Russell Bufalino
Encyclopedia
Russell A. Bufalino also known as "McGee" and "The Old Man" (September 25, 1903 - February 25, 1994) was the boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family (also known as the Bufalino crime family
) from 1959 to 1989. Despite being the boss of a small crime family, Bufalino was a significant influence in the national Cosa Nostra criminal organization.
, Sicily
as Rosario Alberto Bufalino, Bufalino's family immigrated to Buffalo, New York
, where he became a criminal during his teenage years. Bufalino worked alongside many Buffalo mobsters, some of whom would become top leaders in the Buffalo crime family
and other future Cosa Nostra families along the East Coast of the United States
. These relationships proved very helpful to Bufalino in his criminal career. Family and clan ties were important to Sicilian-American criminals; they created a strong, secretive support system that outsiders or law enforcement could not infiltrate. A significant friendship was with his first boss, John C. Montana
. An immigrant from Montedoro, Montana was an early powerful figure in the Buffalo family.
, robbery, theft and debt collection. By the time Bufalino reached his mid-20s, his criminal record showed arrests for petty larceny, receiving stolen goods, conspiracy to obstruct justice, drug dealing, and fencing stolen jewelry. When Prohibition was enacted in 1919, Bufalino quickly became involved in the lucrative new business of bootlegging
.
, another young Upstate New York bootlegger. Both men were Sicilian and shared friends in the Buffalo underworld. Bufalino soon moved with his new wife to Endicott
, New York
, in Barbara's territory. Bufalino and Barbara built a close working relationship throughout the 1930s. In 1940, when Barbara became boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family, he named Bufalino as underboss. Bufalino moved to Kingston
, Pennsylvania
, a central location that let him supervise family operations.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family was fairly small; at its peak, it only contained between 30 to 40 made men
, or full members. The family controlled organized crime activities in Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York
areas. The family also had operations in parts of New Jersey
, Ohio
and South Florida. It was one of the smallest crime families on the east coast; however, it had strong ties with the larger, more powerful Buffalo crime family and New York Bonanno crime family
. These ties gave Barbara more influence in the Mafia Commission
, which regulated all the crime families. As underboss, Bufalino had the chance to meet some of the top Cosa Nostra bosses.
asked Barbara to let him host a major American Mafia summit at Barbara's ranch house in rural Apalachin, New York
. Aware that a local state trooper had been watching the property, Barbara had reservations about holding the meeting there. However, since Magaddino was insistent, Barbara agreed to the Apalachin Conference. Bufalino helped organize the meeting, communicating with delegates, ordering the food and Italian delicacies, and arranging hotel accommodations for the guests.
On November 14, 1957, 100 top American mobsters representing all 26 U.S. crime families, along with representatives from Canada and Sicily, arrived in Apalachin. Attendees included New York family bosses Vito Genovese
, Carlo Gambino
and Joe Bonanno(Joe in his book "Man of honor" claimed he was not there.), boss Sam Giancana
of the Chicago Outfit
, and Santo Trafficante Jr., family boss of Tampa, Florida
.
However, the meeting soon ended in disaster. State Trooper Edgar D. Croswell noticed Barbara's son making reservations for the mobsters at a local hotel. His suspicions raised, Croswell drove out to the Barbara ranch and immediately saw that a mob meeting was getting ready to start. Soon federal and state agents had surrounded the property and set up roadblocks. Alerted by a deliveryman, the mobsters began to flee. Some ran into the woods while others nonchalantly tried to drive away. More than 60 well-known mobsters were arrested that day, including Bufalino. However, as with most of the arrestees, all charges were eventually dropped.
In October 1963, a low-level member of the New York Genovese crime family
, Joseph Valachi testified on the inner workings of the Cosa Nostra. The Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management
had been holding hearings since 1957 on ties between organized crime and the Teamsters
union. In 1960, these hearings transferred to the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations
. However, Valachi proved to be the Permanent Subcommittee's greatest star. Millions of Americans watched the hearings on television as Valachi named the top Mafia bosses in the U.S., including Bufalino. The Committee later described Bufalino as "...one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of the Mafia in the United States."
It was also alleged that Bufalino had close contacts in the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) and took part in the Cuban Project
, the Cosa Nostra - CIA operation to assassinate Cuban president Fidel Castro
. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bufalino was involved in an alleged Cosa Nostra plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy
. However, there is no credible evidence that such a plot ever existed or that Bufalino tried to kill Kennedy.
and trucking union locals in Pennsylvania
. Bufalino continued to maintain lucrative interests within the industry and control over its most influential unions. However, the family also had legitimate investments in real estate
and various businesses. In 1974, Bufalino started expanding his family's influence into Upstate New York
. The death of Buffalo family boss Stefano Magaddino
had left that family divided and its power diminished. Bufalino sent family members into the Upstate region to set up gambling operations and to check on possible investments within the construction industry.
