder.

Siegel is said to have made a great deal of money by age 21. His charisma, charm and good looks made him likable to most everyone. A reputed womanizer, Siegel married his childhood sweetheart, Esta Krakower on January 28, 1929. Krakower, the sister of contract killer Whitey Krakower, would divorce Siegel in 1946.

During the late 1920s, Mafia kingpin Charles “Lucky” Luciano and a number of other Italian gangsters organized themselves into a national syndicate, with Siegel becoming a prominent player. With a goal of killing many of New York’s veteran gangsters, Luciano ordered Siegel and three other hit men to execute Sicilian mobster Joe “the Boss” Masseria. Siegel, along with Albert “Mad Hatter” Anastasia, Vito Genovese and Joe Adonis carried out the execution of Masseria on April 15, 1931.

By 1937, Luciano decided that it would be best for Siegel to leave for the West Coast to escape the wrath of his enemies.  Siegel located to California, where he befriended many Hollywood stars, as well as studio owners such as Jack Warner and Louis B. Mayer. Historians claim Siegel would go on to extort money from both. Siegel would become friends with such stars as Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Carey Grant and Gary Cooper and was a frequent guest at many Hollywood parties.

While in California, Siegel took over local unions and is said to have staged strikes in order to force movie studios to pay him off for getting the unions working again. Siegel borrowed large sums of money from celebrities and refused to pay them back knowing that they wouldn’t ask him for their money back.  In his first year in Hollywood, Siegel reportedly received more than $400,000 in one-way loans from movie stars.

Siegel trial newspaper clippingOn November 22, 1939, Siegel, Whitey Krakower, and two other gang members killed Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg because he had threatened to become a police informant. In September, 1941, Siegel was tried for the murder. Whitey Krakower was killed before he could face trial.

The trial gained notoriety because of the preferential treatment Siegel was reportedly receiving in jail.  He refused to eat prison food and was allowed female visitors.  Siegel would eventually be acquitted due to the lack of evidence, but his reputation was tarnished.  During the trial, newspapers reported on Siegel’s past and referred to him as “Bugsy.”  Siegel is said to have disliked the name and preferred to be called “Ben.”

On March 10, 1944, the Draft Board attempted to draft Siegel in the Army by asking for a waiver of an age limit, but the State Director of Selective Service is said to have refused the waiver because of the reputed legal dealings with Siegel’s attorney that prohibited the induction.

It was in Los Angeles that Siegel met actress Virginia Hill, a money runner for the Chicago Mob, and who had a penchant for blackmailing Hollywood stars. In 1945, the two moved to Las Vegas, where Siegel began working toward his dream of building a gambling mecca in the Nevada desert. With a reported $5 million in funding from the eastern crime syndicate, construction of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino began.

Siegel was convinced that he could draw thousands of vacationers. He began spending enormous amounts of money, demanding the finest building money could buy. The reported figures for the cost of the 93-room hotel were exceeding $6 million. Adding to the problems were said to be dishonest contractors and disgruntled unpaid builders. By day, trucks delivered black market goods. By night the same materials were pilfered and resold to Siegel a few days later. As costs soared, Siegel’s checks reportedly began bouncing.

With the unsuccessful opening of the Flamingo, Luciano demanded Siegel return the $5 million he had been given for the construction. Siegel refused the demand and Luciano ordered Siegel’s execution.

On the evening of June 20, 1947, Siegel was at home in his Hollywood bungalow after returning from getting a haircut.  He is said to have been sitting on a sofa in front of an open window reading a newspaper at approximately 10:30 p.m. At age 42, Siegel was dead from shots to the head and lungs.

It was reported that only five people, all relatives, attended Siegel’s funeral.  Hill, who shared the Hollywood home with Siegel, was out of the country and could not make it back in time. None of Siegel’s celebrity friends were in attendance.

The movie “Bugsy”, a biography of the life of Benjamin Siegel, was released in 1991, starring Warren Beatty.

Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. – American Mafia Boss at 26

March 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a self-described “venture capitalist” and denied any involvement with drug trafficking or prostitution.  As the head of one of New York City’s five original mafia families, Bonanno led the Brooklyn-based crime family for more than three decades before losing power in the 1960s.

