Five Families of New York City

Time 2020-11-18 15:04:20

Web Name: Five Families of New York City

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Whitey Bulger's family files lawsuit against for failng to protect him prior to his death in prisonNovember 04, 2020Dapper_Don Family members of Boston crime boss James Whitey Bulger Jr. have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 30 unnamed employees of the prison system for failing to protect Bulger, who was beaten to death at a West Virginia prison.The family filed the lawsuit against the prison system last week, two years after Bulger, 89, was killed at United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, a federal prison in West Virginia's Preston County. Bulger died the same day that he was transferred there from another prison.The lawsuit said the prison system failed to protect Bulger by moving him to Hazelton, a prison with constant inmate violence, news outlets reported.The family also alleges the prison system was aware that Bulger was labeled a snitch, and that he was perhaps the most well-known inmate to be incarcerated since Al Capone, but yet did not do enough to shield him from the other inmates.The Bureau of Federal Prisons did not respond to a request for comment Monday.Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, an Irish-American organized crime operation that ran loan-sharking, gambling and drug rackets in South Boston. He was also an FBI informant who snitched on the New England mob, his gang s main rival, in an era when bringing down the Mafia was a top national priority for the FBI.He became one of the nation s most-wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in late 1994. After more than 16 years on the run, Bulger was captured at age 81 in Santa Monica, California. He was later convicted in 2013 of participating in 11 murders and other crimes.Bulger was moved to the West Virginia prison after being initially housed in Florida and in Tuscon, Arizona, two prisons known for protecting inmates who may be at risk because of their crimes, according to the lawsuit. Predictably, within hours of his placement in general population at Hazelton, inmates believed to be from New England and who are alleged to have Mafia ties or loyalties, killed James Bulger Jr. utilizing methods that included the use of a lock in a sock-type weapon, the lawsuit reads.According to the Bulger family, no information has been received about an investigation into Bulger's death or his transfer to Hazelton.The family is seeking damages for Bulger s physical and emotional pain and suffering, as well as for wrongful death.https://news.yahoo.com/whitey-bulger-family-prison-system-190556480.html Philly mobster is sentenced to 15 years in prison after FBI wiretap catches him saying everything he does is criminalOctober 28, 2020Dapper_Don Joseph Servidio was never shy about who he was and where his money came from. I m a criminal, the reputed Philadelphia mob soldier told an associate in 2017. Everything I do is criminal. Later, he boasted: There s nothing better than making money. I make money every day, illegally. So, when one of his mob brothers started recording their conversations for the FBI, it was only a matter of time before Servidio s mouth landed him behind bars. On Thursday, a federal judge in Camden sentenced the 60-year-old, known by his nickname Joey Electric, to 15 years in prison for one of the many rackets he boasted of on those recordings a resumè that ranged from drug-dealing and bank fraud to armored-car heists and potentially even murder. His sentence came a year after Servidio pleaded guilty to charges alleging he pumped pills laced with heroin and fentanyl into Atlantic City. He confessed based in part on how thoroughly the wire recordings implicated him in those crimes. And like many a fallen mobster before him, Servidio knew better: It s always the tapes that get you. Eighty percent of eyewitnesses get the wrong person so without any corroborating evidence, you can beat that, he said a year before his arrest, according to transcripts of the recordings filed in court records. The things you can t beat are the tapes with you saying it. Servidio s attorney, Marco A. Laracca, did not return calls for comment Thursday. And federal prosecutors in New Jersey have not identified Servidio s conversation partner, except to describe him as a made member of the Philly mob with his own extensive rap sheet. The man began recording his fellow Mafia associates in 2016, after being arrested in connection with an insurance fraud case involving a faked pawnshop robbery. In Servidio, the cooperator found a rich target. A part of the Philly mob s North Jersey crew, Servidio made his bones in the crime family at the age of 19, he told the man recording his words, describing what FBI agents say was a murder committed as his initiation into the group. He was charged with racketeering in 2001 alongside reputed Philly mob boss Joey Merlino and with drug-dealing in 2006, and has spent years in federal prison. But by 2016, Servidio was out and had launched a home repair and renovation company albeit, he admitted, mostly to launder money he had coming in from various criminal rackets. Secretly, though, he had returned to his old ways, and was looking to make a move into the Atlantic City market. In all, prosecutors say, he and his codefendants were responsible for the distribution of more than 200 grams of fentanyl and heroin there and roughly 300 grams of meth between 2016 and 2018. But as his conversations with the cooperating witness recorded at Servidio s Marmora, N.J., home and in restaurants up and down the Jersey Shore reveal, it wasn t always smooth sailing. His higher-ups in the mob weren t always supportive. They don t want me to do nothing illegal, Servidio said in 2016. A year later, he caught wind that a mob member was openly mocking him an offense that led Servidio to stake out the man s house for three hours in hopes of gunning him down, agents said. The FBI stepped in beforehand to warn the intended target. There were times, too, that others confronted Servidio with the ramifications of his crimes. He described being confronted by a friend whose son had died from an overdose. She said, Joe, please stop what you re doing, Servidio recalled, according to the transcripts. 