Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno (November 5, 1932 – January 1, 2008) was the son of Mafia boss Joseph Bonanno. Although his father never intended for him to be the underboss of the Bonanno crime family, his appointment to high positions in the syndicate precipitated a "mob war" which led to the Bonanno family's exile to Arizona. Later in life, he became a writer and produced films for television about his family.[1]
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Early life
Bill Bonanno was the first child of Joseph and Fay (Labruzzo) Bonanno. Bill first attended school in Brooklyn, but in 1938 his father purchased property in Hempstead, Long Island and moved the family there. At age 10, Bill developed a severe mastoid ear infection. To treat this ailment, his parents enrolled him in a Catholic boarding school in the dry climate of Tucson, Arizona, where he completed his high school education.
When he was 15, Bill led a group of students (who were supposed to be visiting a museum) to see the controversial 1947 film Forever Amber. The Catholic Church had banned the movie, so the school expelled Bill from the dormitory as punishment. He was allowed to attend classes, but was forced to live alone in a motel.
Between 1950 and 1952, Bill attended the University of Arizona, but never graduated.[1] On August 18, 1954, he married Rosalie Profaci, niece of Joseph Profaci of the Profaci (now Colombo) crime family. Sam DeCavalcante once discussed Salvatore Bonanno's oppression of Rosalie: "It's a shame; the girl wanted to commit suicide because of the way he treated her".
Involvement with the Mafia
Bill's first ambition (after a try at law school) was to manage the legitimate end of Joseph's farms, factories, and the real estate empire. Some time after 1952, however, he was inducted ("made") into the Bonanno crime family.[1] His father subsequently appointed Bonanno consigliere for the Bonanno crime family. Many in the organization felt Bill Bonanno was too inexperienced and too much of an intellectual to lead effectively. Tensions within the Bonanno crime family worsened when Bill Bonanno advised against getting into the trade in illegal narcotics.[1]
The late 1950s was a period of turmoil for all of New York's Five Families. Joseph Bonanno was kidnapped by his cousin Stefano Magadinno (Buffalo crime family boss) and was held against his own will as he was facing a grand jury subpoena. But with the senior Bonanno unable to attend to the crime family's business, The Commission stripped Bonanno of his leadership of the syndicate and installed Gaspar DiGregorio as the new head of the family.[2]
On January 28, 1966, while on his way to a meeting to try to restore peace in the syndicate, Bill Bonanno survived an attempt on his life in what became known as the "Troutman Street shooting." The hit, ordered by DiGregorio, took place on Troutman Street in Brooklyn, New York. Although 50 shots were fired, no one was injured or killed. The attempt on Bill Bonanno's life started the conflict known as the Banana War. Joseph Bonanno suffered a heart attack in 1968. The Bonannos negotiated a peace agreement which ended the Banana War and led both father and son to retire from organized crime and live in Arizona.[2]
Bill Bonanno moved to Tucson with his wife. He lived on a 3,300-acre (13 km2) cattle and cotton ranch 20 miles (32 km) north of the city. He continued to be involved in organized crime, however. Bonanno spent a total of 12 years in prison for various crimes committed after 1968. In 1985, he was convicted of conspiracy and theft for defrauding senior citizens in California for home improvements which were never made.[1]
Contribution to JFK conspiracy theories
In his memoir, Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story, Bonanno explains that several Mafia families had long-standing ties with the anti-Castro Cubans through the Havana casinos operated by the Mafia before the Cuban Revolution. The Cubans hated Kennedy because he failed to fully support them in the Bay of Pigs Invasion; the Mafia hated the Kennedys because, as Attorney General, the young and idealistic Robert Kennedy conducted an unprecedented legal assault on organized crime. This was especially provocative because several of the Mafia "families" had worked with JFK's father, Joseph Kennedy, to get JFK elected. Joseph also worked with many mobsters as a bootlegger in the 1920s. Both the Mafia and the anti-Castro Cubans were expert in assassination, the Cubans having been trained by the CIA. Bonanno reports that he realized the degree of the involvement of other Mafia families when he witnessed Jack Ruby killing Oswald on television: the Bonannos recognized Jack Ruby as an associate of Chicago mobster Sam Giancana.[3]
As an Author and Producer
Bonano worked occasionally as a television producer (primarily on mini-series and films related to his family's criminal past), and collaborated with Gay Talese on the book Honor Thy Father, a history of the Bonanno crime family.[1] Both Bill and Rosalie Bonanno published memoirs later in life. Bill Bonanno's autobiography, Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story, was published in 1999.[1] He also worked as a writer on the 1999 made-for-television movie Bonanno: A Godfather's Story.[4]
He also co-wrote a novel entitled "The Good Guys" with Joseph Pistone and David Fisher.
Death
Bill Bonanno died of a heart attack on the morning of January 1, 2008.[1] He is interred near his father in Holy Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum in Tucson, AZ.
In popular culture
Bill Bonanno was the main character in the 1971 non-fiction novel Honor Thy Father.
In the television miniseries based on the book he was portayed by Joseph Bologna.
Actor Tony Nardi depicted the adult Joseph Bonanno in Bonanno: A Godfather's Story.
Personal life
Bill Bonanno was married to Rosalie Bonanno on August 18, 1956 and they had four children named Charles, Joseph, Salvatore, and Felippa ("Gigi")
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Devesi, Dennis. "Bill Bonanno, 75, Mob Family Member, Dies." New York Times. January 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Talese, Gay. Honor Thy Father. Tulsa, Okla.: World Publishing Company, 1971. ISBN 0804199809
- ^ Bonanno, Bill (1999). Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story. New York: St Martin's Press. ISBN 0312203888
- ^ Salvatore Bonanno at the Internet Movie Database.
References
- Rosalie Bonanno with Beverly Donofrio (1990). Mafia Marriage: My Story. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-07297-6.
- Bill Bonanno (1999). Bound by Honor. St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 0-312-97147-8.
- Bill Bonanno and Joseph D Pistone with David Fisher (2005). The Good Guys. Thorndike Press. ISBN 0786275065.
External links
- Bill Bonanno Web site (dead link)
- Bill Bonanno at the Internet Movie Database
See also
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Tartamella |
Bonanno crime family Consigliere 1964 |
Succeeded by Nicolino "Nick" Alfano |
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