Mugshot of Bonanno Member Stephen Maruca following an arrest for burglarizing a liquor store.
He was convicted and sentenced to sixty days imprisonment and five years probation.
Born in Rochester, New York, Maruca gravitated to the Bonanno Family through his activities in Florida.
By the 1960s he was an associate of Capodecina Michael Sabella.
Maruca was inducted, likely under Sabella's sponsorship, sometime around the first half of 1978.
By 1979 made members under Sabella included William 'Willie the Tile Setter' Dara, Salvatore 'Sally Paintglass' D'Ottavio, Anthony 'T.G.' Graziano, Ronald Lorenzo, Joseph 'Pepe' Marino, Stephen Maruca, Joseph Puma and Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero. The crew was comprised of both New York and Florida-based membership.
Sabella was demoted after Carmine Galante's murder in July 1979. Maruca and the other Florida members were placed with Philip 'Phil Lucky' Giaccone.
Giaccone crew member Joseph Puma operated the Little Italy Restaurant in Hallandale, Florida.
In late April 1981 the restaurant was site of a meeting between Bonanno Acting Capodecina Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero, Soldier Joseph 'Pepe' Marino and FBI Undercover Agents 'Donnie Brasco' and 'Tony Rossi'. Brasco later testified: "We got a table by ourselves, Mr. Marino, Rossi, Lefty and myself. Joe Puma was left out. Marino said that Joe Puma and Steve Maruca were made acting captains of Phil Lucky's crew in the Miami area, that the crew was down to seven guys and that they were kind of disorganized. Lefty said, 'Don't worry about it, because some of the captains are going to get knocked down, which would put two up,' and that the books of the Family were going to be opened soon."
Ten days later Giaccone, along with Captains Alfonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato and Dominick 'Trin' Trinchera, was murdered in Brooklyn.
Soon afterwards Maruca and other crew members were put with Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano.
Napolitano was himself murdered three months later.
Maruca was indicted on both state and Federal charges multiple times through the 1980s. Released from Federal prison in November 1993, he was then believed to be reporting to Anthony Graziano.
He died July 1997 in Dade County, Florida and was buried in Rochester.
