He definitely lied about drugs and most likely lied about Maranzano. Did he even have a son called Daniel?

I wasn´t doubting that. But Genovese was a living person, while Barzini was/is not. So it should be "Barzini was based on Genovese". Right? Or is my english that bad?

Some ppl even belive that he made the book as revenge to the mob!Rudy Giuliani used it as evidence

Maybe he did sell Drugs, Drug's was business now Drug's is at the top, It makes more money than Racketeering and Loansharking. Bonanno wasnt a lieing man, He was Italian. Italian's dont lie..

I think Bonanno leaned toward the "conservative faction" while Luciano was part of the newer "liberal faction" of bosses (Tony Accardo, Costello, Anastasia etc.) The liberal faction bosses didn't care much for Sicilian tradition while the conservative faction bosses emphasized old world tradition, honor, rituals and perhaps a sicilian only attitude. These descriptions were probably made up by historians, but I think it describes real contention in the mob at the time. In interview (60 minutes?) Bonanno Sr describes Luciano as being only interested in making money.

Haha Sorry... Your right, Barzini based on Genovese. Well done

How do you know that for a fact, Were you in the Bonanno Family? Did you see it for yourself or are you one of those people who believe an Author who think's he knows it more than a real member. What exactly did he lie about Maranzano?

Bonanno def banned drugs. Just like Gambino did in 1963. Other bosses did as well. However, the problem was that the bosses could not stop their soldiers from dealing.

You are defently right..they killed their soldatos if caught with drugs...but srill they were the world wide leaders of the drug ring or just took thir cut

Maybe he never knew anything about Maranzano, Lansky and Luciano were succesful because they worked low key (quiet). Bill didnt have much to do with Maranzano except he joined Maranzano's gang and joined him during the war. Im surprised Bonanno wasnt killed but later made a deal with Luciano and became a worker for him.

Fair enough i shouldn't have said definitely but the evidence suggests Joe knew his men were selling drugs. Like when Galante got indicted on heroin charges in 1959 Bonanno had 3 years to do something about it before Carmine was jailed . Also the guy who was in charge of his Montreal rackets was charged with drug dealing after pleading guilty Joe still kept him in charge of Montreal.

^^^ True!

Carmine Galante's main business in the 1960's were the Heroin Drug Trade. When Galante got out of Prison, The Sicilian Faction had him all set up with deal's and eventually he came the biggest drug lord in America in 1964 to 1965. I dont believe in Drugs, I dont call it business. It ruins, Women and Teenagers. When you get suspected for Drugs, You get about 40 years slammed up!

It still seems like Joe knew exactly what Carmine was doing.

Bill Bonanno once said, Joseph was going to send people to kill Galante for bringing heat by the Cops with Drugs. The Murder never took place for Joseph but I bet Carmine's murder was good enough backed up by Sonny Red.

Bill actually said he was shocked at his fathers lack of action against Galante.

He might of said that once but I heard Words coming out of his mouth, Is that normal? Drug's is very bad for business if you get your hand in the jar your done for life.

He wrote that in his book. So i think his credibility is shot right there since he can't keep his story straight. Out of interest why did you interview him was it for a book?

I didnt feel anything for Bill Bonanno, He had it all set up from his father Joseph. Joseph had to work from nothing and started his own empire like Corleone. Actually, I never interviewed him, My Nephew did for a website he had which was updated on Cosa Nostra stuff. Believe this or not, Half of my family were Associate's of the Lucchese family in New York. My Deceased brother Adam J. Berardo was a small time Associate of the Lucchese's and recently passed two weeks ago. Adam ratted out and my father was served 20 years for Racketeering Operation's in New Jersey. My Grandfather, James Berardo was a Captain during the 1960's to the early 1990s. My Grandfather was a close "Bodyguard" if you say so to Tommy Lucchese in the early 1960s for about a year. My Grandfather was a driver for Anthony Corallo in his early 70's and a friend to Carmine Tramunti. My Grandfather had only been arrested for high Racketeering and Loansharking operations in Brooklyn and New Jersey with high ranking Lucchese members and Bonanno members. Im in the middle of creating a book with John Dickie a famous Cosa Nostra author and we will be naming it "The Berardo Family "This Story of Ours" ". I will keep you updated if you like. My Grandfather sat with me drinking wine around 1994 and told me the secrets of Cosa Nostra within other things and The Bonanno's. Here's a link of my Grandfather - http://realcosanostra.wikia.com/wiki/James_Berardo

Sure. Just acknowledge the source.

