How come the commission didn't kill him? I read A Man of Honor years ago and dont remember a thing about it. Is it a fluff piece?

Does anyone know what businesses he was in out west? I think I heard farming somewhere. I'd take that to mean he bought or started some type of commercial operation, like a chicken farm or large dairy operation?

Wiki says he got in trouble with a California Cadillac dealer who became an informant. What scam was that about?

Allegedly an FBI agent orchestrated these bombings including Bonnanos home and was not charged. Is that believed to be true?

https://tucson-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/tucson.com/news/local/photos-bombings-in-tucson-in-1968/collection_fa15b1a8-05fb-11e8-af38-4791c65e8598.amp.html?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16175570188700&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftucson.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fphotos-bombings-in-tucson-in-1968%2Fcollection_fa15b1a8-05fb-11e8-af38-4791c65e8598.html

I think it's widely believed that if he left town and retired to Tucson his life would be spared. I think it was 1966 when his son was nearly killed in a shoot out and shortly there-after the clan moved to Tucson.

His Tucson property was a 3,000 cattle ranch but I bet he had plenty of money and maybe still some "tribute" being paid even after his exile.

Many people don't realize he was asked to testify in 1985 during the Commission Trial and instead served some time for contempt and was in jail

He went out there and had a lot of money but kept it in legitimate businesses. Yes, the FBI did orchestrate a series of bombings set up to look like Bonanno and the mafia were behind it, when they were caught the bombers turned out to be a group on parole that head cut a deal with the FBI. I don't know if nay agents went to prison, I think they tried saying it was one agent on his own. Bill or Joe said in their book that when they saw a car pull away after a bomb was tossed at their home with a woman in the car they knew for sure it was not mafia related.

Real estate, commercial property, still had cheese companies, two construction companies (a third belonged to his sons in San Jose, still had interests in Canada and Mexico, his Germany interests were gone when he moved to Arizona after his stroke. He was a silent partner with legitimate frontmen. He had a dairy operation, and an orchard in northern California. When his partners that he was still on good terms in other families began to died of old age, his shares were cut or their bosses did not recognize Joe Bonanno. He had well over 30 million in Canada when he died but Canada seized the money from going to his children. He was still into schemes, one of which he found out through a deal in a company he and Los Angeles member Dominic Brooklier involved in acquiring that Frank Bompensiero was an FBI informant.

Bonanno was not killed but his family crime family suffered a lot especially in the Garment, unions, and trucking industries.

The car dealership was a money laundering scheme which Bonanno was big in since he had a lot of money to hide, even after he left New York. It really was a genius plan, but Peters was someone the Bonannos missed judged. Bonanno nephew Jackie deserves some credit had caution when he had dealings with Lou Peter's, but the paperwork was his downfall. Joe trying to protect his son Salvatore from the IRS. The plan was for the Bonannos to use Peters as a legitimate frontman and help purchase a dozen other car dealerships in California to launder money.

The FBI Agent David Hale has never been arrested nor convicted in the Tuscon bombings.

As was said earlier: he cut a deal with the Commission to step down as head of his family and "retire" to Tucson in return for not being whacked. Not much of a concession on his part because very few members of his family were still loyal to him by that time.

"A Man of Honor" is a pretty good read. Of course Bonanno never admits to any crime--even jaywalking--after Prohibition (it's an autobiography, after all). But, his co-author (Bonanno's English was limited) is an elegant writer, and there are plenty of good stories in it. An irony: Bonanno provides the only extant description of the Commission's operations. When Rudy Giuliani was the US Attorney for the Southern District of NY, he read "A Man of Honor" and saw in Bonanno's description a perfect example of a "Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization" as defined in the RICO law. That lead to the Commission Case and the wholesale prosecution of Mob bosses all around the country.

Joe Bonanno is a Mafia legend, but Tommy Lucchese is still my favorite. I wish Joe Bonanno never would've tried to go against Carlo Gambino and Tommy Lucchese. I imagine the Commission trial would've never taken place.

Good points, I don't really know why Rudy Giuliani credited A Man of Honor with the Commission case.

I still don't get why they didn't kill him. Was it easier to get rid of him alive than create problems by killing him?

Wasn't what he did a 100% killing offense? And considering who these people were...what incentive was there to cut a deal with him?

bonnano was one of, if no the oldest don, going back to maranzano, you just don't hit a guy like that.

The two best things Joe Bonanno ever did in his life was to promote his son to consigliere and attempt to have Carlo and Tommy hit. If he hadn't done those things, he would've stayed boss and gone down in the commission case, paying millions in legal fees and ultimately dying in prison. Instead, he died an old filthy rich free man in Arizona.

There's no proof that he would've went down in the Commission case, had he not have done that Mafia history would've been much different. And paying legal fees is stupid, especially in the millions, unless you have a good case. I'd rather keep that money and take my chances with a court-appointed attorney, especially when they have tapes of me ranting on blowing millions of dollars is pointless.

Joe Bonanno would have gone down by 1971 by the law. He would never have made it to the commission case. Him retiring and moving permanently to Arizona is what saved him from the full strength of the law.

Hello Giacomo,
I agree and far as the Feds I don't trust them any farther then I could throw one .

There's absolutely no proof that he would've went down in 1971, you're speculating. To say something would've absolutely happened is fucking laughable.

Not when you take into account of what NYPD, state, and feds were looking into. Him moving and retiring actually saved him, cause the gears shifted to Paul Sciacca. Just because they was a war doesn't mean these guys were not in and out of court. The wiretaps were also gold mines. New evidence was coming to light after Joe Bonanno had retired after a year, but the city prosecutors viewed Joe Bonanno out of sight and out of mind when he moved to Arizona. Now the feds on the other had may have made a deal with Bill Bonanno, in that his father would not be arrested if Bill gave information, but that is speculation.

Here's a link of Sammy the Bull talking about Joe Bananas once he got shipped to Phoenix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htS9t1gRMyQ

Joseph Bonanno first visited Arizona in 1942, I think he felt in love with it very soon after and lived there till his death in 2002 pretty amazing.

What were the Bonannos doing in the garment industry? Didn't Joe own a piece of it, almost as much as the Lukes?

Yep Joe Bonanno had several legitimate businesses, including three coat manufacturing companies, laundries, cheese suppliers, funeral homes, and a trucking company.

Bonanno was a freemason.

Really? I thought they were too waspy and proud of it? Did he join in the 40s or so? One things for sure, he had some form of magnetic charisma. His friends in Tuscon were mostly esteemed judges who still associated with him despite his past, even during his faux-kidnapping.

Bonanno is the most interesting figure, up there with Lucchese.

He was a member of the Knights Templar.

People hate to admit it but Bonanno was every bit as important and powerful as Luciano, Costello, Lansky, Gambino etc. Thats why he didn't get whacked. Simply put.

Joe Bonanno was absolutely as powerful as all the rest of the top bosses. In fact, Joe was a "Boss" way before, and long after, many of them.

Yes Jace , but u do know that the father & son team in writing books r great bullshitters..?..

Correct Jace

It was proven in court, all the bombers were on parole and confessed, and the federal parole officer was arrested. I don't think he turned in any higher ups, but he was not pressured so hard by the government to do so. The bombings did take place just as described in the book, including bombing the houses while the kids were there. All done on behalf of " law enforcement. "