By the 1970s, Bufalino had become a senior mafioso within Cosa Nostra. It was alleged that in the early 1970s Bufalino was appointed as an "interim boss" or type of sanctioned overseer of the Genovese crime family
by the Commission at a time the crime family was experiencing internal difficulties and conflicts.
U.S. Congressman Dan Flood who served Northeastern, Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1945 to 1980, was investigated by at least eight separate U.S. Attorney's offices and had 175 possible cases pending against him. A so-called 'muscler', Flood used his considerable influence to direct federal contracts to people and corporations in exchange for cash kickbacks.
The 'Flood-Medico-Bufalino Triangle' was once such instance. Medico Industries of Plains Township, Pennsylvania
received with Flood's help a $3,900,000 Department of Defense
contract to produce 600,000 warhead
s for use in the Vietnam War
. Bufalino, who frequented Medico offices, was an associate of general manager William "Billy" Medico and President Philip Medico, who was a capo in the Bufalino family. The FBI discovered that Flood would often travel in the Medico Industries jet. Flood was eventually censured for bribery and resigned from the House in 1980.
Eddie Sciandra as acting boss and removed himself from the day-to-day operations of the family. On August 8, 1978, Bufalino was convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment for his part in the extortion attempt. Regarding an incident during the sentencing, Bufalino stated to the court "If you had to deal with an animal like that, Judge, you'd have done the same damn thing." Once in prison, Bufalino used his longtime driver and aide to maintain his personal affairs and deliver orders to the acting leaders.
of 1986. The successful prosecution of New York's top Mafia bosses in the mid 1980s seem to somewhat galvanize and motivate law enforcement across the United States as further investigations and media scrutiny were brought to bear on top Mafia members from across the United States.
After his release from prison in the early 1980s, Bufalino also became a high-priority target for federal investigators. Bufalino was soon indicted for plotting to murder the debtor who had testified against him in 1977. Before the extortion trial, Bufalino had discovered the witness' hiding place and ordered hitman Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno
to kill him. Unfortunately for Bufalino, Fratianno was a government informant. Fratianno later told Bufalino that he couldn't locate the witness. Now Fratianno was brought forward to testify against his boss. Bufalino was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
At the end of the decade, Bufalino was released from prison. Despite his advanced age, he continued to be a significant influence on Cosa Nostra activities and was continually watched by federal authorities. On February 25, 1994, Bufalino died of natural causes at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital in Kingston, Pennsylvania at age 90.
Bufalino crime family
The Bufalino crime family, also known as the Pittston crime family, or the Scranton Wilkes-Barre family, was an American Mafia crime family active in Northeastern Pennsylvania cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston...
) from 1959 to 1989. Despite being the boss of a small crime family, Bufalino was a significant influence in the national Cosa Nostra criminal organization.
Early years
Born in MontedoroMontedoro
Montedoro is a comune in the Province of Caltanissetta in the Italian region Sicily, located about 80 km southeast of Palermo and about 20 km west of Caltanissetta...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
as Rosario Alberto Bufalino, Bufalino's family immigrated to Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, where he became a criminal during his teenage years. Bufalino worked alongside many Buffalo mobsters, some of whom would become top leaders in the Buffalo crime family
Buffalo crime family
The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the...
and other future Cosa Nostra families along the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. These relationships proved very helpful to Bufalino in his criminal career. Family and clan ties were important to Sicilian-American criminals; they created a strong, secretive support system that outsiders or law enforcement could not infiltrate. A significant friendship was with his first boss, John C. Montana
John C. Montana
John C. Montana was a Buffalo, New York labor racketeer, political fixer, and elected politician who eventually became the underboss and/or consiglieri of the Buffalo crime family....
. An immigrant from Montedoro, Montana was an early powerful figure in the Buffalo family.
Criminal career in New York
As a young man, Bufalino involved himself in traditional underworld rackets such as gambling, extortionExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, robbery, theft and debt collection. By the time Bufalino reached his mid-20s, his criminal record showed arrests for petty larceny, receiving stolen goods, conspiracy to obstruct justice, drug dealing, and fencing stolen jewelry. When Prohibition was enacted in 1919, Bufalino quickly became involved in the lucrative new business of bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
.
Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family
In the early 1920s, Bufalino started working with Joseph BarbaraJoseph Barbara (mobster)
Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara was a New York state mobster who became the boss of the Bufalino crime family. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957...
, another young Upstate New York bootlegger. Both men were Sicilian and shared friends in the Buffalo underworld. Bufalino soon moved with his new wife to Endicott
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in Barbara's territory. Bufalino and Barbara built a close working relationship throughout the 1930s. In 1940, when Barbara became boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family, he named Bufalino as underboss. Bufalino moved to Kingston
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, a central location that let him supervise family operations.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family was fairly small; at its peak, it only contained between 30 to 40 made men
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
, or full members. The family controlled organized crime activities in Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
areas. The family also had operations in parts of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and South Florida. It was one of the smallest crime families on the east coast; however, it had strong ties with the larger, more powerful Buffalo crime family and New York 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 ....
. These ties gave Barbara more influence in the Mafia Commission
The 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...
, which regulated all the crime families. As underboss, Bufalino had the chance to meet some of the top Cosa Nostra bosses.
Apalachin mob meeting
In 1957, Buffalo crime family boss Stefano MagaddinoStefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
asked Barbara to let him host a major American Mafia summit at Barbara's ranch house in rural Apalachin, New York
Apalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
. Aware that a local state trooper had been watching the property, Barbara had reservations about holding the meeting there. However, since Magaddino was insistent, Barbara agreed to the Apalachin Conference. Bufalino helped organize the meeting, communicating with delegates, ordering the food and Italian delicacies, and arranging hotel accommodations for the guests.
On November 14, 1957, 100 top American mobsters representing all 26 U.S. crime families, along with representatives from Canada and Sicily, arrived in Apalachin. Attendees included New York family bosses Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
, Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
and Joe Bonanno(Joe in his book "Man of honor" claimed he was not there.), boss Sam Giancana
Sam Giancana
Salvatore Giancana , better known as Sam Giancana, was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957-1966...
of the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, and Santo Trafficante Jr., family boss of Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
However, the meeting soon ended in disaster. State Trooper Edgar D. Croswell noticed Barbara's son making reservations for the mobsters at a local hotel. His suspicions raised, Croswell drove out to the Barbara ranch and immediately saw that a mob meeting was getting ready to start. Soon federal and state agents had surrounded the property and set up roadblocks. Alerted by a deliveryman, the mobsters began to flee. Some ran into the woods while others nonchalantly tried to drive away. More than 60 well-known mobsters were arrested that day, including Bufalino. However, as with most of the arrestees, all charges were eventually dropped.
Change of family leadership
The Apalachin fiasco was a huge blow to the secrecy of organized crime in America. It also took a tremendous toll on Barbara's reputation in the underworld. This humiliation, combined with increased law enforcement and media scrutiny, convinced Barabara to retire in 1958. By the end of the year, Bufalino had become the defacto boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family. With Barbara's death in June 1959, the Mafia Commission recognized Bufalino as the official family boss. Bufalino soon became the epitome of the well-respected, low-key, cunning and rational mob boss who knew how to delegate authority and disguise his true power and influence. He was well liked and never flaunted his wealth and power.In October 1963, a low-level member of the New York Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese 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 . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
, Joseph Valachi testified on the inner workings of the Cosa Nostra. The Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management
United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management
The United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management was a select committee created by the United States Senate on January 30, 1957, and dissolved on March 31, 1960...
had been holding hearings since 1957 on ties between organized crime and the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
union. In 1960, these hearings transferred to the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations
United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland security concerns, as well as the functioning of the government itself, including the National Archives, budget and...
. However, Valachi proved to be the Permanent Subcommittee's greatest star. Millions of Americans watched the hearings on television as Valachi named the top Mafia bosses in the U.S., including Bufalino. The Committee later described Bufalino as "...one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of the Mafia in the United States."
It was also alleged that Bufalino had close contacts in the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA) and took part in the Cuban Project
Cuban Project
The Cuban Project was a program of Central Intelligence Agency covert operations developed during the early years of the administration of President of the United States John F. Kennedy...
, the Cosa Nostra - CIA operation to assassinate Cuban president Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bufalino was involved in an alleged Cosa Nostra plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. However, there is no credible evidence that such a plot ever existed or that Bufalino tried to kill Kennedy.
Family prosperity
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Bufalino maintained major criminal interests in illegal gambling, loansharking, and labor racketeering. Much of the family's original power came from its control of coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and trucking union locals in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Bufalino continued to maintain lucrative interests within the industry and control over its most influential unions. However, the family also had legitimate investments in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and various businesses. In 1974, Bufalino started expanding his family's influence into Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. The death of Buffalo family boss Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
had left that family divided and its power diminished. Bufalino sent family members into the Upstate region to set up gambling operations and to check on possible investments within the construction industry.
