Saturday, December 29, 2007

Jury convicts Persico of 1999 'hit'

Alphonse Persico A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday convicted Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico (right), reputed boss of the Colombo Crime Family, of ordering the 1999 killing of underboss William "Wild Bill" Cutolo, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Persico, 53, and codefendant John "Jackie" DeRoss, were found guilty of conspiring to eliminate Cutolo in an effort to consolidate their power within the crime family. The Colombo clan had gone through a bloody civil war in the 1990s. Factions reportedly reached a cease-fire agreement, but Cutolo was a casualty of a lingering grudge.

Persico and DeRoss were found not guilty of charges related to the killing of crime family soldier Joseph Campanella.


William CutoloCutolo (left) was last seen on May 26, 1999. He was reportedly on his way to meet Persico in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Persico and DeRoss were first tried in connection with his assumed murder last year. That trial resulted in a hung jury.


For this year's trial U.S. Attorneys brought Cutolo's wife Marguerite to the stand. She directly accused Persico of causing her husband's death and refuted defense theories that Cutolo ran off with a fortune and was in hiding. Marguerite had been in the witness protection program since 2001.


"My husband never ran away," she said from the witness stand. "I'm appearing here for my husband, for his death."

Prosecutors provided bits of evidence indicating that Cutolo was killed and that his body was dumped off a boat at sea.

Like his father, former Colombo boss Carmine "the Snake" Persico, now 74 and serving a life sentence for racketeering, Alphonse Persico is expected to spend the rest of his days behind bars.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Fortunato convicted as Polito walks


Brooklyn Judge Joel Goldberg yesterday convicted Mario Fortunato, 60, of second-degree murder in connection with the November 1994 killing of loanshark Sabatino Lombardi, according to reports by Michael Brick of the New York Times and Scott Shifrel of the New York Daily News.

The surprising conviction came a day after a jury found Fortunato's co-defendant Carmine Polito, 48, not guilty. Polito chose a jury trial, while Fortunato - target of a weaker prosecution case - opted to let the judge decide his fate.

Fortunato (right), a baker, and Polito, a pizza maker, stood trial together in federal court on similar charges in 2003. They were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The following year, the decision was overturned on appeal. State murder charges were brought against the pair in 2005.

Prosecutors argued that Polito wanted Lombardi dead in order to escape a large debt. Fortunato, prosecutors said, had a personal grudge against the loanshark.

During a card game at the San Giuseppe Social Club on Brooklyn's Graham Avenue, Lombardi and Genovese Crime Family member Michael D'Urso were shot by intruders. Lombardi lost his life. According to prosecutors, Polito and Fortunato arranged the "hit." D'Urso, who has since aided in the prosecution of a large number of his former underworld associates including Genovese boss Vincent Gigante, testified against Polito and Fortunato.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Polito not guilty in 1994 loanshark murder

A Brooklyn jury yesterday found Carmine Polito, 48-year-old alleged Genovese Crime Family member, not guilty of the 1994 murder of loan shark Sabotino Lombardi, according to published reports by Alex Ginsberg and Gregory P. Mango of the New York Post and Scott Shifrel of the New York Daily News.

The guilt of innocence of co-defendant Mario Fortunato, 60, will be decided by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joel Goldberg today. Fortunato opted to put his fate in the hands of the judge rather than the jury.

Carmine PolitoLombardi and his cousin Michael "Cookie" D'Urso were shot during a November 1994 card game at the Giuseppe Social Club in Williamsburg. Lombardi was killed and D'Urso wounded. Polito (left) and Fortunato were initially charged in federal court with orchestrating the hit, and they were convicted in 2003 of the racketeering-related offense. The convictions were overturned on the grounds that the attack was related to personal business - Polito allegedly owed Lombardi more than $50,000 - rather than to an organized crime conspiracy rightly dealt with in federal court. New York State's top court decided that it would not violate the "double jeopardy" principle for the Kings County District Attorney to charge the pair with murder.

After the shooting, D'Urso entered the witness protection program and testified in cases against many connected with Genovese Crime Family. The D.A.'s case against Polito and Fortunato had three key witnesses, victim D'Urso and two other men who allegedly took part in the hit.

"These guys were so confident they wouldn't even offer a serious plea deal," Polito defense attorney Gerald McMahon said about the prosecutors.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Lenny Strollo looks forward to late-2008 release

The former chief of Mafia operations in Youngstown, Ohio, could be released from federal custody by the end of 2008, according to a story in today's Mahoning Valley Vindicator.

Lenine "Lenny" Strollo (right) was sentenced to just under 13 years in prison Jan. 27, 2004, but received credit for time served and for good behavior. After his Dec. 11, 1997, arrest, Strollo pleaded guilty to corruption and tax charges and became a cooperating witness for the federal government in February 1999. He spent five years working with prosecutors on cases against Mafia bigshots and corrupt officials in Youngstown, Cleveland, New York, Pittsburgh PA, and Detroit MI, before he was sentenced on the original racketeering offenses. He has been held in protective custody with his whereabouts kept secret.

Strollo turns 76 in April 2008. Once released, he will be on supervised release for three years. His sentence also calls for 250 hours of community service.

Strollo's wife, Antoinette, told the newspaper, "It's been a long time coming and we're glad it's almost over. His family, we all want him back. We have something to look forward to."

With Strollo's cooperation, federal prosecutors won a conviction against U.S. Congressman James Traficant. Strollo is also credited with playing a role in the conviction of Pitsburgh mobster Sonny Ciancutti, Mahoning County Sheriff Phil Chance and others.

Strollo controlled Pittsburgh Crime Family interests in Youngstown, Ohio, and the surrounding Mahoning Valley. The proceeds of Youngstown rackets have traditionally been shared by the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Mafia organizations.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

DeVecchio could be called as witness for Persico

Alphonse PersicoThe former FBI supervisor recently cleared of charges relating to Colombo Crime Family murders could soon be called as a witness in the defense of accused Mafia murderer Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico (right), according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

State charges against Lindley DeVecchio were dropped last month when credibility issues were raised about a key prosecution witness.

Persico, son of reputed Colombo boss Carmine "the Snake" Persico, is on trial once again for allegedly ordering the 1999 murder of underworld rival William "Wild Bill" Cutolo. A trial on the same charge last year resulted in a hung jury.