Bonanno was born Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno on January 18, 1905 in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. At age three, his family moved to the United States and settled in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn for approximately 10 years before returning to Italy. Bonanno slipped back into the United States in 1924 by stowing away on a Cuban fishing boat bound for Tampa.

Bonanno is said to have become involved in bootlegging activities, and soon joined a Mafia family led by Castellammarese, Salvatore Maranzano.

Bonanno became known to Joe “the Boss” Masseria, the leader of Mafia activities in New York. In 1927 violence broke out between the two rival factions, Masseria and Maranzano, in what would become known as the Castellammarese War. It continued for more than four years. By 1930, Bonanno became one of Maranzano’s chief aides and served as an underboss and chief of staff.

By 1931, momentum had shifted to Maranzano and the Castellammarese faction. They were said to be better organized and more unified than Masseria’s group.  Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese urged Masseria to make peace with Maranzano, but Masseria refused. Luciano and Genovese concluded a secret deal with Maranzano that involved the return for safety and equal status for Luciano in Maranzano’s new organization.  Luciano and Genovese murdered Masseria, which brought an end to the Castellammarese War.

Bonanno would go on to be awarded most of Maranzano’s crime family. At age 26, Bonanno had become one of the youngest-ever bosses of a crime family. Years later, Bonanno wrote in his autobiography that he had not known about the plan to kill Maranzano.

Bonanno was nicknamed “Joe Bananas,” a name he reportedly despised and his family was sometimes called “the Bananas family.” The Bonanno crime family’s underbosses were Frank Garofalo and John Bonventre. While it was known as one of the smaller crime families, it was said to be more tight-knit than others.  The Bonanno family prospered in the business of loan sharking, bookmaking, numbers running, prostitution, and other illegal activities. Bonanno was married to Fay Labruzzo and they had three children- Salvatore “Bill” Bonanno, born 1932; Catherine, born 1934; and Joseph Charles Jr., born 1945. In 1938, Bonanno left the country, then re-entered legally at Detroit so that he could apply for citizenship.

Bonanno’s invested in real estate during the Great Depression. His legitimate business interests included three coat factories, a laundry, cheese factories, funeral homes, and a trucking company. When Bonanno became a U.S. citizen in 1945, he was said to be a multi-millionaire.

Unlike many mafia counterparts, Bonanno was never convicted of anything more serious than obstructing justice. Bonanno was convicted in 1980 for trying to block a federal grand jury investigation into his sons. Bonanno served nearly eight months in prison before being paroled in July 1984. He had also served 14 months in prison in 1985-86 for contempt of court for refusal to answer questions about other crime family leaders.

Bonanno became increasingly unpopular with other Mafia bosses. It was reported that Magaddino was incensed that Bonanno was moving in on Toronto, long considered part of the Buffalo family’s territory. Some thought he spent too much time away from New York, and more in Canada and Tucson, Arizona, where he had business interests. Bonanno eventually was removed him from power and replaced with one of his capos, Gaspar DiGregorio. This resulted in Bonanno’s family breaking into two groups, the one led by DiGregorio, and the other headed by Bonanno and his son, Salvatore.  This would come to be known as “The Banana Split.”

Buffalo Crime Family Members

Buffalo Crime Family Members

In October 1964, Bonanno disappeared and was not heard from again for two years. Bonanno later would claim that he was kidnapped in front of his lawyer’s apartment at 36 East 37th Street in New York City by Buffalo Family members, Peter Magaddino and Antonino Magaddino and was held captive in upstate New York by his cousin, Stefano Magaddino. After six weeks, Bonanno was released and allowed to go to Texas. Bonanno’s claims were regarded as lore, as it was unlikely he would have been walking the streets of New York City unguarded. FBI recordings of New Jersey boss Sam “the Plumber” Decavalcante revealed that the other bosses were taken by surprise when Bonanno disappeared.

