Bonanno
The Bonannos were the last of the New York Families to have a member turn cooperating witness. Several made members acted as confidential informants at various times going back to the 1960s, but it wasn't until October 2002 that a formally inducted member, Capodecina Frank Coppa, officially defected to the government. Twelve more members, including official Boss Joseph Massino, turned CW through the next five years.
Following are brief descriptions, in chronological order, of the cooperators' inductions from the 1970s. Also listed are confirmed inductions obtained from these CWs and/or from contemporary informant reports. Of particular note is that, in cases where specifics are available, the ceremonies were handled in a manner very similar to the so-called unorthodox methods practiced by the DeCavalcantes.
Note: Dates for the non-CW involved ceremonies are approximate and usually indicate when news of the induction was first reported to LE, not necessarily when the ceremony itself took place. It's possible some names listed separately were made together and news of their membership got out at different times.
Additions and corrections will be made as more information becomes available.
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c. Late January / Early February 1976
Books open. Each Family initially allowed ten new members. Those inducted in Bonanno's first wave included:
- Anthony 'Bims' Bonacci (45y) [Died 2001]
- James 'Jimmy Legs' Episcopia (47y) [Died 1997]
- Alfonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato (49y) [Murdered 1981]
- Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano (46y) [Murdered 1981]
L to R: Episcopia, Indelicato, Napolitano
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c. March 1976
- Anthony 'Bruno' Indelicato (29y)
Note: This information was obtained by the DEA and forwarded to the FBI.
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Early June 1976
- Frank Lupo (50y) [Died 1983]
- Anthony Mirra (49y) [Murdered 1982]
L to R: Lupo, Mirra
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c. Fall 1976
- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) [Died 2001] [Note: Date induction first reported; given age and close association to leadership may have been part of first wave]
Embarrato (1970)
Note: Mirra may have been inducted around this time. The FBI received conflicting dates from informants.
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1976 (Confirmed Inducted by 1977)
- William Riviello (45y) [Died] [As an associate CW D'Amico worked in Riviello's numbers office and knew him to be a made member]
Riviello (June 1977)
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June 14, 1977
Location: Bar (Queens)
Attendees
- Carmine Galante (67y) (Acting Boss) [Murdered 1979]
- Nicholas Marangello (64y) (Underboss) [Died 2000]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]
- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]
Members Inducted
1. Joseph 'Junior' Chilli (43y) [Died 2008]
2. Emanuel 'Manny' Guaragna (44y) [Died 2008]
3. Joseph 'J.B.' Indelicato (46y)
4. Joseph Massino (34y) [Flipped 2004]
5. Anthony Spero (48y) [Died 2008]
Notes:
- Ceremony conducted at night in back of bar. Business not closed and other patrons were present at location. In an attempt to deflect suspicion, food was laid out and "Happy Birthday" was played on the jukebox to make it appear the group was assembled for a party.
- Induction through verbal oath only. Massino: "They said, 'Normally, we put a gun and knife on the table. But the way times are, there's no gun and knife on the table. But imagine that it is.'"
L to R: Massino, Chilli, J. Indelicato, Spero
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c. Mid-1977
Location: Apartment (Brooklyn)
Attendees
- Carmine Galante (67y) (Acting Boss) [Murdered 1979]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]
- Angelo 'Moe' Presenzano (68y) (Captain) [Died 1979]
- Michael Sabella (66y) (Captain) [Died 1988]
- Matteo Valvo (68y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Michael Zaffarano (54y) (Captain) [Died 1980]
- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]
Members Inducted
1. Baldassare 'Baldo' Amato (26y) [IPL 2006]
2. Cesare Bonventre (26y) [Murdered 1984]
3. Frank Coppa (36y) [Flipped 2002]
4. John Palazzolo (40y)
Notes:
- The new members were made in pairs, Amato/Bonventre followed by Coppa/Palazzolo.
- Induction through verbal oath only.
