Baldassare Amato

Last updated
Baldassare Amato
Born15 December 1951
Castellammare del Golfo, Italy
NationalitySicilian
Occupation(s)Alleged gangster, delicatessen owner
Known forMember of the Bonanno Mafia family, involvement in the assassination of Carmine Galante, sentenced to life for murder
Criminal statusIncarcerated
RelativesCesare Bonventre (cousin)
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyLife in prison

Baldassare Amato (born 15 December 1951) is a Sicilian gangster and a member of the Bonanno Mafia family in New York City. He was a cousin of Bonanno crime family capo Cesare Bonventre. At age 18, he emigrated from Castellammare del Golfo, Italy, to New York City and lived at 199 Avenue South Prospect Lefferts Gardens. He was one of two bodyguards to Carmine Galante who allegedly lured their own boss to the scene of his assassination in 1979. The New York Times correspondent Ralph Blumenthal describes Amato as "...looking like a fierce Alain Delon, darkly handsome, a wave of thick black hair, deep-set sparkling eyes, full, sensuous lips." He told police that he was a delicatessen owner.

In 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison for the 1992 murders of Sebastiano DiFalco and Robert Perrino. [1] DiFalco was a restaurant owner, and prosecutors argued that Amato "removed" him in order to take over his business. The Bonannos were concerned that Perrino, a delivery supervisor for the New York Post , would expose their infiltration of the newspaper's delivery operations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Bonanno</span> American organized crime boss (1905–2002)

Joseph Charles Bonanno, sometimes referred to as Joe Bananas, was an Italian-American crime boss of the Bonanno crime family, which he ran from 1931 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Indelicato</span> American mobster

Alphonse "Al" Indelicato, also known as Sonny Red, was an American mobster and caporegime in the Bonanno crime family who was murdered with Dominick Trinchera and Philip Giaccone for planning to overthrow Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore Vitale</span> American former underboss

Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale is an American former underboss of the Bonanno crime family before he became a government informant. After his arrest in 2003, Vitale agreed to cooperate with the government and testify against his brother-in-law, boss Joseph Massino, and in July 2004, Massino was convicted in a RICO case. Vitale had admitted to 11 murders, however, in October 2010, was sentenced to time served due to his cooperation, and entered the witness protection program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmine Galante</span> American mobster and boss (1910 - 1979)

Carmine Galante was an American Mafioso who was acting boss (unofficial) of the Bonanno crime family of New York City. Galante was rarely seen without a cigar hanging from his mouth, leading to the nickname "The Cigar" and "Lilo". He was assassinated on Commission orders in 1979 while dining in a restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph D. Pistone</span> American FBI agent

Joseph Dominick Pistone is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City. Pistone was an FBI agent for 17 years, from 1969 until he resigned in 1986. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members, and some responsible for his infiltration were also killed by other mobsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Families</span> Five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia

The Five Families refer to five Italian American Mafia crime families that operate in New York City. In 1931, the five families were organized by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore Bonanno</span> American mobster

Salvatore Vincent "Bill" Bonanno was an American mobster who served as consigliere of the Bonanno crime family, and son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno. Later in life, he became a writer and produced films for television about his family.

The Colombo crime family is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was during Lucky Luciano's organization of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War, following the assassinations of "Joe the Boss" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, that the gang run by Joseph Profaci became recognized as the Profaci crime family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cesare Bonventre</span> American mobster

Cesare "The Tall Guy" Bonventre was a Sicilian mobster who served as a caporegime in the Bonanno crime family, operating out of Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick. Bonventre alongside Salvatore “Toto” Catalano led the Sicilian “Zips” faction of the family and was a key member of the Pizza Connection until his assassination on April 16, 1984 on orders of Joe Massino and Philip “Rusty” Rastelli.

Anthony Indelicato, also known as "Bruno" and "Whack-Whack", is an American mobster and high ranking caporegime in the Bonanno crime family of New York City.

The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia, formed in 1931 by Charles "Lucky" Luciano following the Castellammarese War. The Commission replaced the title of capo di tutti i capi, held by Salvatore Maranzano before his murder, with a ruling committee that consists of the bosses of the Five Families of New York City, as well as the bosses of the Chicago Outfit and, at various times, the leaders of smaller families, such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Detroit, and others. The purpose of the Commission was to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and serve to mediate conflicts among families.

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. Perrino was the leader of "The Post Circulation Crew" which allegedly existed to control the circulation department of New York Post printing press and distribution center by means of extortion, coercion, the falsification of business records, larceny and bribery. The crew also became involved in loan sharking, drug trafficking and the selling of stolen firearms.

Richard Cantarella, also known as Shellackhead, was an American mobster who became a caporegime for the New York City-based Bonanno crime family and later a government witness.

Nicholas Angelo "Nicky Mouth" Santora was the reputed underboss of the Bonanno crime family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore Montagna</span> Italian-Canadian crime boss (1971-2011)

Salvatore "Sal the Iron Worker" Montagna was an Italian-Canadian crime boss and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family in New York City, as well as the Sicilian faction-leader of the Bronx section. He had later been associated with the Rizzuto crime family of Montreal.

The Lucchese crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata; borgata is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from a Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Rastelli</span> American mobster

Philip "Rusty" Rastelli was an American mobster and former boss of the Bonanno crime family; he spent all but three years of his reign in prison.

The Bonanno crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Basciano</span> American mobster

Vincent John Basciano is an American mobster who became acting boss of the Bonanno crime family after the arrest of Joseph Massino. Basciano was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Marangello</span> American mobster

Nicholas Marangello, also known as "Nicky Glasses", "Nicky Cigars", "Nicky the Butler" and "Little Nicky", was the underboss of the Bonanno crime family under Carmine Galante and saw himself demoted after Galantes death. He's the father-in-law of Robert Perrino and grandfather of Nicola Langora.

References

  1. Rashbaum, William K. (28 October 2006). "Mafia Figure is Sentenced to Life Term in 2 Murders". The New York Times.