Bonanno suffered a heart attack in 1968 and announced his retirement. He resolved never to get involved with New York Mafia affairs again. Bonanno resigned to a quiet life in Tuscon. His notoriety was briefly revived in January 1995 when his family held a much-publicized 90th birthday party for Bonanno at a resort in Tucson. Among the 300 guests were priests, politicians, actors, attorneys, authors and family members.

Bonanno would spend his remaining years under the close watch of the F.B.I. Bonanno died of heart failure at the age of 97 at a hospital in the city where he had retired in 1968.

In his autobiography titled, “A Man of Honor, the Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno,” he wrote that the term Mafia, “refers to a process, a special set of relationships among men. I stay away from the term because it creates more confusion than it is worth.”

Alphonse “Sonny Red” Indelicato – Murdered by the Napolitano Crew

December 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Alphonse “Sonny Red” Indelicato was born in New York City on February 25, 1931. His family name came from Siculiana, Agrigento, Sicily, however he never once visited. Indelicato was the father-in-law to Bonanno associate Salvatore Valenti and the ex-son-in-law of Bonanno capo Charles Ruvolo. He was also related to Gov. of Massachusetts Michael Dukakis’s education adviser Gerald Thomas Indelicato, and a worldwide heroin trafficker Giuseppe Indelicato. Indelicato married Margaret Elizabeth McFadden and had one son, Bruno, who he introduced to “this thing of ours”.

Indelicato was charismatic, opinionated, dangerous, and ruthless. He had a tattoo on his left arm of two hearts in a dagger and another tattoo on his right arm which said “Holland 1945”. The meaning of the second tattoo is unclear. He wore bright clothing, orange T-shirts, striped track suits, multicolored socks, garish casual clothing. He wore large tinted sunglasses and walked with a swagger in a pair of custom-made red leather cowboy boots, which some say is where he received his nickname “Sonny Red”.

Indelicato was a particularly violent man; he once drove an ice pick through man’s chest and into the wood floor below, requiring a tire iron to pry the body from the floor. Indelicato was involved in several murders and attempted murders. On December 26, 1951 Indelicato was involved in a shooting at a social club, one man died and another was wounded. The wounded man identified Indelicato as the shooter. He was convicted of murder and attempted murder and sentenced to 12 years at Sing Sing state penitentiary in New York. After serving almost the entire 12 years Indelicato was released in 1966 and placed on a lifetime parole due to his major involvement with organized crime narcotics distribution, a label handed down from a previous conviction of possession of heroin in 1950. Due to the parole restrictions Indelicato was prevented from attending the wedding of Sicilian mob boss Giuseppe Bono. Had it not been for the restrictions, skipping a mob bosses wedding, could easily equate to disrespect and result in murder, however Indelicato had a pass.

As a Bonanno caporegime Indelicato had a strong power base comprised of other caporegime’s and soldiers of the Bonanno crime family that were unhappy with Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli and his leadership. Over a period of 15 years, Indelicato gain the support of four other capo’s with each controlling 6 to 12 Bonanno soldiers, Indelicato was a powerful force. He was often moody and disrespectful towards Rastelli and frequently disrespected Rastelli capos Joseph Massino and Dominick “Sonny black” Napolitano who were aligned with Rastelli.

In 1974, Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli was sent to prison just as former Bonanno boss Carmine “The Cigar” Galante was being released from prison after serving a lengthy prison sentence. Upon his release Galante felt he was owed the position of boss of the Bonanno’s and use all his power to push Rastelli aside. One of his first orders of business was to take over the heroin market and to shut out all the other families from the profits. As his allegiance grew, Galante was isolating himself from the other families who were growing more frustrated with his antics by the day. When Galante declared war on the Genovese and Gambino families the commission decided enough was enough and Galante had to go. After approving a hit on Galante and receiving the okay from the original father of the Bonanno’s, Joe Bonanno, the hit on Galante was set in motion.

On July 12, 1979, Dominick Napolitano, Dominick Trinchera, and Anthony Indelicato entered Joe and Mary’s Italian-American restaurant at 205 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick, Brooklyn carrying shotguns and pistols. They walked through the front door, through the restaurant, and to the outdoor patio were Galante sat with Bonanno capo Leonard Coppala, restaurant owner/cousin Giuseppe Turano, and to Sicilian bodyguards. The self-proclaimed untouchable, Carmine Galante took a direct shotgun blast to the face. Coppala and Turano were also killed. The bodyguards, who did nothing to protect Galante were unharmed; a possible hint that the contract to kill Galante was worldwide.

