Joe Donato: Connected Guy, Not a Wiseguy
Introduction
Joseph Donato, born August 8th, 1930, was a minor affiliate of the Los Angeles crime family. Originally from Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, [1] Donato moved to California in 1951. [2]
Probably best known for his evangelical work as well as his 1975 book, Tell It to the Mafia, Donato is sometimes incorrectly identified as an inducted member of the Southern California mob, likely as a result of an LAPD chart and an interview he gave towards the end of his life.
Bocci Murder & Extent of Mafia Association
Donato, on the 17th of November, 1961, killed James Vincent Bocci, his bookmaking associate. [3] Renamed “Angelo” in Tell It to the Mafia, Donato describes Bocci as a violent individual who had been a stickup man “back East.” [4] Bocci, born June 30th, 1921, was also from Pennsylvania. [5] Donato recalls that this holdup crew consisted of about 5 individuals, including someone called Louie, who Joe later met.
Acquitted at trial of the Bocci killing, [6] Donato continued to be active in bookmaking and gambling rackets up until around March of 1972. [7] In an interview given sometime in the 2010s, Donato claims that he was “almost second in command” of a crime family that he “refused to identify.”
This claim is easily disproven. In late 1969, a San Diego FBI informant (almost certainly Frank Bompensiero) identified Joe Donato, along with other “old time” gambling figures like Dominick “Sonny” DeFalco and John “Sparky” Monica, as extortion targets for the Los Angeles family. [8]
If Donato was really a ranking mob figure, he would not have been among those targeted by the family.
Further addressing his apparent induction status, it is clear that his appearance on a 1969 LAPD chart [9] also causes confusion. Listed under the “Soldiers & Buttons” section, the implication is that Donato was a member of the LA group.
What causes even more confusion is that the LAPD mixes in legitimate long-time La Cosa Nostra (LCN) members like Giuseppe “Joe” Adamo, Dominick Tripoli and Giuseppe Giammona [10] with men who were either inducted at later dates or remained associates their whole lives.
As an example, Peter John Milano [11] and Vincent “Jimmy” Caci [12], both present on the chart, did eventually become made members in Southern California while individuals like Donato and former Sam Scozzari associate Jack Lima [13] don’t appear to have ever been inducted, despite their association with the mob.
Either way, it should be emphasised that Donato was very much connected to LCN in California. Bompensiero reported around a year prior that his associate Christopher “Chris Petti” Poulos, along with Donato and Frank “Frankie Graber” Young were involved in a scam that ripped off Los Angeles area bookmakers Bernie Cohen, Sam Farkas and John Parente. [14]
Tell It to the Mafia contains a very interesting reference to this scam through the murder of North Hollywood bookmaker William Amato. While Amato does not directly appear in Donato’s book, there is a “Willie Alvarado” that is described as one of Joe’s close friends, who was murdered in his car. [15] The FBI reported that “Billy” Amato had also been found in his car, with two bullet holes in his head. Bompensiero speculated that his murder could be tied to the scam that Petti, Donato and Graber were involved with.
An additional connection is through Pete Milano’s close associate, Luigi “Louie” Gelfuso Jnr, who was charged with the Amato murder in 1969. [16] Milano and family caporegime Dominic “Jimmy Regace” Brooklier were involved in gambling with Farkas [17] and while their relationship only appears to have really developed in 1969, it is possible that Gelfuso had been ordered to commit the September 1968 killing [18] because of Milano and Regace’s connections to Farkas.
Regardless, being connected, even to a minor degree, to a dangerous hoodlum like Bompensiero demonstrates that Joe Donato certainly wasn’t a total nobody in the underworld but was not close to any sort of LCN membership either.
Conclusion
In summary, Joe Donato was a fairly prominent LCN-affiliated bookmaker, who later in his life made some big claims, probably to raise awareness for his book and other charity works – he appears to become fairly well known in religious circles shortly after stepping away from bookmaking and gambling. Notably, in advertising for his events in both 1976 [19] and 1986 [20], he more accurately describes himself as a former mafia associate instead of a “second in command.”
As for Tell It to the Mafia, it is not particularly interesting for those who want to read more about the Los Angeles family and generally is more about Donato’s life and how he reformed himself. I did personally end up reading the entire story out of curiosity and will say that it is a pretty interesting look at redemption and faith.
Joe Donato died in Fresno, in 2017 of natural causes. [21]
Sources:
[1] FamilySearch, Joseph Donato, (Link)
[2] Tell it to the Mafia, Donato, Joe & Hope, Wyn (1975); page: 11 (Archive.org Link)
[3] Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, Joseph Donato booked for murder, (Link)
[4] Tell it to the Mafia, Donato, Joe & Hope, Wyn (1975); page: 20 (Archive.org Link)
[5] FamilySearch, James Vincent Bocci, (Link)
[6] Tell it to the Mafia, Donato, Joe & Hope, Wyn (1975); page: 66 (Archive.org Link)
[7] Tell it to the Mafia, Donato, Joe & Hope, Wyn (1975); page: 98 (Archive.org Link)
[8] FBI, Rancho La Costa & LCN, Reporting Office SD, 11/18/69, NARA 124-10280-10162 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[9] Wikipedia, File: Los Angeles Crime Family Chart (1960), (Link)
[10] FBI, LCN, Reporting Office SAC, 01/30/68, NARA 124-10290-10354 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[11] FBI, LCN, Reporting Office SD, 04/07/69, NARA 124-10226-10148 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[12] Breakshot, Gallo, Kenny & Randazzo, Matthew (2010); page: 256
[13] FBI, LCN, Reporting Office Albany, 05/21/59, NARA 124-10279-10232 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[14] FBI, LCN, Reporting Office SD, 10/16/68, NARA 124-10288-10444 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[15] Tell it to the Mafia, Donato, Joe & Hope, Wyn (1975); page: 80 (Archive.org Link)
[16] Breakshot, Gallo, Kenny & Randazzo, Matthew (2010); page: 283
[17] FBI, LCN, Reporting Office SD, 04/07/69, NARA 124-10226-10148 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[18] Find a Grave, William Sam Amato, (Link)
[19] Desert Sun, 7 February 1976, (Link)
Silver Screen Wiseguys 
.jpg){kind=link}