Perry Criscitelli (born 1950) is an American restaurant owner who is an alleged member of 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 ...

. Criscitelli owns several restaurants and previously managed a popular city street festival. In 1996, Criscitelli was selected as president of Figli di San Gennaro, the

Feast of San Gennaro The Feast of San Gennaro (in Italian: ''Festa di San Gennaro''), also known as San Gennaro Festival, is a Neapolitan and Italian-American patronal festival dedicated to Saint Januarius, patron saint of Naples and Little Italy, New York. His feas ...

, an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

street festival that takes place every September on Mulberry Street 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 ...

. In 1995, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had threatened to close the festival because it was controlled by the

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...

. Instead, he chose Criscitelli to run it because Criscitelli was supposedly not associated with organized crime. However, during the 2004 trial of Bonanno crime family 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 ...

, it was revealed in court that Criscitelli joined the Bonanno family in 2001 and was a major moneymaker for them. Mobster Richard Cantarella testified that he attended Criscitelli's induction ceremony, and that mob figures regularly discussed family business at one of Criscitelli's restaurants. While serving as acting boss of the Bonanno family,

Vincent Basciano Vincent John Basciano (; born November 14, 1959) is an American mobster who became boss of the Bonanno crime family after the arrest of boss Joseph Massino. Basciano was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2011 ...

allegedly met with Criscitelli several times and briefed jailed Bonanno boss

Joseph 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 ...

on Criscitelli's activities. Criscitelli categorically denied any involvement with organized crime. On July 27, 2004, Criscitelli resigned as head of the Feast of

San Gennaro Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, lat ...

, citing the best interests of the festival. In recent years, Criscitelli sold his Italian restaurant on

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...

. However, his family still owns Da Nico in Little Italy, one of Giuliani's favorite eateries, along with Pellegrino's, Novello, Il Palazzo, La Nonna and SPQR."Criscitelli Family Increases Its Power Grip on Little Italy"
New York Magazine January 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criscitelli, Perry 1950 births Living people American gangsters of Italian descent Bonanno crime family