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Bonanno Family

In New York City, five Italian-American Mafia families rule and are commonly referred to as the Five Families. Get to know the wise guys who run the Big Apple.

History: The Bonanno crime family emerged out of the historic Mafia war known as the Castellamarese War, becoming one of the five families as envisioned by mobster Lucky Luciano. Most of the family had previously belonged to boss Salvatore Maranzano. Maranzano was brought down by Luciano because of his love of power.

First Boss: Twenty-six-year-old Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, Sicilian-born and one of the youngest bosses of all time.

Alliances: Close relationship with Joseph Profaci of the Profaci family (later the Colombo family).

Low Point: The Bonanno War or "Banana Split" occurred when the Commission demoted Bonanno to underboss, sparking fervent family in-fighting among those who sided with Bonanno and those who sided with the new boss, Paul Sciacca. The fighting continued until 1968, when Bonanno suffered a heart attack and retired, though by this point the Commission had stripped the Bonanno family of its seat.

Current Status: Troubles with the law have plagued the family, leading one newspaper to report that 75 of its 150 members have been indicted on various charges. Although the family crawled back to the top under the direction of former boss Joseph Massino, legal troubles and defectors/informants from within the family have threatened the organization’s stability and reputation within the Mafia community.