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Anthony 'Tony R.' Raimondi was a member of the Bonanno Family.
Born April 1, 1892 in Palermo, Sicily.
In Summer 1900 entered United States through Ellis Island, New York.
Around 1910 served a six month sentence for carrying a concealed weapon.
In April 1914 filed Declaration of Intention in USDC Manhattan. At the time Raimondi was living at 437 East 12th St in East Village, Manhattan and working as a box maker.
By 1917 he was residing with wife Josephine DiMarco at 2016 West 5th St in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Employed as chauffeur.
He was still employed as a chauffeur by 1925, when the family is listed at 126 Bay 25th St in the adjacent neighborhood of Bath Beach.
Raimondi was likely an inducted member of the Bonanno Family by the 1930s.
By 1942 Raimondi returned to the East Village neighborhood, residing at 276 Ave A and running a business nearby on East 16th St.
He subsequently moved a few blocks down to 19 East 7th St and worked as an aide at Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay.
He was back in Brooklyn, this time at 2037 West 5th St in Gravesend, by the time of his May 1962 retirement from Bellevue.
Raimondi was described as a long-time associate of Bonanno Capodecina Angelo Caruso and was likely a member of Caruso's crew.
On March 31, 1964 Raimondi married Nellie Lytwyn in Brooklyn.
Anthony's stepson Dennis 'Danny Raimondi' Lytwyn was an on-record associate with Raymond Patriarca, LCN Boss in New England. It was this connection that led to Anthony being identified by the FBI.
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| Danny Raimondi |
On October 26, 1964 an FBI bug recorded a meeting between Raimondi and Patriarca at the latter's place of business in Providence, Rhode Island. The primary purpose of the visit, a request that Patriarca order Danny Raimondi to keep up regular contact with his ailing mother, was overshadowed by a discussion concerning the status of Family Boss Joseph Bonanno and his supporters: "...Raymond spoke to the New York group in behalf of Raimondi and told them, because his son [Danny] is 'with him', meaning Patriarca, they should not cause him, [Anthony] Raimondi any harm...Raimondi is a member of the Bonanno Family."
During the same visit Raimondi related the following anecdote to Patriarca: "...Raimondi then mentioned that he at one time was very wealthy and, because of his habit of helping friends financially, he has lost most of his money. He pointed out that at one time an individual, name not mentioned, was given an order to kill somebody. While completing the murder, he was observed by a witness. Later, on another job, probably murder, he was picked up and identified by the witness in the first murder. A payoff of $5,000 was necessary to 'square the rap away'. $5,000 was furnished to a Lt. Dunn (ph) for this purpose and the charge was dropped. The individual was released and the following day he was also murdered. This resulted in the loss of $5,000 to Raimondi."
The FBI interviewed Raimondi early the next year. He provided background on himself and admitted knowing Angelo Caruso for 'years'.
Raimondi remains one of the more obscure members despite his identification.
In February 1966 one of the FBI's Bonanno sources was shown Raimondi's photograph and claimed no knowledge of him.
In late August 1973 he was among those surveilled attending the wake for Bonanno Boss Natale Evola held at the Bensonhurst & Prospect Funeral Home in Brooklyn.
Raimondi's stepson Danny briefly cooperated with the FBI in an investigation of Raymond Patriarca, then reneged on the deal and later published a book on the experience.
On April 1, 1977 Danny was shot to death inside his residence in Somerset, Massachusetts. Press coverage in the wake of his murder provided details of Danny's cooperation that were left out of the book, including his professed involvement in thirty-six murders. The press also reported that Danny had claimed formal membership in the Patriarca Family, providing agents with a detailed description of the ceremony where he and an unnamed second man were inducted.
By the late 1970s Anthony Raimondi may have been reporting to Angelo Salvo, identified by informants as Capodecina over most of Angelo Caruso's former crew members.
He died in early May 1979 and was waked from Sparacio's Dahill Funeral Home at 2525 65th St in Mapleton, Brooklyn.
