Carmine Galante aka "Lilo," "Cigar" (February 21, 1910 – July 12, 1979) was the boss of the Bonanno crime family, a New York City Mafia crime organization from 1974 to 1979. He was rarely seen without a cigar clenched in his teeth, and, amazingly, died with a cigar still in his mouth, which led to his rather unimaginative nickname, "Cigar".

The son of a fisherman who immigrated from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Galante was born in an East Harlem tenement. His career in crime started when he was only eleven, forming a juvenile street gang on New York's Lower East Side. As a teenager Galante became an associate mafioso during Prohibition, becoming leading enforcer by the end of the decade. In 1930 Galante, with several others, were caught by New York police officer Joseph Meenahan while attempting to hijack a truck in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. In the resulting gun battle Galante wounded Meenahan in the legs. A six-year-old girl who happened to be nearby was struck by a stray bullet. Although both survived Galante was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison.

Galante was released on parole in 1939. By 1940, he was carrying out "hits" (murders) for Vito Genovese, one of the most powerful mobsters in New York. He is widely believed to have murdered the left-wing anti-Mafia journalist Carlo Tresca in 1943, on orders from Genovese. Galante went from being the chauffer to the boss of the Bonanno Family, Joseph Bonanno, to capo, and then underboss in the organization.

Galante's rise to power was halted temporarily in 1962 when he was sentenced to twenty years for drug offences in a drug bust engineered by Frank Costello and other enemies. When Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno was forced into retirement Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli took over the Bonanno Crime Family. Galante was released on parole in 1974 and tried to take complete control over the Bonanno family while Rastelli was still in prison. While Galante was serving his sentence, the prison psychiatrists had diagnosed him with psychopathic personality disorder, a diagnosis that had some basis in fact. Although Costello had died in 1973 of natural causes, Galante nevertheless had his tomb bombed, blowing off the doors to the mausoleum.

During the 1970s, Galante is suspected of organizing the murders of at least eight members of the Gambino Family, with whom he had an intense rivalry, in order to take over a massive drug-trafficking operation. He was briefly jailed in 1978 for violating his parole by associating with known criminals, but he was released after being defended by the famous Mafia lawyer Roy Cohn.


Carmine Galante after his gangland executionOn July 12, 1979, Carmine Galante was murdered just as he finished eating lunch at Joe and Mary's Italian-American Restaurant at 205 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick, Brooklyn along with his bodyguard Leonard Coppola, 40, and restaurant owner/cousin Giuseppe Turano. Cigar in mouth, the 69-year-old mobster was blasted in the face and chest at point-blank range with a shotgun, his watch was still ticking but Galante's time was up. He was murdered by Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera, Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, Cesare "CJ" Bonventre and Louis "Louie Gaeta" Giongetti, who were all hired by Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, the father of Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato.

After the murders, Indelicato and the others fled in a stolen car. After abandoning the car Indelicato went to his father and his uncle (J.B. Carnone) who waited at a Manhattan social club. A surveillance video tape shows Indelicato being congratulated by Carnone. Indelicato, Trinchera, Napolitano and Bonventre were all promoted to capo, or captains of the Bonnano Crime Family.

It is suspected his death was arranged by the heads of the other major Mafia Families in New York, who had decided Galante's greed and ambition over the control of the multimillion-dollar heroin business were a threat to all their interests, although it is possible Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli may have also been involved, as he was still the boss of the Bonanno Family once Galante was out of the way.

The gunman who shot Galante was 23-year-old Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, but it was not until 1986 that Indelicato was convicted of the murder. He served twelve years. Indelicato's father, Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, was murdered during the power struggle resulting from Galante's death, among with Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera and Louis "Louie Gaeta" Giongetti. In the book "The Ice Man" by Philip Carlo, a biography of notorious hitman Richard Kuklinski it is claimed that Kuklinski (by his own admission) was the shooter, but FBI undercover agent Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone testified in court that a caporegime of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano and his crew murdered all the three capos and got rid of the bodies.