After Gallant’s murder, Indelicato sensed a vacuum and attempted to take over as boss of the Bonanno’s, however Sonny “Black” Napolitano and other Rastelli loyalist prevented the takeover. As Rastelli finished his prison sentence, Napolitano temporarily took the reins of the family as acting street boss.

Although Indelicato had a large force of Bonanno caporegime’s and soldiers behind him, he was reluctant to start a civil war and offered to sit down with Napolitano and the other capo’s who backed Rastelli to try and reach a compromise, but then meeting never took place.

The Three Capos -Giaccone,Trinchera, and Indelicato On May 5, 1981 at Brooklyn’s Embassy Terrace a second meeting was set to take place. With tensions high, Indelicato ordered his men to spread themselves out around the city to prevent them from retaliation if the meeting went badly. According to a Bonanno capo who was present before Indelicato and caporegime’s Lino, Giaconne, and Trinchera left for the meeting, Indelicato said, “if there is shooting, everybody is on their own, try to get out.”

Indelicato and his men were led to a storeroom in the restaurant by Gerlando Sciasica a neutral Bonanno caporegime. When the men entered Salvatore Vitale and two other Bonanno gunmen stepped out of the closet and said, “don’t anybody move, this is a stickup”. Indelicato, Giaccone, and Trinchera were gunned down by shotgun blasts pistol fire. Indelicato ran for the exit but was killed with a shotgun blast to his back. Sciasica was left unharmed.

According to FBI agent Joseph “Donnie Brasco” Pistone, the men involved in the killing were Napolitano, John Cersani, Joseph Massino, Indelicato’s brother-in-law Vitale, Joseph DeSimone, Nicholas Santora, Vito Rizzuto, Louis Giongetti, and Santo Giordano. Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero and Cersani were lookouts and help dispose of the bodies along with Napolitano, James Episcopia, and Robert Capazzio. Their bodies were buried in a vacant lot used by the Gambino family is a graveyard.

Fearing reprisals from Indelicato son Anthony, Massino wanted him killed, so the Rastelli faction gave the contract to Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero and protégé FBI agent Joseph Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco. This contract sealed Pistone’s removal from undercover duty and started the downfall of Napolitano’s crew.

Sonny “Black” Napolitano was subsequently killed for allowing an FBI agent to infiltrate his crew. Ruggiero was “sent for” and was expected to be murdered as well, however the FBI detained him before he could make it to the meeting. Anthony Indelicato, took over his father’s crew in the Bonanno family.


Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano – Made Famous in “Donnie Brasco”

November 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Santo Trafficante Sr. and Sonny Black

Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano came into this world on June 16, 1930 and was raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where he got his start as a petty thief. Although his descendants were from Naples, Italy, he was born with blond hair and as he grew into adulthood died it jet black which earned him the nickname “Sonny Black”.

As a gangster, Napolitano controlled parts of Pasco County and Holiday, Florida under the approval of the Trafficante crime family and Santo Trafficante Jr. However, Napolitano was also considering a bookmaking operation in Orlando, at the time a growing gambling district for the mob.

Napolitano owned an apartment building and social club called the motion lounge in New York. An avid pigeon enthusiast, he kept his pigeons on the rooftop of the apartment building. The pigeons had pedigree bloodlines that descended from prize pigeons in France, Germany, and Russia. He one thousands racing his pigeons. Undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone a.k.a. Donnie Brasco said Napolitano loved visiting his pigeon coop to think.

“Sometimes when we were up on the roof with the pigeons, sunny would lean on the railing and look out over the rooftops of the neighborhood where he had lived all his life. I wondered what he was thinking about.”

            Napolitano often schooled Brasco in the workings of the Mafia and would repeat the same thing over and over.