By the 1970s, Bufalino had become a senior mafioso within Cosa Nostra. It was alleged that in the early 1970s Bufalino was appointed as an "interim boss" or type of sanctioned overseer of the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese 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 . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
by the Commission at a time the crime family was experiencing internal difficulties and conflicts.
U.S. Congressman Dan Flood who served Northeastern, Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1945 to 1980, was investigated by at least eight separate U.S. Attorney's offices and had 175 possible cases pending against him. A so-called 'muscler', Flood used his considerable influence to direct federal contracts to people and corporations in exchange for cash kickbacks.
The 'Flood-Medico-Bufalino Triangle' was once such instance. Medico Industries of Plains Township, Pennsylvania
Plains Township, Pennsylvania
Plains Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the greater metropolitan area of the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population was 10,906 at the 2000 census. Plains Township is the location of Pennsylvania's first casino, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs...
received with Flood's help a $3,900,000 Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
contract to produce 600,000 warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
s for use in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Bufalino, who frequented Medico offices, was an associate of general manager William "Billy" Medico and President Philip Medico, who was a capo in the Bufalino family. The FBI discovered that Flood would often travel in the Medico Industries jet. Flood was eventually censured for bribery and resigned from the House in 1980.
Extortion conviction
In 1977, Bufalino was indicted on extortion charges. He had threatened a man who owed $25,000 to a diamond fence associated with the Bufalino family. The debtor, who had been under law enforcement surveillance, decided to testify against Bufalino and enter the Witness Protection Program. As soon as Bufalino was indicted, he took steps to reduce the possibility of further criminal charges. He named consigliereConsigliere
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...
Eddie Sciandra as acting boss and removed himself from the day-to-day operations of the family. On August 8, 1978, Bufalino was convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment for his part in the extortion attempt. Regarding an incident during the sentencing, Bufalino stated to the court "If you had to deal with an animal like that, Judge, you'd have done the same damn thing." Once in prison, Bufalino used his longtime driver and aide to maintain his personal affairs and deliver orders to the acting leaders.
Attempted murder conviction
During the 1980s federal law enforcement around the country continued their onslaught of investigations aimed at the upper echelon of La Cosa Nostra and their crime families. Many indictments and trials ensued, followed by several high level convictions such as those of the New York bosses in the famous Mafia Commission TrialMafia Commission Trial
The Mafia Commission Trial was a criminal trial in New York City, USA. Using evidence obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, eleven organized crime figures, including the heads of New York's so-called "Five Families," were indicted by United States Attorney Rudolph Giuliani under the...
of 1986. The successful prosecution of New York's top Mafia bosses in the mid 1980s seem to somewhat galvanize and motivate law enforcement across the United States as further investigations and media scrutiny were brought to bear on top Mafia members from across the United States.
After his release from prison in the early 1980s, Bufalino also became a high-priority target for federal investigators. Bufalino was soon indicted for plotting to murder the debtor who had testified against him in 1977. Before the extortion trial, Bufalino had discovered the witness' hiding place and ordered hitman Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
to kill him. Unfortunately for Bufalino, Fratianno was a government informant. Fratianno later told Bufalino that he couldn't locate the witness. Now Fratianno was brought forward to testify against his boss. Bufalino was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Decline and death
With Bufalino again in prison and the family under federal investigation, the organization's strength began to wane. Many family members were looking forward to retirement. Bufalino himself was now in his 80s and in ill health. In 1989, operation of the remainder of the Northeastern family was given to Billy D'Elia.At the end of the decade, Bufalino was released from prison. Despite his advanced age, he continued to be a significant influence on Cosa Nostra activities and was continually watched by federal authorities. On February 25, 1994, Bufalino died of natural causes at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital in Kingston, Pennsylvania at age 90.
Further reading
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 978-0-02-864225-3
- Neff, James. Mobbed Up: Jackie Presser's High-Wire Life in the Teamsters, the Mafia, and the FBI. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-87113-344-1
- Scott, Peter Dale. Deep Politics and the Death of JFK. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. ISBN 978-0-520-08410-0
External links
- The American "Mafia" - Who was Who: Rosario "Russell" Bufalino
- The Irishman and the Quiet Don by Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
- New York Times: 2 Accused of a Plot To Murder Witness
- Wilkes Barre Times-Leader: A Look Back - The late Russell Bufalino by John Davidson