ANGELO `The Gentle Don` BRUNO

The Philadelphia branch of Cosa Nostra is now regarded in many circles as the most dysfunctional family in the history of American Cosa Nostra, as many of the family bosses have been murdered without impunity. Angelo Bruno however is probably the most successful boss that has ever led the Philadelphia Mafia.

He started his apprenticeship with the Philadelphia mob in the late 20's, running bootlegging operations for the family's founder Salvatore Sabella. His sponsor for official Mafia membership came from one of the family's elder members, Michael Maggio owned a cheese factory of which Bruno began to appear as a salesman, and so on good word from Maggio, Angelo Bruno became a fully fledged made man in the early thirties. Angelo Bruno soon made an important alliance with a man of similar age and mind; Carlo Gambino became friendly with Bruno thanks to a deal where the two of them became partners in a profitable Florida land deal. An alliance that became crucial to Bruno’s success later in his career.

By the late 1950's Carlo Gambino was now the most influential crime boss in the U.S. and so his succession would save Bruno’s life. In 59 the new head of the Philly crime family Antonio Pollina told his underboss of his desire to murder Bruno because he saw Bruno as a rival to his power. When Angelo Bruno heard of this he headed to see his old friend Carlo Gambino in New York. Gambino immediately threw his support behind Bruno and set up a meeting with the commission. Shortly after the meeting Don Carlo decreed that Angelo Bruno was to be the new don of the Philly crime family and he also gave Bruno permission to murder Pollina, if he so wished.

Now many Cosa Nostra bosses wouldn't even hesitate in eliminating their predecessor, but Bruno made a decision that explained in every way the style of boss he was. He waited on his decision, thanks largely because he feared possible reprisals from Pollina loyalists and in turn a huge gang war might occur, with Pollina alive there would be no motive understanding where the power now lay, they might even come over to him, and so in time that is what happened.

During the 60's Angelo Bruno was against taking a huge part in the narcotics trade, Bruno was no fool to what the repercussions in taking a bigger hand in the narcotics trade could mean. The FBI, DEA and other agencies would be breathing down their necks and also being the man that Bruno was he didn't want to hurt anybody he didn't feel he had to, taking part in drugs would also dirty his name as the type of Cosa Nostra boss he wanted to remain.

Atlantic city had always been Philly territory; Bruno had many casinos in his pocket out there and was earning his family a lot of money. But by the mid 70's there was a growing resentment in Bruno’s ranks, his lack of participation in the narcotics trade was beginning to upset some of the younger inductees of the family, as nearly all the other family's all over the U.S. were earning large amounts of money, many of his soldiers felt as if they were stuck in a time warp with only the original rackets to run such as extortion and the gambling operations.

Soon though the revolt became too much the `gentle don` had become too gentle. In 1977 thegambling act in New Jersey was altered. Bruno acted with his usual realism, knowing full well that thanks to the change in the gambling law in New Jersey the New York family's who bigger in size and influence would be taking piece's of Atlantic city at their own will, so in turn he decreed that Atlantic city would become open territory, assuring his own family that they would still be enough to go around. This though would not be enough to reassure his family that he was selling out to the bigger families from New York.

Angelo Bruno was a month short of his 70th birthday when he was murdered, he was also now without his good friend Carlo Gambino, and so was killed the 21st March 1980, the shooter blew his head off with a shot gun when one of his men John Stanfa had drove Bruno to his home. The Pellets from the gun were imbedded into the legs of Stanfa who was already on his way out of the car.

His murder was another sign to the current wind of change that was working it's way through many of the Cosa Nostra families in the U.S. Younger men were replacing the so called moustache Petes, bosses who were not bringing themselves up to the current times, Bruno was a victim of this without doubt, his reluctance to join the drugs trade was just the start and his decision to open up Atlantic city to the bigger New York families was the final nail in his coffin, and the end to his 21 year reign as Philly boss.

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