Perry Criscitelli

Perry Criscitelli (born 1950) is a New York restaurant owner who is an alleged member of the Bonanno crime family. Criscitelli owns several restaurants and managed a popular city street festival.

In 1996, Criscitelli was selected as president of the Feast of San Gennaro, an Italian street festival that takes place every September on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Manhattan. In 1995, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had threatened to close down the festival because it was controlled by the Genovese crime family. Instead, he chose Criscitelli to run it because he was supposedly not associated with organized crime.

However, during the 2004 trial of Bonanno crime family boss Joe Massino, it was revealed in court that Criscitelli joined the Bonanno family in 2001 and was a major moneymaker for them. Mobster Richard Cantarella testified that he attended Criscitelli's induction ceremony, and that mob figures regularly discussed family business at one of Criscitelli's restaurants. While serving as acting boss of the Bonanno family, Vincent Basciano allegedly met with Criscitelli several times and briefed the jailed Massino on Criscitelli's activities.

After the news broke about Criscitelli's mob connections, he resigned as head of the Feast of San Gennaro. In recent years, Criscitelli sold his Italian restaurant on Staten Island, New York. However, he still owns Da Nico on Mulberry Street, one of Giuliani's favorite eateries.

External links

* [http://ganglandnews.com/column405.htm This Week in Gang Land: Mob Still Feasting At San Gennaro] by Jerry Capeci
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E6DF123DF934A15754C0A9629C8B63 New York Times: Man Testifies He Saw Leader of Street Fair Inducted Into Mafia] By MIKE McINTIRE