[UPDATE: Immediately following the release of publication, it was learned that the discovered photo labeled "Maranzano" by an Italian periodical was actually of a German murderer.]
Showing posts with label bonanno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bonanno. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Monday, August 5, 2019
August 2019 issue of Informer
August 2019 issue contents
Editorial
Researchers have long been bothered by the lack of a photograph of Prohibition Era Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano.
One decade ago, in the July 2009 issue of Informer, Mafia historian David Critchley discussed a widely circulated mug shot photo that had been passed off as Maranzano. Critchley noted that the image had made the rounds since initial publication in a 1990 book. It had been copied into books, magazines and websites, always captioned as Maranzano and never credited to any specific source. Critchley revealed that the same photo had been printed with an article on British vice criminal Salvatore Messina in an August 1967 London newspaper. He confirmed that the photo was of Messina, not Maranzano, by locating Messina's mug shot in a Scotland Yard resource.
There seem to be no official U.S. government mug shots of Maranzano for the simple reason that Maranzano was not arrested. He was sought by law enforcement on more than one occasion, but never photographed until after his murder. During the police investigation of the killing, two known photographs were taken of the dead Mafia leader. These did not provide much in the way of facial detail. The only other known image of Maranzano was a coroner’s sketch that roughly showed a profile of his face and pinpointed the wounds inflicted on his body.
For the July 2009 issue, Informer attempted to blend the crime scene photos and sketch into an image of the living Maranzano. But there was no method of gauging the accuracy of the result.
Then, early this past April, Informer received an email from a Canadian researcher, who believed he was on the verge of obtaining an actual image of Maranzano. [UPDATE: It has since been proven that this photo too is NOT of Salvatore Maranzano.]
Peter Kalm discovered an old magazine that contained an article and a photograph of Maranzano and told Informer of his find. We initially were skeptical that any published image of the Mafia leader had managed to escape notice for nearly eighty eight years. But on April 25, Kalm shared the magazine article and photograph. We noted there were obvious similarities between the image and the crime scene photos, coroner’s sketch and our own blended image of Maranzano.
As he provided the materials, Kalm wrote, “Maranzano has intrigued me since I saw the movie The Valachi Papers years ago. Sadly, it is probably too late for anyone to write a book about his life since there is no one around who remembers him and also so little information about him still exists.”
In case there are some who do not already know, Maranzano was a bootlegger and Mafioso in the New York area during the late 1920s. He rose to command a successful gangland rebellion against reigning boss of bosses Giuseppe Masseria in 1930-31 and took for himself the boss of bosses position. His term in office was merely a few months, as he was assassinated by gunmen working for Salvatore "Charlie Luciano" Lucania in September 1931.
We considered how best to publicize Kalm’s discovery and to make known his vigilance, good fortune and extreme generosity. He indicated that he was uninterested in any personal publicity but hoped the appearance of the photograph would reignite Maranzano research.
It seemed to us that the most appropriate method of bringing the image to the public was to package it in an entire Informer issue that discussed all that we know about Maranzano. While it falls somewhat short of Kalm’s wish for a Maranzano book, we hope it will serve as a foundation for future research.
This issue contains a number of articles that approach the issue from different perspectives. These articles contain some overlapping data, but each is written to address a specific question about Salvatore Maranzano:
84 pages including covers and eight and a half pages of advertisements.
Editorial
So... why are we discussing
Salvatore Maranzano now?
One decade ago, in the July 2009 issue of Informer, Mafia historian David Critchley discussed a widely circulated mug shot photo that had been passed off as Maranzano. Critchley noted that the image had made the rounds since initial publication in a 1990 book. It had been copied into books, magazines and websites, always captioned as Maranzano and never credited to any specific source. Critchley revealed that the same photo had been printed with an article on British vice criminal Salvatore Messina in an August 1967 London newspaper. He confirmed that the photo was of Messina, not Maranzano, by locating Messina's mug shot in a Scotland Yard resource.
There seem to be no official U.S. government mug shots of Maranzano for the simple reason that Maranzano was not arrested. He was sought by law enforcement on more than one occasion, but never photographed until after his murder. During the police investigation of the killing, two known photographs were taken of the dead Mafia leader. These did not provide much in the way of facial detail. The only other known image of Maranzano was a coroner’s sketch that roughly showed a profile of his face and pinpointed the wounds inflicted on his body.
For the July 2009 issue, Informer attempted to blend the crime scene photos and sketch into an image of the living Maranzano. But there was no method of gauging the accuracy of the result.