Roy Lindley DeVecchioPersico's defense attorney Sarita Kedia reportedly wants to call DeVecchio (left) to the stand to testify about events in the early-1990s Colombo Family civil war. DeVecchio was an FBI handler for informer and Colombo bigshot Gregory "the Grim Reaper" Scarpa Sr.

Emmanuello swallowed secret notes

Daniele Emmanuelle
Officials in Italy say that Sicilian Mafia bigshot Daniele Emmanuello swallowed secret notes containing names and telephone numbers as he fled from police pursuers earlier this week, according to a Reuters story by Wladimir Pantaleone and Phil Stewart.

Authorities say Emmanuello, 43, was struck and killed by police warning shots as he attempted to get away. Considered boss of a Mafia clan in the city of Gela, he had been a fugitive of the law since 1993.

An autopsy of Emmanuello's body showed fragments of the notes lodged in the crime boss's esophagus. Police did not say whether any of the fragments were of use to anti-Mafia investigations.

Feud claims sons of Calabrian mob boss

Calabria, Italy
Two sons of jailed Calabrian mob boss Vincent Comberiati were shot to death earlier this week, apparent victims of an ongoing feud within the 'Ndrangheta criminal society, according to a report in the Australian Daily Telegraph.

Francesco Comberiati, 24, died in the driver's seat of his car. Luigi Comberiati, 29, fled his car parked nearby and hid in a restaurant kitchen. Gunmen found him and killed him.

The ANSA news agency reports that the murders are part of a struggle for dominance in drug trafficking and other underworld rackets in mainland Italy's southernmost region. The feud is believed also to have been the cause of six murders of Italians within Germany this past August.
Vincent Comberiati has been in prison for several years.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Italy arrests dozens of suspected mobsters

Forty six people were detained after anti-Mafia police raids in eastern Sicily today, according to reports from the Associated Press and ANSA. Italian police say reputed Catania crime boss Vincenzo Santapaola was among those arrested.

"We are dismantling the clans piece by piece," said Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato in a prepared statement. "The bosses can no longer fool themselves: We will get them one by one."

In the raids, police seized weapons and drugs and ledgers of extortion fees and salaries related to the Santapaola organization. The suspects face charges of Mafia association, drug trafficking and extortion.

Officials believe that Vincenzo Santapaola succeeded his father Benedetto Santapaola as chief of the Catania Mafia. Benedetto was arrested more than a decade ago.

Top Sicilian mobster killed during escape attempt

Daniele Emmanuello, 43, was shot to death yesterday as he attempted to flee from police in Sicily, according to press reports from CNN and the Agenzia Giornalistica Italia.

Early in the morning, police from Caltanissetta surrounded the cottage where Emmanuello, a fugitive for the past 11 years, was hiding out. Emmanuello reportedly pulled clothes on over his pajamas and left the home through a window.

Police officials say warning shots were fired. Emmanuello (left) tumbled into a ravine. When police got there they discovered that Emmanuello had been struck and killed by the police weapons fire.

Officials say Emmanuello was a rising Mafia boss. He was believed to be working to unite four regional crime families. He had been on the run since 1996, charged with Mafia association, drug trafficking and murder.





DEEP WATER: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia - A historical biography of the notorious 19th Century New Orleans gang boss and a probing look at the political and social forces that helped the Mafia take root in the New World.

Feds want Kerik's defense lawyer off the case


Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (right) soon could be looking for a new attorney, according to a story by Thomas Zambito of the New York Daily News.

Federal prosecutors last week asked U.S. Judge Stephen Robinson to prevent attorney Kenneth Breen from defending Kerik in an upcoming trial. The prosecutors argued that Breen could be called as a witness in the case. His testimony could "go to the heart of the charges in the indictment," the prosecutors wrote in a letter to the judge.

Kerik was indicted Nov. 8 on charges related to his concealment of favors he received while a New York City official. In June 2006, Kerik admitted that he did not disclose renovation work done on his Riverdale apartment by contractors seeking to work for the city. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to pay $221,000 in fines and fees.

Prosecutors estimate the value of the renovations at $165,000. The work was reportedly paid for by the DiTommaso brothers, owners of Interstate Industrial Corporation. If Kerik is found guilty of tax fraud, depriving the city of his honest services and other charges in his upcoming trial in White Plains, he could be sentenced to 142 years in prison.
In addition to serving in a top city law enforcement post, Kerik was at one time considered by the Bush Administration as a leading candidate to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Kerik withdrew his name from consideration for that job, citing possible tax problems relating to a family nanny.

Sicilian bigshot nabbed while watching Mafia TV show

Michele Catalano, reputed lieutenant of recently arrested Sicilian crime boss Salvatore LoPiccolo, was himself arrested last week while watching a Mafia-related television program, according to a Reuters report.

Catalano was watching the final episode in "The Boss of Bosses" - a TV mini-series based upon the 1993 arrest of Salvatore "Toto" Riina - when police burst into his home and placed him under arrest. He was charged with drug trafficking and extortion.

LoPiccolo, who officials say became Sicily's most powerful Mafioso after last year's capture of Bernardo Provenzano, was arrested last month, ending nearly a quarter century on the run.

$800K more for Vegas mob museum

Another $800,000 has been allocated for the planned mob museum in Las Vegas, according to a report broadcast by KLAS. Preserving and upgrading the historic downtown Vegas post office building and setting up the museum is expected to cost more than $30 million. The Las Vegas Centennial Commission has earmarked $300,000 for the purchase of organized crime-related artifacts. The money for the project is coming from the sale of license plates commemorating the city's 2005 centennial.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Editorial: Justice must put a stop to leaks

Though we seldom if ever find ourselves siding with John A. "Junior" Gotti on an issue, this time we have to admit he has a point. Last summer's federal government leaks relating to Gotti plea bargaining sessions in 2005 were inappropriate and probably criminal. We feel there is reason to believe that they were also a premeditated effort to terrorize Gotti into a guilty plea.

Obviously, federal prosecutors did not have the best possible case against Gotti. They failed three times with essentially the same evidence against him. They must have known that the statute of limitations on racketeering would be an enormous obstacle, as most of the evidence of Gotti racketeering is related to events of long ago.

