Alphonse Indelicato
One of three men killed in May 1981 whom the 1982 New York indictment called "captains" of the Bonanno family seeking "to wrest control of the family." FBI teletypes of 1981 report that only his body had been found.
- Aliases
- Sonny Red
- Family
- Bonanno family, in the Second Circuit's account of the Commission-case evidence (1989) and in the 1982 indictment as the Eleventh Circuit summarizes it
- Role
- "capo": "his father was a capo," the en banc Second Circuit says of Anthony Indelicato (1989, the evidence viewed for the government); one of three "captains" in the 1982 indictment (charge, as summarized in 1985)
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 12 July 1979 — United States v. Indelicato, 865 F.2d 1370 (en banc): after the Galante killing, Anthony Indelicato "immediately went with his father, his uncle J.B., and Phillip Giaccone, another Bonanno family capo, to a social club in Manhattan." Court opinion, in its account of the evidence viewed for the government.
- 5 May 1981 — A New York teletype of May 20, 1981 (Vault, p. 133) reports a source's information that "Alphonse Indelicato, aka 'Sonny Red', Philip Giaccone, aka 'Phily Lucky', and Dominic Trinchera, aka 'Big Trin', members of the Bonanno family LCN were killed on or about May 5, 1981." The June 1981 GENUS teletype puts the killings "late evening of May 5, 1981, or early morning, May 6, 1981." FBI teletypes.
- 24 May 1981 — A Brooklyn/Queens teletype of June 1, 1981 (Vault, p. 97): "Indelicato's body was found on May 24, 1981, and the other two are still missing." FBI teletype.
- 7 July 1982 — United States v. Ruggiero, 754 F.2d 927: the New York indictment alleged "the murders of Alphonse Indelicate, Philip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera, three 'captains' of the Bonnano Family who were seeking to wrest control of the family away from two other 'captains,' Dominick Napolitano and Joseph Messina," and "a conspiracy to murder Anthony 'Bruno' Indelicate, Alphonse's son" (the scan's spellings). Charge, as the court summarizes it.
- 26 February 1985 — The FBI's briefing outline on the Commission indictment lists "Alphonse Indelicato, capo, Bonanno family" among the murders the Commission "authorized." FBI document.
The court records give no date of death. The dates above are the FBI’s. The S.D.N.Y. opinion of 1982 refers to the government’s assertion that John Cerasani took part in “the murder of Alphonse Indelicato”; Cerasani was not charged with the killing and was acquitted of all charges. No record filed here gives a birth date. The “capo” and “captain” labels stay on this page and are not placed on the Bonanno family chart.
Records
itemUnited States v. Ruggiero, 754 F.2d 927 (11th Cir. 1985)The Eleventh Circuit rejects Benjamin Ruggiero's and John Cerasani's double-jeopardy challenge to a 1983 Florida RICO indictment. It summarizes the 1982 New York case, in which Ruggiero was convicted of RICO conspiracy and sentenced to fifteen years, and says "Ruggiero was a member of the 'crew' captained by Napolitano."itemUnited States v. Indelicato, 865 F.2d 1370 (2d Cir. 1989) (en banc)The en banc Second Circuit holds that Anthony Indelicato's part in three murders committed in a single transaction could form a RICO pattern. Its account of the evidence begins: "In 1979, the boss of the Bonanno family was Carmine Galante."
itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 133-136 (May-June 1981)New York teletypes of May and June 1981. The first reports a source's information that Alphonse Indelicato, Philip Giaccone and Dominic Trinchera were killed on or about May 5, 1981, and that Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato was hiding with a contract on his life. The second records the surveillance of Ruggiero's flight to Montreal.
itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 97-98 (June 1, 1981)A Brooklyn-Queens teletype of June 1, 1981: "the Bonanno LCN family is presently undergoing a power struggle that has resulted in the deaths of three family capos," Sonny Red Indelicato, Phillip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera. It says Benjamin Ruggiero would travel to Canada.
itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 148-154 (June 1981): the GENUS casesA two-section New York teletype of June 1981: "The GENUS code name encompasses several major cases targeted against various factions of the Bonanno LCN family." It lists the undercover operation, the Catalano investigation and the file opened on the May 1981 murders.
itemFBI Vault, Dominick Trinchera file, viewer p. 123 (March 9, 1982)A Newark memorandum recommending that the Trinchera file be closed: "NY investigation reveals subject Trinchera was murdered along with Alphonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato and Phil 'Lucky' Giacone on 5/5/81." It doubts the two missing bodies will ever be recovered.
itemFBI announcement and briefing outline, "LCN Commission Indictment," February 26, 1985The FBI's announcement of the Commission indictment, forwarded to John Roberts at the White House, lists "Philip Rastelli, Boss, Bonnano Family." Its briefing outline says the Commission "authorized the murders of" Galante, Coppola, Alphonse Indelicato, Trinchera, Giaccone and "Anthony Indelicato, solider," and lists "Testimony of UCAs (Pistone)."itemUnited States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. 465 (S.D.N.Y. 1982)Judge Robert W. Sweet's pretrial rulings of January to July 1982 in the RICO case against Dominick Napolitano, Benjamin Ruggiero and others, charged as members or associates of "the Bonanno Family of La Cosa Nostra." The opinion records that "Ruggiero had been told that an FBI agent, Donnie Brasco, had infiltrated his activities."
itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 133-136 (May-June 1981)New York teletypes of May and June 1981. The first reports a source's information that Alphonse Indelicato, Philip Giaccone and Dominic Trinchera were killed on or about May 5, 1981, and that Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato was hiding with a contract on his life. The second records the surveillance of Ruggiero's flight to Montreal.itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 97-98 (June 1, 1981)A Brooklyn-Queens teletype of June 1, 1981: "the Bonanno LCN family is presently undergoing a power struggle that has resulted in the deaths of three family capos," Sonny Red Indelicato, Phillip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera. It says Benjamin Ruggiero would travel to Canada.itemFBI Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01, viewer pp. 148-154 (June 1981): the GENUS casesA two-section New York teletype of June 1981: "The GENUS code name encompasses several major cases targeted against various factions of the Bonanno LCN family." It lists the undercover operation, the Catalano investigation and the file opened on the May 1981 murders.itemFBI Vault, Dominick Trinchera file, viewer p. 123 (March 9, 1982)A Newark memorandum recommending that the Trinchera file be closed: "NY investigation reveals subject Trinchera was murdered along with Alphonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato and Phil 'Lucky' Giacone on 5/5/81." It doubts the two missing bodies will ever be recovered.itemFBI announcement and briefing outline, "LCN Commission Indictment," February 26, 1985The FBI's announcement of the Commission indictment, forwarded to John Roberts at the White House, lists "Philip Rastelli, Boss, Bonnano Family." Its briefing outline says the Commission "authorized the murders of" Galante, Coppola, Alphonse Indelicato, Trinchera, Giaccone and "Anthony Indelicato, solider," and lists "Testimony of UCAs (Pistone)."itemUnited States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. 465 (S.D.N.Y. 1982)Judge Robert W. Sweet's pretrial rulings of January to July 1982 in the RICO case against Dominick Napolitano, Benjamin Ruggiero and others, charged as members or associates of "the Bonanno Family of La Cosa Nostra." The opinion records that "Ruggiero had been told that an FBI agent, Donnie Brasco, had infiltrated his activities."