SALVATORE CATALANO

Salvatore was only boss of the Bonanno crime family for a short time. Catalano filled the gap following the sensational murder of Carmine Galante. Catalano was a native Sicilian born in Cimminia, Sicily in 1941. He was the sixth child in a litter of seven.

Salvatore Catalano came to America in 1966 and settled in Queens, New York, around the same time a close friend Guisepe Ganci had also arrived in New York. Toto Catalano as his friends knew him, stared working for the Bonanno family on Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn. The avenue was ran by a high ranking capo, Pietro Licata and when Galante was released from prison in 1973 he too would reside and run things on Knickerbocker Ave. Toto Catalano was a bull necked, stocky individual with slit eyes. In 1976 he became a capo in the Bonanno family when he arranged the murder of Pietro Licata. Following this murder Catalano took over the main operations that he had been running. By the mid 70's, Knickerbocker Avenue had seen an influx of Sicilian immigrants that were settling into the Knickerbocker arm of the Bonanno family. Because of this Catalano had become a popular choice to take over as capo, but in truth the Sicilians known as zips, were starting to take over on Knickerbocker Avenue.

With Catalano was his trusted aide Guisepe Ganci, the two Sicilians were very close and indeed shared a bakery and Pizza restaurant as well as living right next door to each other. Catalano was accepted on Knickerbocker Avenue thanks to the appreciation of the zips, and the New Leader of the Bonanno family, Carmine Galante. Galante was happy to see the zips on Knickerbocker Avenue, as it helped him to keep up good relations with the clans in Sicily, the clans that were heavily involved in exporting heroin to the U.S.

In truth Galante was positioning himself at the top of the heroin operation and underestimated the greed of his fellow zips that were working for him on Knickerbocker Avenue. In 1979 Galante was murdered, his Sicilian bodyguards were suspects in the murder, but with Galante now out of the way there would be nothing to stop Catalano and the zips on Knickerbocker Ave. to take over the Heroin operation. After the murder of Galante, Catalano went to meet with the Sicilian clans that were involved in the now massive heroin operation to explain that they would now be doing business with him. This move by Catalano would be an advantageous one as he was a native Sicilian himself and the Sicilian clans would have no problems with communication's and understandings.

Catalano and the zips soon extended the heroin operation, as pizza parlours became their legal fronts. The pizza parlours were part of the method used in the vast heroin smuggling operation that even branched out as far as Chicago and Detroit. Also Catalano set up another operation with the now exiled Sicilian Cupola boss, Gaetano Badalamenti, who was now hiding in Brazil. Badalamenti became another source of heroin for Catalano as he looked to extend the operation further.

About a year after Catalano took over as boss of the Bonanno crime family, he decided to step down and let the jailed Philip Rastelli once again take over the Family. His decision came largely because he still hadn't fully mastered the English language and struggled to communicate with the other American crews within the family. This decision would also give Catalano more time to concentrate on the heroin operations, albeit from a distance.

In 1985 indictments were handed down to all the men involved in the American end of the heroin operation. The trial became to be known as the Pizza Connection Trial, due to the amount of pizza parlours used in the operation. The Feds had managed to get convictions on nearly all of the major players in the pizza connection case as 20 or so Mafiosi received heavy sentences for their crimes. Toto Catalano received 45 years for his part, bringing an end to his influence with the vast amounts of zips making their way to Knickerbocker Avenue.

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