Then, early this past April, Informer received an email from a Canadian researcher, who believed he was on the verge of obtaining an actual image of Maranzano. [UPDATE: It has since been proven that this photo too is NOT of Salvatore Maranzano.]
Peter Kalm discovered an old magazine that contained an article and a photograph of Maranzano and told Informer of his find. We initially were skeptical that any published image of the Mafia leader had managed to escape notice for nearly eighty eight years. But on April 25, Kalm shared the magazine article and photograph. We noted there were obvious similarities between the image and the crime scene photos, coroner’s sketch and our own blended image of Maranzano.
As he provided the materials, Kalm wrote, “Maranzano has intrigued me since I saw the movie The Valachi Papers years ago. Sadly, it is probably too late for anyone to write a book about his life since there is no one around who remembers him and also so little information about him still exists.”
In case there are some who do not already know, Maranzano was a bootlegger and Mafioso in the New York area during the late 1920s. He rose to command a successful gangland rebellion against reigning boss of bosses Giuseppe Masseria in 1930-31 and took for himself the boss of bosses position. His term in office was merely a few months, as he was assassinated by gunmen working for Salvatore "Charlie Luciano" Lucania in September 1931.
We considered how best to publicize Kalm’s discovery and to make known his vigilance, good fortune and extreme generosity. He indicated that he was uninterested in any personal publicity but hoped the appearance of the photograph would reignite Maranzano research.
It seemed to us that the most appropriate method of bringing the image to the public was to package it in an entire Informer issue that discussed all that we know about Maranzano. While it falls somewhat short of Kalm’s wish for a Maranzano book, we hope it will serve as a foundation for future research.
This issue contains a number of articles that approach the issue from different perspectives. These articles contain some overlapping data, but each is written to address a specific question about Salvatore Maranzano:
- What can we learn from recent discoveries? (Preview.)
- Why was Maranzano important in U.S. Mafia history? (Preview.)
- What did Maranzano certainly NOT look like? (Preview.)
- What was Maranzano up to in Dutchess County, New York? (Preview.)
- Why did Maranzano select Coll to kill "Lucky"? (Preview.)
- What was revealed about Maranzano by those who knew him? (Preview.)
- Where were significant locations of Maranzano’s life and career? (Preview.)
- When did Maranzano related events occur? (Preview.)
- Did Maranzano become a United States citizen? (Preview.)
- How has Maranzano been depicted in motion pictures? (Preview.)
- What happened on Sept. 10, 1931? (Preview.)
- What was in the memorandum book? (Preview.)
- What do we know about Maranzano in Sicily? (Preview.)
- Was there really a post Maranzano purge? (Preview.)
84 pages including covers and eight and a half pages of advertisements.
What acquaintances revealed about Maranzano
August 2019 issue contents
Features
Several Maranzano contemporaries wrote autobiographies that included descriptions of Maranzano and his actions. Another close associate of Maranzano discussed him at length within range of an FBI listening device, resulting in a fourth authoritative source on the Prohibition Mafia leader.
A rough draft of Nicola Gentile’s memoirs may have been the first of these to reach U.S. authorities. But Gentile’s story would not be released to the public until it was published in Italy in 1963 under the title, Vita di Capomafia. In the same year, Americans were spellbound by the testimony of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi. At the government’s urging, Valachi composed his own autobiographical work, The Real Thing, which became source material for The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas, released in 1968. In between those Mafia memoirs, in 1965, the FBI benefited from electronic surveillance of the Niagara Falls headquarters of western New York Mafia boss Stefano Magaddino.
The public received another large dose of Maranzano information in 1983, when Joseph Bonanno’s autobiography, A Man of Honor, was published by Simon and Schuster.
Eleven pages including eight images and one page of notes.
Features
What was revealed about Maranzano
by those who actually knew him?
 |
| Magaddino |
A rough draft of Nicola Gentile’s memoirs may have been the first of these to reach U.S. authorities. But Gentile’s story would not be released to the public until it was published in Italy in 1963 under the title, Vita di Capomafia. In the same year, Americans were spellbound by the testimony of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi. At the government’s urging, Valachi composed his own autobiographical work, The Real Thing, which became source material for The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas, released in 1968. In between those Mafia memoirs, in 1965, the FBI benefited from electronic surveillance of the Niagara Falls headquarters of western New York Mafia boss Stefano Magaddino.
The public received another large dose of Maranzano information in 1983, when Joseph Bonanno’s autobiography, A Man of Honor, was published by Simon and Schuster.
