The hit was approved and executed on July 12, 1979; Rastelli subsequently took full control of the family and rewarded Massino's loyalty by promoting him to capo. [151][152], By the end of January 2005, when Basciano was indicted for the Pizzolo murder, Massino was identified by news sources as the then-anonymous fellow mobster who secretly recorded his confession,[153][154] to the public disgust of Massino's family. Year should not be greater than current year. Bloated. Try again later. It was a way of life.. [79] In the new structure of the family, Vitale lost the underboss's usual role as a go-between for the boss, as well as the share of the family's profits those duties entailed, and Massino made it clear to Vitale his unpopularity was a factor in these changes. All told, their collective testimony sent scores of mobsters to prison and helped dislodge New Yorks Cosa Nostra from some of its richest prizes. Drag images here or select from your computer for Joseph F. Massino memorial. [89] Massino, for his own part, was angered at Gotti's high public profile and later criticized Gotti for killing Gotti's predecessor, Paul Castellano. The one-time Bonanno boss was expected to be moved and to receive a new identity as part of the governments witness protection program, his lawyer McDonald said. [1] He was one of three sons of Neapolitan-American Anthony and Adeline Massino. Yet Massino escaped conviction for the murder of the three captains due to a statute of limitations technicality. cemeteries found in Hennepin, Putnam County, Illinois, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. GREAT NEWS! [108] Vitale was not immediately sentenced, and was placed under house arrest in the interim, but the relatively low maximum sentence he was eligible for led Massino to wrongly suspect he was cooperating with law enforcement. [87] Gotti was reportedly infuriated that Massino had been officially promoted without him being consulted,[73] and Massino would later testify he believed Gotti conspired with Vitale to kill him. Starting with a numbers and loan sharking operation that he ran from a lunch truck, Massino displayed the traits essential for a long career in the Mafia: intelligence, the ability to earn, and a willingness to murder. Joseph Charles Massino was born in Maspeth, Queens, on January 10, 1943. Then, in 2004, Joe Massino did the unthinkable he became the first sitting boss of a New York crime family to become a government informant. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. [6] Massino also befriended Josephine's brother, Salvatore Vitale, who, after briefly serving in the Army, became one of Massino's most trusted allies. [3] He dropped out of Grover Cleveland High School in tenth grade. [2] Raised in Maspeth, Queens,[2] Massino has admitted to being a juvenile delinquent by the age of 12 and claimed that at 14 he ran away from home to Florida. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. But as far as living day to day? Indeed, one of John Ashcroft's final acts as Attorney General was to order federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Massino. [122] On the day he was arraigned with Massino, Vitale decided to flip as soon as it was safe to do so; he formally reached a deal with prosecutors in February. The huge Mafia Commission trial of 1986 had convicted all the ruling New York bosses. "It's all. [5][31] The building was seized in 1988 during a crackdown on the Bonannos' gambling activities. Along with the traditional mob activities like loansharking, the. Fearing Galante wanted him dead for insubordination, Massino delivered a request to the Commission, the governing body of the American Mafia, on Rastelli's behalf to have Galante killed. [65], Massino was granted two years' supervised release on November 13, 1992. [47], In March 1982, Massino was tipped off by a Colombo-associated FBI insider that he was about to be indicted and went into hiding in Pennsylvania with Leisenheimer. Reputed Boss", "Grisly Crimes Described by Prosecutors as Mob Trial Opens", "An Archetypal Mob Trial: It's Just Like in the Movies", "Career of a Crime Boss Ends With Sweeping Convictions", "New York's mafia under threat as 'code of silence' is broken", "Mob Killer and Defector Receives Time Served, and Will Live in Hiding", "Judge Objects to Ashcroft Bid for a Mobster's Execution", "Joseph Massino, ex-Bonanno crime boss turned mob rat, gave feds $7 million he hid in his attic", "Feds Search 'Mafia Graveyard' in New York", "Ex-Mob Boss Says Deputy Sought to Kill Prosecutor", "Ex-Bonanno Mafia boss Joseph Massino was scared of his wife, recordings reveal", "Sources: Mafia Boss Spills Beans to FBI", "Mob Boss A Rat Say Massino Wore Wire To Bust Chief In Rubout Plot", "Massino's Tips Lead the FBI To Dig Deep", "Massino Rats His Way Out Of Fed Death Trap", "Bonanno Crime Boss Is Sentenced to 2 Life Terms", "Bonanno crime family sniffs out Michael 'The Nose' Mancuso as new boss: sources", "At a Mob Trial, Testimony Focuses on the Knife and Fork", "Mob boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano dodges death penalty, sentenced to life in prison", "Ex-Bonanno boss Joseph Massino takes witness stand for only second time since becoming mob rat", "Ex-Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino, in prison for murder, set to sing again in extortion trial", "Colombo, Genovese mob men walk free in stunning verdicts", "Wiseguy Joel Cacace seeks mob informant Joseph Massino's help in