Pizza Connection Trial - The Defendants

The Defendants

The United States of America vs Badalamenti et al.

• Pietro Alfano ("Peter" or "The Nephew"), Oregon, Illinois, was Gaetano Badalamenti's nephew and principal lieutenant in the U.S. Arrested in Madrid, Spain in 1984, while meeting with his uncle and cousin. Shot and crippled, while shopping in Greenwich Village, New York City on February 11, 1987 a month prior to the trial verdicts being announced. Eventually he was sentenced to 15 years. He served seven years.
• Baldassare Amato ("Baldo"), Brooklyn, New York City. Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime family caporegime. Not sentenced until May 3, 1988 - a 14 month delay made possible by his counsel's efforts - Amato received a sentence of five years, and was given three-month conditional bail to put his affairs in order. He was eventually freed, but he has since been convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence.
• Gaetano Badalamenti, a former Mafia boss from Palermo, Sicily, was also convicted. He was given a 45-year sentence. He would eventually die of heart failure at the age of 80 at the Devens Federal Medical center located in Ayer, Massachusetts on April 29, 2004.
• Vito Badalamenti, Gaetano Badalamenti's son, was the only defendant acquitted. Before his arrest with his father in Spain, he had not been directly implicated in the conspiracy.
• Cesare Bonventre, a partner with Baldassare Amato, a long-time associate of S. Catalano, and a member of the Bonanno crime family. Bonventre was murdered prior to indictment.
• Giovanni Cangialosi ("Johnny"), Baldwin, Long Island, was a Sicilian mafioso, and was sentenced to 12 years.
• Filippo Casamento - aka "Tizio", Brooklyn, New York City. Casamento was a Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime family associate. He was sentenced to 30 years for his second heroin distribution conviction. Casamento was eventually released, but in early 2008 he was once again indicted for criminal activities in Operation Old Bridge, that targeted mobsters in Sicily and America.
• Frank Castronovo ("Ciccio l'Americano"), Parlin, New Jersey, Sicilian mafioso and brother-in-law of Tommy Mazzara. He was sentenced to 25 years.
• Onofrio Catalano ("Oliviero"), Sicilian mafioso and cousin of Salvatore. He remains a fugitive.
• Salvatore Catalano ("Toto" or "The Baker"), Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime family caporegime. Sentenced to 45 years, released from prison on November 16, 2009. Catalano was the "boss" of the U.S. part of the Pizza Connection.
• Samuel Evola ("Salvatore" or "Sam"), Temperance, Michigan. Another nephew of Gaetano Badalamenti and a key U.S. associate. Evola was a known member of the Detroit Partnership. After being found guilty, but before sentencing, Evola decided to plead guilty and received 15 years, cutting 5–10 years off his possible sentence.
• Giuseppe Ganci ("Pino" or "Bufalone"), was a Sicilian mafioso, and a close associate of S. Catalano. Ganci was severed from the trial due to illness and died of cancer on February 11, 1986.
• Salvatore Greco, Oakhurst, New Jersey. Greco was a Sicilian mafioso and brother of Bagheria capo-mafia (boss) Leonardo Greco. He was sentenced to 20 years.
• Giuseppe Lamberti ("The Brother-in-Law"), Sicilian mafioso, brother-in-law of Mazzurco and cousin of Salvatore. He was sentenced to 30 years.
• Salvatore Lamberti ("Toto"), Sicilian mafioso and cousin of Giuseppe Lamberti. He was sentenced to 20 years for narcotics conspiracy.
• Giovanni Ligammari ("Johnny"), Saddle River, New Jersey. Sicilian mafioso, sentenced to 15 years. Upon his release in 1995 after serving 8 years he returned to his Bergen County home in suburban N.J. where he lived until he and his son Pietro were found hanging in the basement of the home on May 21, 1999. The case was ruled a double suicide.
• Gaetano Mazzara ("Tommy"), Sayreville, New Jersey. Mazzara was a Sicilian mafioso, and a key heroin distributor, whose palm print was found on wrapping of a kilo of heroin purchased by an undercover agent. He was murdered on December 1, 1985 during the trial.
• Salvatore Mazzurco ("The Little One" or "The Cousin"). A Sicilian mafioso, Mazzurco was sentenced to 20 years for narcotics conspiracy and 15 years on his RICO conviction with the sentences to run concurrently. Mazzurco's palm print, like Mazzara's, was found on the wrapping of a kilogram package of heroin purchased by an undercover agent.
• Emmanuele Palazzolo ("Manny" or "The Brother-in-Law"), Milton, Wisconsin. Another relative of Gaetano Badalamenti and brother-in-law to Peter Alfano, Palazzolo was an important part of Badalamenti's U.S. operations. He was sentenced to 12 years on narcotics conspiracy.
• Francesco Polizzi ("Frank" or "Ciccio"), Belleville, New Jersey. A DeCavalcante crime family caporegime and Sicilian mafia associate, Polizzi was sentenced to 20 years. He is deceased.
• Vincenzo Randazzo ("Enzo"), Milan, Italy. Gaetano Badalamenti's nephew, Randazzo was extradited from Zürich, Switzerland to New York for the trial. He was one of two defendants who pled to a lesser charge during the trial.
• Salvatore Salamone ("Sal"), Freeland, Pennsylvania. A Sicilian mafioso, Salamone was one of two defendants to be acquitted on the drug-related charges. However, he was convicted on currency violations that carried up to five years in prison. Salamone was later tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years on weapons charges.
• Giuseppe Trupiano ("Joe"), Olney, Illinois. Another nephew of Gaetano Badalamenti, Trupiano was sentenced to one year for narcotics conspiracy. His conviction was reversed on appeal.
• Giuseppe Vitale ("Joe"), Paris, Illinois. Another relative of Gaetano Badalamenti who couriered narcotics for the group, Vitale was sentenced to five years.

The trial began on September 30, 1985. The jury reached their verdicts on March 2, 1987. Sentences were handed down on by judge Pierre Leval on June 22, 1987.