U.S. law men finally get crime boss

Press, 4 September 1980, Page 6

U.S. law men finally get crime boss

NZPA San Francisco After more. than half a century.in which the law was unable to block his upward mobility in the American Mafia, Joseph Bonanno, aged 75, was found guilty yesterday, of conspiracy to interfere with a Federal , grand jury’s, investigation of his two sons’ business activities which Federal officials, have, said was a “laundering” scheme for untaxed profits of illegal enterprises. His nephew, Jack DiFilippi. aged 54, also was found guilty The decision was announced in San Francisco’ after it-was filed by Judge William Ingram of the Federal District Court who heard the case, over 14 weeks between April 11 and July, 25 in-San . Jose, California. ' The maximum sentence is five years jail. No date for sentencing has been set. ' <ZZ;

For “Joe Bananas,” as he was known at the peak of his influence in New York ’2O years ago, it was the first felony . con viction of a career that began with gun-running for Al Capono in Chicago in the 19205. In 1945 he was

fined for rent-control violations.

Born in Sicily, Bonnaho emigrated to the United States. He lived in New York for many years but .left after an: unusual kidnapping:, that occurred in front of his Park Avenue apartment house in 1964, the day before tie? was to' appear before a New York grand jury that was investigating the' Mafia. He '.’reap-, peared 19 months later, was charged with conspiracy to impede justice, tried, found not guilty, and moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he said he Jived in retirement. In 1971 his sons, Salvatore (Bill), aged 46, and Joseph jun„ u aged 33, were convicted for. extortion. After they were released on probation they started, businesses in the San Jose area. They were sent back to prison as probation violators in 1978 for giving false financial information on probation reports. • Meanwhile, Federal and; state officials were watching the elder Bonanno closely in Tucson. Arizona narcotics officers overstepped the bounds of legality in their watching Judge. Ingram

found in a hearing- on evidence before the trial in San Jose. But the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ telephone taps were legally made, and its collection of rubbish from the Bonanrio home was legal, Judge Ingram ruled. .However, the. Government voluntarily returned a manuscript taken from the Bonanno home during the search. The ‘ manuscript was titled “My Reign: 1939 to Present.” It was described by agents as i being a part of Bonanno’s memoirs. In congressional hearings and other forums, Bonatino frequently has been -described as. one of the top Mafia figures. In his trial, however, the Government did not introduce evidence on, that subjects The Government’s case I against Bonanno was that he : and DiFilippi, had tried to keep a Federal grand jury convened in San Francisco from geting evidence about his sons’ business operations. When agents searched his Tucson home on March 17, 1979, they found evidence that he had contacted grand jury witnesses.