Salvatore Vitale
Encyclopedia
Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale (born September 22, 1947 Maspeth, Queens
) was a New York City
caterer and former underboss of the Bonanno crime family
of La Cosa Nostra before becoming a government informant.
in Sicily
, where they planned to name him "Giuseppe", or Joseph in English. Two of his elder brothers, both named "Guiseppe", had died in child birth before Salvatore was born. He was the last child born to the family, and had three older sisters: Anna, Betty and Josephine. Josephine would later become the wife of Joseph Massino, a neighbor who lived in a home on Metropolitan Avenue, where Bonanno crime family patriarch Joseph Bonanno
began his career in crime. Salvatore's childhood home was located five blocks from where Massino and his parents lived.
His parents tried again to conceive a son. As both of his parents worked during the day to provide for their large family, they entrusted the care of infant Salvatore to their daughters. His sister Josephine, who was four years older than he was, became a surrogate mother. The Vitale sisters spoiled their brother, giving him whatever he wanted and when he wanted it, which was usually provided to him by his sister Josephine. Although his elder sisters cared for him, Salvatore Vitale did not respond kindly to them.
Growing up, he never did anything wrong as a child, but seemed by family members to lack affection and was perceived as distant and cold. His father Giuseppe was reported to have once said that Salvatore should have been a girl instead of a boy. When Joseph Massino dropped out of seventh grade and began earning a reputation as a mob associate, he caught the attention of Salvatore Vitale's eldest sister Josephine, who was seven months younger than Massino. She had been voted best looking in her eighth grade class. Massino and Josephine began dating in 1956, married in 1960, and had a daughter, Adeline.
. He tried being legitimate and spent two years serving as what he would later say was a job as a "narcotics correction officer." He fathered four sons, including Anthony Vitale, who would later become a small-time criminal. Joseph Massino often pressured the fathers in his crime family to recruit their boys, but Vitale wanted a better life for them.
He and Diana moved to Long Island
, a safe distance from mob-entrenched Maspeth, Queens
, to have a better life for themselves. Salvatore managed his own social club in Maspeth, Queens not far from Joseph Massino's CasaBlanca Restaurant and Catering Service where he would meet with his underlings. His son Anthony would later work for mob associate Robert Perrino
at The New York Post after he dropped out of college.
's son-in-law Frank Amato in 1975. He was given a no-show job as a food consultant for King Caterer's. He suffered from poor health, and had his first heart attack at the age of 38 and another in 2001. Vitale was one of the gunmen who killed three Bonanno captains; Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera
and Philip Giaccone
.
Vitale was put under house arrest
in 2001, and was allowed to go to work at his no-show job at King Caterers in Farmingdale, Long Island as a "food consultant" and owner, but had to be home by 6pm. He was allowed to take his wife out to dinner three times a week. The probation officer just required Vitale to fax over the name of the restaurant. He would later be involved directly in murdering four individuals with Gerlando Sciascia, loansharking, bookmaking, extortion and illegal gambling. By that time, the stress of home detention and his ensuing legal problems aggravated the already strained marriage.
He became a second father to his niece Joanna Massino, when her father became a wanted fugitive during her freshman year at high school. He arranged her 16th birthday party in the absence of Joseph and danced with his niece. His niece Adeline, who would become a psychology major in college, did not trust Vitale, and thought he seemed full of himself. With Joseph he was disrespected and belittled as underboss of the Bonanno crime family, which caused Vitale to resent Massino for many years. He was a close friend and business associate of Bonanno crime family capo James Tartaglione. His vanity was a well-known subject of gossip. He relished in the aura of being a mob boss. His favorite cologne was Gray Flanel.
He was a successful business man and co-owner and manager of the successful J & S Catering Social Club and Casablanca Restaurant, both in Maspeth where he grew up. When Sal Vitale was arrested he was informed by the FBI that Massino was plotting to kill him. After learning this information he decided to turn on Massino and have the last laugh.
Vitale's testimony centered around a series of murders allegedly orchestrated by Massino and John Gotti
. In October 2004, based upon information provided by Vitale, the FBI located the bodies of Dominick Trinchera
and Phillip Giaccone in Ozone Park, Queens
. Vitale told the FBI about both his and Massino's involvement in over 10 murders, including: Indelicato, Trinchera, Giaccone, Dominick Napolitano, Anthony Mirra
, Cesare Bonventre
, Gerlando Sciascia
, Gabriel Infante, Joseph Pastore, John Favara
and Vito Borelli.