cop-kill trial", "U.S. Requests Shorter Term for Mob Boss Sentenced to Life", "Ex-Bonanno crime boss turned FBI informant wants out of jail as reward for testimony against mafia", "Former Mafia Boss to Be Freed for Cooperation With Prosecutors", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_Massino&oldid=1129590503, "Big Joey", "The Ear", "The Last Don", "Gigi", "Joe Wagons", "Joe Maspeth", Sentence reduced to time served and supervised release for life in 2013, This page was last edited on 26 December 2022, at 06:08. Thanks for your help! He told how the mob had divided the proceeds from the scrap iron generated by the demolition of the old elevated West Side Highway; the mob had also profited from the construction of a huge nuclear power plant. Learn more about managing a memorial . While attending a business meeting of Luchese captains in a posh Midtown hotel, he spotted a mobster secretly stashing a pistol in the bathroom. Joseph Charles Massino (born January 10, 1943) is an American former mobster. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Joseph Massino of Hennepin, Illinois, born in Streator, Illinois, who passed away on November 13, 2020 at the age of 83. [63] Around this time, Massino was believed to be the Bonanno family's official underboss. He soon moved on to running a specialized crew of hijackers, overseeing the interception of high-value truck loads. The baseball field in Hennepin was dedicated to him and named "Massino Field." Wikimedia CommonsAn FBI surveillance of Joe Massino in the 1980s. [10], After he turned state's evidence, Massino claimed his first murder victim was a Bonanno crime family associate named Tommy Zummo, whom he shot dead some time in the 1960s. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. In 1991, while Massino was in prison for a 1986 labor racketeering conviction, Rastelli died and Massino succeeded him. Massino affectionately called Rastelli Unc as his underworld mentor. He was one of the toughest, most difficult witnesses I ever faced, said Gerald Shargel, the veteran defense attorney who represented Amuso and others. [39][40] "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. Joseph F. Massino, 83, of Hennepin passed away on Friday, November 13, 2020. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. While in prison, Massino intended to record Basciano confessing his intent to have a prosecutor killed. ", "A Mafia Family's Second Wind; Authorities Say Bonannos, All but Written Off, Are Back", "Boss rat Joseph Massino admits to court that Mafia Commission hasn't met in 25 years", "Mob Murder In Montreal Could Trigger Bloodshed In New York", "Canada's top mob boss gets 10 years in New York court", "Metropolitan Report Judge Nixes Gag Order In Louima Trial", "S.i. [14] He led a successful truck hijacking crew, with the assistance of his brother-in-law Salvatore Vitale and carjacker Duane Leisenheimer, while fencing the stolen goods and running numbers using the lunch wagon as a front. Please try again later. [9][94][95] As it turned out, being thrown off the Commission actually worked in the Bonannos' favor; they were the only family whose leadership wasn't decimated in the Mafia Commission Trial. He is serving two life terms for after a 2004 conviction for multiple murders, including ordering the payback killing of the mobster who brought famed undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco into the mob in the 1980s. He closed the family's longtime social clubs. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Add to your scrapbook. [82], Shortly after becoming boss, Massino announced that his men should no longer consider themselves as part of the Bonanno family. The late mayor and gourmand Ed Koch was once turned away at the door by DArco. [23][34] Lino escaped unscathed by running out the door. [44] On August 17, the former renegade Frank Lino and Steven Cannone drove Napolitano to the house of Ronald Filocomo, a Bonanno family associate, for a meeting. [87][91], The Bonanno family had been in decline for the better part of the last quarter century since Joe Bonanno's ouster in the 1960s, and it was kicked off the Commission altogether following Pistone's infiltration. This account has been disabled. Its not like they throw you out of the mob when you flip. [158][159] That same day Josephine Massino negotiated a settlement to satisfy the forfeiture claim, keeping the homes of herself and Massino's mother as well as some rental properties while turning over, among other assets, a cache of $7 million and hundreds of gold bars both of which were kept in his Howard Beach home, and the Casablanca restaurant. Throughout, he had paid close attention to the business of the Mafia, and many of his stories shocked government officials. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Joseph F. Massino I found on Findagrave.com. Joseph Charles Massino was born in Maspeth, Queens, on January 10, 1943. Still, ever respectful of his mentor Rastelli, Massino waited until Rastellis death in 1991 to become the official Bonanno boss. Anthony "Tony Green" Urso - former capo and acting capo under Joseph Massino in the 1990s. Stubing believed that the threat of long prison sentences would be sufficient to get any conspirators to turn informer, and thus make it easier to trace how the money flowed to Massino. Raymond Wean, a hulking enforcer of Massinos, was deathly scared of him, according to Selwyn Raabs history of the Mafia Five Families. Mass of Christian Burial was Wednesday, Nov. 18,. "[66] Raymond Wean and Joseph Pistone testified against Massino, but both proved unable to conclusively link Massino with any of the murder charges. [141] Massino was the first sitting boss of a New York crime family to turn state's evidence, and the second in the history of the American Mafia to do so[146] (Philadelphia crime family boss Ralph Natale had flipped in 1999 when facing drug charges). In 1995, consigliere Anthony Spero was sentenced to two years' imprisonment after being convicted of loansharking,[105] then to life imprisonment in 2002 for murder. CORRECTIONAL CENTER, 610 F. Supp. [120] Also flipping was longtime Bonanno associate Duane Leisenheimer, concerned for his safety after an investigator for Massino's defense team visited to find out if he intended to flip. [97] As the most powerful Mafia leader in both New York and the nation, Massino was in a position to make general policies for the Five Families. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Hennepin, For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Most of those subsequent defectors, including Gravano, were facing the likelihood of life in prison when they decided to cooperate. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. United States Attorney's Office. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. [62] While Massino protested in confidence to other mobsters he never had the opportunity to profit from the racket, he was implicated by both Pistone and union official Anthony Gilberti, and on October 15, 1986, was found guilty of racketeering charges for accepting kickbacks on the Bonannos' behalf. [92][93] By the late 1990s, the situation was reversed and the Bonanno family was now reckoned as the most powerful crime family in New York and the nation, in no small part because Massino was the only full-fledged New York boss who was still on the streets. I could be back to crime now, if I wanted it. PHOENIX - FOX 10 obtained the Phoenix Police incident report on the death of Joseph Ryan, the third ex-husband of Lori Vallow. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis reduced Massinos two life sentences to time served after a hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. His one detour into legitimacy came during an Army enlistment when he was shipped in 1951 to an airfield near the Arctic Circle in Alaska, where he did guard duty on a frozen tarmac watching over long-range bombers. Above the shop, however, a local hoodlum had a bookmaking operation and the youngster was awestruck by the nattily dressed men who came and went. Massino said he joined the family business in 1977. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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The second indictment also charged Vitale as a co-conspirator in the hijacking cases. [106] Graziano would assume Spero's duties, but he too pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in December 2002 and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Resend Activation Email. They call 'em the Massinos now", "With Gotti Away, the Genoveses Succeed the Leaderless Gambinos", "Fact file: Who is Joe Pistone a.k.a. He worked his entire 36-year career in the Putnam County School System.He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, in Hennepin.Mr. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/218609444/joseph-f-massino. The charges against Massino himself included ordering the 1981 murder of Napolitano. Mr. . [24] Massino also arranged the murder of one of his hijackers, Joseph Pastore, in 1976, after having Vitale borrow $9,000 from him on his behalf. He forbade his capos and soldiers from uttering his name. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Altogether, prosecutors credited him with helping to convict more than 50 mobsters. [64] With Rastelli in declining health, Massino was also reckoned as the operating head of the family, though consigliere Anthony "Old Man" Spero was nominally acting boss. [114], On January 9, 2003, Massino was arrested and indicted, alongside Vitale, Frank Lino and capo Daniel Mongelli, in a comprehensive racketeering indictment. But in a lucky twist of fate, that meant that the FBI no longer considered the family to be a significant criminal threat and backed off them to focus on the other four families. In May 1981, Massino heard that the three disgruntled captains were stocking up on weapons. While imprisoned, Massino recorded conversations with an acting boss of the Bonanno family, which detailed threats against an assistant U.S. attorney, described various murders, told of bribing law enforcement officials in the 1960s and provided information about hundreds of members of organized crime families, according to the legal documents. [45] Napolitano's body was discovered the following year. [74] Massino took a great number of precautions in regards to security and the possibility of anything incriminating being picked up on a wiretap. His Putnam County baseball record was 191 wins and 42 losses, not including the Connie Mack summer league. After learning about Joe Massino, read about Joseph Bonanno, the mafia boss who retired to write an autobiography. [83][85], Before Massino became boss, John Gotti was one of his closest allies. Joseph Massino was the legendary godfather of the Bonnano crime family, known as 'The Last Don' of a generation. Crime is crime. 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