It appears that some individual or group decided that chances for a guilty verdict would be improved if Gotti could be made to fear his old underworld friends. Information about plea bargaining sessions was leaked and possibly altered to make it seem that Gotti had already flipped to the side of law enforcement and was ratting out his old buddies to the FBI in exchange for a light sentence. Given the history of the case, it now appears that leak was entirely false.

Similar rumors and suspicions previously have caused crime families to go after those believed to be cooperating or on the verge of cooperating with authorities. And, at times, they have caused defendants, suddenly finding themselves targets of gangland discipline, to rush into genuine cooperative arrangements in order to protect their lives.

We cannot know for certain that terrorizing Gotti into a plea deal and a cooperative mood was the motivation behind the leaks. However, it is difficult to see any other reason.

The Justice Department should condemn such tactics, as they put in jeopardy the lives of defendants and their families. We note also that, should harm come to Gotti as a result of this leak, some person or group on the side of law enforcement would be as guilty of murder conspiracy as many of the racketeers prosecuted by the department.

- View Gotti-Carnesi discussion with the press (WCBS-TV New York)

Gotti furious over fed leaks


Facing the possibility of new federal charges, John A. "Junior" Gotti (left) yesterday launched into a tirade over year-old federal leaks indicating he ratted on fellow mobsters, according to a story by Thomas Zambito of the New York Daily News.

Gotti went to great lengths to cut a deal with federal agents in 2005, according to a June 15, 2006, story by Kati Cornell of the New York Post. The Cornell story indicated that Gotti confessed to a number of crimes and provided the FBI with information against a number of underworld colleagues. Gotti refused to admit guilt to the most serious charges against him, and federal prosecutors decided not to reach a plea deal with him, the story said. Gotti was tried in federal court three times, each ending in mistrial.

Yesterday, Gotti blasted federal agents for leaking reports on the plea bargaining and making it appear that the former boss of the Gambino Crime Family had turned on his old friends.

"It put my children in harm's way," Gotti said. "It put my family in harm's way - 100 percent. My family lives in fear."

Federal prosecutors are looking into the possibility of bringing new charges against Gotti, son of the late Gambino Crime Family boss John J. Gotti. Defense attorney Charles Carnesi told the press, "If, in fact, somebody is so misguided as to bring charges on the basis of liars and murderers who are looking to get themselves out of jail, then we'll address them at that time..."

Prosecutors are also seeking to have Gotti returned to prison for the alleged violation of an earlier probation. They say Gotti failed to pay the government $200,000 in back taxes. Gotti denied the allegation and said he recently made a tax payment of $80,000 that was borrowed from friends and family.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wife testifies against Cutolo's accused killers

Marguerite Cutolo took the witness stand last week to point an accusing finger at reputed Colombo Crime Family boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico (right), according to a story by John Marzulli and Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News.

Mrs. Cutolo stepped out of the witness protection program in order to testify in the retrial of Persico and former Colombo underboss John DeRoss for the murder of her husband, William "Wild Bill" Cutolo. She had entered witness protection in 2001.

On the stand last week, she stated that her husband was on his way to meet Persico in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on May 26, 1999, when she last saw him. Cutolo has been missing since that date and is presumed dead.

On cross examination, defense attorneys suggested that William Cutolo is still alive and that the Cutolos have hidden as much as $2.7 million in loanshark earnings. Mrs. Cutolo admitted to possessing $1.65 million in cash at the time of her husband's disappearance. She said government officials were aware of the money and allowed her to keep it to take care of her children.

She denied the defense assertion that William Cutolo remains alive, according to a story by Selim Algar of the New York Post. "My husband never ran away," she said. "...I'm appearing here for my husband, for his death."

Mrs. Cutolo did not testify when Persico and DeRoss were first tried for the murder last year. That trial ended in a hung jury.
Prosecutors charge that Persico waited six years after a ceasefire in a bloody Colombo Crime Family civil war to eliminate his rival for power, William Cutolo (left). "The Colombo war never really ended, at least not in the minds of men like Alphonse Persico," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Goldberg said in his opening statement on Nov. 6.
Defense attorney Sarita Kedia countered, "There is not a single piece of evidence to prove to you that Billy Cutolo is even dead."

Brooklyn DA tries Fortunato, Polito for murder


The Kings County District Attorney's Office is taking a shot at prosecuting Mario Fortunato and Carmine "Pizza' Polito for the Nov. 29, 1994, murder of Sabatino Lombardi and attempted murder of Michael D'Urso, according to a story by Scott Shifrel and John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Fortunato, partner in the Fortunato Brothers bakery of Williamsburg, and Queens pizzeria owner Polito were convicted in federal court. But that conviction was subsequently thrown out. The pair now face state charges.

D'Urso, who survived the hit despite being shot in the head, has testified that Fortunato wanted him dead as payback for a beating he once gave Fortunato. Prosecutors say Polito was motivated to eliminate D'Urso and Lombardi because he owed them $60,000. The two defendants allegedly planned the attack in the San Giuseppe social club on Graham Avenue.

D'Urso, a former mob associate, became a government informant years ago. He helped federal agents build cases against 70 Genovese Crime Family members, including former boss Vincent "the Chin" Gigante.

Chicago Crime Commission looks back in new book


Drawing from 80 years of archives, the Chicago Crime Commission has released a 293-page hardcover book entitled, "Friend and Foe," according to the commission's website. The volume tells the story of crime and law enforcement through a century of Chicago history. It reportedly includes developments in the recent Family Secrets trial of the local Mafia leaders and explores topics like public corruption, street gangs and the evolution of crime fighting. The book sells for $30 direct from the commission. (A package deal with the commission's "The Gang Book" costs $45.) Friend and Foe is expected also to be available in bookstores soon.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Apalachin forced FBI to act against mob


The discovery of a meeting of Italian and Sicilian racketeers from around the U.S. 50 years ago today pushed the FBI into a fight against organized crime.
Many of the nation's reputed crime bosses attended the mid-November 1957 convention at Joseph Barbara's home in rural Apalachin, NY (above right). When police, alerted by State Police Sergeant Edgar Croswell, crashed the party, they found mob bigshots like Vito Genovese, Carlo Gambino, Joe Profaci, Santo Trafficante and Russell Bufalino.
Though there were insufficient grounds to hold any of the more than 60 mobsters rounded up, the documented presence of so many underworld characters from so many U.S. regions made the existence of a nationwide network of crime undeniable. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who had repeatedly insisted that there was no such network, was compelled address the problem.

