Sebastiano DiGaetano | |
|---|---|
 DiGaetano, 1910 | |
| Born | c. 1862 |
| Disappeared | 1912 |
| Status | Missing for 113 years and 7 or 8 months |
| Occupation(s) | Crime boss,mobster |
| Predecessor | Paolo Orlando |
| Successor | Nicolo Schiro |
| Allegiance | DiGaetano crime family |
Sebastiano DiGaetano (Italian pronunciation:[sebaˈstjaːnodiɡaeˈtaːno]; c. 1862 – disappeared March 1912) was an Italian-born AmericanNew York Citymafiaboss of what would later become known as theBonanno crime family. He briefly attained the titlecapo dei capi (boss of bosses) of the Sicilian-American mafia, afterGiuseppe Morello had been convicted ofcounterfeiting money in 1910. DiGaetano stepped down as boss of his crime family in 1912, and disappeared shortly thereafter.
Sebastiano DiGaetano was born in the town ofCastellammare del Golfo in Sicily in c. 1862, to Arcangelo DiGaetano and Angela DiBenedetto. He first arrived in the United States on October 24, 1898, with his wife and daughter joining him in 1901. By 1908 the DiGaetano family had moved fromManhattan to theWilliamsburg section ofBrooklyn, with Sebastiano becoming a barber.[1] DiGaetano's daughter, Angelina, married Joseph Ruffino, who was arrested for burglary in 1913 along with future mafia bossJoe Masseria.[2]
DiGaetano is believed to have become the boss of theWilliamsburg-centered mafia sometime in 1909 or 1910.[a][5] DiGaetano first came to the attention of authorities in December 1910, when he was arrested under suspicion of orchestrating the kidnappings of eight-year-old Giuseppe Longo and seven-year-old Michael Rizzo for ransom.[6][7] The charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.[5]
A few months later,Salvatore Clemente, aSecret Service informer who was acounterfeiter in theMorello gang was summoned to a meeting with DiGaetano. DiGaetano told Clemente to refrain from his counterfeiting activities until another mafioso, named Carmelo Codaro, who was suspected of disloyalty was "disposed of."[5] DiGaetano was able to dictate orders to a member of a different mafia crime family because he had been made a temporarycapo dei capi, or "Boss of bosses", after the previous one,Giuseppe Morello, had been imprisoned inAtlanta on counterfeiting charges. DiGaetano had assumed that role due to his relative weakness as acrime boss. Morello had been hoping that would allow him to continue to dominate the New York mafia from prison. However, the arrangement had collapsed by 1912 which led toSalvatore D'Aquila being selected as a permanent replacement ascapo dei capi.[8]
In March 1912, DiGaetano stepped down as boss of his crime family and was soon replaced byNicolo Schiro.[1] Clemente claimed that DiGaetano was stepping down because he had "lost his nerve". Shortly after he stepped down as boss, DiGaetano disappeared; some researchers speculate he and his wife returned to Italy.[1]
Citations
Sources
| American Mafia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paolo Orlando? | Bonanno crime family Boss 1909?–1912 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Capo dei capi Boss of bosses 1910–1912 | Succeeded by |
