A longtime member of the Bonanno family, DeFilippo became a made man in 1975, though his involvement with the family dates back to the early 1960s. His father Vito was a high-ranking Sicilian-born member of the crime family and a close associate of Joseph Bonanno. During the war of the 1960s, Patty served as a driver and bodyguard to Joe's son, Salvatore Bonanno. During this time, the younger Bonanno was detained in Montreal, Canada along with both Patty and Vito DeFilippo and several other associates. The group was alleged to have met with the family's powerful Canadian faction and attended the wedding of Vito Rizzuto. In the 1980s, Patty was promoted to Caporegime under reputed family leaders Phillip Rastelli and Joseph Massino. DeFilippo's early criminal activities included labor and co