Former Bonanno crime family boss Joseph “Big Joey” Massino, the first boss of one of the five New York mafia families to become a rat, died earlier this month after battling a brief illness, was revealed on Friday. He was 80 years old.
Massino, who ruled the Bonanno family with an iron fist from 1991 to 2003, died at a rehab center in the New York City area on September 14, sources close to his family told Newsday.
The former mob boss, who sent shockwaves through the world of organized crime when he became a federal witness nearly two decades ago, had been battling a host of health problems, including diabetes and obesity, in the lead-up to his death. , according to sources. saying.
Massino broke his sacred vow of silence and began talking to the feds immediately after being convicted in 2004 of orchestrating a quarter-century of murder, extortion and a series of other crimes as he rose through the ranks of the vicious family.
He had been given a life sentence for the bloodshed, which included the murder of three rival mob captains and the execution of a mobster who had been answered by undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, who used the name Donnie Brasco, in the 1980s.
Former Bonanno crime family boss Joseph “Big Joey” Massino died Sept. 14 at a New York City-area halfway house, sources said. AP
Brasco’s infiltration became the subject of the 1997 hit film “Donnie Brasco,” starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.
Massino had to give up his mountain of bloody loot in the wake of his conviction, including $7 million in cash and the more than 250 solid gold bars he hid in the Howard Beach, Queens, home where he lived with his wife and family. Three daughters. .
The canary ended up spending 12 years in a cage before a Brooklyn federal judge ruled in 2013 that he could be released from prison as a reward for cooperating with authorities and testifying against other gangsters, including his Bonanno successor, Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous.” Basciano.
“Simply put, Mr. Massino may be the most important collaborator in modern law enforcement history in prosecuting the American mafia,” Judge Nicholas Garaufis said before releasing him.
Massino, who was already ill when he was released, was later given a new identity in the witness protection program. He had been living in Ohio for some time before his death, sources told Newsday.
After arguing for his early release, his attorney at the time, Edward McDonald, told the judge that Massino had reflected on his life in the mob during his time in prison and wished he could go back in time.
Massino, who ruled the Bonanno family with an iron fist from 1991 to 2003, became the first boss of one of the five New York mafia families to become a rat.NJ.gov
“If he had to make the decision again, if he was 18 or 19, he wouldn’t join the mafia,” McDonald said at the time.
Massino, who was born and raised in Queens, entered the world of organized crime in the 1970s when he partnered with mobster Philip Rastelli, who eventually became the boss of the Bonanno family.
He was inducted into the mafia in 1977 and became a captain two years later.
In 1981, he helped facilitate the assassination of three rival captains (Philip Giaccone, Alphonse Indelicato, and Dominick Trinchera) suspected of attempting to take over the Bonanno family.
Massino ended up serving time in federal prison in the 1980s.
He was appointed head of the Bonanno family in 1991 after the death of his predecessor, Rastelli.
While heading the crime family, Massino simultaneously ran legitimate businesses throughout the Big Apple, including a sandwich shop in Queens, catering companies, and an Italian restaurant.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn