Joseph Bonanno
aka Joe Bananas
Early Life
- Born on January 18, 1905.
-Moved to Brooklyn at the age of 3, but later moved back to Italy.
-Fled back to the U.S. because of Mussolini's fascist ideas.
-Became involved with bootlegging.
Life in the U.S.
After working in the bootlegging business, Joseph also acquired some legitimate businesses, such as bakeries, dairy farms, cheese company, and a funeral home. He was arrested for running guns, but the charges were dropped. He later worked as an enforcer for Salvador Maranzano. Salvador became a mentor to Joseph, but Salvador was murdered in 1931.
Facts
-Joseph almost lost his U.S. citizenship after lying on the application.
-He served 14 months in prison due to contempt of court.
-He was abducted by two gunman in 1964.
-Joseph was one of the very few mob bosses that got to retire from organized crime.
Joe Bonanno Speaks About His Hero Salvatore Maranzano