Anthony Bruno Indelicato is one of those rare mobsters that connects today’s Bonanno Family to the days of Carmine Galante. He was part of the hit team that killed Galante. Indelicato is the son of deceased captain Sonny Red Indelicato and the infamous “Bruno” who undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone was ordered to kill.
Born into The Life
Anthony Indelicato was from the very beginning destined for a life in the mafia. He was exposed to dealings of the Bonanno Family since he was just a child. He later became known in gangster circles as Bruno. Because of his father, he was able to enjoy a lofty status with the Bonannos. But Bruno didn’t just ride his fathers’ coattails, he was willing to kill for his family.
In the late 1970s, the Bonanno Family leadership was experiencing a hostile takeover. Official boss Rusty Rastelli was in prison and acting boss Carmine Galante was now letting it be known that he was the real boss. Carmine was a fearsome old gangster who had a crew of imported Sicilians known as the Zips as bodyguards.
Galante’s power play didn’t end with the Bonanno Family. He openly said he was going to take over the commission, making him the boss of bosses. He became the biggest heroin importer in New York and had several dealers from other families killed, taking over their territory. It got to the point that his own family and the commission decided to take him out.
Rastelli had gotten approval from the other bosses, who were more than happy to see Galante go. One of the men tasked with arranging the hit was Sonny Red. At least two of Galante’s Zips were approached and brought into the plan, Cesare Bonventre and Baldo Amato. A hit team was chosen and one of the shooters would be Bruno Indelicato.
On July 12, 1979, Galante was eating lunch on the patio of Joe and Mary’s Italian Restaurant with two associates. Standing guard by the doors were Amato and Bonventre. Three men in masks suddenly appeared and shot Galante and his friends to death. Bruno Indelicato was one of the shooters. The Zips casually walked out, leaving no doubt they had betrayed their boss.
Bonanno Family War
This was one of the most monumental killings in the mafia’s long history. The Zips would get promoted and Bruno made a big name for himself. After the murder, he was seen outside Gambino underboss Neil Dellacroce’s club getting hugs and pats on the back. It was a celebration but the problems in the Bonanno Family were just heating up.
It was around this time that the Indelicatos came into the movie Donnie Brasco. Carmine Galante’s murder would cause a war. Not many were angry that he was dead, but some Bonanno captains were ready to make their move. Bruno’s father Sonny Red was aligned with Dominick “Big Trin” Trinchera and Philip “Lucky” Giaccone, two other Bonanno captains.
They were planning on killing another faction led by capos Dominick Napolitano aka “Sonny Black” and future family boss Joseph Massino. Massino and Sonny Black were loyal to Rusty Rastelli, and they were ready for a war. Bruno Indelicato in these days became reclusive, falling back into a heavy cocaine spiral.
The tension between the two powerful groups grew as rumors of violence swirled. Finally, a meeting between the two sides was arranged for May 5, 1981. Bruno feared he may be a prime target of the other captains and he was right. On the day of the scheduled sit down, Bruno was nowhere to be found, and that saved his life.
When Sonny Red, Big Trin and Lucky Giaccone arrived at the 20/20 nightclub in Brooklyn for the meeting, they were ambushed with machine gun fire. Sonny Red and his crew were unarmed in accordance with the La Cosa Nostra rule that made men not bring weapons when meeting each other. Sonny Black and Massino knew they would make this fatal mistake.
Enter Donnie Brasco
The bodies of the three captains were then transported to a rundown neighborhood in Queens and buried. In one bloody evening, the battle for Bonanno Family supremacy was resolved. But there was one more piece of business. Napolitano and Massino wanted the trigger happy cocaine addicted Bruno dead. They were not willing to take the risk of leaving him alive.
Bruno was now in full hiding, knowing he’d be killed if he showed his face. There was in fact a contract out on his life. Sonny Black assigned the hit to one of his top associates, Donnie Brasco. Of course it would soon be known that Donnie Brasco was really undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone. Pistone had been infiltrating Napolitano’s crew for over 5 years.
Because he was given an order to kill, the Donnie Brasco operation closed and his identity was revealed. This was bad news for Sonny Black and good news for Bruno Indelicato. Just three months after killing the three capos, Sonny Black was summoned to a meeting and killed. Massino was lucky enough not to have done any business with Pistone.
This meant that Bruno just might survive but he still had to lay low for years to come. In 1986, he went on trial in the mafia commission trial for the Galante murder. He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, but would only serve 13 years. During that time, he married Jimmy Burke’s daughter Catherine.
In 1998, Bruno was back on the street and back in the mafia. It seems his past transgressions had been forgiven because Massino did not have him killed. Joe Massino was now the boss of the Bonanno Family. Bruno worked in the crew of Bonanno powerhouse Vinny “Gorgeous” Basciano. At some point Bruno was actually promoted to capo.
One Last Run?
In 2001, he participated in the murder of Frank Santoro, on the orders of Vinny Georgeous. Bruno was proving to be a last of the Mohicans type of mobster. He was 54 years old at the time of the Santoro murder, 22 years after the Galante killing. By the turn of the century, there weren’t nearly as many mafia killers on the street. The age of the hitman had long passed.
Although his father’s body was found shortly after the three captains murders, Big Trin and Lucky Giaccone had never been found. That lasted until October 2004 when some kids playing in Lindenwood, Queens found a dead body. After some digging, the authorities found another body. They were identified as Dominick Trinchera and Philip Giaccone.
Because of his very high profile past, Bruno Indelicato enjoyed a bit of street celebrity status in New York. After all, he had once whacked a mafia boss and lived to tell about it. Bruno was often seen rubbing arms with actors like Chuck Zito. But his time as a free man would only last a few years.
Later on it was revealed that Bruno tried to kill John Gotti and his lieutenant Angelo “Quack Quack” Ruggiero. It was revenge for Gotti and Ruggiero assisting in dumping the bodies of the three captains back in 1981. Bruno chased Gotti’s car in Queens once, shooting at him. He wanted to kill his second mafia boss but it wasn’t to be.
In 2006, he was charged with the Frank Santoro murder. The case against him was so solid that he broke mafia tradition and pleaded guilty. He was given 20 years in prison. Bruno is an old man now but his storied mafia career may not be over. He’s the last surviving defendant from the famous commission case.
UPDATE: Anthony Bruno Indelicato was released from prison in May 2022.
There is much speculation about his current standing and future in the Bonanno Family. He’s now in his 70s. It is a much different landscape for the mafia these days, leaner times and they are trying to stay under the radar. On the other hand, Bruno’s legendary track record could earn him an immediate top spot.
Law enforcement are fully aware of his notorious reputation as a mafia hitman. That could make it very difficult for Bruno to dive back into the life he knows so well. Perhaps Bruno decides to make an attempt to seize power. Only time will tell.