Bonanno, who was the last of his era, took control of the former Maranzano Family in 1931 and helped form a commission that ruled the Sicilian underworld.

Bonanno was the reputed leader of a powerful criminal enterprise that fed off the proceedes of prostitution, protection rackets, gambling, narcotics and murder.

Even after his "retirement" police and reporters suspected that he was still involved in illegal activities from local pay phones.

According to his son, Bill, who has also been invloved in Mafia activities, claimed that "speaking for our family, there's no question in any of our minds that our world was a much better place because he passed through it." WHAT A FUGGIN JOKE!

Police accused Bonanno's Family of establishing the lucrative "French Connection" narcotics smuggling route between Montreal and New York City. But Bonanno always denied involvment in narcotics and prostitution, saying that the activities did not carry on the honor of his Sicilian "Tradition". YA RIGHT, WHO WHAS HE TRYING TO B.S.?!

Bonanno was also involved with the famed Apalachin, N.Y. Mob commission meeting.

He constantly used his so called "failing health" to avoid court dates and prosecution. He also faked his own kidnapping to avoid testifing before grand juries.

He had many high placed friends, including AZ State Supreme Court Judge Evo DeConcini who helped out of trouble with the Law. IT IS A REAL JOKE THAT THE NEW FEDERAL COURTHOUSE IN TUCSON IS NAMED AFTER DECONCINI. HIS SON, ANOTHER BONANNO FRIEND IS EX SENATOR DENNIS DECONCINI.

In 1995 his family threw him a much-publicized 90th birthday party at the Westward Look Resort. The 300 person guest list included priests, politicians, actors, attorneys, authors and relatives from across the country.

The party was covered on the AZ Daily Star's front page, prompting a flood of complaints from more than 100 readers who said the story glorified a criminal.

While his attorneys frequently cited Bonanno's poor health as an excuse for skipping court hearings and prison terms in the 1980's, Bonanno appeared healthy and fit as he joked with guests until 1 a.m.

When the gangster Reggie Kray died of cancer here a year or two ago, the papers were full of tributes from friends, relatives and the media and entertainment industries which had turned him into a celebrity (e.g. in the film The Krays) - very little was heard about the dozens of people he killed, injured and/or tortured, or from the victims of his protection rackets.

Similarly when the 'great train robber' Ronnie Biggs returned to the UK from exile in Brazil to take advantage of our taxpayer-funded healthcare system, the press all mieowed and hissed about how it was cruel to put a sick man in his 80s back behind bars. They seemed to forget that he had (i) been partly responsible for the death of the train driver, (ii) seriously hurt several other people, (iii) stole several million pounds, and (iv) busted out of jail and then fled the country.

Whoever said that crime doesn't pay?

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