Paul Sciacca
Encyclopedia
Paul Sciacca (June 15, 1909-August 1986) was a New York City
mobster who became boss of the Bonanno crime family
.
promoted his son Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno
to the position of consigliere
over senior capo Gaspar DiGregorio
. The family broke into two faction the Bonanno faction and DiGregorio-Sciacca faction. On January 28, 1966, an attempt was made on the life of Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno
, the son of Joseph Bonanno
. The Bonanno's suspected Paul Sciacca and his crew, who were loyal to Gaspar DiGregorio
. The newspapers began calling the Bonanno family war the "Bananas War".
The shooting war began in May 1966 with what became known as "The Troutman St. Ambush", where Bill Bonanno and three of his associates were lured to an alleged peace meeting and then ambushed from doorways, windows and rooftops along Troutman Street, but Bonanno and his associates escaped unharmed. Paul Sciacca and underling Frank Mari were suspected of masterminding the botched hit, but boss Gaspar DiGregorio was blamed for the bad publicity and added police scrutiny that surrounded the shooting.
After Joe Bonanno was deposed by the Commission in late 1964, DiGregorio was named boss by early 1965, he made Pietro "Skinny Pete" Crociata the new underboss and Nicolino "Nick" Alfano the new consigliere. By 1966, the Commission lost faith in DiGregorio's ability to lead the crime family, and Sciacca became the acting boss.
The "Bananas War" raged throughout the second half of the 1960s with Sciacca and his top lieutenant, Frank Mari leading the dissident faction of soldiers and shooters against the Bonanno loyalists. Less than a dozen men were killed during the war, but many low level soldiers and men on both sides were beaten, shot and injured, Sciacca himself the victim of an attempt on his life. The war should have ended by 1969 when deposed boss Joe Bonanno suffered a heart attack in 1968 and promised to retire to leave New York for the his home in Tucson, Arizona
, where he would retire comfortably with a handful of loyal underlings at his side. Also, by 1968, Bonanno successor DiGregorio was in ill health and stepped down as boss and retired, dying only two years later. The Commission sanctioned acting boss Paul Sciacca as the new boss of the Bonanno crime family. Sciacca promoted, who he thought to be a loyal underling, Frank Mari to be his new underboss, while another Sciacca underling, Michael "Mike" Adamo was promoted to consigliere. Unknown to boss Sciacca, soon after their promotions, Mari and Adamo began to plot against him and planned to remove him from power and possibly eliminate him all together, but their plans were revealed and on the night of September 18, 1968 both men disappeared, never to be heard from again. Bonanno soldier and former Mari underling Philip "Rusty" Rastelli
, a former Bonanno loyalist, who switched allegiance to the DiGregoiro-Sciacca side at the start of the war became a top suspect in the case for New York City police, having also been a top suspect in the Troutman Street ambush. Rastelli, who was promoted to caporegime of the old Mari crew, was never charged in connection with the either the ambush or the disappearance, but he was promoted once again to consigliere by boss Paul Sciacca immediately following the disappearance of Adamo, while former Bonanno loyalist Natale Joe Diamonds" Evola
was promoted to underboss in place of Mari.
forced DiGregorio to retire and officially promoted Sciacca to boss. He became boss of a much weakened crime family as rivalries and internal dissension continued between the former DiGregorio-Sciacca faction and the remaining Bonanno loyalists. Hostilities continued within the Bonanno crime family into 1969, the last known Bonanno crime family member to be killed was soldier Thomas Zummo, a former DiGregorio-Sciacca faction member, who was shot dead on May 6, 1969. With the removal of disloyal underlings, Mari and Adamo, Bonanno boss Paul Sciacca attempted to unite his crime family once again by promoting the leaders of the two most influential factions outside his own. Longtime family member and former Bonanno loyalist Natale Evola was leader of what remained of the former Bonanno faction, while Phil Rastelli had gained a great deal of influence with the younger, up and coming members of the crime family and was now the leader of the "young turks" faction. By promoting Evola to underboss and Rastelli to consigliere, Sciacca hoped to align the Bonanno crime family and bring it back to the level of power and influence within the New York Mafia it once occupied. In terms of numbers the Bonanno crime family had always been one of the smaller of the Five Families
, but it was also one of the most cohesive and well structured crime families because most of its administration was family members related by blood or marriage. Now Sciacca hoped to at least mend the broken ties among members and re-align the three most influential factions within the Bonanno crime family, effectively removing the last of the rivalries and hostilities that were still present, creating cohesion and stability.
Sciacca died in August 1986 of natural causes at the age of 77.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mobster who became boss of the Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
.
Bonanno family war
In 1964, a rivalry in the Bonanno crime family started when boss Joseph BonannoJoseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
promoted his son Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno
Salvatore Bonanno
Salvatore Vincent "Bill" Bonanno was the son of Cosa Nostra boss Joseph Bonanno. Although his father never intended for him to be the underboss of the Bonanno crime family, his appointment to high positions in the syndicate precipitated a "mob war" which led to the Bonanno family's exile to Arizona...
to the position of consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
over senior capo Gaspar DiGregorio
Gaspar DiGregorio
Gaspar or Gaspare DiGregorio was a New York mobster and a high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family who was a key figure in the so-called "Banana War"....
