Phillip Giaccone

Phillip Giaccone aka "Philly Lucky" and "The Priest" (July 12 1932 Ridgewood, Queens - May 5th, 1981 Lindenwood, Queens was a Bonanno crime family capo.

Mob Family Roots

Philip is a blood relative of reputed Colombo crime family mobster Suvio Grimaldi who later was said to become a contract killer for the Chicago Outfit. He is also related to Colombo crime family capo brothers Giacomo Clemenza and fellow capo Gerard Clemenza, as well as James "Jimmy Brown" Clemenza through marraige. Rumors of his being a cousin of disputed Colombo crime family ex-mobster and actor Tony Sirico who would become famous for his role portraying the fictional mobster Paulie Walnuts on the hit television series The Sopranos, are innacurate. Philip is father-in-law to Peter Clemenza, after his daughter Corinne married Peter in what is know as one of the most imfamous mob weddings in New York history. Philip Giaccone was honest and had courtly manners. A former alterboy, he was a strict Catholic who known for being a true gentelman. He was, however, also know for his ruthlessness. Philips' biological father died when he was young leaving Phillip, his sisters, brothers, and mother to fend for themselves during the Depression.

Childhood

He was a protege of the Bonanno crime family underboss Giovanni Bonaventre, who was also Joseph Bonanno's biological uncle. After the police attention and mob activity in Ridgewood, Queens escalated he moved his family to Dix Hills, New York. Through his years in grade school and high school Phillip scored grades of nineties and hundreds in mathematics which brought him notice by mobsters. Phil was successful in school and earned his high school diploma, which was rare among mobsters. Phillip was never arrested maintaining a clean criminal record up to his death and was always respectful of law enforcement. He was the owner of a legitimate international trucking firm called "Pinto Trucking" on Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park, Queens which was the front business for his criminal headquarters for his crew. Phil became a father figure for the mobster (Soldier) Frank Saggio to mob sitdowns in Little Italy, Manhattan when Frank's Haemophilia-suffering father was hospitalized. Phillip was a close friend of Richard Gambino, a cousin of Carlo Gambino.

As a Capo

His daughter Corrinne later married Richard Gambino in 1979, the first marriage of the 20th century between a Gambino crime family relative, although Richard was a legitimate rock quarry owner and a Bonanno crime family relative. Phillip was married to a Sicilian-born woman named Annette with whome he had two children, Corrine and convicted Genovese crime family sidewalk-soldier Phillip Giaccone Jr. in Bay Shore, New York. When his relative Frank Saggio Sr. was diagnosed with hemophelia which is argued to have been caused by close blood family relations with Frank Saggio Sr.'s grandparents, he took it upon himself to support Frank Saggio Jr. and the rest of his family. Six days following Phillip's disappearance and later confirmed gangland slaying his wife Annette and her criminal attorney George Faber went to the Suffolk County Police Department and reported him missing. Phillip combined his forces with Dominick Trinchera, Nicholas Marangello, Alphonse Indelicato and Alphonse's son, Anthony Indelicato in 1979 in a plan to overthrow Bonanno crime family don Phillip Rastelli. He controlled the Bonanno crime family territory of South Ozone Park, Queens. Phillip had earned a reputation as being brazen and a flamboyant dresser. He was a close friend of Alphonse Indelicato and Dominick Trinchera. He was the capo of future Bonanno crime family mob boss Joseph Massino. Massino never liked working for Giaccone after he was promoted to the rank of capo. After the disappearance of Phillip, his wife Annette never remarried.

Phil's Crew 1979 - 1981

Phillip Giaccone's crew included Bonanno crime family mobsters Skim Cammarada, Joseph DeSimone, Gabriel Infanti, Thomas DiFonte, his son Phillip Giaccone Jr., his nephew Frank Saggio inducted in June of 1993 at 29 yrs old, Frank Lino, Benjamin Ruggiero, Joseph Puma, Steven Maruca, Robert Lino, Carmine Franzese, Anthony Damonte and future Bonanno crime family Joseph Massino and Bonanno crime family underboss Salvatore Vitale.

