Joseph Massino

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Joseph Massino was born in New York City on January 10, 1943, one of three sons of Anthony and Adeline Massino, both of whom traced their familial origin to the Italian city of Naples. Raised in Maspeth, Queens, Massino admitted to being a juvenile delinquent by the age of 12 and claimed to have run away to Florida at age 14. He dropped out of Grover Cleveland High School in tenth grade. He first met his future wife Josephine Vitale in 1956, and married her in 1960; the couple had three daughters. Massino also befriended Josephine's brother, Salvatore Vitale, who became one of his most trusted allies. While athletic in youth, Massino grew overweight in adulthood, earning the nickname "Big Joey". By 2004, Massino was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. After turning state's evidence, Massino claimed his first murder victim was a Bonanno crime family associate named Tommy Zummo, whom he shot dead in 1969. The killing aroused the ire of Philip "Rusty" Rastelli, but he remained unaware of Massino's participation, and a nephew of Rastelli ultimately helped Massino become his protégé. Rastelli set Massino up as a lunch wagon operator as part of his "Workmen's Mobile Lunch Association," an effective protection racket. By the late 1960s, Massino was a Bonanno associate, leading a successful truck hijacking crew with the assistance of Salvatore Vitale and carjacker Duane Leisenheimer. He opened his own catering company, J&J Catering, as another front. In 1975, Massino and Vitale participated in the murder of Vito Borelli, which Massino claimed was primarily executed by John Gotti at the behest of Paul Castellano; the hit allowed Massino to "make his bones." On June 14, 1977, Massino was inducted into the Bonanno family in a ceremony conducted by Carmine Galante. He remained loyal to Rastelli, then vying to oust Galante despite his imprisonment. Fearing Galante wanted him dead, Massino delivered a request to the Commission on Rastelli's behalf to have Galante killed; the hit was approved and executed on July 12, 1979. Rastelli subsequently took full control and promoted Massino to caporegime. In 1981, Massino arranged the murder of three rebel captains—Giaccone, Indelicato, and Trincera—at a Brooklyn social club on May 5, with four gunmen including Vitale and Vito Rizzuto hiding in a closet. Massino himself stopped Indelicato from escaping. Later that year, on August 17, Massino ordered the murder of his rival Dominick Napolitano, driven to the house of Ronald Filocomo by Frank Lino and Steven Cannone, then thrown into the basement and shot to death. Massino also ordered the assassination of Anthony Mirra on February 18, 1982. In 1991, while Massino was in prison for a 1986 labor racketeering conviction, Rastelli died and Massino succeeded him as boss. Upon his release the following year, he set about rebuilding a family that had been in turmoil for almost a quarter of a century. By the dawn of the new millennium, he was reckoned as the most powerful Mafia leader in the nation. In July 2004, Massino was convicted in a RICO case based on the testimony of several cooperating made men, including his disgruntled underboss and brother-in-law Salvatore Vitale. He was also facing the death penalty if convicted in a separate murder trial due to be held later that year, but after agreeing to testify against his former associates, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for both indictments in 2005. Massino testified twice for the government, helping to secure a murder conviction against his acting boss Vincent Basciano in 2011, and was resentenced to time served in 2013.

Reader's Guide

Joseph Massino's significance lies in his dual role as a powerful Mafia boss and as the first leader of a New York Five Families to become a government witness. His cooperation marked a historic breach of omertà, the Mafia code of silence, and led to the conviction of his acting boss Vincent Basciano in 2011. Massino's rise from truck hijacker to boss of the Bonanno family, his orchestration of multiple murders—including the 1981 triple murder of three rebel captains and the murder of his rival Dominick Napolitano—and his eventual turn against his associates illustrate both the peak and the decline of traditional organized crime in New York. His testimony provided rare insider insight into Mafia operations, but also underscored the fragility of loyalty within criminal organizations. His legacy is that of a don who, when faced with the death penalty, chose to break the Mafia's most sacred rule.

Did You Know?

• Massino became the first boss of one of the Five Families in New York City to turn state's evidence.
• He claimed his first murder victim was Bonanno associate Tommy Zummo, shot dead in 1969.
• Massino earned the nickname 'Big Joey' due to his weight; by 2004 he suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.
• During a 1987 racketeering trial, when asked who would play him in a film adaptation, FBI agent Joseph Pistone joked they could not find anyone fat enough.
• Massino was resentenced to time served in 2013 after testifying for the government.