Italy arrests LoPiccolo lieutenants

Italian police reported the arrest yesterday of five high-ranking lieutenants of supreme Palermo Mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo, according to a story published by the Reuters news agency. Lo Piccolo was arrested last week after a quarter century as a fugitive.

The police characterized the suspects as "military commanders" of the Mafia. The five were charged with drug trafficking, arms trafficking and extortion.

A story in the International Herald Tribune indicated that four men - not five - were arrested. It identified the suspects as brothers Nunzio and Domenico Serio, 29 and 28 respectively, Vincenzo Mangione, 28, and Andrea Gioe, 40.

At the same time, the police moved against the Bottaro-Attanasio crime family in Syracuse. Arrest warrants were obtained for 70 suspected members of that criminal organization.

CT legislator resigns over mob link


Connecticut State Senator Louis DeLuca (above) resigned from the legislature yesterday, just hours before a Senate panel was to acquire subpoena power in its investigation of DeLuca's relationship with an indicted trash hauler, according to a story by Mark Pazniokas and Christopher Keating of the Hartford Courant.

The panel sought subpoena power in order to acquire FBI surveillance tapes of a meeting between DeLuca, 74, and an undercover agent posing as an associate of western Connecticut trash czar James Galante. Galante has been charged with overseeing a monopolistic property rights scheme in the hauling industry. He maintains his innocence.
The undercover agent failed in an attempt to bribe DeLuca, but reportedly won his agreement to protect Galante's interests in the legislature. DeLuca has insisted that he agreed with the request in order to end the meeting.
DeLuca received the FBI tapes of the conversations as he reached a plea bargain with federal investigators. He refused to turn them over to the state.

A Republican from the town of Woodbury, DeLuca served in the state senate for 17 years. He pleaded guilty in June to asking Galante to threaten his granddaughter's husband, Mark Colella. DeLuca said he believed Colella was abusing his granddaughter. Colella has denied the charge.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Schiro says DA's office betrayed her


Linda Schiro, the key witness in the recently abandoned case against former FBI supervisor Roy Lindley DeVecchio, feels betrayed and tossed aside by the Kings County District Attorney's Office, according to an interview with Sarah Wallace of WABC-TV.

Schiro's testimony in the DeVecchio trial connected the former FBI supervisor with four gangland killings. A reporter subsequently came forward with details of a Schiro interview that contradicted her testimony. Kings County prosecutors quickly dropped the case against DeVecchio and stated that Schiro (left) could face perjury charges.

In Schiro's interview with Wallace, she insisted that her court testimony was accurate and that the prosecutors were earlier aware of the apparently conflicting interview. She complained about how the DA's office has treated her. "I told the truth... I'm hurting because like I said, I can't believe what they did. I really can't."

During the WABC interview, Schiro recalled the FBI assistance provided by her longtime mobster boyfriend Gregory Scarpa. In 1964, Scarpa persuaded members of the Mississippi Ku Klux Klan to provide information on the murders of three missing civil rights workers. For many years, Scarpa secretly cooperated with the FBI.

DeLuca panel seeks FBI tapes


A Connecticut Senate subcommittee looking into allegations of impropriety against State Senator Louis DeLuca voted this week to seek subpoena power to obtain FBI tapes now in DeLuca's possession, according to a story by Christopher Keating of the Hartford Courant.

The subcommittee decided that DeLuca (right) "brought dishonor on his office and the institution of the state Senate" but refused to make a recommendation to the full Senate until it could listen to the full tapes of DeLuca's Sept 5 and Sept 7, 2006, conversations with an FBI agent posing as an associate of Danbury-area trash hauler James Galante. Excerpts from the tapes were transcribed into an arrest warrant affidavit. The U.S. Attorneys office gave copies of the full tapes to DeLuca's attorney. The state senator pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor charge of conspiring with Galante to threaten DeLuca's granddaughter's husband. (See related story.)

One of the excerpts suggests that DeLuca would be willing to do favors in the legislature for Galante. DeLuca's attorney has pointed out that other statements on the tapes portray DeLuca in a more favorable light. The tapes reportedly show that DeLuca immediately turned down an offered bribe from the undercover agent. However, DeLuca stated last month that he would not turn over copies of the tapes.

"The recordings are not publicly available information and will not be disclosed," he said.

Galante has been indicted in connection with a property rights racket in the western Connecticut waste hauling industry. Federal prosecutors say he supervised a non-competitive affiliation on hauling companies that sent regular payments to a New York Mafia family. Galante says he is innocent of the charges.

The six-member subcommittee investigating DeLuca can recommend expulsion, censure, reprimand or no action.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Italy nabs top Mafia boss Lo Piccolo

The Italian police this morning arrested Salvatore Lo Piccolo, 65, reputed leader of the Sicilian Mafia, according to stories by Jeff Israely of TIME and Elisabetta Povoledo of the International Herald Tribune.

Lo Piccolo (right) had been a fugitive since 1983, when he was convicted of murder. Italian authorities believe he became the most powerful boss of the Sicilian Mafia after the April 2006 capture of Bernardo Provenzano near Corleone.

Lo Piccolo, his son Sandro, 35, and two other associates - Andrea Adamo and Gaspare Pulizzi - were arrested in homes in the town of Cinisi, just west of Palermo. Three dozen police surrounded the house. The four men surrendered after police fired warning shots.

During the arrests, police discovered weapons, cash, fake identification and the small handwritten notes that Provenzano used to communicate to other Mafiosi.

Police believe Lo Piccolo served as Provenzano's top lieutenant in the Sicilian underworld. They believe the mob boss was actively involved in strengthening ties between the Sicilian and American branches of the Mafia.

Matteo Messina Denaro, 45, of Trapani, long considered a contender for supreme boss of the Mafia, might take the opportunity of Lo Piccolo's arrest to seize control of the criminal society, investgators say. Also wanted by authorities, Denaro's location is not known.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Reputed crime boss Leo faces up to six years

Daniel Leo
Daniel Leo, 66 (left), reputed boss of the Genovese Crime Family, faces up to six years in prison and $75,000 in fines after admitting today to engaging in an extortion racket, according to stories in the New York Post and the New York Daily News.

New Jersey resident Leo admitted that he ordered underlings to extort money from an East Harlem gambling enterprise and from taxi company. Prosecutors say Leo threatened harm to the taxi company owner if he did not pay back $150,000 owed to Leo-affiliated creditors.
His nephew, underworld confidant and codefendant in the federal case, Joseph Leo, 45, could be sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of extortion. Sentencing for the pair is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Manhattan Federal Court.

Federal investigators believe Daniel "the Lion" Leo, of Rockleigh, NJ, took the reins of the Genovese clan after the 2005 death of Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. His name surfaced in news reports one year ago. The extortion case was based upon FBI electronic surveillance. Agents placed a listening device in Joseph Leo's car after failing in more direct attempts to listen in on Daniel Leo's conversations. Daniel Leo was initially charged May 30 with four counts of extortion.

Witness's apparent perjury clears DeVecchio

State prosecutors dropped their murder case against retired FBI supervisor Roy Lindley DeVecchio today and began looking into the alleged perjury of witness Linda Schiro (right), according to stories by Scott Shifrel and Helen Kennedy of the New York Daily News and Michael Brick of the New York Times.

Schiro, 62, the prosecution's star witness, was a longtime girlfriend of Colombo Crime Family bigshot Gregory Scarpa. She testified that DeVecchio provided information to Scarpa about a fellow gangster who was secretly cooperating in a federal investigation and aided Scarpa in setting up four mob killings. After hearing of Schiro's testimony, reporters Tom Robbins and Jerry Capeci came forward with 10-year-old audiotapes of conversations they had with Schiro to research a book. In those conversations, Schiro reportedly contradicted her sworn testimony in the DeVecchio case.

The reporters had promised Schiro confidentiality. Robbins said he felt he had to come forward after noting the contradictions in her testimony. Robbins described the contradictions in an article for the Oct. 30 Village Voice. In the taped interviews, Schiro did not link DeVecchio (left) with three of the four murders. She said nothing of DeVecchio's alleged involvement in the murder of Mary Bari and expressly excluded him from involvement in the murders of Joseph DeDomenico and Lorenzo Lampasi.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Vecchione asked Justice Gustin Reichbach to dismiss the case against the 67-year-old DeVecchio. Vecchione said the case would not have gone to trial "had we been provided these tapes much earlier in the process."

As Capeci noted in his online Gangland column today, the dismissal of the charges in such a high profile case is a public relations nightmare for Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes (right). There was no announcement related to the case on the prosecutor's website today. Hynes reportedly told the press, "There's no way we would have brought a prosecution if we had that kind of information."

During the investigation for the case, Hynes publicly blasted federal agencies for their slow response to Kings County requests for information. Federal prosecutors had investigated the charges against DeVecchio earlier but decided not to prosecute. Current and former FBI agents came out in support of DeVecchio.

In the 2005 election, Hynes had to defeat primary election challengers from within his own Democratic party in order to run for reelection.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Mob put Giuliani hit to a vote


The bosses of New York's five crime families voted in 1986 on whether to whack then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani (left), according to a story by Murray Weiss, Patrick Gallahue and Alex Ginsberg of the New York Post and a story by Scott Shifrel and Helen Kennedy of the New York Daily News. The motion was defeated by a 3-2 margin.

The vote came to light as FBI records were made public in connection with the murder trial of former FBI supervisor R. Lindley DeVecchio Oct. 24.

Vincent "the Chin" Gigante (Genovese family), Philip "Rusty" Rastelli (Bonanno) and Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo voted against assassinating the federal prosecutor who secured convictions against many of New York's leading mobsters and went on to serve as mayor of the city. John J. "Teflon Don" Gotti (Gambino) and Carmine "the Snake" Persico (Colombo) voted in favor. (Mugshots of the five Mafia bosses are shown at right.)

According to a 600-page informant file entered into evidence by DeVecchio's defense team, DeVecchio became aware of the underworld vote on Sept. 17, 1987, about a year after it occurred. DeVecchio, 67, is on trial in Brooklyn on murder charges. Prosecutors say he provided information that aided Colombo Crime Family bigshot Gregory Scarpa in planning four murders.

At the time of the vote, Giuliani was prosecuting the Commission case. That trial ended with the November 1986 convictions of Corallo, Persico, Genovese family bigshot Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno and five other defendants. Rastelli was convicted in a separate trial. "Big Paul" Castellano (Gambino) was indicted with his fellow New York bosses, but he was assassinated and replaced by Gotti before the trial began.

Giuliani, now a Presidential candidate, would not discuss the incident in detail. He has previously joked about threats on his life, noting that an $800,000 price on his head was insultingly later reduced to $400,000.

CT panel mulls DeLuca's future

A six-member bipartisan committee of the Connecticut State Senate is considering what action should be taken with regard to State Senator Louis C. DeLuca's (left) admitted link to organized crime, according to a story by Christine Stuart of the New York Times.

DeLuca pleaded guilty June 4 to a misdemeanor charge of threatening and acknowledged asking a Danbury-area trash hauler with reputed ties to the Mafia to threaten his granddaughter's husband in April 2005. Through a plea deal, federal agents dropped their investigation of the legislator. DeLuca claims his granddaughter was a victim of domestic violence. DeLuca also asserts that he repeatedly informed Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary of his granddaughter's plight but received no help. Chief O'Leary insists that DeLuca never mentioned the abusive relationship.

The granddaughter's husband, Mark Colella (right), has denied the allegations of abuse, according to a Sept. 10 story by Paul Hughes of the Waterbury Republican American newspaper. He insists that DeLuca disapproved of the granddaughter's marriage and approached organized crime to have him eliminated. Colella also charged that DeLuca was prepared to his influence as state senate's Republican leader to pay back the favor.

