Anthony Indelicato

Anthony Indelicato, also known as "Bruno"[1] and "Whack-Whack",[2][3] is an American capo with the Bonanno crime family of New York City.

Anthony Indelicato
Born
New York City, U.S.
Other names"Bruno"
"Whack-Whack"
OccupationMobster
Parent(s)Alphonse Indelicato
RelativesJimmy Burke (father-in-law)
AllegianceBonanno crime family
Conviction(s)Murder (1986)
Murder (2008)
Criminal penalty40 years' imprisonment and fined $50,000 (1987)
20 years' imprisonment (2008)

Early life

Anthony Indelicato is the son of Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, a powerful capo in the Bonanno family. Anthony Indelicato's wife is Catherine Burke, a daughter of Lucchese crime family associate Jimmy Burke.[4]

In 1979, Anthony Indelicato participated in the murder of Bonanno boss Carmine Galante. With the official Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli in prison, Galante had taken effective control of the family in the early 1970s. His ruthlessness and ambition created many enemies within the Bonanno family and in the other New York families.[5]

The Mafia Commission finally allowed several Bonanno capos to plot Galante's assassination. On July 12, 1979, Galante entered "Joe and Mary Italian-American Restaurant" in Bushwick, Brooklyn for lunch. Three gunmen murdered Galante at his table as he was eating lunch on the patio of the restaurant; the New York Post headline read: "Godfather Blown Away Alfresco in Brooklyn". As reward for his involvement in killing Galante, Indelicato was promoted to capo.[6]

Three capos murder

After Galante's murder, a power struggle erupted between two factions of the Bonanno family. One faction included capos Dominick Napolitano and Joseph Massino, who were loyal to Rastelli. The second faction, which included Indelicato's father Alphonse, Philip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera, wanted to murder the leaders of the Massino faction and assume power for themselves. After receiving permission from the Mafia Commission, Massino set up a plot to murder the rival captains first.[7]

Napolitano later contacted undercover agent Donnie Brasco, whom he hoped to make a made man,[8] to murder Indelicato, who had previously evaded death after missing a meeting which left his father, Giaccone, and Trinchera dead on May 5, 1981.[9]

After his father's murder, Indelicato went into hiding in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Massino wanted to kill him also, but he had missed the meeting. His father brought Lino instead, who was the sole survivor of the massacre. Lino, who had escaped, was quickly won over to Massino's side.[10] Napolitano assigned associate Donnie Brasco, whom he hoped to make a made man, to kill Indelicato.[8][11] "Brasco", however, was in fact an undercover FBI agent named Joseph Pistone; shortly after the hit was ordered, Pistone's assignment was ended and Napolitano was informed of their infiltration.[12]

Mafia Commission Trial and prison

On November 19, 1986, Indelicato was convicted of the 1979 Galante murder during the historic Mafia Commission Trial.[13] On January 13, 1987, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and fined $50,000.[14][15] Soon after being sent to prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Indelicato met Catherine Burke while she was visiting her incarcerated friend John Carneglia. In 1992, Indelicato and Catherine Burke were married at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. In 1998, Indelicato was released from prison on parole.[6]

Santoro murder

In 2001, Indelicato participated in the murder of Bonanno associate Frank Santoro, who had threatened to kidnap one of the sons of then Bonanno capo, Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano.[16][17][18] In July 2001, Indelicato was arrested for parole violations after he was videotaped and photographed by investigators associating with men including Basciano.[6] In February 2006, Indelicato was charged with murder and racketeering for the 2001 Santoro murder.[4] In August 2008, Indelicato pleaded guilty to murder,[19] and on December 16, 2008, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.[20] Indelicato is imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury. His projected release date is September 28, 2023.[21]

References
  1. Mobsters, unions, and feds: the Mafia and the American labor movement, James B. Jacobs, NYU Press, 2006 ISBN 0-8147-4273-4, ISBN 978-0-8147-4273-0, 320 pages page 38
  2. Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York's Mafia Families, Frankie Saggio, Fred Rosen, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004 ISBN 1-56025-559-5, ISBN 9781560255598, page 16
  3. Divorced from the Mob: My Journey from Organized Crime to Independent Woman, By Andrea Giovino, Gary Brozek, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005 ISBN 978-0-7867-1556-5, page 82
  4. "Mob Figure Is Charged in Plot to Kill a Rival Gangster" By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM February 17, 2006
  5. Raab, pp. 203–205
  6. "Mob Soldier Faces a Return To Jail for Parole Violations". nytimes.com. July 18, 2001. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009.
  7. Mitchel Maddux; Jeremy Olshan (2011-04-13). "Nomerta! Mafia boss a squealer". New York Post. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  8. DeStefano 2007, pp. 112, 117
  9. Raab, Selwyn (2014-05-13). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. Macmillan. ISBN 9781429907989.
  10. Raab, p. 615
  11. "UNDERCOVER AGENT DESCRIBES DISCUSSIONS OF MOB MURDERS". nytimes.com. August 5, 1982.
  12. DeStefano 2007, pp. 118–120
  13. Lubasch, Arnold H (November 20, 1986). "U.S. Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  14. "JUDGE SENTENCES 8 MAFIA LEADERS TO PRISON TERMS". nyimes.com. January 14, 1987. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  15. Federal Government's Use of Trusteeships Under the RICO Statute. 4. United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1989.
  16. John Marzulli (2007-08-01). "Pretty quickly, Gorgeous found guilty in '01 slay". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  17. "'Vinny Gorgeous' guilty of murder". UPI.com. United Press International. 2007-08-01. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  18. "Four in Bonanno Family Plead Guilty in Murders" By TRYMAINE LEE New York Times August 7, 2008
  19. "Four in Bonanno Family Plead Guilty in Murders". nytimes.com. August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  20. NY POST "Bonanno boss hit with 15 years for mob shooting" Archived January 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine New York Post December 17, 2008.
  21. Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

Further reading
  • Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8147-4230-0
  • Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
  • Saggio, Frankie and Fred Rosen. Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York's Mafia Families. New York: Thunder Mouth Press, 2004. ISBN 1-56025-559-5
  • Giovino, Andrea Divorced from the Mob: My Journey from Organized Crime to Independent Woman
  • DeStefano, Anthony. The Last Godfather: Joey Massino & the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. California: Citadel, 2006.
  • Pistone, Joseph, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. Random House Value Publishing (February 1990) ISBN 5-552-53129-9
  • Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, Running Press. ISBN 0-7624-2707-8.
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