Joseph Charles Massino was born on January 10, 1943, in New York City. Raised in a working-class Italian-American neighborhood, he dropped out of high school and became involved in criminal activities at a young age. By the late 1960s, he had established himself as an enforcer in the Bonanno crime family, working under mobster Philip Rastelli.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Massino played a key role in eliminating rivals, helping to orchestrate the 1979 assassination of Carmine Galante, a move that solidified his standing within the Bonanno family. In 1981, he orchestrated the murders of three rebellious captains—Alphonse Indelicato, Philip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera—to prevent an internal power shift.

Massino officially took over as boss of the Bonanno family in 1991 after Philip Rastelli’s death. He rebuilt the organization, focusing on discretion and avoiding the mistakes that had led other mafia families to collapse. His leadership earned him the title “The Last Don”, as he was the only full-fledged boss of New York’s Five Families not in prison during the early 2000s.

Joseph Massino’s rise to power was built on violence and betrayal, and his eventual downfall was no different. His involvement in multiple murders cemented his reputation as a ruthless crime boss. Among his most notorious crimes was the 1981 execution of three Bonanno captains—Alphonse Indelicato, Philip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera—who had plotted to take over the family. Massino, working with key allies, set up a trap for the men at a Brooklyn social club. When they arrived, they were ambushed and shot to death. Their bodies were buried in an empty lot in Queens, but Indelicato’s remains were discovered shortly after, prompting the Bonannos to hastily relocate the other two corpses years later.

Another infamous killing ordered by Massino was the murder of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano in late 1981. Napolitano had unknowingly allowed undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone, also known as Donnie Brasco, to infiltrate the Bonanno family. When the truth was revealed, Massino decided that Napolitano had to die as punishment for his mistake. Napolitano was summoned to a meeting, where he was ambushed and shot multiple times before his body was dumped.

Massino’s violent reign extended into the 1990s, including the 1999 murder of Gerlando "George from Canada" Sciascia, a high-ranking Bonanno member who had conflicts with another leader in the family. Massino ordered his execution, and Sciascia was lured to a meeting where he was fatally shot.

For years, Massino remained untouchable, carefully avoiding law enforcement while running a highly secretive criminal empire. However, his luck ran out in 2003, when he was arrested and indicted on multiple charges, including racketeering and murder. His downfall came largely due to his own men turning against him. His underboss and brother-in-law, Salvatore Vitale, became a government witness and testified against him, providing evidence of the many murders Massino had orchestrated.

Facing the possibility of the death penalty, Massino made an unprecedented decision—he became the first sitting boss of a New York Mafia family to turn state’s witness. His cooperation led to multiple convictions, including that of his hand-picked successor, Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, who was found guilty of ordering a murder while running the Bonanno family.

Massino’s decision to betray the Mafia marked a major turning point in organized crime history, signaling the decline of the once-powerful Five Families. In 2013, he was resentenced to time served and released under supervised release for the rest of his life. He spent his final years in relative obscurity before passing away on September 14, 2023, at the age of 80, in a rehabilitation center in Glen Cove, Long Island, after a brief illness.