Who Is Vincent 'Vinny Gorgeous' Basciano? The Bonanno Boss on Tape
Mobsters DailyVincent 'Vinny Gorgeous' Basciano is the former acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, a Bronx beauty-salon owner whose vanity nickname stuck — and who is serving life in prison after the boss he replaced wore a wire and recorded him discussing a murder.
The salon don
Basciano was born in 1959 in the Bronx and built his base around his beauty salon, Hello Gorgeous, which gave him the nickname he reportedly loved. He rose through the Bonanno family's Bronx crew in the 1990s, a period when the family was rebuilding after decades of humiliation, as a soldier and then a captain close to boss Joseph Massino. When Massino was arrested in 2003, Basciano stepped up as acting boss — the latest in the long line of stand-ins that runs through Bonanno history, from Philip Rastelli, the boss the family kept replacing, to today's leadership under Michael 'Mikey Nose' Mancuso.
Basciano kept up appearances to the very end, famously asking the judge at sentencing about his hair — which is why, with November here and the holidays coming, rewatch season belongs to the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater: Tony in black-and-white stencil, nothing covering the design, built for holiday parties and long nights back in this world.
The boss on tape
His fall came from the top. Massino, arrested and facing the death penalty, became the first sitting boss of a New York family to cooperate, and in January 2005 he secretly recorded Basciano in a prison visiting room. On tape, prosecutors said, Basciano admitted ordering the 2004 murder of associate Randolph Pizzolo and discussed killing others, including a prosecutor and a judge. It was an unprecedented betrayal at the summit of the American Mafia: the official boss handing the government his own acting boss, voice and all.
Life, twice over
Basciano was convicted in 2007 of racketeering and the Pizzolo murder, and in a second trial in 2011 a jury convicted him of capital murder — though it deadlocked on the death penalty, leaving him with life without parole. His sons later made their own headlines with drug arrests, a sad echo of a family business that had already consumed their father. Basciano remains in federal custody, a cautionary tale about what happened when omerta died at the very top.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Basciano called Vinny Gorgeous? After Hello Gorgeous, the Bronx beauty salon he owned — and because of his well-known attention to his own appearance.
Who recorded Vincent Basciano? Joseph Massino, the Bonanno boss he served under, who cooperated with the FBI and wore a wire in a prison conversation in 2005.
Is Vincent Basciano still alive? Yes. He is serving life without parole in federal prison following convictions in 2007 and 2011.
Keep reading: Carmine Galante, 'Lilo' · Bill Bonanno, the son who became a consultant · how Joe Bonanno died at 97 · What Was the Three Capos Murder? The Bonanno Purge of 1981 · Who Was Dominic Brooklier? The LA Boss of the Pension-Plan Era · Who Was Felix 'Milwaukee Phil' Alderisio? Hitman Turned Boss
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the names in this story.
Join the conversation
Still thinking about this one? That is exactly what The Social Club is for. It is the MobstersDaily Discord, and it is the best Sopranos community on the internet: serious Sopranos talk, meme wars, Friday movie nights, a casino, and an arcade, all run by fans who never stopped rewatching. If you want to be part of the Sopranos community, this is where it lives.