. The family broke into two faction the Bonanno faction and DiGregorio-Sciacca faction. On January 28, 1966, an attempt was made on the life of Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno
Salvatore Bonanno
Salvatore Vincent "Bill" Bonanno was the son of Cosa Nostra boss Joseph Bonanno. Although his father never intended for him to be the underboss of the Bonanno crime family, his appointment to high positions in the syndicate precipitated a "mob war" which led to the Bonanno family's exile to Arizona...
, the son of Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
. The Bonanno's suspected Paul Sciacca and his crew, who were loyal to Gaspar DiGregorio
Gaspar DiGregorio
Gaspar or Gaspare DiGregorio was a New York mobster and a high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family who was a key figure in the so-called "Banana War"....
. The newspapers began calling the Bonanno family war the "Bananas War".
The shooting war began in May 1966 with what became known as "The Troutman St. Ambush", where Bill Bonanno and three of his associates were lured to an alleged peace meeting and then ambushed from doorways, windows and rooftops along Troutman Street, but Bonanno and his associates escaped unharmed. Paul Sciacca and underling Frank Mari were suspected of masterminding the botched hit, but boss Gaspar DiGregorio was blamed for the bad publicity and added police scrutiny that surrounded the shooting.
After Joe Bonanno was deposed by the Commission in late 1964, DiGregorio was named boss by early 1965, he made Pietro "Skinny Pete" Crociata the new underboss and Nicolino "Nick" Alfano the new consigliere. By 1966, the Commission lost faith in DiGregorio's ability to lead the crime family, and Sciacca became the acting boss.
The "Bananas War" raged throughout the second half of the 1960s with Sciacca and his top lieutenant, Frank Mari leading the dissident faction of soldiers and shooters against the Bonanno loyalists. Less than a dozen men were killed during the war, but many low level soldiers and men on both sides were beaten, shot and injured, Sciacca himself the victim of an attempt on his life. The war should have ended by 1969 when deposed boss Joe Bonanno suffered a heart attack in 1968 and promised to retire to leave New York for the his home in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, where he would retire comfortably with a handful of loyal underlings at his side. Also, by 1968, Bonanno successor DiGregorio was in ill health and stepped down as boss and retired, dying only two years later. The Commission sanctioned acting boss Paul Sciacca as the new boss of the Bonanno crime family. Sciacca promoted, who he thought to be a loyal underling, Frank Mari to be his new underboss, while another Sciacca underling, Michael "Mike" Adamo was promoted to consigliere. Unknown to boss Sciacca, soon after their promotions, Mari and Adamo began to plot against him and planned to remove him from power and possibly eliminate him all together, but their plans were revealed and on the night of September 18, 1968 both men disappeared, never to be heard from again. Bonanno soldier and former Mari underling Philip "Rusty" Rastelli
Philip Rastelli
Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli was a New York mobster and former boss of the Bonanno crime family.-Biography:...
, a former Bonanno loyalist, who switched allegiance to the DiGregoiro-Sciacca side at the start of the war became a top suspect in the case for New York City police, having also been a top suspect in the Troutman Street ambush. Rastelli, who was promoted to caporegime of the old Mari crew, was never charged in connection with the either the ambush or the disappearance, but he was promoted once again to consigliere by boss Paul Sciacca immediately following the disappearance of Adamo, while former Bonanno loyalist Natale Joe Diamonds" Evola
Natale Evola
Natale "Joe Diamond" Evola was a New York mobster who briefly became boss of the Bonanno crime family.Born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn to parents Filippo and Francesca, who was natives of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. He was the brother of Paul, Joseph and Anna...
was promoted to underboss in place of Mari.
The new boss
Due to the "Bananas War", in 1968 the The CommissionThe Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
forced DiGregorio to retire and officially promoted Sciacca to boss. He became boss of a much weakened crime family as rivalries and internal dissension continued between the former DiGregorio-Sciacca faction and the remaining Bonanno loyalists. Hostilities continued within the Bonanno crime family into 1969, the last known Bonanno crime family member to be killed was soldier Thomas Zummo, a former DiGregorio-Sciacca faction member, who was shot dead on May 6, 1969. With the removal of disloyal underlings, Mari and Adamo, Bonanno boss Paul Sciacca attempted to unite his crime family once again by promoting the leaders of the two most influential factions outside his own. Longtime family member and former Bonanno loyalist Natale Evola was leader of what remained of the former Bonanno faction, while Phil Rastelli had gained a great deal of influence with the younger, up and coming members of the crime family and was now the leader of the "young turks" faction. By promoting Evola to underboss and Rastelli to consigliere, Sciacca hoped to align the Bonanno crime family and bring it back to the level of power and influence within the New York Mafia it once occupied. In terms of numbers the Bonanno crime family had always been one of the smaller of the Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
, but it was also one of the most cohesive and well structured crime families because most of its administration was family members related by blood or marriage. Now Sciacca hoped to at least mend the broken ties among members and re-align the three most influential factions within the Bonanno crime family, effectively removing the last of the rivalries and hostilities that were still present, creating cohesion and stability.
Sciacca died in August 1986 of natural causes at the age of 77.