'You hurt people. People like you hurt people.' The man recording him replied: You think she s right? . What s wrong with us? Servidio responded candidly. Drug-dealing is the most money I can make, he said. And I like to spend money. https://www.inquirer.com/news/philly-mob-joseph-servidio-sentence-atlantic-city-camden-federal-court-20201022.html New Mafia Cops series in development from the creator of Boardwalk EmpireOctober 24, 2020Dapper_Don Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter has teamed with Asterlight, a San Francisco-based independent production company, to develop a true crime limited series based on the 2003 book Friends of the Family: The Inside Story of the Mafia Cops Case, by former NYPD Detective Tommy Dades, former Brooklyn prosecutor Mike Vecchione and David Fisher.The book chronicles the true story of Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, two decorated NYPD police detectives who secretly worked on behalf of the New York mafia, principally the Lucchese and Gambino crime families, while committing serious crimes including racketeering, bribery, kidnapping and murder. The story made national headlines when it was exposed that Caracappa and Eppolito received thousands in monthly payoff money in exchange for confidential information on police informants and investigations, in addition to serving as mob assassins. The infamous duo became known as the Mafia Cops and were convicted in 2006 of eight contract murders, two of which they carried out themselves. They were sentenced to life in prison in 2009.Dades will work with Winter on the as-yet untitled project. Other contributors from the original investigation will include Joseph Ponzi, former Chief Investigator for the Brooklyn District Attorney, retired DEA agent Frank Drew and former NYPD Detective Frank Pergola. Former New York Gambino crime family underboss Sammy The Bull Gravano will add his knowledge of the story. Asterlight is producing. It s an honor to work with Terry Winter and Tommy Dades and the rest of the team to bring this crime story to life, said Joe Poletto, founder of Asterlight. There s no one better than Terry to tell the story of these two corrupt cops who betrayed their badges, their department and their city and almost got away with it. It s an era in New York City history we can t forget. Caracappa and Eppolito disgraced their badges like no one else in NYPD history, said Winter. It s a privilege to tell the story of Tommy Dades, Mike Vecchione and Joe Ponzi the good guys who brought them to justice. Winter also has a untitled mob drama series in development at Showtime with Brian Grazer and Nicholas Pileggi.Winter created and executive produced HBO s period mob drama Boardwalk Empire. He also co-created and exec produced HBO s rock n roll drama Vinyl. Additionally, Winter was a writer/executive producer of HBO s blockbuster mob drama The Sopranos, for which he received four Emmy Awards as well as three WGA Awards. Winter, nominated for an Oscar for his The Wolf of Wall Street screenplay, is writing a TV series for HBO Max set in the world Matt Reeves is creating for The Batman feature. Additionally, he has Tokyo Underworld crime drama in works at Chris Albrecht s Legendary Global.https://deadline.com/2020/10/terence-winter-developing-mafia-cops-true-crime-series-asterlight-1234602153/Man marked for death by the Bonanno family arrested for child sex assaultSeptember 24, 2020Dapper_Don A man who the Bonanno crime family tried to assassinate in 1978 was arrested on Monday in Garden City on child sexual abuse charges. Anthony Coglitore, 87, of Whitestone, was charged with course of sexual conduct against a child and endangering the welfare of a child. According to court records, officials said the abuse stemmed back to 2001.After his arraignment, Coglitore was ordered held on bail of $200,000 cash or $400,000 bond, which was not posted. A temporary order of protection was also issued. Coglitore was the target of an attempted mafia assassination in 1978. According to a book he wrote on the subject, he had just parked in the driveway of his home in Queens when two men approached his car and opened fire. Coglitore was shot 11 times in his driveway and survived. He was targeted by the Bonanno family because they thought he was involved in the attempted murder of a Bonanno family soldier, according to court documents.https://patch.com/new-york/gardencity/target-failed-mafia-hit-charged-child-sex-assault-ncpd FBI raids Staten Island home of self proclaimed boss of the Genovese familySeptember 09, 2020Dapper_Don The FBI is investigating a gun-toting, self-proclaimed Genovese mob boss who has drugged two girlfriends since 2018, court papers claim. A search warrant for the Staten Island home of Stephen Stevie Westside Blanco quietly unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court details the feds ongoing investigation for illegal gun possession, gambling and interstate stalking. The probe began in June when one of Blanco s exes walked into an NYPD precinct on the island s south shore. Blanco often carried a firearm and large amounts of cash. Blanco told her, on more than one occasion, that he was a member of organized crime, FBI Special Agent Joseph Costello wrote in a July 23 document in federal court explaining the investigation. Blanco frequently