Eleven pages including eight images and one page of notes.
Mafia warrior and boss of Trapani
August 2019 issue contents
Columns
The Warner Files
For this special issue on Salvatore Maranzano, it's worth providing a little info on his background. He was born in Castellammare del Golfo on July 31, 1886, to Domenico Maranzano and Antonina Pisciotta. He married Elisabetta Minore, the sister of Salvatore "Don Toto" Minore of Trapani, probably around 1912. Together they had one daughter and three sons.
Joseph Bonanno tells us that when he was a boy, "Maranzano was a chief warrior under Uncle Stefano Magaddino in Castellammare, and he too had fought against the Buccellatos"...
One page.
Columns
The Warner Files
Mafia warrior and boss of Trapani
By Richard N. Warner
Joseph Bonanno tells us that when he was a boy, "Maranzano was a chief warrior under Uncle Stefano Magaddino in Castellammare, and he too had fought against the Buccellatos"...
One page.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Maranzano issue taking shape
The August 2019 issue of Informer will deal exclusively with Prohibition Era Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano - life, career, assassination and post-assassination aftermath. Through articles, photos and maps, Informer will tackle the many questions about Maranzano, including:
- Who was Salvatore Maranzano?
- What did he look like? (And what did he certainly NOT look like?)
- What does a recent discovery tell us about him?
- What was said about him by those who knew him in life?
- Where were the locations significant to his life and career?
- When did Maranzano-related events occur?
- Why was he important in U.S. Mafia history?
- How has he been portrayed by Hollywood?
- What do we know of Maranzano's life in Sicily?
- Was there really a post-Maranzano Mafia purge?
Pages for the issue are currently being laid out. (Issue is expected to weigh in at around seventy-two pages.)
Plans call for the August Informer to be released in the usual print and electronic/PDF formats (through the MagCloud service). And, with some luck, the issue also will be available in a Kindle ebook format.
Stay tuned.
Monday, June 26, 2017
August 2017 issue of Informer
August 2017 contents
Editorial
This issue's "cover story" is an excerpt from Dock Boss, scheduled for release this summer by Barricade Books. Dock Boss, the story of Eddie McGrath and the mobsters who controlled New York City's West Side waterfront, is the first book-length project by crime historian Neil G. Clarke (Preview).
Also in this issue:
104 Pages
Preview / purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Editorial
This issue's "cover story" is an excerpt from Dock Boss, scheduled for release this summer by Barricade Books. Dock Boss, the story of Eddie McGrath and the mobsters who controlled New York City's West Side waterfront, is the first book-length project by crime historian Neil G. Clarke (Preview).
Also in this issue:
- Lennert Van`t Riet and David Critchley provide a groundbreaking history of Frank Zito's little-known but influential Springfield, Illinois, Mafia organization (Preview).
- Justin Cascio explores the career and family connections of the "Capitano," Angelo Di Carlo, who held key underworld positions on both sides of the Atlantic (Preview).
- Edmond Valin digs through government records to discover the identity of a Bonanno Family informant (Preview).
- Bill Feather provides details on the founding of twenty-nine United States Mafia organizations (Preview).
- Richard Warner reviews books on an axe-wielding killer, the origins of street gangs and revered New York law enforcement officer Joseph Petrosino (Preview).
- In The Warner Files, Richard Warner outlines recent changes in the Chicago Outfit (Preview).
104 Pages
Preview / purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
William Dara, informant for Feds
August 2017 contents
Features
Indentifying Underworld Informants:
By Edmond Valin
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation has relied on member-informants to help investigate U.S. Mafia organizations ever since Joseph Valachi began to 'talk.' Mobsters who secretly turn against 'La Cosa Nostra' are in a position to give the FBI access to the history and activities of crime groups that is hard to equal. Some like Valachi testify in court and become household names, but most remain unknown to the public and to the organization itself..."
Ten pages, four images, endnotes.
Preview / purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Features
Indentifying Underworld Informants:
Bonanno member
in South Florida
aided federal agents
By Edmond Valin
Ten pages, four images, endnotes.
Preview / purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Obituary: Vito Rizzuto
January 2014 Issue Contents
Obituary
"Vito Rizzuto, reputed leader of the Montreal Mafia, died December 23, 2013, at age sixty-seven, according to published reports. Rizzuto died at Sacré-Coeur Hospital after being admitted with pneumonia symptoms reportedly related to lung cancer, the Montreal Gazette reported..."
Half page.
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Obituary
Vito Rizzuto obituary
 |
| Vito Rizzuto |
Half page.
