The Region - News from April 17, 1985

Joseph Bonanno Jr. pleaded guilty to a federal charge of making a false statement, and in exchange the government agreed to drop a four-count indictment alleging his involvement in a cocaine conspiracy. The plea by Bonanno, 39, came as his trial was to begin in U.S. District Court in San Diego. The government will recommend a four-month prison sentence for Bonanno, who served more than five years in prison in the 1970s on an extortion conviction. The charge to which Bonanno pleaded involved his use of an alias during the period of the alleged conspiracy. A charge of conspiracy to possess cocaine was dismissed against Bonanno’s wife, Karen, as part of Bonanno’s plea agreement. Bonanno is the son of reputed mobster Joseph Bonanno Sr., who resides in Tucson.