Anthony “TG” Graziano was a longtime Bonanno crime family member who rose from soldier to captain and eventually to consigliere, the family’s top advisory post, before a string of federal convictions and the unexpected spotlight of VH1’s “Mob Wives” ended his run at the top of one of New York’s Five Families. He died on May 25, 2019, at age 78.1NY Daily News. Bonanno Crime Family Consigliere Anthony Graziano Dies at Age 78
Born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with a seventh-grade education, Graziano later moved to Brooklyn and then to Staten Island, where he spent the rest of his life.1NY Daily News. Bonanno Crime Family Consigliere Anthony Graziano Dies at Age 782SILive.com. Anthony Graziano Obituary
His Role in the Bonanno Family
Graziano moved up the Bonanno ranks over several decades, starting as a soldier and becoming a captain based on Staten Island. He was described as a “top family earner” and characterized by one co-defendant as a “man and a half” who would never cooperate with authorities.3NY Daily News. Bonanno Crime Family Consigliere Anthony Graziano Dies at Age 78 He served under Joseph “Big Joey” Massino and eventually reached consigliere, the family’s top advisory position.
Former Bonanno capo Dominick Cicale said Graziano was “not personally a violent man” and relied on his son-in-law, Hector “Junior” Pagan, to do the “heavy lifting” on the street. Pagan, married to Graziano’s daughter Renee, worked as his primary enforcer for years.4Cosa Nostra News. Lowdown on TG, Father of Mob Wives Gals
The Sciascia Killing
Cicale said Graziano’s heavy cocaine use in the 1990s was “widely known” inside the family, and that Bonanno captain Gerlando “George from Canada” Sciascia openly accused him of being high during family business. Rather than discipline Graziano, Massino accepted his explanation that the behavior came from prescription stomach medication.4Cosa Nostra News. Lowdown on TG, Father of Mob Wives Gals Sciascia was murdered in 1999, his body dumped on a Bronx street.5The New York Times. Salvatore Vitale Cooperation Agreement Bonanno underboss Salvatore Vitale later pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the killing. Sources within the family said the hit was motivated in part by Graziano’s resentment over the drug accusations, with Massino ordering the murder to protect him.
His Federal Convictions
1990 Tax Evasion
Graziano’s first documented federal conviction came in 1990 for tax evasion.1NY Daily News. Bonanno Crime Family Consigliere Anthony Graziano Dies at Age 78
2003 Racketeering Plea
His most serious case involved federal racketeering charges in both New York and South Florida. In New York, he admitted to tax and racketeering counts that included allegations of running a cocaine operation and overseeing crew violence, which prosecutors described as involving torture with a blowtorch, a cigarette lighter, and a noose.6Sun-Sentinel. A Deal for Alleged Mob Boss
The Florida case tied him to illegal gambling, loan sharking, and a telemarketing scheme that prosecutors said defrauded investors of $11.7 million through offices in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Margate.7Sun-Sentinel. Alleged Mob Boss Faced Jail With a Joke8The Ledger. Crime Family Figure Gets Prison The underlying investigation involved 29 people from New York to Florida.
2012 Racketeering and Extortion
He did not stay free long. On January 27, 2012, federal authorities unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment charging Graziano and other Bonanno members with racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. The indictment identified him as a captain and former member of the family’s administration.9U.S. Department of Justice. Five Members of the Bonanno Crime Family Arrested for Racketeering and Related Charges Prosecutors alleged he committed the charged crimes within weeks of his release to a federal halfway house.
The key cooperating witness was Hector Pagan, his former son-in-law and longtime enforcer. Facing his own long prison sentence, Pagan had flipped for the DEA and agreed to wear a hidden microphone, recording conversations with Graziano about collecting loan shark debts and extorting victims.10New York Post. Yes We Have No Bonannos11ABC7 News. Mob Wives Star’s Ex Reportedly Wore Wire for Feds In one recording, Graziano discussed a loan shark victim who was “crying hysterical.” In another, he directed the cooperator to meet an extortion victim and “open him up.”12FBI. Five Members of the Bonanno Crime Family Arrested for Racketeering and Related Charges
Graziano pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court to attempting to collect an illegal debt and was sentenced to 19 months, with credit for eight months already served.13New York Post. Mob Wives Star’s Dad Anthony Graziano Sentenced to 19 Months in Jail
The “Mob Wives” Fallout
VH1 premiered “Mob Wives” in 2011. The series was created and executive-produced by Graziano’s daughter Jennifer, and featured another daughter, Renee Graziano, as a central cast member. Renee’s storyline leaned on her father’s identity as a high-ranking Bonanno member and on the fallout from Pagan’s cooperation.14Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Unusual Sisterhood Forms VH1’s New Series Mob Wives
The show’s public airing of Bonanno business cost Graziano standing inside the organization. According to reports, his fellow mobsters stripped him of many of his responsibilities because of his daughters’ involvement, and he was eventually “shelved,” a designation that sidelined him from active family affairs.1NY Daily News. Bonanno Crime Family Consigliere Anthony Graziano Dies at Age 784Cosa Nostra News. Lowdown on TG, Father of Mob Wives Gals He never appeared on the show himself.
Death
Graziano died on May 25, 2019, at 78. His obituary described him as a lifelong New Yorker who had settled on Staten Island by way of Brooklyn.2SILive.com. Anthony Graziano Obituary No cause of death was publicly reported.