Joseph Massino Court Testimony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff3eCDLfPwc

Joseph Massino when he flipped; He talks about Carmine Galante; Phil Rastelli; Nick Marangello; and Steve Cannone.... Also The 3 captain murder in 1981.

Everyone thought Galante was the official boss.....

I don't get why Phil Rastelli put up with Galante for so long.. Anyone know why???

What's everyone's thoughts?

A respected poster on the mafia reddit has transcribed the thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mafia/comments/groxod/joe_massino_testimony_at_the_vinny_basciano_trial/

Some very good info in this. I never knew that Dominick Cicale was an associate with the Genovese family under Ernie Muscarella before linking up with the Bonanno family.

Lots of little fascinating little tidbits like that.

Just read some of this; It's a good read.

As i stated in my earlier post; Guy's on the streets were saying that Carmine Galante was boss; but in reality Rastelli was the ''Official Boss''

Everyone must have been afraid of Galante including Rastelli.

Another thing; When Massino was promoted to Underboss in 1984; He was told; he was the number 3 man in the family; Steve Cannone was the number 2 as Consigliere; Consigliere is more powerful then people realize.

I didn't know that rule he mentions about each family being allowed to make two new members every year in addition of replacing the deceased members.

Interestingly, under Massino, the Bonanno family was known to cheat that rule and make up deceased members in order to have more guys inducted. They realized that the other families would usually check on the proposed members but would never really checked on the deceased ones. That way, the Bonanno were able to make more men that they should have been allowed to.

During a commission meeting, Sal vitale, who was the Bonanno acting boss at the time, informed the other families that he soon intended to make 15 new guys. Nicky Corozzo objected to him that there was no way Vitale found 15 guys worthy of being made.

Also, under Massino, the Bonanno family's induction ceremonies were not following the proper protocol. They wouldn't use guns or the buring saint card. they would just gather the inductees and tell them that they were now official member of the family.

Massino's insight about Galante is a real game changer. Makes me think all the guys on the Commission trial weren't responsible for his murder at all. If Galante wasn't the boss, then the Commission didn't need to approve his murder. Some Gambinos were obviously in on it, but it sounds like Rastelli was the main driver.

My guess is that Galante had a lot of clout and Rastelli didn't want to rock the boat by killing him earlier or was too caught up in legal issues. Galante declaring himself the boss would have pushed Rastelli over the edge.

I don't think the Commission members were responsible. Bonanno family members lobbied their counterparts in other families and they gave their opinion/support. Castellano backed the Rastelli faction, Gigante backed the Indelicato faction. It's interesting in the early 80s the Genovese family pulled for the Philly Family infighting between Bruno/Caponigro. It was like a chess match using other families as pawns.

In my opinion, Galante probably had little respect for Rastelli. Lilo was a powerhouse in his day and Rusty was just another soldier when Galante went away. Add to that, Rastelli was on the traitors side of the Bananas war, and being the in the can, it was a situation bound to come to a head.

From little reading rusty and galanter were good friends. Again galante was freed from prison in 1974. Rusty didnt go to prison to 1976. He made galante his acting boss. The other bosses were ok with. They allowed galante to induct like 60 new members into there family in less then 1 yr . 76/77 . Galante was taken off the street for a parole violation released in 1979 and killed by his own family and ordered by rusty less then 6months after his release

He role as acting boss/boss wasn't even 18months ot was like 1yr. Oct76 to fall 77 then hes went to jail

I read somewhere that the Commission ordered the Bonannos to stop inducting new people for a brief period after Galante was whacked. Maybe because he made too many people in a short amount of time.

https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2018/02/bonanno-family-ceremonies-1970s.html

https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2019/08/bonanno-family-ceremonies-1980s.html

And here again we have another discrepancy on when the books were opened. Massino said the first wave of Bonanno inductions began in 1975. So for the record here is what different wiseguys have said.

Gaspipe- Lucchese 1974
Cafaro - Genovese 1974
Franzese - Colombo 1975( pretty sure it was 78)
Massino- Bonanno 1975 (although made in 77)
Allie Boy -Colombo 1972 (special circumstance/possibly outside of NY family)
Gambino guys all say 1976.

The Commission voted to open the books in 1976

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-yor...31-4clj4l7f4fhcvh4llcxouczrky-story.html

Buster Ardito implied on a bug that they opened the books in 1974.
George Barone says early 70s.
Gravano said they opened the books in 1975, but didn't induct anyone until early 1976. I think that's what Massino means too.
In Funzi Tieri's FBI file, an informant says two people were inducted around February in 1976.

I think opening in 75 and inducting in 76 makes the most sense.

I've read George Barone and Fish Cafaro both said they were made in 1974.

A lot of guys get the date of the ceremony wrong. Even if they seem very sure about it. Michael Franzese insists that he was made on Halloween 1975, for example, but if you actually do a little bit of digging you find that can't be true.

First, you have the accounts and FBI files from the time that identify inductions resuming in 1976. Then you have Franzese's claim that Andrew Russo was already a captain when he was made. We know that Russo was among the first batch of 10 Colombo members made in 1976 so how could he have been a captain in 1975? Franzese also describes the underboss position as being vacant at the time of his ceremony, but we know that Anthony Abbatemarco was underboss from 1972 to 1977, when he was shelved. The underboss position was then vacant until Carmine Persico was released from prison in 1979. So, based on those three claims already (inductions resuming in 1976, Russo being made in 1976, Abbatemarco being underboss until 1977) we must assume that Franzese got the date wrong and he was made between 1977 and 1979.

We also know that Franzese was made with Vincent Angellino, Gerard Clemenza, Vito Guzzo, John Minerva, Joseph Peraino Jr, and Salvatore Miciotta. Miciotta later told authorities that he was made on Halloween 1978 after the March 1978 murder of Americus Scotese.

Therefore, it's clear to see that despite how sure Franzese is that he was made in 1975, the facts just don't add up and he must have been made on Halloween 1978.

I feel a similar situation is likely with everyone else who claimed to be made in the early 1970s (Casso, Cafaro, etc.) a part from Alphonse Persico, who we know was made into the Bufalinos and transferred over.

Carlo dies in what 0ct 76? The Gambino family I think immediately started inducting guys. I bet they inducted guys at or after his wake and funeral. Same day

LCN Bios site has good info. Said they started making guys before Carlo died.

https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2019/02/gambino-family-ceremonies-1970s.html?m=1

Zav, Carmine Galante and Phil Rastelli went back to 1940s Williamsburg area. Rastelli picked Galante as acting boss since he a 1) old friend, 2) a force to be reckoned with, 3) had connections to Sicily, 4) still respected and feared by members in the family.

Chin is right, Alphonse Persico is one of two Colombo members made in the Bufalino family and transferred right back to the Colombo family in the early 1970s. Someone might know who the second one was. Jerry Angiulo in Boston was ordered by Patriarca to made another member as well for the Colombos.

I read files that claimed since Nicky Bianco left New England and was transferred to the Colombo Family that once Nicky Bianco left NY and went back to the Patriarca Family that they were then allowed to make Allie Boy to replace the lost spot held by Bianco.