As it looks into DeLuca's relationship with a reputed underworld figure, the senate committee is mulling four options for DeLuca's future: expulsion, censure, reprimand or no action. DeLuca has stepped down from his leadership of Senate Republicans but has dismissed suggestions that he should resign from his legislative position. DeLuca has served in the senate since 1990 and is a ranking member of the Banks, Executive Nominations, Insurance and Real Estate, and Legislative Management committees. He is also a director of the Connecticut General Assembly's Italian-American Legislative Caucus.

When questioned by the committee on Oct. 15, DeLuca refused to answer questions under oath. The committee took hours of unsworn testimony and then asked DeLuca to review a transcript and submit written verification or correction for his answers. DeLuca reportedly submitted an affidavit with some corrections.

The committee is probing DeLuca's relationship with trash hauler James Galante, who is awaiting federal trial. Galante was one of 29 people named in a 117-count federal indictment related to the monopolistic waste disposal industry in western Connecticut. He is accused of running a "property rights scheme" and of making large payments to Genovese Crime Family bigshot Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello (left). Many of his codefendants, including Ianniello, have already reached plea deals with prosecutors.

According to the Republican American, "federal investigators determined that DeLuca and Galante (right) had a close and confidential relationship." A heavily redacted FBI report implied a greater connection between the two men than that described by DeLuca.

When DeLuca reached out for help from Galante, the legislator did not realize that federal agents were nearing the end of an investigation of the trash hauler. The April 2005 meeting between the two men came to the attention of investigators. An undercover agent posing as a Galante associate was sent to meet with DeLuca on Sept. 5 and 6, 2006, three months after Galante had been indicted. During the meetings, DeLuca reportedly pledged political assistance to Galante but rejected a $5,000 bribe offer.

DeLuca has stated that his promise of assistance was merely an effort to placate a frightening visitor.

Ex-cop Coffey crooked: DeVecchio memo


A document to be used in the defense of former FBI supervisor R. Lindley DeVecchio charges that celebrated New York Police Detective Joe Coffey (right) was a mob informant, according to a story by Scott Shifrel of the New York Daily News.

Coffey, who solved more than 80 murders and led New York's Organized Crime Homicide Task Force, said the charge was "absolutely outrageous. I never in my life dealt with the Mafia other than to lock them up. They hated me. To this day, they hate me."

The defense document is a Sept. 4, 1984, memo relating to Mafia bigshot Gregory Scarpa (left), in which DeVecchio noted, "The source could not furnish specific details, but has longtime street knowledge of Coffey's dealings with La Cosa Nostra members."

That memo appears to have been the catalyst for an investigation of Coffey. "There was an investigation, and it was disproved," Coffey said. He suggested that DeVecchio might have fabricated the "tip" about his mob involvement. The two men feuded for some time.

DeVecchio (right) is standing trial in Brooklyn on murder charges. Prosecutors say his cooperation with Scarpa aided the Mafioso during the violent 1990s civil war in the Colombo Crime Family. Scarpa died in prison in 1994 at the age of 66. DeVecchio maintains his innocence. He is supported by a number of current and former FBI agents.

Coffey's law enforcement career is the subject of:
The Coffey Files: One Cop's War Against the Mob

Monday, October 22, 2007

Palminteri, 'A Bronx Tale' open on Broadway


Chazz Palminteri is bringing his one-man show, A Bronx Tale, to Broadway, 17 years after its initial LA and off-Broadway run, and 14 years after the story was brought to the big screen by Chazz and first-time director Robert Deniro.

Palminteri reportedly based A Bronx Tale on an actual event from his childhood. The writer/actor says he witnessed a murder from his front stoop (a concrete stairway leading into his building). "At that time, I thought they were fighting over the parking space in front of my building," Palminteri recalls. "I never did find out what they were fighting over."

Palminteri's story emphasizes the nobility of the working man over the gangster and warns that "the saddest thing in life is wasted talent."

A Bronx Tale is currently running previews at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City, with its official debut this Thursday, October, 25th. Information on the show is available online at http://www.abronxtaleonbroadway.com and www.myspace.com/abronxtaleonbroadway . Additional information in video form can be found at http://www.youtube.com/abronxtaleonbroadway .

Palminteri will be answering questions about the show sent to askchazz@abronxtaleonbroadway.com . From now through Nov. 1, those e-mailing questions will be entered in a weekly drawing for a free pair of tickets to the show.

Mobster weeps during DeVecchio testimony

Testifying Oct. 18 about his experiences within the Colombo Crime Family, ex-mobster Lawrence Mazza, 46, broke down and cried on the witness stand, according to a story by Scott Shifrel of the New York Daily News. Mazza was testifying for the prosecution in the murder trial of former FBI supervisor Roy Lindley DeVecchio.

Mazza recounted his work, which included shooting and killing underworld rivals, on behalf of Colombo capo Gregory "the Grim Reaper" Scarpa (left). "I was his right hand man - very, very close," Mazza said. During the 1990s Colombo Family civil war, Mazza and his underworld colleagues would cruise around Brooklyn streets looking for their human targets.
When Mazza told of his personal background and his early desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, a New York Fire Department lieutenant, he began to cry. He noted that he spent a year at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, studying police and fire science, while he worked as a supermarket delivery boy. A chance meeting with Scarpa's girlfriend, Linda Schiro, changed all of his plans. Mazza wept uncontrollably, and a break had to be called in the trial.

Prosecutors charge that DeVecchio (right) provided information to Scarpa that aided him in his attacks on his rivals. DeVecchio insists he is innocent of wrongdoing. A number of current and former FBI agents have publicly supported him.

Mazza was arrested in 1993 and began cooperating with authorities the following year. He served time in prison for racketeering and murder.

Scarpa died in prison in 1994 at the age of 66. His son, Gregory Scarpa Jr., followed him into the mob and into prison. He is now serving time on a racketeering conviction.

Pope denounces "disgraceful" Camorra


On his first papal visit to the city of Naples, Pope Benedict (right) denounced yesterday the criminal activity and culture of violence of the Camorra criminal society, according to a report by Phil Steward of the Reuters news service.

"...That violence tends to become a widespread mentality... with the risk of especially attracting the young," the pope warned.

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe of Naples delivered a similar message, stating, "Violence is always an offense against God."

