The Bonanno Family is another example of a family with a rich lineage of bosses. Salvatore Maranzano once ruled the Bonanno's. Maranzano was the boss of bosses for a long time, before "Lucky" Luciano and some other young guns saw him as needing to go. He was murdered in 1931. It was after his death that the Commission was formed and Joe Bonanno took control of the family.
      Bonanno was in control of the family from 1931 all the way to 1964. Bonanno was the first boss ever in Mafia history to break the code of "Omerta". In the Mafia, "Omerta" is the highest oath you can take, and one of these aspects is to never talk to anyone outside the family about family business. Bonanno flagrantly broke this rule when he wrote a book about his life as a crime boss.
      Many other bosses came after Bonanno. In 1989, Joey Massino took control of the family, and he controls it to this day. He has made some efforts to bring the family back to the point of power it once enjoyed.
Back to the Main Page