Sicilian head of Philadelphia mob known as 'the Gentle Don'
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Angelo Bruno was the head of the Philadelphia crime family for 20 years |
Angelo Bruno, a mobster who ran the Philadelphia Mafia for
two decades, was born Angelo Annaloro in Villalba, in the province of
Caltanissetta, in Sicily, on this day in 1910.
Bruno was known as “the Gentle Don” because he preferred to
solve problems and consolidate his power through non-violent means, such as
bribery, and commissioned murders only as a last resort.
The son of a grocer, he emigrated to the United States in
his teens and settled in Philadelphia. He became a close associate of New York
crime family boss Carlo Gambino. Bruno dropped the name Annaloro and replaced
it with his paternal grandmother's maiden name, Bruno.
Bruno’s dislike of violence was not driven by any compassion
for his fellow man. During his early
days in Philadelphia, he worked for a series of bosses and did not shirk the
tasks he had to perform in order to be rise through the ranks, which included
carrying out killings himself.
But in 1959, when he succeeded Joseph Ida as boss of the
Philadelphia crime family, he decided it was in his interests and those of his
criminal organisation to operate in a way that avoided attracting unwanted
attention.
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Bruno's strategic policy of avoiding violence earned him the nickname 'the Gentle Don' |
In other cities, the tendency of Mafia families to embark on
campaigns of violence to strengthen their powerbase inevitably resulted in the
authorities cracking down on mob activity.
Bruno, whose longest time in prison was two years after he
refused to testify before a grand jury, reasoned that keeping his operations
relatively low key was the best way to achieve success.
Therefore, he preferred to remove obstacles to his progress
by bribery rather than murder, and was able to operate for two decades with
only minimal interference from law enforcement officers.
However, it was his old-school methods that ultimately
proved his downfall.
Under Bruno’s rule, involvement of the Philadelphia family in
narcotics trafficking was off-limits. He insisted that the family maintained
its focus on more traditional Cosa Nostra operations, such as bookmaking,
prostitution and loansharking.
However, by allowing other gangs, notably members of the
Gambino family, to distribute heroin in Philadelphia in return for a share of
the proceeds, he attracted opposition from inside the family from individuals
who felt they were missing out on an opportunity to make big profits.
Meanwhile, as Atlantic City, traditionally part of the
Philadelphia empire, grew as a gambling centre, Bruno allowed Gambino gangs to
take a slice of that lucrative market, too.
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How the Philadelphia Daily News announced Bruno's murder in 1980 |
Several factions within the Philadelphia crime family began
to conspire against Bruno, who was murdered on March 12, 1980, as he returned
to his home in South Philadelphia after going out to dinner. He was killed in
his car by an assailant who shot him in the back of the head.
There were several suspects, three of whom were themselves
found dead within weeks of Bruno’s murder.
Antonio Caponigro, Bruno’s consigliere – advisor – and who was believed to have
ordered the execution of his boss, was murdered before police were able to track him down,
as were Frank Sindone and John Simone, the Mafiosi suspected of carrying out
the killing.
Bruno's driver, John Stanfa, who escaped with
only minor injuries, was also a suspect in the murder. He was not killed but
would eventually be sentenced to eight years in jail for refusing to testify
during the trials.
The turnout for Bruno’s funeral in Philadelphia was
substantial. The procession involved more than 100 cars and about 1,000 people
turned up at the Holy Cross Cemetery for the service.
Travel tip:
Villalba, a town of around 1,800 inhabitants, is known as
the città bianca – white city - because of the large number of white houses. It
is situated in a hilly inland area of western Sicily some 98km (61 miles) south-east
of Palermo and 51km (32 miles) north of Caltanissetta. The town grew in size in the 18th
century, which saw the building of its two main churches, the Chiesa Madre and
the Chiesa della Conciliazione and the palace of Nicolò Palmieri Morillo, also
built during the 18th century, who owned much of the land.
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The church of San Sebastiano in the city of Caltanissetta |
Travel tip:
The city of Caltanissetta has a population of more than
80,000 and despite being in an area of volcanic activity – notably the mud
volcanoes of the so-called Hill of the Volcanoes a short distance outside the city – has many
notable and well preserved buildings.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova, built over the late 16th
and early 17th centuries, has a Renaissance style that is unusual in
the area and contains frescoes by the Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans. In front of the cathedral on Piazza Garibaldi
is the church of San Sebastiano, built in the 16th century as a
gesture of thanks to San Sebastian for deliverance from the plague. Formerly a major centre for sulphur mining,
the town now is famous for the production of the liqueur Amaro Averna.
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