Michael "Mikey Cigars" Sabella (1911–1989) was a

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...

in the

Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as ...

and a relative of

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and ...

mob boss

Salvatore Sabella Salvatore Sabella (; July 7, 1891 – 1962) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Philadelphia crime family in the 1920s. Early life Sabella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, on July 7, 1891, who became a butcher's apprentice as a youn ...

Biography

Early years

Born in

Little Italy, Manhattan Little Italy (also it, Piccola Italia) is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, known for its large Italian population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lowe ...

to Sicilian parents from

Castellammare del Golfo Castellammare del Golfo (; scn, Casteddammari; la, Emporium Segestanorum or ) is a town and municipality in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name can be translated as "Sea Fortress on the Gulf", stemming from the medieval fortress in the h ...

. He was a close relative of Castellammarese mobster Dominick "Mimi" Sabella and his brother, the early

boss

. Mike Sabella became a soldier for the Bonanno family serving under boss

Joseph Bonanno Joseph Charles Bonanno (born Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno; ; January 18, 1905 – May 11, 2002), sometimes referred to as Joe Bananas, was an Italian-American crime boss of the Bonanno crime family, which he ran from 1931 to 1968. Bonanno was born i ...

in 1957. He was involved in gambling and

loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

during the 1950s. Before the Bonanno wars of the 1960s, Sabella had been a soldier first in the crew of fellow Castellammarese Carmine Galante and later under

Joe Notaro Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, both top Joe Bonanno loyalists. During the conflict between the Bonannos and

Gaspar DiGregorio Gaspar or Gaspare DiGregorio (October 4, 1905 – June 11, 1970) was a New York mobster and a high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family who was a key figure in the "Banana War". In October 1964, during Joseph Bonanno's two-year absence, Bona ...

, Mike Sabella initially remained loyal to the Bonanno faction, but eventually the Commission convinced him to join DiGregorio's group. As a result, he was rewarded with a promotion to capo of his old crew.''King of the Godfathers: Joseph Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family'' by Anthony DeStefano

/ref> Sabella worked closely with Nicholas Marangello, Galante's

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...

and became a close confidant to his former captain Carmine Galante, who by the mid-1970s had become the street boss of the organization. Sabella's crew was among the largest in the Family, with interests stretching from Manhattan and New Jersey area down to Florida. He is the father of two sons, Arthur Sabella who was born in c. 1957 and Steven Sabella who was born c. 1966, who is estranged from his family. During the 1970s, Sabella became the owner of CaSa Bella, an upscale restaurant in Little Italy that served as his primary meeting place.

Donnie Brasco

FBI agent The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

Joseph D. Pistone Joseph Dominick Pistone (born September 17, 1939), is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser ...

was undercover in the Bonanno family under the name "Donnie Brasco"; a jewel thief expert and mafia associate. Pistone soon began working with several of the

made men In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...

who worked for Sabella's crew, such as Anthony Mirra and Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero. After the takeover of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, Donnie Brasco continued to work with the crew. Before the Donnie Brasco Operation was ended, Pistone was proposed to become a

made member In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oat ...

of the family. After the disclosure of Pistone as a federal agent working undercover, Sabella was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of ...

with

Frank Balistrieri Frank Peter Balistrieri (May 27, 1918 – February 7, 1993) was the crime boss of the Milwaukee crime family from 1961 to 1993. He was a central figure in the skimming of Las Vegas casinos during the 1970s and 1980s, and served several prison s ...

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

of the Milwaukee crime family, but was cleared of all charges.

Later years

After the murder of Carmine Galante in 1979, Sabella and several other Bonanno leaders were demoted as a result of their close association with Galante while he was street boss. Sabella was replaced as capo by his former underling Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano. After the assassination of the three captains: Alphonse Indelicato,

Dominick Trinchera Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera (December 20, 1936 – May 5, 1981) was an American caporegime in the Bonanno crime family who was murdered with Alphonse Indelicato and Philip Giaccone for planning to overthrow Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli. Earl ...

, and

Philip Giaccone Philip Giaccone (July 12, 1932 – May 5, 1981), also known as "Philly Lucky", was an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family who was murdered with Dominick Trinchera and Al Indelicato for planning to overthrow Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli. ...

, Sabella decided to sell his restaurant and remained a low level figure throughout the 1980s. It is said that he had over 1 million dollars on the street as

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

money. His successor, Napolitano, would later be brutally murdered, probably as a result of his close association with "Donnie Brasco"—he was called to a meeting 17 days after Pistone left his undercover role and his body was discovered as related mob trials began. However, former mob boss

Joe Massino Joseph Charles Massino (born January 10, 1943) is an American former mobster. He was a member of the Mafia and boss of the Bonanno crime family from 1991 until 2004, when he became the first boss of one of the Five Families in New York City to tu ...

testified that Napolitano was killed for trying to take over the family. Sabella was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

in Milwaukee and died from complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

in 1989. He was 79 years old.

References

External links