Joe Bonanno

After publication of A Man of Honor, in which Bonanno confirmed the Commission's existence, prosecutors sought his testimony about organised crime's structure. He refused to answer on health grounds and was imprisoned for contempt; he spent approximately fourteen months in custody in 1985–1986.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is a witness

Following a lengthy federal investigation, Bonanno was convicted in 1980 of attempting to influence a witness to obstruct a grand jury investigating his sons' affairs. The Supreme Court declined to review his appeal in 1983; the original five-year sentence was later reduced to approximately one year, of which he served nearly eight months before parole.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Accused

Bonanno's break with the Commission and challenges to his authority triggered a years-long internal war between loyalists and dissidents. Contemporary and retrospective accounts report at least thirteen deaths during the conflict.

State of the evidence

Well documented

On the eve of his expected testimony before a New York grand jury, Bonanno disappeared. He claimed to have been kidnapped by a rival cousin and detained at a farm before being released; he remained out of sight for approximately nineteen months before appearing before a federal judge.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is a witness

Historical accounts and authoritative obituaries attribute to Bonanno a plot targeting several Commission rivals, including Carlo Gambino and Tommy Lucchese. Discovery of the plot is presented as one trigger for his rupture with other families.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

From the early 1930s, Bonanno led the organisation that subsequently bore his name and himself acknowledged membership of the Commission, the coordinating body of major crime families. Authorities described his organisation as involved in narcotics and pornography, among other activities.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Directly implicated

Bonanno was convicted in 1945 of a wage law violation and fined $450. This remained his principal known conviction for many years before his 1980 federal case.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Accused

The Washington Post reported that Bonanno was arrested many times, notably in the 1930s when he was accused of transporting weapons for Chicago Mafia boss Al Capone.

Attribution

Accused

Born in Sicily, Bonanno entered the United States illegally via Cuba before settling in New York, according to authoritative biographical accounts published after his death. The episode precedes his rise in organised crime.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated