A widely repeated claim in Mafia lore holds that Bonanno crime family mobster Carmine Galante brought Sicilian mafiosi Cesare Bonventre and Baldo Amato to the United States after his release from prison in the early 1970s. According to Frank Fiordilino, a former Bonanno family associate who grew up around the Sicilian faction, that version of events does not hold up under scrutiny. Fiordilino, who now runs the YouTube channel 52 Topics, sat down for an interview to discuss the Sicilian faction of the Bonanno family and correct what he sees as a common misconception. He stated that records show Bonventre and Amato actually arrived in the U.
S. in 1968. This timing creates a mathematical problem for the Galante story, as Galante was still incarcerated at that point. “Mathematically, it was impossible,” Fiordilino said.
Unless Galante somehow sent word from prison to recruit the two young Sicilians, he could not have been responsible for bringing them over. Fiordilino was direct on the point: “They were here already. They didn’t need to go to Castellammare del Golfo or anywhere in Sicily to recruit. ”
The conversation also turned to Santo “Tony” Giordano, a lesser-known but highly regarded figure within the Sicilian faction.
Giordano was born in the United States, though he later returned to Sicily before coming back again. Fiordilino described him as a sharp, well-respected man who was capable of building airplane engines and had presidential qualities. Fiordilino recalled that Giordano was paralyzed after being shot during the infamous “Three Capos” hit, and he died two years later in a plane he was piloting himself. Despite his limited public profile, Giordano was considered a potential leader within the family.
Fiordilino said a later conversation with “Allie Boy” Persico confirmed this view. Persico reportedly told him, “Yeah, it’s a shame what had happened because he would have been the guy. ”
Neil Grimaldi, another figure from that world, told Fiordilino that when the older men sat around discussing family matters, they said Giordano had “presidential qualities. ” Fiordilino added that he never heard anyone speak badly of him.
Fiordilino also shared personal recollections of Bonventre and Amato as people rather than as criminals. He remembered Amato as jovial and welcoming, fond of jokes, while Bonventre was laid-back and comfortable in his surroundings. The two were not menacing in the family settings where Fiordilino encountered them as a young man. He even noted that watching the film House of Gucci gave him an unexpected reminder of Bonventre.
One character’s demeanor and dress in the 1970s setting brought Bonventre back to mind, down to the way he carried himself. The discussion then moved to the fallout after Bonventre was murdered in 1984. At that time, Joe Massino, who was described as a treacherous and ambitious figure, was in charge of those around Fiordilino. When court paperwork was released after Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano cooperated with authorities, Massino addressed a small group, including Fiordilino, about the decision to kill Amato.
Massino made a point of saying aloud, “That wasn’t my choice. That was Rusty. He wanted to kill Baldo, too. ” He then added that Amato had shown up when called, and Massino had questioned why they would want to kill him for that reason.
Fiordilino said he was not sure whether Massino was trying to get word back to Amato through him, but he knew better than to carry messages at that level. Fiordilino also mentioned Giorgio, another up-and-coming figure from that era who was “cut down” early in his career. Other names, such as Tony Accardo, were prominent money men in their day, but Fiordilino noted that many of these men are no longer around. The interview concluded with Fiordilino cautioning that the Galante recruitment story is one of several inaccuracies that have been repeated in books and documentaries.
For those interested in the Sicilian faction of the Bonanno family, the real history, as he tells it, differs from the popular version.