Peter Magaddino

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Peter Magaddino (February 25, 1917-August 1976) was a Buffalo mobster, born in Brooklyn, New York. The son of legendary Buffalo crime Boss, Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino, the younger Magaddino was a Capo in the Magaddino crime family of Buffalo and according to former FBI agent and author Joe Griffin served as Underboss from 1967 until 1969, but this is disputed by others.

Early in his career, Peter Magaddino helped forge ties within his father's criminal organization by marrying the niece of prominent Western New York businessman and Buffalo crime family Consigliere, John C. Montana. The Magaddino family of Buffalo were originally from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, home of New York crime Boss, Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, former head of the Bonanno crime family and cousin to Stefano Magaddino. Peter Magaddino was an alleged participant, with his uncle, Antonio "Nino" Magaddino in the alleged kidnapping of Joseph Bonanno during the New York mafia conflict of 1964-68 known as the "Bananas War." Joe Bonanno was kidnapped after walking down Park Avenue with his lawyer William P. Maloney, while stopping together in front of a luxury apartment house on Thirty-sixth street on October 21, 1964. [1].

According to former F.B.I. agent Joe Griffin, who wrote the book "Mob Nemesis", following the 1967 arrest and conviction of Buffalo crime family Underboss, Frederico "Freddie the Wolf" Randaccio, Peter Magaddino was appointed by his father to run the day-to-day activities in Randaccio's place as Underboss. Some law enforcement officials, crime writers and mob watchers believe Buffalo crime family capo and future Acting Boss, Joseph Fino was named Underboss in 1968, not Magaddino in 1967. Peter Magaddino could have possibly been named Acting Underboss from the time of Randaccio's arrest until Fino was named official Underboss later, either way, Magaddino was rumored to be seen by many high ranking members as undeserving of his crime family rank, specifically by the top family members. By the 1960's, longtime Boss, Stefano Maggaddino was seen by his many top Buffalo mafiosi as a paranoid and notoriously greedy leader who could not be trusted to lead the Buffalo crime family any longer. The situation and conflict within the Buffalo crime family worsened in late 1968 when Stefano Magaddino informed his top capo, Salvatore "Samuel Johns" Pieri, Joseph Fino and Daniel "Boots" Sansanese that their percentage of profits from the various criminal rackets controlled by the family would be cut and that they would not receive their yearly Christmas bonus due to a lack of funds, which was seen as strange when Magaddino's personal sports book was one of the biggest in Western New York and regularly took in profits of $20,000-$30,000 weekly.

The internal strife in the Buffalo crime family continued and came to a head in November of 1968 when Peter and Stefano Magaddino were arrested and charged with innerstate bookmaking. During a search of Peter Magaddino's home in Niagara Falls, New York, the F.B.I. and agent Joe Griffin uncovered nearly $500,000 in cash hidden inside a bedroom wall of Magaddino's home.

When it was revealed to the Buffalo crime family that the Magaddino's had nearly $500,000 in their possession the leading members staged a coup resulting in the formation of several dissident factions within the crime family. The Magaddino's were deposed as crime family leaders by the dissident factions in 1969,[1] but Stefano Magaddino remained the officially recognized Boss of the crime family by the Cosa Nostra Commission until his death. The dissident factions within the crime family were lead by a succession of defacto Bosses including capos, Sam Pieri, Joseph Fino and Samuel "Sam the Farmer" Frangiamore. Peter Magaddino remained a loyal member of his father's faction until the elder Magaddino died on July 19, 1974, then he quietly removed himself from the criminal activities of the Buffalo crime family [2].

[edit] Further reading

  • Bonanno, Bill. Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ISBN 0-312-97147-8
  • Bonanno, Joseph. A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003. ISBN 0-312-97923-1
  • United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Assassinations. Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: hearings before the Select Committee on Assassinations. 1979. [3]
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