Gangland Slaying

Phillip drove Alphonse Indelicato to the fatal meeting that resulted in his capo Alphonse Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera and his own grisly murder. The day of his murder Phillip had left for work at 10AM and as his wife would state in a good mood and did not verbally abuse her that morning. He left his Cadillac along with Trinchera's car at Nathan's Famous Restaurant at 569 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. He was chauffered by a Sicilian Bonanno crime family street soldier, the rest of the way to the out-of-business 20/20 nightclub. When the susposed meeting began Phillip held onto Joseph Massino's arm, a sign of Italian civility and walked about the club's store room chatting. After the triggerman rushed out and announced that it was a "stick up", Massino punched Phillip, knocking him to the floor. Giaconne ran as his friends were gunned down but was blocked up against a wall in the back of the store room with Trinchera. Phillip turned around facing his killers, only to be mowed down in a barrage of machine gun fire, the killers shooting at him like a firing squad. His body was rolled up in a painter's drop cloth and bound with cord. His body was lugged out the front door into a white Ford Econoline van and driven away to the lot on Ruby Street in Queens, New York where their burial was arranged by John Gotti and Gene Gotti. After the release of the film Donnie Brasco Frank would say that Phil's wife Annette, himself and members of the Giaccone family cannot watch the film in which Phil's graphic execution is portrayed.

Alleged Nephew's Published Biography

In the autobiographical "Born to The Mob: The True Life Story of the Only Man to Work For All Five Families," Bonanno crime family "Solder" Frank Saggio claims that he is a so-called "fourth generation" mobster descendant and nephew of Phillip. Frank also states that he was a successful and influential member of the Bonanno crime family from the 1980's to 1990's before he became an informant, Frank also states that he worked for the Colombo crime family, Gambino crime family, Lucchese crime family and finally settled in the Bonanno crime family. This proves to be no big achievement, as Frank would be labeled a huge earner, though just a soldier . Each family had hundreds of "mob associates" to cover all aspects of the organized criminal enterprise.
This argues the fact that in the La Cosa Nostra hiearchy, the bloodline of a mobster's family history holds merit to the individual. This information given by Saggio is proven wrong. For example, Bonanno crime family street soldier Anthony Mirra was the nephew of Bonanno crime family caporegime Albert Embarrato and was uncle to Bonanno crime family caporegime Richard Cantarella and street soldier Joseph D'Amico. Anthony is furthermore a distant relative of Bonanno crime family mobster Frank Cantarella, and made member street-soldier Paul Cantarella and street-soldier Joseph Padavano. Anthony Mirra was executed by his cousin, Joseph D'Amico in 1982 after the Donnie Brasco investigation, and relatives Richard, Paul and Joseph Padavano would all later become informants and testify for the defense against Bonanno crime family don Joseph Massino in 2004. After his murder, Phil Giaccone Jr. later became a made man in the rival Genovese crime family. In addition to the mafia bloodline indiscrepancy, Frank Saggio has no family photographs of his late uncle Phillip in his autobiography, or photographs with he and his uncle together. It is suggested by many that the name "Frank Saggio" also may be a pen name. It is further suggested that at the time of Saggio's autobiography being published, he was attempting to make money off of the hit television program The Sopranos's success. The Sopranos was still in production at the time Frank Saggio's autobiography was published. It is also puzzling why Dominick Napolitano, after murdering Alphonse Indelicato wanted to murder his Bonanno crime family mobster son, Anthony Indelicato but not Giaconne Jr. or Saggio who said they were firm followers in Giaconne's mob crew and related to the late mobsters.

In popular culture
He is portrayed as the character "Philly Lucky" in the film Donnie Brasco by actor Tony Lip.

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