Naples, somewhat ironically, is hosting an inter-faith conference on the role of religion in combatting worldwide violence. The city, which is the traditional home of the Camorra, has been plagued by violence. Last November, the Italian government considered sending in military forces to halt the clashes between Camorra gangs.

At that time, Campania regional Governor Antonio Bassolino called the Camorra, "a deadly cancer."

Thursday, October 18, 2007

U.S. won't extradite drug criminal

U.S. Immigration Judge D.D. Sitgraves cited humanitarian reasons for refusing an Italian extradition request for convicted drug trafficker Rosario Gambino, according to an Oct. 15 story by Anna Gorman of the Los Angeles Times.

The judge was concerned that Gambino would be subjected to physical and psychological pressure amounting to "torture" while in Italian custody.

According to a story by John Hooper of the UK Guardian, Italy routinely places restrictions on imprisoned organized criminals. They spend much of their time in solitary confinement, have limited access to open air and to family visits. Their mail is censored. Italian officials say the restrictions are necessary to ensure that Mafiosi do not continue to run their criminal enterprises while in prison.

Gambino's attorney P. Joseph Sandoval explained, "It's a humanitarian issue. The prison conditions in his specific case will be life-threatening and life-shortening."

Gambino, a reputed member of the crime family sharing his name, has served 22 years in a California prison on a drug trafficking conviction. He was removed to an immigration detention center last year, as his appeal against the Italian extradition request was processed.

U.S. immigration officials plan to appeal the judge's decision.

'Ndrangheta informant dies before testifying

There is concern that Bruno Piccolo, an informant on the workings of the 'Ndrangheta criminal society of Calabria, Italy, was "suicided" while under official protection, according to a story published by the UK Guardian.

Piccolo's lifeless body was found Tuesday in an Adriatic coast hideaway. Preliminary findings indicated that Piccolo ended his own life, but Italian political leaders are demanding a complete investigation. Piccolo was preparing to testify on the 2005 assassination of Calabrian politician Francesco Fortugno.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

FBI's DeVecchio comes to trial

Roy Lindley DeVecchio, an ex-FBI supervisor accused of cooperating with brutal Mafia bigshot, was in Brooklyn State Supreme Court yesterday for the opening of his trial, according to a story by Michael Brick of the New York Times.

DeVecchio, 67 (right), has been a well respected law enforcement professional and retains the support of many of his FBI peers. He made a significant contribution to the landmark Mafia Commission Case in the 1980s, which put the nation's top crime bosses behind bars.

Prosecutors charge that he lost his way between 1980 and 1993 and began trading information with a Colombo Crime Family capo, the late Gregory "the Grim Reaper" Scarpa Sr., who also served as an FBI informant. They say that he accepted cash and other compensation for cooperating with Scarpa in his efforts to eliminate Mafia rivals and other suspected informants. DeVecchio is accused of causing four murders and of failing to stop several others.

The prosecution witness list includes Linda Schiro, Scarpa's common law wife.

DeVecchio defense attorney Douglas Grover insists that Schiro has engineered her testimony in order to sell books. He argued that the working relationship between his client and Scarpa was not inappropriate. "Gregory Scarpa, as ugly and miserable a human being as he was - a made member of the Colombo Crime Family - was a top echelon FBI source," Grover said.

DeVecchio waived his right to trial by jury. His fate will be decided by Judge Gustin L. Reichbach. DeVecchio's attorneys tried a number of maneuvers to avoid state trial, including arguing for the case to be heard as a federal matter.

Gregory Scarpa Sr. (left), who is believed to have played a role in extracting information from Ku Klux Klansmen about the murders of civil rights workers in the 1960s, died in prison in 1994 at the age of 66.

His son, Gregory Scarpa Jr., followed him into an organized crime career. The younger Scarpa, now in prison on a racketeering conviction, is also expected to testify in the DeVecchio trial. Prosecutors say the two Scarpa's teamed up for the Sept. 24, 1984, murder of Mary Bari in the Occasions Bar in Bensonhurst, according to a story by Alex Ginsberg of the New York Post. Scarpa Jr. allegedly held Bari in a bear hug as Scarpa Sr. put three bullets into her head. Prosecutors say the Scarpas learned from DeVecchio that Bari was about to lead federal investigators to her fugitive boyfriend, reputed Colombo Crime Family bigshot Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Five charged with extortion, robberies

The FBI yesterday arrested five alleged members of the Mafia in the New York area, according to a story by Peter J. Sampson of the Record. They, along with two men already in prison, were charged with participating in robberies and extortion targeting business owners in New York and New Jersey during 2004 and 2005.

The FBI arrested John "Rocky" Melicharek, 37, of Glen Rock, NJ; Mike Iuni, 50, of Jersey City, NJ; Angelo Nicosia, 45, of East Stroudsburg, PA; Louis Pipolo, 45, of Newburgh, NY; and Dardian "Danny" Celaj, 30, of Bloomfield, CT. Also charged were Dominick "Shakes" Memoli, 41, and Ened "Neddy" Gjelaj, 27.

An eight-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court charges Melicharek, Iuni and Nicosia with associate status in the Genovese Crime Family. and accuses them of using their affiliation with the crime family to extort a Manhattan-based business owner. Melicharek, Memoli, Pipolo, Celaj and Gjelaj are charged with invading homes, including that of a Morris County, NJ, businessman, and of using firearms in connection with those crimes. Melicharek also faces a stolen property charge.

If convicted, Melicharek, Memoli, Pipolo, Celaj and Gjelaj could be sentenced to life in prison. Iuni and Nicosia face maximum sentences of 40 years in prison.

According to the Record story, several of the defendants are connected with the crew of reputed Genovese Family lieutenant Angelo "the Horn" Prisco. Prisco (right), 68, was arrested at his home on Outlook Avenue in the Bronx, NY, early last year along with two other men on an extortion charge, according to a press release from the Newark, NJ, office of the FBI. He later pleaded guilty to ordering an assault on an electrical contractor competing with a Prisco-allied contractor. In spring 2003, there was a furor over Prisco's early release from prison, according to a Mike Kelly column on NorthJersey.com. He had been sentenced in 1998 to serve 12 years in East Jersey State Prison. At the time of his parole, Prisco was 13 months from his scheduled parole hearing. He was placed on the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement exclusion list late in 2003.