In 2005, Galante's 15-year-old nephew, Anthony Galante, was arrested along with two friends for hitting and shattering a wind shield from on top of a parking garage. They were charged with criminal damage and criminal trespassing

Mini, if you want respect on these boards, you have to earn it. Check your facts before you try to dazze us with your "knowledge":

--Maranzano did not appoint Bonanno "boss of his borgata" after the Castellemmarese War. Maranzano remained the boss until he was assassinated on Charlie Luciano's orders. Then the family captains elected Bonanno boss.
--Galante was not made "underboss" by either Maranzano or Bonanno after the Castellemmarese War. He did hits for Vito Genovese and was Bonanno's chauffeur.
--Galante did not attempt to become boss when Bonanno retired. The next boss was Paul Sciacca. When he died, it was Frank Mari. After Mari was killed, a triumverate ruled: Philip Rastelli, Natale Evola and Joseph DiFilippi. Rastelli outlasted and outmaneuvered them to become head of the family.
--Rastelli also outmaneuvered Galante, who, despite his claims, never had the loyalty of a majority of the captains in the Bonanno Family.

Sorry mate, but this info came from Crime Incorporated, by William Balsamo and George Carpozi.

The book said that Maranzano appointed Bonanno Boss of his Borgata because Maranzano appointed himself Boss of Bosses and in effect controlled all the 5 Families. Thats the main reason Luciano and the others got rid of him - he became too powerful and demanding.

You'd have to agree that there are different facts in most Mafia books - did'nt, Five Families say that the Sicilian Vespers thing was a myth?

I'm just posting information like everybody else, from Mafia websites, movies and books.
I'm not responsible for someone elses lies or mis - interpretations, am I?

Yes, Balsamo's book did claim that, but if you're a well read "expert" on the Mob you'd know that those facts are wrong. There are PLENTY of other resource materials that backup Turnbull's facts (above). Hell, even Joe Bonanno's own self-serving autobiography ("A Man of Honor") backs this up.

Don't take any single book or website as "the gospel" when referring to the Mob.

I will pore over every Mafia book til my eyes bleed, which I'm sure most of you MiniMafiaBoss "haters" would agree with.

I may be one of the new guys, but I do know a few things too, just like Y'all.

Then you should stop trying to impress everyone here with your knowledge and stop the "Look at what I know" replies.

Chill out, enjoy the comeraderie and discuss your subjects in an adult manner. We're here to have fun and share ideas and knowledge.

Well, you do what you feel you have to do, but don't bitch that others pick on you or don't respond to you.

Anyone here heard of a Bonanno Soldier called Gerard Chilli?

Cant say i have..

Jerry Chilli is shown in a photo in the book, "Donny Brasco," but I don't recall any text mention of him. He's a big fat guy wearing glasses, with his shirt open to one button.

He died last week after a series of ailments finished him off.

the social club that bruno went to after the hit was the ravenite where he met with neil dellacroce and the bonnano consigiere stevie beef cannone all caught on tape

the hit on galante or the hit on his father?

the hit on galante. bruno got upped to captain as a result of his involvement

In many ways Galante acted as if he were the Boss. Conducting initiation cermonies, ordering hits, etc. But, as others have said above, he was never the official Boss. Not even Acting Boss. More like a defacto Boss, though technically only a Captain according to testimony by former Underboss Salvatore Vitale.

Yes, Galante was one of those Mafiosi who, through personal force, projected himself into power during a vacuum. And the Bonannos in those years were a vacuum, what with Joe Bonanno is semi-retirement and Rusty Rastelli in prison. But a corollary to "personal force" is that power makes powerful enemies. It's one thing to muscle a bunch of thugs in a Federal prison. It's quite another to brag that you're going to make Carlo Gambino s**t in the streets. That's what Galante brought on himself.

I agree. Galante thought he could stand up to the entire Commission. He was obviously wrong. Below is a 1977 Time article that gives insight during that period.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918956,00.html

Interesting article. A real slice of time (no pun intended) Thanks for posting it.
Notice how they had Dellacroce and Galante as Dons, when neither was at the time. I guess it's a measure of the effectiveness of Castellano's legitimate cover and Rastelli's low profile (or the reporters' inability to envision that somone could run a Family from prison). They were right on the money about the public's complicity in Mob activites.