boasted...about being a member and boss in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra, the agent wrote. Blanco allegedly told the woman, who was not identified in papers, that he was inducted into the family around the same time as Frank Cali, the reputed head of the Gambino crime family who was gunned down in front of his family home last year. Notably, the FBI agent does not write that he believes Blanco is actually a mobster. Reached by phone, Blanco said the feds had the wrong guy and did not search his home. He said he has a pistol permit and no criminal record. I have a fiancee. I have no idea what all this is, Blanco said. His former flame told cops Blanco kept a gun hidden behind a bidet in the second floor of his Ashland Ave. home and a second handgun in a Louis Vuitton handbag stashed in the trunk of his car. The woman rekindled a romance with Blanco from 2018 to March 2019 and tagged along with him while he collected debts for a Costa Rica-based gambling operation, she said. The relationship took a darker turn when Blanco persuaded her to keep $20,900 in cash at his house, she said. Blanco later told her he gave the money to a neighbor for a piece of property and that she d agreed to the deal the prior evening, according to the filing. The woman believed Blanco drugged her. You know who I am... you re not going to f--k me, right? Blanco allegedly told the woman in June 2020 as he returned some of her belongings. A neighbor of Blanco s who declined to be named said the FBI and NYPD blocked her driveway while searching his home about a month ago. I wish them well. Hopefully everything is okay. We just want to live in peace. That s what everyone wants. With all the crap that s going on now, he s the least of our problems. This city has gone nuts. We need to support the cops. It s getting ridiculous. You can t let the criminals rule the streets, the neighbor said. Another of Blanco s ex-girlfriends told authorities she had an abusive relationship with him between 2017 and 2018, according to the FBI agent. Woman-2 believed BLANCO frequently drugged her by serving her drinks mixed with Xanax, the agent wrote. That relationship ended in November 2018 after Blanco allegedly texted her an audio clip of him raping her while she was under the influence, according to the filing. The NYPD confirmed a 57-year-old woman had filed a harassment complaint against Blanco at that time, but no arrest was made. Papers indicate Blanco was convicted in 1999 of conspiracy to defraud the United States.https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-genovese-staten-raid-20200905-isuqj655ejcm7doloihtcdkure-story.html Attorney for gangster linked to Genovese family says he doesnt represent ratsAugust 28, 2020Dapper_Don attorney for a Springfield mob associate has made an unusual request of the federal government: Tell the public his client is not an informant.In the charged world of organized crime, this is a particularly damaging label.Springfield attorney Daniel Hagan on Wednesday filed a letter in the public docket of a pending extortion case against Anthony J. Scibelli on behalf of his own client, David Cecchetelli, identified as witness #5. Cecchetelli, 52, is a defendant in an unrelated illegal gun possession case pending in U.S. District Court. He has historical ties to the local faction of the Genovese crime family and a previous bookmaking conviction. Placing in public filings, information which can be used to derive Mr. Cecchetelli s identity, and where the context could lead the public to conclude that Mr. Cecchetelli is a government informant or cooperating government witness, these filings have the potential to subject Mr. Cecchetelli and his family to serious harm, Hagan wrote in an Aug. 19 letter to federal prosecutors and Scibelli s defense attorney. What is especially alarming here is that Mr. Cecchetelli is not a government informant or cooperating government witness and never has been, the letter continues.Scibelli, 51, was charged last year with collecting on a $5,000 extortionate debt. Investigators say Scibelli beat the unnamed informant in a parking lot in June of 2019, and threatened to pummel another of the informant s relatives with his wife s walker.Scibelli has pleaded not guilty to the charge. His attorney, Nikolas Andreopoulos, has argued in court hearings and written pleadings that the alleged victim in the Scibelli case, Victim 1, was not a victim at all but a compulsive gambler who tired of paying local loan sharks. The alleged victim told investigators he paid up to $36,000 in interest but could never get out from under the debt. began wearing a body wire at the behest of the FBI and state police to several meetings with Scibelli over six weeks in the spring of 2019, according to court records. In one unfortunate instance, someone forgot to shut the microphone off and the informant wore a hot mic for more than 24 hours, lawyers have said during hearings and in court filings. a recent motion, Andreopoulos quoted the unnamed informant as saying he and his brother would take control of Springfield s rackets once his rivals went to prison.Hagan has lobbied the government to publicly confirm Cecchetelli is not the informant and is merely on its witness list as a coincidental bystander. don t represent rats. So if there was something to it, I wouldn t be representing Mr. Cecchetelli, Hagan said when contacted for comment.A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney s office in Boston declined comment, citing the ongoing nature of the case.Scibelli was released to house arrest after spending weeks behind bars in 2019. His pretrial restrictions have since been relaxed. No trial date has yet been set.https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/08/i-dont-represent-rats-attorney-for-springfield-mob-associate-asks-for-unusual-redress.html Underboss of the Lucchese family sentenced to life in prisonAugust 28, 2020Dapper_Don In May 2017, 12members of the Lucchese family were arrested and facea slew of federal charges, including murder and racketeering, among others.Today, the last of the 12, Steven L. Crea, second in command of the Lucchese Family of La Cosa Nostra, was sentenced to life in prison.U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel also hit Crea with a $400,000 fineand the forfeiture of $1 million as part of his sentence. jury convicted Crea and three co-defendants on Nov.15, 2019, for the 2013 murder of Michael Meldish, conspiracy to commit racketeering and other felonies after a six-week trial in White Plains federal courtbefore Seibel.Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Straussapplauded the work of the FBI and NYPD. Steven L. Crea the Underboss of the Lucchese Family is the last of a dozen men arrested in 2017 to be sentenced for his crimes," Strauss said in a statement after the sentencing. "For his role in the 2013 murder of Michael Meldish and other crimes, Crea will now spend the rest of his life behind bars. Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, we continue our commitment to render La Cosa Nostra a thing of the past. Crea helped lead the Lucchese Family, which made millions of dollars in profit from crimes committed by familymembers and associates in New York City, Westchester, Long Island, New Jerseyand elsewhere, prosecutors said.In 2013, Crea helped orchestrate the Meldish's murder. along with 11 other members of the Lucchese family, were arrested three years ago for crimes they committed between 2000 and 2017. the exception of one captain who died before his case was resolved, everyone charged in this years-long case pleaded guilty or was convicted, And now they've all been sentenced.Crimes includedthe murder, three attempted murders including the attempted murder of a former witness against the Mafia, multiple assaults, drugtrafficking, extortion; millions of dollars in fraud against a public hospital in the Bronx,loansharking, operating illegal gambling businesses, among others, prosecutors said.https://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2020/08/27/luchese-family-underboss-steven-crea-sentenced-prison/5645656002/ Man with links to Gambino family busted for loan sharkingAugust 17, 2020Dapper_DonA convicted felon and bodybuilder who collected debts for one of the nation s largest merchant cash-advance companies was arrested in New Jersey last week on loan-sharking charges.Renato Gino Gioe sent threatening text messages to a small-business owner who owed him money, and later confronted the man at his home and said words to the effect of, I m going to kill you, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark. Gioe was arrested at his home in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, on Aug. 7 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. attorney s office in Newark said Friday. He was released on bail pending trial, prosecutors said. The complaint was made public Friday. A lawyer for Gioe, Jonathan Savella, declined to comment.Gioe, 52, was the subject of a 2018 Bloomberg News story that described how he traveled the country on behalf of Complete Business Solutions Group, a Philadelphia cash-advance firm that does business as Par Funding. Gioe paid surprise visits to Par s delinquent borrowers, demanding immediate payment and hinting darkly about the consequences of default.In an interview for the story, Gioe said he never tried to intimidate anyone, and that customers who were scared might be prejudiced against Italian Americans.Both Gioe and his onetime boss at Par, Joseph LaForte, denied links to organized crime in the Bloomberg News story. According to the FBI complaint, Gioe was an associate of the Gambino crime family, as was one of the owners of Gioe s employer, an unidentified company whose description matches that of Par. A lawyer for LaForte declined to comment.Alleging securities fraud, regulators placed Par in receivership last month, and the FBI charged LaForte with criminal possession of firearms. The FBI last week revealed a broad investigation targeting LaForte s operation, including searches of several of LaForte s homes and offices. The charges against Gioe don t relate directly to his work for his employer, but to a side deal Gioe allegedly struck with a customer.According to the complaint, Gioe s employer loaned about $400,000 to the owner of a Toms River, New Jersey business in 2017, and later that year, Gioe confronted the man over missing payments and worked out a repayment schedule. When the customer again had trouble repaying, Gino provided his own loans, eventually totaling $175,000, often in cash, the complaint states.In 2019, after the borrower failed to repay the personal loan, Gioe showed up at the borrower s house and angrily confronted him, the complaint states. The borrower called the Toms River police, but declined to pursue charges after they arrived.Prior to his work in the cash-advance industry, Gioe served prison time for convictions on charges including drug dealing and assault.