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Preview/purchase electronic edition through Scribd.
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
July 2013 Issue of Informer
July 2013 Contents
Editorial
“Diamond Joe" Esposito entered the United States at a time when there was no easily discernible difference between organized crime and organized politics. Each had the same objectives and made use of the same tactics. Frequently, they had the same membership rolls.
After settling for a time in Brooklyn, Esposito migrated to Chicago, effec-tively blazing a trail that later would be followed by such gangland figures as Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. In the Windy City, Esposito performed apparently conflicting functions while inhabiting the twilight area between underworld and overworld, between the unprincipled street toughs and the respectable citizens.
That he used his influence to assist the poor immigrant families in his district is well established. However, it cannot be denied that he also aided those who preyed upon and terrorized the same families.
The story of Esposito’s life, provided by Lennert van`t Riet and David Critchley, is a window into a tumultuous period from the close of the Gilded Age through the early years of the Prohibition Era. (Preview)
Also in this issue of Informer:
- Bill Feather provides an early Buffalo Crime Family membership chart (Preview).
- Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona relate how a successful raid by Prohibition agents led to the distribution of poisonous alcohol in the United States and Canada (Preview).
- Longtime Bonanno Crime Family member Frank Bonomo is the subject of a gangland profile by J. Dugard (Preview).
- Oscar Goodman, former mob defense lawyer and mayor of Las Vegas, sits down for an interview with Richard N. Warner (Preview).
- Thomas Hunt ponders the re-release of The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (Preview).
Eighty-eight pages including cover.
Preview/purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Preview/purchase electronic edition through Scribd.
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Editorial
After settling for a time in Brooklyn, Esposito migrated to Chicago, effec-tively blazing a trail that later would be followed by such gangland figures as Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. In the Windy City, Esposito performed apparently conflicting functions while inhabiting the twilight area between underworld and overworld, between the unprincipled street toughs and the respectable citizens.
That he used his influence to assist the poor immigrant families in his district is well established. However, it cannot be denied that he also aided those who preyed upon and terrorized the same families.
The story of Esposito’s life, provided by Lennert van`t Riet and David Critchley, is a window into a tumultuous period from the close of the Gilded Age through the early years of the Prohibition Era. (Preview)
Also in this issue of Informer:
- Bill Feather provides an early Buffalo Crime Family membership chart (Preview).
- Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona relate how a successful raid by Prohibition agents led to the distribution of poisonous alcohol in the United States and Canada (Preview).
- Longtime Bonanno Crime Family member Frank Bonomo is the subject of a gangland profile by J. Dugard (Preview).
- Oscar Goodman, former mob defense lawyer and mayor of Las Vegas, sits down for an interview with Richard N. Warner (Preview).
- Thomas Hunt ponders the re-release of The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (Preview).
Eighty-eight pages including cover.
Preview/purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Preview/purchase electronic edition through Scribd.
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Gangland Profile: Bonomo
July 2013 Contents
Feature Article
"Frank Bonomo was a long-time member of the Bonanno Crime Family, who briefly may have served as a capodecina (group leader) during the late 1970s. Equally adept at avoiding the attention of law enforcement and the wrath of rivals, he survived the New York gangland 'Banana War' and lived to the age of 86..."
Eight pages, including two pages of notes and six photographs.
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Feature Article
Gangland Profile: Frank Bonomo
By J. Dugard
Eight pages, including two pages of notes and six photographs.
Preview/purchase electronic edition through Scribd.
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
A Look Back
April 2012 Contents
Column
A Look Back
Historical entries from 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago and 10 years ago.
One and a half pages.
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Column
Historical entries from 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago and 10 years ago.
One and a half pages.
Preview/purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.
Preview/purchase electronic edition through Scribd.
Tweet
Thursday, January 7, 2010
In the News
Vol. 3, Issue 1, January 2010 Contents
In the News:
Click here to preview or purchase this issue.
In the News:
- Fourth Gotti trial ends with hung jury.
- New England Mafia under new management.
- Massachusetts man charged with being Colombo boss.
- Genovese capodecina sentenced to 16 years.
- Police round up 22 Gambino, Lucchese suspects.
- Grand jury indicts alleged member of Bonanno leadership.
