Hey I haven’t posted in a while but I have a question; Who were some of the captains in the Bonanno family who were demoted or whacked after the Galante hit? The only two I know that we’re demoted we’re;

Mike Sabella and Matteo Volvo.

Are there any others?

Nicky Glasses was also demoted from underboss

I believe that Lilo had made his cousin Angelo (Moe) Presenzano a captain as well during Galante's time in power. They didn't have to knock Moe down, he ended up dying only days after Lilo from a heart attack if memory serves me.

@JCrusher;

I forgot to mention him; He’s lucky he didn’t get whacked…He turned against his old pal; Rastelli.

@NYMafia

Never knew that; Thank you.

We’re there anyone else who got demoted or whacked after the Galante aftermath.

Also who were some of the Galante captains/inner circle that were able get a “pass” and keep their position?

I don't know that Lilo's nephew Jimmy Galante was a skipper (although he may have been), but after his uncles demise he quickly faded from the scene. Nicky Marangello on the other hand, remained as an influential member. He may or may not have retained a "position," but regardless was still a respected guy.

@NYMafia

I’m surprised he got a “pass”.. The guy was the underboss of the family (even tho Cannone was #2 despite being Consigliere).

I guess Rastelli didn’t want to rock the boat and cause more problems with Marangello “in the dirt”.

To the contrary, Marangello was in solid with the Rastelli brothers, as clearly evidenced when Nicky got pinched with Rusty Rastelli and his brothers Marty and Carmine, Joe Massino, and bunch of other mob guys in a labor racketeering case related to bid-rigging, payoffs, and corruption connected to Teamster Local #814, which represented workers in NYC's moving and storage industry back in 1985 or so.

Nicky was a well respected guy going back many decades. And to my personal knowledge never overstepped himself. He remained a well liked guy.

At least two capos kept their stripes until 1980 then were demoted and replaced. Another Capo who was demoted after Galante was killed was Vincent Capasso.

Joseph Zicarelli is another capo demoted. He was originally part of Sabella-Galante crew before the Bonanno war. Correction, only one capo kept his stripes and was demoted in 1980 and that was Armond Pollastrino, and Dominic Trinchera took over that crew. The other Capo I was thinking of was Michael Zaffarano, but he was not demoted, he died in 1980.

By May 1981 the captains were:

Cesare Bonventre
Salvatore Catalano
Nicholas DiStefano
Salvatore Ferrugia (also served as acting boss)
Philip Giaccone
Santo Giordano
Alphonse Indelicato
Anthony Indelicato
Giovanni Ligammari
Joseph Massino
Dominick Napolitano
Gerlando Sciascia
Dominick Trinchera
Joseph Zicarelli

So it was quite a significant change between 1979 and then.

Giovanni Ligammari. I wonder what Joe Massino has to say about that. Yes half a dozen associates connected to Ligammari "committed suicide" from 1998 to 2000, but Giovanni and Pietro Ligammari were both hanged in New Jersey a couple of months after Massino ordered Gerlando Sciascia killed. Giovanni was a powerful ally to Gerlando and close enough to make a move on Joe or someone close to Joe, just saying. A bit suspicious.
Joseph Zicarelli was demoted after Galante was killed, but got his stripes back in the later part of 1980.
Your also forgetting Vic Cotroni and Nick Ruzzuto, Vito's father from that list. Rizzutos won in Montreal, but Vic remained in power till he died in 1984, then the Rizzutos really began to expand and seize power in Montreal. Santo Giordano was not a captain.
If Alphonse Indelicato did not rip off the Sicilians, his faction could have taken control of the family from Rastelli. It was Salvatore Catalano who made a deal with Gerlando Sciascia who was able to reach out to Nicolo Rizzuto in Montreal to get the shooters for the three capo hit.
On a side note, Matteo Volvo was demoted and Frank Lino took over the crew with a lot of old timers. 1979 to 1982 was a hectic period for Capos in that family.

Some of the men were "pulled down" because of age or infirmities, rather than because of any prior affiliation with Lilo. And I don't believe that Joe Zicarelli was even a captain. He was just a very influential soldier who governed a Northern NJ territory for years. Very respected, that's why some thought he was a "skipper."

Sciascia was captain of the Montreal crew at that point having recently replaced Cotroni at the time of the three captains murders. If Nick Rizzuto ever was the official capodecina of the crew it would have been after Sciascia's murder. Santo Giordano was a captain, he participated in the vote to put Sally Ferrugia in as acting boss in early 1981. Massino, Napolitano, Bonventre, Catalano, Giordano, Ligammari, Sciascia, and Steve Cannone voted for Ferrugia. Giaccone, Trinchera, the Indelicatos, DiStefano, and Zicarelli were opposed to him becoming acting boss. Frank Lino was Bruno Indelicato's acting captain and took over the crew when Bruno was knocked down after the three captains murders. Indelicato and his uncle JB were then put in Massino's crew.

. Nicky was well liked which is why he was spared. Also he accepted his demotion without any pushback…not that he had a choice ????

Assuming the rule of thumb that each capo has 10 made guys under them, then the Bonanno family size would have been between 140-160 made guys, am I correct? Or was the number much higher than that.

Also, which of the capos were inducted pre-1976 (that is, before the books were reopened)?

There's at least about 130 confirmed members by 1979, so 140-160 in total seems like a good estimate for them at that time.

DiStefano, Ferrugia, Giaccone (likely), and Zicarelli were inducted prior to the books closing, so the majority of the 1981 captains were made from 1976-1979. The Commission closed the Bonanno books after the Galante murder.