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-14/bodybuilding-n-j-debt-collector-charged-with-loan-sharking Judge sentences husband of Mob Wives star to more than 5 years in prisonAugust 07, 2020Dapper_Don Mob Wives star Drita D Avanzo s reputed mobster hubby was sentenced Friday to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty in Brooklyn court to being a felon in possession of a gun.Drita was in the gallery as federal Judge Rachel Kovner gave her husband, Lee D Avanzo, a twice-convicted bank burglar, 64 months in prison well more than what prosecutors asked for citing his lengthy criminal history and the seriousness of his crime.Prosecutors had recommended just 37 to 46 months. The defendant had two guns in the house with his kids, and they were loaded with hollow-point ammunition, the judge said as Lee, 51, stood before her. At the time, there was other contraband in the house. The judge also referenced Lee s 2009 conviction for trying to break into a Staten Island bank vault using high-speed drills.The proceeding was the first in-person hearing in the downtown Brooklyn courthouse since the coronavirus pandemic shut it down in March and Lee s loyal wife, 44, was in the gallery.Drita who starred on the VH1 reality-TV show for six seasons penned a handwritten letter to the judge describing Lee as an amazing father to their two daughters. He has a family that is fully supporting him and hoping he comes home soon, she wrote.Lee was charged earlier this year with being a felon in possession after investigators executed a search warrant at his Staten Island home and found two Smith Wesson firearms loaded with hollow-point bullets.One gun was stashed in a kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator, while the other was under the couple s mattress in their master bedroom.Authorities also seized an assortment of pills, as well as more than a pound of marijuana in a kitchen cabinet that could be accessed by their then-12 year-old daughter, officials said.Initially, Drita and Lee were hit with a slew of charges in Richmond County Court including criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon and acting in a manner injurious to a child.After the feds swooped in and busted Lee over the incident, the Richmond County DA dropped the charges against the couple.As part of a plea bargain in Brooklyn federal court, he copped to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.The couple s criminal entanglements have lived up to the show s storyline, which followed a group of Staten Island women with relatives in the mob.Hot-tempered Drita, who starred on the series until it was canceled in 2016, was known for on-air brawls with her nemesis, Karen Gravano the daughter of Sammy the Bull.On her bio page for the show, Drita is described as the wife of Lee, a low-level mobster who federal prosecutors allege is the leader of a Bonanno and Colombo crime family farm team. According to a friend who wrote a letter to the judge asking for leniency, Lee s father was murdered when he was 7, and that trauma sent him down the wrong path.Lee s rap-sheet has spanned 18 years, and he has served time for assaulting a victim with a lug wrench, two bank burglaries and narcotics trafficking, according to federal prosecutors.He has six criminal convictions, including four felonies.Lee still faces charges in Monmouth County Court in NJ for conspiracy to possess marijuana and possession of marijuana, according to court papers.https://pagesix.com/2020/08/07/mob-wives-star-drita-davanzos-husband-gets-five-years-for-gun-charge/Chicago mobster requests early prison release due to coronavirus fearsAugust 04, 2020Dapper_Don Reputed mob boss Michael the Large Guy Sarno says 10 years behind bars has reduced him to a senior citizen with severe medical issues, and he wants out of federal prison early because of the deadly risk of the pandemic.A petition filed Monday seeks compassionate release for the 62-year-old Sarno, who was sentenced to 25 years in 2012 for ordering the bombing of a rival business in Berwyn to protect his illegal and lucrative video poker operation. Mr. Sarno poses no danger to any person or to his community, the petition argues. Between his multitude of medical issues and confinement to a wheel chair, he is no longer the Michael Sarno of the past. For anybody to suggest that Mr. Sarno belongs in jail and that he is a violent offender it s wrong, it s misplaced, Sarno s lawyer, John Chwarzynski, told the Tribune Tuesday. Mr. Sarno should be back at home. He should be with his family. When he was sentenced, a federal judge noted that the bombing took place on a public street in Berwyn and that Sarno was willing to endanger people who might have been nearby. The need to protect the public is very high, the judge said.Sarno s crew also engaged in smash-and-grab robberies in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in gems were stolen from jewelry stores and then fenced at a Cicero pawnshop operated by the Outlaws motorcycle gang, according to prosecutors.The petition argues that the 25-year sentence was overly harsh, contending the evidence against Sarno was not strong and the judge wrongly considered him a career criminal. By keeping Mr. Sarno in jail, they are now essentially changing his sentence to the death penalty, and that s not right, Chwarzynski said.The petition details a host of medical problems: Empyema of the lungs, chronic obstructive asthma, iron deficiency anemia, benign hypertrophy of prostate, an enlarged gallbladder, renal failure, an elevated white blood cell count, he is 100% incontinent, hypertension, osteoarthritis of the knees requiring two total knee replacements, and is unable to walk and ambulates with a wheel chair. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-michael-sarno-mob-boss-prison-release-20200804-nwzvhmghcrbk5megkd2qwalmvu-story.html Federal officials say a convicted felon with mob ties and his wifefraudulently raised more than half a billion dollars from investors for theircompany, which loaned cash to small businesses at interest rates as high as 400percent. Convicted felon Joseph LaForte,who goes by the name Joe Mack, and his wife Lisa McElhone founded Par Fundingin 2011 the same year he was released from prison for stealing $14 million ina real estate scam and, in a separate case, for running an illegal gamblingoperation. Par Funding issued $600 million in loans to small businesses across the U.S.since its inception, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission scomplaint filed July 24 in a Florida federal court. The company raised the funds from more than 1,200 investors by scheming andlying including making the false claim that their loans had a default rateof less than one percent when it was actually more than 10 percent, thecomplaint alleges. The fraudulent scheme operates behind multiple veils of secrecy built on thedefendants lies, the complaint charges. The couple, based in Philadelphia, used unregistered sales agents to raise cashfor which they were investigated by Pennsylvania securities regulators in 2018.LaForte, whose grandfather, nicknamed Joe the Cat, and his uncle Buddy, were made men in the Gambino crime family, went to great lengths to hide hiscriminal past from potential investors using several aliases, according toBloomberg and court papers. The complaint accuses the couple and their agents of violating federalsecurities law and wants the court to freeze their assets, impose civil finesand appoint a receiver to protect investors. LaForte and McElhone couldn t immediately be reached for comment.https://nypost.com/2020/07/30/convicted-felon-with-family-mob-ties-accused-of-defrauding-investors/ A trio of reputed New York mobsters including one who was accused of plotting to break out of jail by losing weight were sentenced to life in prison Monday for carrying out a Bronx hit in 2013.A slimmed-down Christopher Londonio, Matthew Madonna and Terrence Caldwell were all given life in federal court in White Plains for the slaying of former Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish in Throggs Neck in 2013.Madonna, the former acting boss of the Lucchese family, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy for ordering the hit over an unpaid gambling debt.At his sentencing Monday, an elderly Madonna continued to plead his innocence. I am innocent. I had absolutely nothing to do with the tragic death of Michael Meldish. I conspired with no one, he said. Londonio, a friend of Meldish s, was convicted of luring him out of his house and driving him to the scene of the hit, where Caldwell blasted him.While awaiting trial for the slaying, prosecutors accused Londonio of plotting to escape the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn by losing a huge amount of weight and using braided dental floss to begin perforating the glass at the lockup.The alleged crash-diet prison break plan landed Londonio on the front page of The Post with the headline The Veal Shank Redemption, but he was later acquitted of the escape charge.A lawyer for Londonio previously said he intends to appeal his conviction.https://nypost.com/2020/07/27/veal-shank-mobster-and-two-other-lucchesses-get-life-in-prison/ New Jersey based Lucchese soldier pleads not guilty to assaulting husband of reality show starJuly 10, 2020Dapper_Don The ex-husband of a Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member and a reputed mobster have pleaded not guilty to plotting to assault the star s current husband.Tommy Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, NJ, allegedly hired John Perna, 43, a purported soldier in the Lucchese crime family, to attack the new beau of Manza s ex-wife, Real Housewives star Dina Manzo, in July 2015.Both men pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges Wednesday during an arraignment hearing conducted through videoconferencing in New Jersey federal court.Perna, of Cedar Grove, used a slap jack to beat David Cantin, the TV star s current husband, in a strip-mall parking lot in Passaic County, the federal indictment said.In return for the attack, Tommy Manzo allegedly gave Perna a hefty discount to throw a large wedding reception the following month at a Paterson catering hall that Tommy co-owned.Perna threw a lavish wedding reception at Manzo s restaurant for a fraction of the price. More than 330 people attended the soiree, including scores of Lucchese mobsters, prosecutors said.Tommy Manzo, 55, and Perna, 43, both face charges for committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, as well as fraud and other charges.Tommy and Dina were married for 11 years before their divorce was finalized in 2016.Perna, 43, has also pleaded not guilty to beating up Cantin, who was dating Dina Manzo at the time. Cantin and Manzo later tied the knot in 2019.He was also hit with a count of insurance fraud for falsely reporting his Mercedes Benz was destroyed in 2016 after setting it on fire with other Lucchese mobsters.https://pagesix.com/2020/07/09/ex-of-rhonj-star-dina-manzo-pleads-not-guilty-to-assault/ Two convicted Lucchese mobsters who got sprung from federal jails early over fears they would catch coronavirus promptly tested positive as soon as they got into home confinement. It s not clear how or when Michael "Baldy Mike" Spinelli, 66, and Eugene "Boobsie" Castelle, 60, contracted the potentially deadly disease. Castelle began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on April 16 while living at home -- roughly 17 days after a judge let him out of his federal lock up in Danbury, Conn. An asymptomatic Spinelli -- who was supposed to be living 24/7 at his house -- tested positive on June 22, nearly two months after his May 5 release from Manhattan federal jail. Spinelli only learned he had the disease when he got swabbed before a colonoscopy. The two ex-Lucchese crime family soldiers have now used their coronavirus-positive state to delay next steps in their criminal sentences. Spinelli is supposed to be locked up until 2029 for his role in the brutal 1992 attempted murder of innocent mom Patricia Capozzalo whose only crime was being the sister of a mob snitch. Spinelli, who stalked her for weeks before the hit, was the getaway driver who ferried the triggerman to the place where Capozzalo was to be murdered. Capozzalo was hit in