Born Barcellona, Messina, Sicily, Feb. 11, 1889.
Died Oct. 22, 1946.
Joseph Bruno (Giuseppe Dovi) was a key man in the Philadelphia organization of Salvatore Sabella. Sabella stepped down as boss at the conclusion of the Castellammarese War in 1931.
Bruno's role in the Philly mob is unclear between 1931 and 1936. Some sources believe he competed with John Avena for dominance in the regional Mafia. When Avena was killed in 1936 - the result of a feud with the Lanzetti brothers that began during Salvatore Sabella's reign - Bruno became the undisputed authority in the Philly Mob.
Bruno lived outside Philadelphia, first in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and later in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Bruno ruled the Philadelphia underworld for a decade until his death of natural causes.
There is no family relationship between Joseph Bruno and later Philly Mob boss Angelo Bruno.
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