Salvatore Vitale

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Salvatore Vitale
caption = FBI mugshot of Salvatore Vitale
birth_date = Birth date and age|1947|9|22|mf=y
birth_place = Maspeth, Queens
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Former Underboss of the Bonanno crime family; currently a government informant
spouse =
parents =
children =

Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale (born September 22, 1947 Maspeth, Queens) was a New York City caterer and former underboss of the Bonanno crime family of La Cosa Nostra before becoming a government informant. [ [http://www.mafianj.com/sci89/bonanno.shtml The Mafia in New Jersey - La Cosa Nostra - State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report - The Bonanno/Rastelli/Vitale Family ] ] Salvatore's childhood home was located a mere five blocks from where Joseph Massino and his parents lived.

Biography

He was born to Giuseppe and Lilli Vitale who had emigrated from the village of San Giuseppe in Italy where they planned to name him "Giuseppe" or Joseph in English. Two of his elder brothers, both named "Guiseppe" died in child birth before Salvatore was born. He was the last child born with three older sisters, Anna, Betty and Josephine, who would later become the future wife of Joseph Massino who lived together in a home on Metropolitan Avenue where Bonanno crime family namesake and patriarch Joseph Bonanno began his career in crime. His parents once again tried again to conceive a son, seemingly cursed with bad luck regarding sons named Giuseppe, the parents decided that if their child survived child birth he would be named something different. As both of his parents worked during the day to provide for their large family, they entrusted the care of infant Salvatore to their daughters. His sister Josephine, who was four years older than him became a surrogate mother. The Vitale sisters spoiled their brother, giving him whatever he wanted and when he wanted it, which was usually provided to him by his sister Josephine. Although his elder sisters cared for him Salvatore did not respond kindly to them. Growing up, he never did anything wrong as a child, but seemed by family members to lack affection and was perceived as distant and cold. His father Giuseppe was reported to have once said that Salvatore should have been a girl instead of a boy. When Joseph dropped out of seventh grade and earning a reputation as a mob associate caught the attention of Salvatore's eldest sister Josephine, who was seven months younger than Joseph. She had been voted best looking in her eighth grade class. Joseph and Josephine began dating in 1956, and married in 1960 where shortly afterwards they produced a daughter, Adeline.

Legitimate career path

In 1968 he served a short tour of duty in the U.S. Marines as a paratrooper. He tried being legitimate and spent two years serving as what he would later say was a job as a "narcotics correction officer." He fathered four sons, including Anthony Vitale and Joel Vitale who would later become small time petty criminals. Joseph Massino often pressured the fathers in his crime family to recruit their boys, but Vitale wanted a better life for them. He and Josephine moved to Long Island, a safe distance from mob-entrenched Maspeth, Queens to have a better life for themselves. Salvatore managed his own social club in Maspeth, Queens not far from Joseph Massino's CasaBlanca Resturant and Catering Service where he would meet with his underlings. His son Anthony would later work for mob associate Robert Perrino at "The New York Post" after he dropped out of college and his son Joel and his son's girlfriend would later be convicted of theft and credit card fraud.

Criminal career

When he quit that job, Vitale approached Joseph Massino for criminal work. He soon became involved in burglaries and transport truck hijacking. His first real piece of work was helping dispose of Paul Castellano's son-in-law Frank Amato in 1975, after the fact. He also was given a no-show job as a food consultant for King Caterer's. Personally, he suffered from poor health and repeatedly had his first heart attack at the age of thirty-one and another in 2001. Salvatore was put under house arrest in 2001 and allowed him to go to work at his no-show job at Queens Caterers in Maspeth, Queens as a "food consultant" and owner but had to be home by 6 PM. He also was allowed to take his wife out to dinner three times a week. The probation officer just required Salvatore to fax over the name of the restaurant. He would later be involved directly in murdering four individuals with Gerlando Sciascia,loansharking, bookmaking, extortion and illegal gambling.

By that time, the stress of home detention and his ensuing legal problems aggravated the already strained marriage. He became a second father to his niece Joanna Massino, when her father became a wanted fugitive during her freshman year at high school. He arranged her sixteenth birthday party in the absence of Joseph and danced with his niece. His niece Adeline who would become a psychology major in college did not trust Salvatore and thought he seemed full of himself. With Joseph he was disrespected and belittled as underboss of the Bonanno crime family. He was a close friend and business associate of Bonanno crime family capo James Tartaglione. His vanity was a well known subject of gossip. He relished in the aura of being a mob boss. His favorite cologne was Hugo Boss.

Resentment towards Joseph Massino

Although Salvatore was underboss of the Bonanno crime family, he chafed at the paltry power Massino had given him, going so far as to forbid him from speaking to the capos under his leadership in the family. It was thought by many of his fellow capos that he was power hungry and greedy and knew too much intimate criminal knowledge to be trusted by others. Some wished over the years that he was dead and thought Massino's judgement in promoting him to underboss was clouded because of being married to Vitale's sister. He was a successful business man and co-owner and manager of the successful J & S Catering Social Club and Casablanca Restaurant, both in Maspeth where he grew up.

Informant against Bonanno crime family

In January 2004, a secret recording by capo James Tartaglione showed that Diana Massino had been so frightened of Joseph that Salvatore stayed away from him during the time leading up to his arrest. He had not aged well, his face was puffy and his hair had gone mostly gray. In 2003, Vitale and his brother-in-law Joseph Massino (the boss of the Bonanno family) were arrested by the FBI and charged with racketeering and murder. Vitale was also facing a separate murder charge and agreed to testify against Massino in exchange for sentencing leniency. Vitale's testimony centered around a series of murders allegedly orchestrated by Massino and John Gotti. In October 2004, based upon information provided by Vitale, the FBI located the bodies of Dominick Trinchera, Phillip Giaccone, and John Favara in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. [ [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/bonanno/6.html Joe Bonanno: A Man of Honor. The crime family Epic - Crime Library on truTV.com ] ] This information helped lead to the convictions of Massino and Gotti.

External links

* http://www.ipsn.org/court_cases/united_states_v_massino.htm
*http://www.newcriminologist.co.uk/news.asp?id=-214427771

References

* King of the Godfathers: "Big Joey" Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family by Anthony M. DeStefano