the neck, ear and back, but somehow survived the attempt on her life. Castelle was convicted of racketeering in 2019 for his role in helping run an illegal sports betting website for the crime family and threatening violence to collect mob debts. Spinelli, who wants to become a yoga teacher, was released in early May by federal judge Raymond Dearie pending a resentencing in his case. He was ordered to surrender himself into federal custody later that month after his hearing, but got the date pushed back because of his positive COVID-19 test. On Friday, his lawyer submitted papwork asking that Spinelli s return to prison be delayed yet again. Certainly, it is in no one s interest for Mr. Spinelli to bring the virus into any prison, attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg wrote. The judge allowed Spinelli to remain out until July 31 and ordered him two get tested every two weeks. Castelle s positive test caused federal prosecutors to request a delay in installing his electronic ankle monitor so he could continue to quarantine. Hundreds of federal inmates in New York City have applied for release from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic, but only a few dozen have been let out.https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-mobsters-luchese-spinelli-castelle-caught-coronavirus-20200701-z4qi7ngs6nferbjo6nm2lrzoii-story.html Lucchese mobster is son of former head of crime family's New Jersey operationsJuly 01, 2020Dapper_Don The alleged Mafioso accused of assaulting the husband of ex- Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo is a real family guy, authorities say.Suspect John Perna is the son of reputed former longtime Lucchese crime-family capo Ralph V. Perna, who the feds once accused of running the Mafia faction s New Jersey operations.Authorities got a serious glimpse into the inner workings of the alleged crime family-within-a-crime family during the massive takedown of a $2 billion-plus illegal online sports-betting operation in 2010 and it wasn t pretty.Ralph V. and two of his sons John and Joseph Little Joe Perna were convicted in the scheme, which reflected the Perna criminal dynasty s reliance on bookmaking, an investigator told the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time.Wiretaps caught the sons once boasting about Daddy s rise to the top.Federal tapes also revealed how the sons were initiated as Lucchese soldiers at a ceremony at Joseph s Toms River home in 2007 with New York City reputed mob bosses Joseph Big Joe DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna in attendance, the paper said.At one point, Joseph was heard griping on tape, I made $67,000 in the last 10 days and I don t have a dollar . . . not a dollar. . . . It goes to the house and this and that and bills. Both he and his brother were also caught plotting assaults on those who didn t pay their debts, the paper said.In 2016, Ralph V. landed an eight-year prison sentence for his role in the gambling scheme, while his sons got 10 years each, all part of plea deals,NJ.com reported at the time.John got out of state prison in July 2019 and was cuffed Tuesday for allegedly assaulting Manzo s then-boyfriend and now-husband in 2015, the year before he was convicted in the gambling operation.The feds say John Perna was hired by Manzo s ex, Tommy Manzo and in exchange for the assault received a steep discount for his wedding reception at Manzo s catering hall in Paterson the next month.Both John Perna and Manzo pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Tuesday.https://pagesix.com/2020/06/30/alleged-mobster-in-dina-manzo-case-is-real-nj-family-guy-feds/ Former husband of reality TV star and Lucchese soldier busted for assualt and other crimesJune 30, 2020Dapper_DonThe ex-husband of one of the stars of the Bravo television show The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and an organized crime soldier were arrested today on charges of planning and carrying out an assault of the Bravo star s current husband in exchange for a lavish wedding reception, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.Thomas Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, are each charged by indictment with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. The indictment also charges Perna identified in the indictment as a soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud related to the submission of a false car insurance claim, and Manzo with falsifying and concealing records related to the federal investigation of the violent crime. Both defendants will make their initial appearances today by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor.In the spring of 2015, Manzo, one of the owners of the Brownstone Restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey, allegedly hired Perna to assault his ex-wife s then-boyfriend in exchange for a deeply discounted wedding reception for Perna held at the upscale venue. Perna, who is a made man in the Lucchese Crime Family with his own crew, worked with his associates to plan and carry out the assault, which took place in July of 2015. In exchange for committing the assault, Perna held a lavish wedding reception at Manzo s restaurant for a fraction of the price, which was paid by another Lucchese associate and close friend of Manzo s. The wedding and reception, held in August 2015, were attended by approximately 330 people, and included many members of the Lucchese Crime Family.Separately, prior to the date that Perna was scheduled to begin serving a state prison sentence in January 2016, he falsely reported that his Mercedes Benz was stolen and destroyed. Perna filed an insurance claim for the destruction of the Mercedes Benz in order for the balance due on the Mercedes Benz. However, Perna had staged the vehicle theft and arson with other