This information helped lead to the conviction of Massino. As of April 2010, it is assumed that Vitale is participating in the federal Witness Protection Program. On October 29, 2010 Vitale was sentenced by Judge Nicholos Garufis to time served for 11 murders and other crimes. After leaving the courtroom he entered the Witness Protection Program.
Maspeth, Queens
Maspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens in New York City. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside and Sunnyside to the north, Long Island City to the northwest, Greenpoint to the west, East Williamsburg to the southwest, Fresh Pond and Ridgewood to the south, and...
) was a New York City
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...
caterer and former underboss 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 ....
of La Cosa Nostra before becoming a government informant.
Biography
He was born to Giuseppe and Lilli Vitale, who had emigrated from the village of San Giuseppe JatoSan Giuseppe Jato
San Giuseppe Jato is a village in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, southern Italy.The village sits in a hilly region of Palermo's hinterland, 31 km from the Sicilian capital.-History:...
in 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,...
, where they planned to name him "Giuseppe", or Joseph in English. Two of his elder brothers, both named "Guiseppe", had died in child birth before Salvatore was born. He was the last child born to the family, and had three older sisters: Anna, Betty and Josephine. Josephine would later become the wife of Joseph Massino, a neighbor who lived in a home on Metropolitan Avenue, where Bonanno crime family patriarch 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:...
began his career in crime. Salvatore's childhood home was located five blocks from where Massino and his parents lived.
His parents tried again to conceive a son. As both of his parents worked during the day to provide for their large family, they entrusted the care of infant Salvatore to their daughters. His sister Josephine, who was four years older than he was, became a surrogate mother. The Vitale sisters spoiled their brother, giving him whatever he wanted and when he wanted it, which was usually provided to him by his sister Josephine. Although his elder sisters cared for him, Salvatore Vitale did not respond kindly to them.
Growing up, he never did anything wrong as a child, but seemed by family members to lack affection and was perceived as distant and cold. His father Giuseppe was reported to have once said that Salvatore should have been a girl instead of a boy. When Joseph Massino dropped out of seventh grade and began earning a reputation as a mob associate, he caught the attention of Salvatore Vitale's eldest sister Josephine, who was seven months younger than Massino. She had been voted best looking in her eighth grade class. Massino and Josephine began dating in 1956, married in 1960, and had a daughter, Adeline.
Legitimate career
In 1968 he served a short tour of duty in the U.S. Marines, as a paratrooperParatrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
. He tried being legitimate and spent two years serving as what he would later say was a job as a "narcotics correction officer." He fathered four sons, including Anthony Vitale, who would later become a small-time criminal. Joseph Massino often pressured the fathers in his crime family to recruit their boys, but Vitale wanted a better life for them.
He and Diana moved to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, a safe distance from mob-entrenched Maspeth, Queens
Maspeth, Queens
Maspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens in New York City. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside and Sunnyside to the north, Long Island City to the northwest, Greenpoint to the west, East Williamsburg to the southwest, Fresh Pond and Ridgewood to the south, and...
, to have a better life for themselves. Salvatore managed his own social club in Maspeth, Queens not far from Joseph Massino's CasaBlanca Restaurant and Catering Service where he would meet with his underlings. His son Anthony would later work for mob associate Robert Perrino
Robert Perrino
Robert Francis Perrino, also known as "Bobby Perrino" was the Superintendent of Deliveries at The New York Post from the 1970s until 1992 when he was murdered. He was a Bonanno crime family associate of Italian-American descent...
at The New York Post after he dropped out of college.
Criminal career
When he quit that job, Vitale approached Joseph Massino for criminal work. He soon became involved in burglaries and transport truck hijacking. His first real piece of work was helping dispose of Paul CastellanoPaul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
's son-in-law Frank Amato in 1975. He was given a no-show job as a food consultant for King Caterer's. He suffered from poor health, and had his first heart attack at the age of 38 and another in 2001. Vitale was one of the gunmen who killed three Bonanno captains; Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera
Dominick Trinchera
Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera was a Bonanno crime family capo who was murdered with Alphonse Indelicato and Phillip Giaccone for planning the overthrow of aspiring Bonanno boss Phillip Rastelli.-Biography:Born in Rockland, New York, Trinchera was the son of an immigrant from Rome, Italy and an...
and Philip Giaccone
Philip Giaccone
Phillip Giaccone also known as "Philly Lucky" and "The Priest" was a Bonanno crime family member.-The three capos murder:...
