| abstract | - Born in the Sicilian city of Caccamo, Giovanni Stanfa was the youngest of four children, two of whom are said to be involved in the mafia as well. After the Ciaculli massacre, the married Stanfa emigrated to the United States. Stanfa settled his family in Philadelphia, Pa., and became involved with criminal activities in the area, mostly due to his friendship with Gambino crime family Boss Carlo Gambino of New York, who had very close ties to the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo Bruno, who had just gotten a seat in the National Commission. Stanfa was assigned as Bruno's personal driver after becoming a made man in the Philadelphia family during the late 1960s. Bruno became and remained the most powerful Mafia boss over the area for over two decades, and gained the crime family the powerful reputation it has today. Stanfa's status in the family was influenced by Bruno's success. On March 21, 1980, Bruno was shot and killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car. It is speculated that Bruno was killed for not allowing members of his crime family to engage in narcotics and drug trafficking. According to US law enforcement, Stanfa was Bruno's driver and was seated in the drivers seat when Bruno was killed but managed to flee the scene unharmed. It has not been proven if Stanfa was involved in the conspiracy hatched by Consigliere, Antonio Caponigro, who was found three weeks later stuffed in a trunk of a car in New York, reportedly on the orders of the Commission in retaliation for Bruno's unsanctioned murder. After refusing to testify before a grand jury about his involvement in the murder, Stanfa was indicted on perjury charges. He fled the area and went into hiding. On April 21, 1981, Stanfa was apprehended and sentenced to eight years in prison after nearly a year on the run from US law enforcement.
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