members of the Lucchese Crime Family.The charge against Manzo for allegedly falsifying and concealing records related to the federal investigation of the July 2015 assault relates to federal grand jury subpoenas that were sent to the Brownstone Restaurant seeking documents related to the August 2015 Perna wedding reception. Manzo failed to turn over relevant documents in response to those subpoenas and deliberately submitted a false document regarding the reception to the government, along with a false certification. In November 2019, agents with the FBI executed a search warrant at the Brownstone Restaurant and seized invoices for the August 2015 Perna wedding reception and other relevant documents that were not previously turned over.The violent crime in aid of racketeering activity count against both defendants carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit the violent crime in aid of racketeering activity count against both defendants carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud count against Perna carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years of in prison and a $250,000 fine. The falsifying and concealing records related to a federal investigation count against Manzo carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Denahan in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges and arrest.The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the U.S. Attorney s Office s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/ex-husband-real-housewives-new-jersey-star-and-lucchese-crime-family-soldier-indicted Imprisoned Chicago mob boss asks federal court to toss his sentenceJune 25, 2020Dapper_Don The highest ranking Chicago mob boss now in prison, Jimmy "The Man" Marcello, filed a petition Wednesday afternoon in federal court to have his sentence tossed out.Marcello, 76, is now challenging his sentence based on the U.S. Supreme Court Davis ruling one year ago today. In that Davis decision, the court narrowly held that enhancements for crimes of violence committed with guns are unconstitutionally vague.Marcello was one of five top hoodlums convicted in the 2007 Family Secrets racketeering case. Authorities said Marcello delivered Tony "Ant" Spilotro to his death -- found with his brother Michael Spilotro in an Indiana cornfield in June 1986.James Marcello was sentenced to life in 2009 and is imprisoned at the fed's Supermax facility in Colorado."It's one of the least appealing cases and sets of facts for a court to consider in giving somebody a break but the analysis is going to be a legal one. Was he convicted under the statute that Davis was talking about, the Supreme Court was talking about, and can it be applied retroactively, and would it make any difference to him anyway because the crimes were so serious they could have easily have yielded a life in prison sentence even without this," said former federal prosecutor and ABC 7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer.https://abc7chicago.com/jimmy-marcello-chicago-mob-outfit-boss/6265172/ Federal judge grants Chicago mobster compassionate release due to coronavirus concernsJune 24, 2020Dapper_DonMario "the Arm" Rainone will be allowed to immediately leave prison after a federal judge granted him compassionate release Monday due to COVID-19 concerns.U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber reduced Rainone's 15-year sentence on a gun charge to time served.Although he's not infected with COVID-19, the court warned Rainone's "relatively advanced age and other health problems" could lead to "major complications" if he were to become sick.Rainone, nicknamed "the Arm" for his skill at muscling those who have irked the Chicago mob, made a career as a gangland enforcer with a long history various mob rackets. He was doing time for a 2013 case in which authorities found him in possession of a .357 revolver, which, as a convicted felon on parole, was illegal.In the order, Judge Leineweber writes that he believes the career criminal "likely poses no immediate danger to his community" because he "is optimistic that Rainone understands that given his long criminal history and his advancing age, he is likely to spend the rest of his natural life imprisoned if he breaks the law again."In his motion for release, Rainone's attorney Joe "the Shark" Lopez wrote that Rainone suffers from a long list of health challenges: skin cancer, cataracts, liver disease, prostate cancer, heart and breathing problems, asthma, tinnitus, cataracts and a tortuous aorta in his heart, which can lead to high blood pressure, aortic insufficiency or premature atherosclerosis.Rainone has been locked up at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota.https://abc7chicago.com/mario-rainone-paul-schiro-the-arm-indian/6260293/?fbclid=IwAR2G-MhDacj76jK6fzSTplHmt7bumqslMhNDTqVu_Dv73AnvwwsXSftO46g New Mafia Cops series in development from the creator of Boardwalk Empire B oardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter has teamed with Asterlight, a San Francisco-based independent production company, to develop a tr...Philly mobster is sentenced to 15 years in prison after FBI wiretap catches him saying everything he does is criminal Joseph Servidio was never shy about who he was and where his money came from. I m a criminal, the reputed Philadelphia mob soldier ...Whitey Bulger's family files lawsuit against for failng to protect him prior to his death in prison Family members of Boston crime boss James Whitey Bulger Jr. have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 30 unnamed e...Man marked for death by the Bonanno family arrested for child sex assault A man who the Bonanno crime family tried to assassinate in 1978 was arrested on Monday in Garden City on child sexual abuse charges. Ant...

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