- Gambino capodecina Gregory DePalma dies at 78
Click here to preview or purchase this issue.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Vol. 2, No. 4: October 2009
Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
As Fidel Castro took control of Cuba a half century ago, it is commonly believed that he abruptly shut down Havana’s luxurious casinos and nightclubs and banished American racketeers from his island nation. While it is true that the end of Havana’s glitzy nightlife coincided with the final victory of Castro’s revolution, that end was not designed—or even sought—by the Cuban dictator. In addition, Castro’s relationships with American racketeers were far more complex than generally thought. His Cuban Revolution actually benefited from arms shipped to the island by American Mafiosi frustrated with the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista and hopeful of establishing a positive relationship with rising star Castro.In the end, the casinos closed due to American reluctance to travel to postrevolution Cuba, despite Castro’s efforts to keep the tourist dollars flowing in. In this issue, we look back fifty years to the often misunderstood relationship between Castro and the Havana casinos (preview).
In his autobiography, Joseph Bonanno stated that the Buccellato clan of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, played no significant role in the American Mafia. It seems Bonanno ignored the
presence of Giuseppe Buccellato, a key figure in Bonanno’s own crime family and leader of Mafia rackets in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Historian Justin Dugard sets the record straight (preview).
presence of Giuseppe Buccellato, a key figure in Bonanno’s own crime family and leader of Mafia rackets in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Historian Justin Dugard sets the record straight (preview).
Within this issue, we also look at Jack Ruby’s visit to Havana (preview) and at the membership of the early Bonanno Crime Family (preview). Books coverage includes an interview with Martha Sheldon, reviews and previews. Plus: A Look Back (preview), Ask the Informer (preview), and In the News (preview).
Fifty-six pages including cover and advertisements
Published October 19, 2009.
Giuseppe Buccellato & the Bushwick crew
Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
Feature article
"Though overshadowed by a number of his peers, Giuseppe Buccellato was a high-ranking member of the Bonanno Family during the Natale Evola and Philip Rastelli regimes."
Five pages
Eight images
Click here to preview or purchase this issue.
Feature article
Giuseppe Buccellato
and the Bushwick crew
By Justin Dugard
"Though overshadowed by a number of his peers, Giuseppe Buccellato was a high-ranking member of the Bonanno Family during the Natale Evola and Philip Rastelli regimes."Five pages
Eight images
Click here to preview or purchase this issue.
In the News
Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
In the News:
- NY Lucchese clan clobbered.
- Gotti goes on trial for fourth time.
- Plea deals likely for South Florida Bonanno crew.
- Anastasia nephew on trial for racketeering.
- Gambino soldier Carneglia gets life prison sentence.
- 'Saint' wants plot charges dropped.
- New England's Gennario Angiulo dies at 90.
- Mafia Cops witness Kaplan dies at 75.
Bonanno Mafia Membership, 1900-1940s
Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
Membership Chart
Researcher Bill Feather provides a chart of dozens of known and suspected Bonanno Crime Family members from the 1900-1940s era. Names, aliases, birth-death-immigration data, birthplaces and ranks are provided.
Three and a half pages
Saturday, July 18, 2009
In the News
Vol. 2, Issue 3, July 2009 Contents
In the News:
Or subscribe to Informer using the links at right.
In the News:
- Carmen DiNunzio reaches plea deal in Boston.
- 11 indicted as Bonanno crew in Florida.
- Deputy U.S. marshal leaked prisoner info.
- Nicholas Corozzo sentenced for murder.
- Chicago's Alfonso Tornabene dies at 86.
- New England's Donato Angiulo dies at 86.
Or subscribe to Informer using the links at right.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Look Back
Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
A Look Back
100 years ago:
NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino assassinated in Sicily.
50 years ago:
Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista forced into exile.
25 years ago:
Pizza Connection broken up.
1 year ago:
Salvatore Bonanno died after heart attack.
A Look Back
100 years ago:
NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino assassinated in Sicily.
50 years ago:
Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista forced into exile.
25 years ago:
Pizza Connection broken up.
1 year ago:
Salvatore Bonanno died after heart attack.
Click here to preview or purchase this issue.
Or subscribe to Informer using the links at right.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
In the News
Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
In the News
Deaths
In the News
- Gotti faces federal murder, drug charges
- Appeals court throws out NJ racketeer convictions
- Murdered restaurateur linked to Bonanno clan
- FBI doubles reward for Whitey Bulger info
- Bonanno Family members indicted for racketeering
- FBI supports mob museum
- Two Coloradans suspected of New Jersey gangland killing
- Caught: Giuseppe Coluccio
Deaths
- Pittsburgh's Bazzano Jr.
- Chicago's Frank Schweihs
- Kansas City's Carl DeLuna
Eight pages of articles
13 photos
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