- Anthony Graziano
Anthony "T.G." Graziano (b.
November 12 ,1940 Williamsburg, Brooklyn ) is a New York mobster and formerConsigliere of theBonanno crime family .Bonanno captain
Anthony was born in
Lower East Side, Manhattan to first generation immigrants fromMongrando ,Piedmont ,Italy .There aren't any exact dates when Graziano was inducted into the Bonanno crime family, however, U.S. law enforcement considered him a high-ranking captain sometime in the late 1980s, after the imprisonment of longtime family Boss Philip "Rusty" Rastelli, gangland slaying ofDominick Napolitano and Joseph "Big Joey" Massino began to run the show. At the time, Graziano was believed to be operating out of theStaten Island faction of the Bonanno crime family, as well as profiting from laborracketeering ,extortion ,loansharking ,narcotics and even murder. [http://www.ipsn.org/court_cases/us_v_bonanno_organized_crime_family.htm]New management and prison
After Rastelli died in 1991, as well as Joseph Massino was considered the new 'head' of the Bonanno crime family as he was released from prison that same year. Graziano, then a higher power with Massino, reportedly became one of his top aides during his early heydays, however, Graziano was soon put on the US government radar, and later in 1991, he was convicted of
tax evasion ,fraud , and evading about $100,000 in his wife, daughter and the son-in-law's names, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $250,000. [ Dead link|date=September 2008 http://www.ganglandnews.com/column274.htm] [Dead link|date=September 2008 http://ganglandnews.com/standup.htm] Accordingly, one of his son-in-laws is Bonanno family soldier John "Porky" Zancocchio, father-in-law to Hector Pagan andVincent Corrao , and the father of Rene, Lana Jennifer Graziano.Hunting Colombos
After releasing in 1994, Graziano reportedly operated in the
Queens andBrooklyn factions of the Bonanno crime family, however, his main base was stillStaten Island . Considered a powerful member with Joseph Massino and Anthony "Tony" Spero, the longtime Consigliere, Graziano managed a topless bar called "Hipps", which was at some point in 1994 shot up by John Pappa and Calvin Hennigar, both members of the rivalColombo crime family . According to Mob expertJerry Capeci , this set Graziano's head on fire, as he ordered his Brooklyn soldiers to find both Pappa and Hennigar, and have them murdered. However, due to the fact that they both participated in the Colombo Wars within theColombo crime family , they were put away and are currently servinglife imprisonment behind bars. Graziano reputedly met with representatives of the Colombos at a sitdown and called off his shooters afterward. [ Dead link|date=September 2008http://www.ganglandnews.com/column274.htm]Consigliere
After longtime reputed Consigliere of the Bonanno family, Anthony Spero was sentenced to
life imprisonment in 2001 for murder and federalracketeering charges, US law enforcement reportedly picked up an FBI informant, saying Graziano had taken over Spero's role as Consigliere to Joseph Massino. At the time, the two of them found a way to make sure no FBI videotape or surveillance team could tape them or even track them down, as they both travelled toMexico ,Italy and other places where the US authorities were unlikely to be watching or listening. At the time, Massino stood as the Boss of theBonanno crime family , his brother-in-law Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale as the Underboss, while Graziano was identified at the third top position in the family as its Consigliere. [ Dead link|date=September 2008 http://www.ganglandnews.com/column274.htm]Prison time
In 2002, Graziano, as well as dozens of other Bonanno crime family mosbters began their downfall. He and his crew, which also included his aforementioned son-in-law, were levied charges ranging from
illegal gambling to investment fraud inFt Lauderdale, Florida . His move into investment scams, carefully disguised by the once successful "Bulls and Bears Fund", defrauded customers to the tune of $11.7 million. Many of whom were elderly. At the same time, US authorities deicded to launch a pile of federal racketeering charges towards half of the Bonanno crime family, charging Graziano with everything frombookmaking andextortion , todrug trafficking and murder, and conspiracy. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E7DA1338F933A15750C0A9649C8B63] Held against bail, Graziano pleaded guilty in 2002, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.As of April 2008, Graziano is incarcerated at the
Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto inPennsylvania . His projected release date is January 6, 2012. [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Graziano&Middle=&FirstName=Anthony&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0]References
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