.
Vitale was put under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in 2001, and was allowed to go to work at his no-show job at King Caterers in Farmingdale, Long Island as a "food consultant" and owner, but had to be home by 6pm. He was allowed to take his wife out to dinner three times a week. The probation officer just required Vitale to fax over the name of the restaurant. He would later be involved directly in murdering four individuals with Gerlando Sciascia, loansharking, bookmaking, extortion and illegal gambling. By that time, the stress of home detention and his ensuing legal problems aggravated the already strained marriage.
He became a second father to his niece Joanna Massino, when her father became a wanted fugitive during her freshman year at high school. He arranged her 16th birthday party in the absence of Joseph and danced with his niece. His niece Adeline, who would become a psychology major in college, did not trust Vitale, and thought he seemed full of himself. With Joseph he was disrespected and belittled as underboss of the Bonanno crime family, which caused Vitale to resent Massino for many years. He was a close friend and business associate of Bonanno crime family capo James Tartaglione. His vanity was a well-known subject of gossip. He relished in the aura of being a mob boss. His favorite cologne was Gray Flanel.
Joseph Massino
Although Vitale was underboss of the Bonanno crime family, he chafed at the paltry power Massino had given him, going so far as to forbid him from speaking to the capos under his leadership in the family. Massino did not assign any captains to work for Vitale and was not even given Christmas gifts from the family. It was thought by many of his fellow capos that he was power hungry and greedy and knew too much intimate criminal knowledge to be trusted by others. Some wished that he was dead and thought Massino's judgement in promoting him to underboss was clouded because he was married to Vitale's sister.He was a successful business man and co-owner and manager of the successful J & S Catering Social Club and Casablanca Restaurant, both in Maspeth where he grew up. When Sal Vitale was arrested he was informed by the FBI that Massino was plotting to kill him. After learning this information he decided to turn on Massino and have the last laugh.
Informant
In January 2004, a secret recording by capo James Tartaglione showed that Diana Vitale had been so frightened of Massino that Salvatore stayed away from him during the time leading up to his arrest. He had not aged well, his face was puffy and his hair had gone mostly gray. In 2003, Vitale and Joseph Massino were arrested by the FBI and charged with racketeering and murder. Vitale was also facing a separate murder charge and agreed to testify against Massino in exchange for sentencing leniency.Vitale's testimony centered around a series of murders allegedly orchestrated by Massino and John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
. In October 2004, based upon information provided by Vitale, the FBI located the bodies of Dominick Trinchera
Dominick Trinchera
Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera was a Bonanno crime family capo who was murdered with Alphonse Indelicato and Phillip Giaccone for planning the overthrow of aspiring Bonanno boss Phillip Rastelli.-Biography:Born in Rockland, New York, Trinchera was the son of an immigrant from Rome, Italy and an...
and Phillip Giaccone in Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone Park is a working class neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and City Line, Brooklyn....
. Vitale told the FBI about both his and Massino's involvement in over 10 murders, including: Indelicato, Trinchera, Giaccone, Dominick Napolitano, Anthony Mirra
Anthony Mirra
Anthony "Tony" Mirra was an Italian-American mobster and soldier for the Bonanno crime family...
, Cesare Bonventre
Cesare Bonventre
Cesare "The Tall Guy" Bonventre was a Sicilian mobster and caporegime for the New York Bonanno crime family.-Early life:...
, Gerlando Sciascia
Gerlando Sciascia
Gerlando Sciascia , also known as "George from Canada", was a New York mobster and a caporegime for the Bonanno crime family, also the Sixth family's Rep for New York, who was a major narcotics trafficker in Canada.-Background:...
, Gabriel Infante, Joseph Pastore, John Favara
John Favara
John Favara was the backyard neighbor of Gambino crime family godfather John Gotti, in Howard Beach, New York....
and Vito Borelli.
This information helped lead to the conviction of Massino. As of April 2010, it is assumed that Vitale is participating in the federal Witness Protection Program. On October 29, 2010 Vitale was sentenced by Judge Nicholos Garufis to time served for 11 murders and other crimes. After leaving the courtroom he entered the Witness Protection Program.
See also
External links
- http://www.ipsn.org/court_cases/united_states_v_massino.htm
- http://www.newcriminologist.co.uk/news.asp?id=-214427771