Interesting stuff i'd like you to keep me updated

Luciano and his cohorts pulled off one of the great con jobs on Uncle Sam:

Soon after the US entered WWII, the government seized the French ocean liner Normandy, which was on a West Side Manhattan pier, and began to renovate it as a troop-carrier. A worker got careless with a torch, igniting some burlap sacks and setting a fire that caused the ship to capsize. The US Navy commander of the port suspected "sabotage" by "Axis agents" mingling with Italian and German longshoremen. Joseph (Socks) Lanza, Mob boss of the waterfront, took that info to Meyer Lansky. He brought it to Luciano in his upstate NY prison. Result: Lansky approached Judge Murray Gurfein, who'd been one of Dewey's prosecutors in the case against Luciano, with a promise: Lucky would assure that no further "sabotage" would occur on the docks, in return for better treatment. Lucky was moved to a "more comfortable" prison closer to NYC, and was deported in '46.

And, you're right, Lucky didn't help the Allies with the Sicilian landings because he'd been long gone from that island. Sicilian Mafiosi had been driven underground by Mussolini, who regarded them as a rival power. As soon as the Allies landed, the Mafiosi identified themselves as "Resistance fighters," and the allies bought it--restoring the gabellotti to their former positions and appointed them mayors, judges, etc. They got help from Genovese, who, ironically, had ingratiated himself with Mussolini earlier but moved to Sicily after the invasion to be "helpful" as a translater and go-between for the Allies and the Mafia. He bribed countless American officers to get access to scarce consumer goods, auto parts, etc., and shipped them to Naples where he ran the largest black-market operation in Italy.

What's interesting, is that even those mafiosi who had aligned themselves with the fascists to avoid jail and therefore couldn't identify themselves as "resistance fighters", also got privileged treatment - for example, Vincenzo Di Carlo from Raffadali, he was the local fascist leader, but nevertheless was appointed as responsible for the requisition of cereals by the Allies. Many others (especially the landowners whom Mussolini didn't treat too badly even though they protected the mafia bosses) were also treated as "friends" in spite of their ties to the fascists.

I wonder what would have happened if Vito Cascio Ferro (the one who killed the American police officer Giuseppe Petrosino in 1909) didn't die in jail and was freed with the others, would he have regained his position in the mafia or would he have just been killed off as a "relic of the past"?

About the Normandy thing...was it the german secret agency responsible or the mob?

I found an interesting article, published in Wasington Post, March 15, 1962. With his own words, Lucky Luciano explained why and how he was allowed to switch prison from the dreadful Sing Sing to a more tolerable prison during the WWII. And it had nothing to do with him allegedy helping out the US Navy.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19620315&id=BcVOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uw4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4534,2786310

really cool post,theres not much stuff you can find with mobsters own words,but i think if Lucky ever sad something to the reporter like "I worked with the US navy and the secret agency" he would've been put on spot right there

by the way to go with the story..who do you think was the prominent oficial,Dewey or Hoover?

Likewise. I'd love to hear what he's got that got me no other results on Google web, books or news archives.

Neither. The Normandy fire was strictly an accident. But, if the Naval commander of the Port of New York wanted to believe it was the work of the Germans working with Italian and German longshoremen, the least that Luciano could do was go along with them...



Dewey was the special prosecutor who put Luciano away in '36. He was governor of NY when the deportation order was issued. Hoover had nothing to do with it. At that time he wasn't even acknowledging that the Mob existed.

There is solid proof however that German U-boots reached the shores of New York City. So the rumor of German sabotage wasn't that far-fetched.

very true check it out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pastorius