L to R: Amato, Bonventre, Coppa
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c. August 1977
- Vincent Asaro (42y)
- Gerald 'Jerry' Chilli (43y) [Died 2016]
- Peter Monteleone (50y) [Died 1991]
G. Chilli (Sept. 1977)
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c. August-October 1977
- Anthony 'Fat Anthony' Rabito (43y)
Rabito (Aug. 1977)
- Francesco 'Cheech' Navarra (38y) [Died 2000] [Reported Early 10/77]
- Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero (51y) [Died 1994] [Reported Early 10/77]
Ruggiero (Sept. 1977)
Note: Re Anthony Rabito, Massino stated: "I proposed him. Carmine Galante made him." Galante was returned to prison for violating parole on or around October 11, 1977. CW D'Amico also reported that at the time of his own induction later that month, he knew Rabito to already be a made member under Zaffarano.
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October 31, 1977
Location: Indelicato Apartment Building at 113-117 Elizabeth St (Little Italy, Manhattan)
Attendees
- Nicholas Marangello (65y) (Underboss) [Died 2000]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]
- Vito DeFilippo (65y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Nicholas DiStefano (64y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Salvatore Ferrugia (61y) (Captain) [Died 1992]
- Frank Lupo (52y) (Captain) [Died 1983]
- Matteo Valvo (68y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Michael Zaffarano (54y) (Captain) [Died 1980]
- Alfred Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]
- Emanuel Guaragna (44y) (Soldier) [Died 2008]
- Anthony Mirra (50y) (Soldier) [Murdered 1982]
Members Inducted
1. Joseph Benanti (43y) [Died 2005]
2. Joseph D'Amico (22y) [Flipped 2003]
3. Gabriel Infanti (42y) [Murdered 1987]
4. Frank Lino (40y) [Flipped 2003]
5. Salvatore 'Chubby' Maiorino (52y)
6. Dominick 'Trin' Trinchera (40y) [Murdered 1981]
- Several others
Notes:
- Induction through verbal oath only:
- Lino: "(They) didn't use no gun or knife because they said things were getting bad with the government; that we would get raided and they would find all those things; so it was done in a different way. (Everybody) would hold hands and they would say something in Italian, meaning that once -- you can't lie and you've got to be truthful in whatever you say."
- D'Amico: "The oath was in Italian, I don't remember it too well..And we held hands at the whole table and we shook our hands up, stood up three times, Nicky [Marangello] said something three times, same words, we shook and then they told me I was baptized again and this was my family."
- Date: Lino remembered the ceremony as having occurred the previous day, his 40th birthday. D'Amico claimed Halloween 1977, a date supported by NYPD surveillance. A large group, among them Anthony Mirra, was observed entering the Indelicato apartment that night.
- Note: An FBI member source reported not long after the ceremony that Joseph 'Pepe' Marino (43y) was one of those made. No mention of this individual has yet turned up in other sources.
L to R: Benanti, D'Amico, Infanti, Lino, Trinchera
===
Pre-1978
- Salvatore 'Toto' Catalano (35y)
- James 'Jimmy' Galante (40y) [CW Massino's Captain for brief period c. 1978]
Catalano (Sept. 1977)
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c. March 1978
- Andrew Asaro (50y) [Died 1991]
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Pre-September 1978
- Salvatore 'Sally Blind' Frascone (42y) [Murdered 9.78]
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c. Late 1978
- Salvatore Morale (34y) [Died 2018]
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Mid-to-Late 1970s (Confirmed Inducted Pre-1979)
- Louis Attanasio (34y)
- Joseph 'Joe Beans' Campanella (40y) [Died 2007]
- William 'Cappy' Capparelli (43y) [Died 2011]
- Pasquale 'Patty Boxcars' Cosoleto (65y) [Died 1994]
- Salvatore 'Sally Paintglass' D'Ottavio (47y) [Died 1999]
- John 'Johnny Green' Faraci (56y) [Died 2011]
- James Genna (48y)
- Santo 'Toni' Giordano (35y) [Died 1983]
- Anthony 'T.G.' Graziano (38y)
- Giovanni Ligammari (39y) [Suicide 1999]
- Ronald Lorenzo (32y)
- Stephen Maruca (50y) [Died 1997]
- Russell Mauro (40y) [Murdered 1991]
- Robert 'Bobby Bad Heart' Perrette (48y) [Died 1989]
- Gerlando 'George' Sciascia (44y) [Murdered 1999]
- Giuseppe 'Joe' Turano (47y) [Murdered 1979]
In 1979 the Bonanno Family's books were closed on Commission order. This ban was lifted around 1984. Ceremonies from that decade will be the subject of a future post.
Edit1: Added Robert Perrette.
