Al Bruno Messing with the Mob

Al Bruno. I’ve been looking through my files for possible inclusion in a film about photography and came upon this shot of Springfield Mob Boss, Big Al Bruno. I had gotten a tip from a friend and was there when he was being moved from a downtown Police station. Al was gunned down in 2003 out side of Springfield social club and now the man accused is suing the FBI for shooting him in the back, Here is a link to the story. I ended up taking many Pictures of Al and put him on the cover of newspapers all over New England. One evening I was at the bar in the Brewery in Northampton and Al himself came in got a table in the back. I called a waiter over who I knew and asked him to send over Al a drink from me. “Are you crazy he said, I’m not going over there.” “Its all right I said” and he nervously brought one over spilling half of it in transit. Al came out to see who had sent it. I walked over and said “ look, I’ve made a lot of money taking your picture getting busted all the time so I thought it only proper that I pay you back in my own little way” He smiled, put his arm around my neck, squeezed it way to hard and whispered in my ear “good move”. Attorney General Bill Bennett later told me that he thought I was a jerk. “ These are bad guys he said. You don’t want to know them and you definitely don’t want them to know you”