According to a story in the New York Daily News, the indictment illustrates the Genovese Family's use of ethnic Albanian "muscle." Albanian Celaj was allegedly called in to terrorize a New Jersey family.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Secrets: Three defendants guilty of 10 murders

Calabrese, Lombardo, Marcello
could be sentenced to life in prison

Jury deadlocked on Schiro charge

The jury in Chicago's Family Secrets trial on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, convicted three aging mob bosses of ten gangland murders, according to an Associated Press story by Mike Robinson.

Frank Calabrese, Sr., 70 (at right, top); James Marcello, 65 (at right, second from top), Joseph Lombardo, 78 (at right, third from top); and already facing long prison sentences in connection with racketeering convictions, now face the possibility of life behind bars for the racketeering murders. The jury deadlocked on whether Paul Schiro, 70 (at right, second from bottom), was guilty of murder. Family Secrets defendant Anthony Doyle, 62 (at right, bottom), was not charged with involvement in the racketeering murders. Schiro and Doyle still face significant jail time - up to 20 years each - due to their racketeering conspiracy convictions in the case.
The five defendants were convicted of racketeering conspiracy on Sept. 10. Jurors then deliberated for eight days on the murder charges, which relate to slayings as long ago as 1970.
Joseph Lopez, attorney for Calabrese, complained of the media circus surrounding the case and promised an appeal, according to a story by Jeff Coen of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't think anybody charged with a case like this could get a fair trial anywhere, because of the publicity prior to trial," he said.
  • Calabrese was convicted of seven murders: the 1980 shotgun deaths of William and Charlotte Dauber, the 1981 car-bombing of Michael Cagnoni, and the slayings of John Fecarotta, Michael Albergo, Richard Ortiz and Arthur Morawski. Calabrese was earlier convicted of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, running an illegal gambling enterprise. He was initially charged with 13 racketeering murders.
  • Marcello was convicted of participating in the June 1986 beating deaths of brothers Anthony and Michael Spilotro. Marcello was earlier convicted of racketeering conspiracy, obstructing a criminal investigation, running an illegal gambling enterprise and tax fruad conspiracy. He was initially charged with three racketeering murders.
  • Lombardo was convicted of the 1974 shooting death of Daniel Seifert, who was expected to testify in a federal investigation of Lombardo. Lombardo was earlier convicted of racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He was charged only with the Seifert murder.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining eight murders, including the 1981 slaying of Nicholas D'Andrea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars noted that jurors seemed to have difficulty convicting on just the testimony of mob turncoat Nicholas Calabrese.
"It seems that they... wanted to have some solid corroboration for our main witness," Mars said. "So it seems they're broken down along the lines of Calabrese's testimony."
Some of the murder charges were supported through statements on surveillance tapes and/or forensic evidence, he noted.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Authorities say DiFronzo is top man in Outfit


John "No Nose" DiFronzo (right), 78, is a top man in the Chicago Outfit, according to a video report by ABC-7 in Chicago. The report indicated that DiFronzo's younger brother Peter is his top lieutenant.

In the recent Family Secrets trial, mob turncoat witness Nicholas Calabrese spoke of John DiFronzo's participation in the murder of the Spilotro brothers. Federal authorities also have surveillance video showing Chicago mobsters referring to DiFronzo in conversation by touching their noses rather than by using his name.

Asked why they chose not to include DiFronzo in the Family Secrets case, prosecutors responded that they did not want to go after the mob bigshot with just a single witness against him.

Italian police nab Mafia administrator

Italian police last week announced the arrest of 72-year-old Giuseppe Lipari, suspected of managing the business affairs of now-jailed Sicilian Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano.

Casso Jr. faces eviction from turncoat's house

Anthony Casso Jr., son of Lucchese Crime Family bigshot Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, was due in court today for eviction proceedings, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Burton Kaplan, a devastating mob-turncoat witness in the Mafia Cops case, is the apparent owner of Casso's rented home in Brooklyn, and he wants Casso out. Casso has fought the eviction, arguing that the Kaplan fraudulently acquired the property in 1985 in a money-laundering scheme with Casso Sr. He also charged that Kaplan borrowed $150,000 from his father to pay for the wedding of his daughter, who is now a Manhattan supreme court justice.

Kaplan countered that Casso Jr. and his family have lived in the home rent-free for 20 years. He said he offered to sell Casso the home for $650,000. When Casso attempted to negotiate with Kaplan privately, he was prevented from doing so, since Kaplan is a protected government witness.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Secrets: Jurors break until Sept. 20

The Family Secrets trial jury, now considering whether four defendants were responsible for 18 Chicago mob murders described in the case, will not deliberate again until Thursday, Sept. 20, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune.

The jury break was announced Friday by U.S. District Judge James Zagel's office. Four days earlier, the same jury convicted defendants James Marcello, Joey "the Clown" Lombardo, Frank Calabrese Sr., Paul "the Indian" Schiro and Anthony "Twan" Doyle of racketeering conspiracy.

Marcello, Lombardo, Calabrese and Schiro could be sentenced to life imprisonment if found guilty of the racketeering murders.

The defendants:






James Marcello
Guilty of racketeering conspiracy, obstructing a criminal investigation, running an illegal gambling enterprise, and tax fraud conspiracy. Charged in connection with three racketeering murders.





Frank Calabrese Sr.

Guilty of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, running an illegal gambling enterprise. Charged in connection with 13 racketeering murders.





Joey Lombardo
Guilty of racketeering conspiracy, obstruction of justice. Charged with one racketeering murder.





Paul Schiro
Guilty of racketeering conspiracy. Charged with one racketeering murder.





Anthony Doyle
Guilty of racketeering conspiracy. Doyle is not facing charges in connection with the racketeering murders.

About Me

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Writer, editor, researcher, web publisher, specializing in organized crime history. (Available to assist with historical/genealogical research, writing, editing. Email at tphunt@gmail.com.)
Editor/publisher of crime history journal, Informer; publisher of American Mafia history website Mafiahistory.us; moderator of online forums; author of Wrongly Executed?; coauthor of Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia and DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime; contributor of U.S. Mafia history to Australian-published Mafia: The Necessary Reference to Organized Crime; writer/co-writer of crime history articles for several publications.
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