# Joe Bananas

Joseph Bonanno was a co-founder of the modern American Mafia's Commission structure and the founding boss of the Bonanno crime family in New York City, one of the five families that emerged from the reorganization Lucky Luciano implemented in the early 1930s. He was famously kidnapped in 1964 — or disappeared voluntarily, accounts vary — triggering an internal power struggle known as the Banana War, and eventually retired to Arizona after losing his position. He was convicted of obstruction of justice in 1980 and sentenced to five years, which he served in part; he lived to age 97, dying in Tucson, Arizona, in May 2002.

## Quick Facts

- **Born:** January 18, 1905
- **Birthplace:** Castellammare del Golfo, Italy
- **Nationality:** American
- **Occupation:** Organized Crime
- **Category:** Criminals
- **Also Known As:** Joe Bananas, Don Peppino

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Source: https://peoplebio.info/p/joseph-bonanno