            “The whole thing is how strong you are and how much power you got and how fucking mean you are-that’s what makes you rise in the mob. Every day is a fucking struggle, because you don’t know who’s looking to knock you off, especially when you become a captain or boss. Every day, someone is looking to dispose of you and take your position. You always got to be on your toes. Every fucking day is a scam day to keep your power and position.”

In 1979 after Carmine “The Cigar” Galante was murdered, Napolitano was promoted to capo replacing his mentor Michael Sabella who was demoted. Napolitano took over Sabella’s crew and became a close and trusted confidante of the imprisoned gangster Philip “Rusty” Rastelli, boss of the Bonanno crime family. However, not all was well with the Bonanno family. After Gallant’s death the family split into two factions, one group aligned with Rastelli, and another group aligned with the Sicilian faction, led by Alphonse “Sonny Red” Indelicato.

It was the job of Joseph Massino and Napolitano to aid Rastelli in ending the struggle and killing the three capo’s opposed to him. Napolitano and Massino new a time would present itself when they could act against the three men, Alphonse Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera, and Philip Giaccone, but until then Napolitano stayed busy with his businesses.

Napolitano owned an Italian-American war veterans club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, The Motion Lounge, an illegal casino in Pasco County, Florida and a tennis and nightclub called The King’s Court Bottle Club in Holiday, Florida. The Motion Lounge was the headquarters for Napolitano where he and his crew were involved in several illegal activities including burglary, robbery, bank robbery, loansharking, hijacking, bookmaking, casino operations, drug trafficking, and extortion. They were one of the most successful crews in the Bonanno crime family.

When asked about Napolitano agent Pistone said, “Dominick was more observant and disciplined than his old capo Michael Sabella and had a watchful eye. In mob circles, he had an excellent reputation for personal loyalty to his sidewalk soldiers. He would kill you in a minute if you crossed him.” Pistone also remarked how Napolitano was very accurate with small-caliber pistols. In public he was never flamboyant or brazen, always polite. He carried his own suitcases when traveling and was not a 24-hour gangster, meaning you could talk to him about other things besides the Mafia. On occasion Pistone and Napolitano would go out for dinner or have coffee and just “shoot the breeze” like two friends.

Pistone was one of few people that Napolitano could rely upon. As Pistone’s infiltration continued over the years Napolitano remarked how he would nominate him to be “made”, a term used in the Mafia that meant he would become inducted as a full member. In other words they would “open the books”.

On May 5, 1981 the opportunity to kill Indelicato, Trinchera, Giaccone presented itself. The three men were led to Brooklyn’s Embassy Terrace for a sitdown and to discuss a compromise with the Rastelli faction. Waiting for them was the Napolitano crew armed with shotguns and pistols. When Indelicato and the other two men entered one of the gunmen stepped out of the closet and said, “don’t anybody move, this is a stickup” a key phrase to begin open firing. Moments later Indelicato, Trinchera, and Giaccone were dead and the split in the Bonanno family over.

Indelicato was close to his son Bruno. Napolitano new if Anthony wasn’t with them during the murders he would have to be killed to prevent retribution for his father’s murder. Pistone and Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero were tasked with murdering Bruno Indelicato.

After six years as an undercover agent in the Bonanno crime family, Joseph Pistone was pulled from the operation. Two day’s after ending the operation known as “Donnie Brasco” FBI agents visited The Motion Lounge to inform Napolitano that his trusted friend and associate of six years was an agent.

Napolitano new that allowing an FBI agent to infiltrate his crew was a death sentence for him. On August 17, 1981 he was

The Cast and Crew of the 1997 Hit Movie Donnie Brasco

“sent for” a term used when Mafia leaders summon you to a meeting. Before leaving for the meeting Napolitano handed his jewelry to his favorite bartender, who had worked for him at The Motion Lounge. He also handed him the keys to his apartment so his pet pigeons would be cared for. When he arrived to the meeting at Bonanno associate Ron Filocomo’s home in Flatlands, Brooklyn, Napolitano was pushed down the staircase to the basement and shot to death by Filocom and Frank Lino with 38 caliber revolvers. When the first shot misfired, Napolitano told them, “hit me one more time and make it good”.

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