Organized crime groups from Albania and Russia are believed to be managing at least one "baby factory" in Athens, Greece, according to a story by Natalie Clark in the UK Daily Mail.
Families in Europe and America wanting a child simply place an order and hand over considerable cash. Women associated with the factory, mostly Bulgarians and Romanian "gypsies," are impregnated and paid to turn over the resulting babies.
According to the report, women are coerced into the arrangement through a number of methods. In some cases, women are granted false travel papers in order to enter Greece and are then presented with huge bills for the service. They are told that the debt will be erased if they get pregnant and give up their babies. Other women are drawn into the racket through the promise of cash or drugs.
Friday, January 5, 2007
City probes mob "links"
New York City is looking into the alleged underworld connections of a man hired to manage a city-owned public golf course, according to reports by Stephanie Gaskell of the New York Post and Greg B. Smith of the New York Daily News.
Dominick Logozzo secured a 20-year deal to manage a course located near the Belt Parkway back in 2005. The contract took effect Jan. 1, 2006. City Controller William Thompson is now asking the Parks Department to consider backing out of the deal.
"The information we have obtained gives rise to numerous integrity concerns," Thompson wrote to the parks officials.
That information concerns Logozzo's alleged relationship to Craig Marino, a reputed soldier of the Colombo Crime Family who is wanted on federal racketeering charges.
Logozzo reportedly provided financial backing for Marino's investment in the Zone Chefs company, which produces the Zone Diet and has been targeted by prosecutors as a front for a stock swindling racket. A Lincoln Navigator automobile driven by Marino is reportedly registered in Logozzo's name.
While citing "integrity concerns," Thompson noted that Logozzo has not been charged with any crime and that the golf course manager was under no obligation to reveal connections to Marino at the time he bid for the job (Marino was indicted the following March).
Logozzo's brother told the New York Post that Dominick has no ties to the mob. "All he does is get up and go to work every day."
Dominick Logozzo secured a 20-year deal to manage a course located near the Belt Parkway back in 2005. The contract took effect Jan. 1, 2006. City Controller William Thompson is now asking the Parks Department to consider backing out of the deal.
"The information we have obtained gives rise to numerous integrity concerns," Thompson wrote to the parks officials.
That information concerns Logozzo's alleged relationship to Craig Marino, a reputed soldier of the Colombo Crime Family who is wanted on federal racketeering charges.
Logozzo reportedly provided financial backing for Marino's investment in the Zone Chefs company, which produces the Zone Diet and has been targeted by prosecutors as a front for a stock swindling racket. A Lincoln Navigator automobile driven by Marino is reportedly registered in Logozzo's name.
While citing "integrity concerns," Thompson noted that Logozzo has not been charged with any crime and that the golf course manager was under no obligation to reveal connections to Marino at the time he bid for the job (Marino was indicted the following March).
Logozzo's brother told the New York Post that Dominick has no ties to the mob. "All he does is get up and go to work every day."
Thursday, January 4, 2007
U.S.: Colombian police officers trafficked cocaine
Two Colombian police officers have been brought to the United States to be charged with helping to smuggle more than $50 million worth of cocaine between 2005 and 2006, according to a press release from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Leonidas Molina-Triana (also known as "Sofoco" and "Don Oscar"), a former major in the Colombian National Police, and Humberto Avila, an active CNP patrolman, were indicted for aiding in the transport of cocaine through El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia, to Mexico, en route to the U.S.
The officers allegedly worked with employees of Avianca Airlines to pass the drug shipments through security. Mexican law enforcement seized 409 kilograms of cocaine aboard an Avianca plane landed at Mexico City on Oct. 17, 2005. Additional shipments allegedly arranged with the officers by the Norte Valle Cartel were seized in 2006. On April 3, a cargo of 552 kg of cocaine was discovered. Another 1,200 kg was found the following day.
The cocaine smuggling was discovered through Operation Caso Dorado, a joint program of the United States and Mexican governments.
Leonidas Molina-Triana (also known as "Sofoco" and "Don Oscar"), a former major in the Colombian National Police, and Humberto Avila, an active CNP patrolman, were indicted for aiding in the transport of cocaine through El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia, to Mexico, en route to the U.S.
The officers allegedly worked with employees of Avianca Airlines to pass the drug shipments through security. Mexican law enforcement seized 409 kilograms of cocaine aboard an Avianca plane landed at Mexico City on Oct. 17, 2005. Additional shipments allegedly arranged with the officers by the Norte Valle Cartel were seized in 2006. On April 3, a cargo of 552 kg of cocaine was discovered. Another 1,200 kg was found the following day.
The cocaine smuggling was discovered through Operation Caso Dorado, a joint program of the United States and Mexican governments.
Facchiano indicted in two states
New York and Florida racketeering indictments against Albert "Chinky" Facchiano, 96, are the focus of an article by Curt Anderson of the Associated Press.
Facchiano is believed to have been a Genovese Crime Family soldier for decades. His police record stretches back to an arrest during the Great Depression.
More recently, law enforcement officials say Facchiano was part of a Genovese family arm operating in south Florida. In late June, he was formally charged in Fort Lauderdale - along with reputed Genovese lieutenant Renaldi "Ray" Ruggiero, 72, and five other men - with extortion, money-laundering and other crimes.
In New York, he faces a similar list of charges, plus an accusation that he attempted to locate and intimidate a government witness in 2005.
One defendant in the Florida case, Charles Steinberg, 31, pleaded guilty in December and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Related MobNews items:
Facchiano is believed to have been a Genovese Crime Family soldier for decades. His police record stretches back to an arrest during the Great Depression.
More recently, law enforcement officials say Facchiano was part of a Genovese family arm operating in south Florida. In late June, he was formally charged in Fort Lauderdale - along with reputed Genovese lieutenant Renaldi "Ray" Ruggiero, 72, and five other men - with extortion, money-laundering and other crimes.
In New York, he faces a similar list of charges, plus an accusation that he attempted to locate and intimidate a government witness in 2005.
One defendant in the Florida case, Charles Steinberg, 31, pleaded guilty in December and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Related MobNews items:
Bronx dad accused of being hitman
Melvin Green of the Bronx NY, father of seven children, has been accused of working as a professional hitman, according to a video report by Lou Young of WCBS-TV in New York.
Police believe Green, who has an "extensive" criminal record, was paid to execute the female owner of a Middletown NY hair salon on New Year's Eve. The killing of Fermina Nunez was allegedly contracted by the woman's ex-boyfriend.
Police believe Green, who has an "extensive" criminal record, was paid to execute the female owner of a Middletown NY hair salon on New Year's Eve. The killing of Fermina Nunez was allegedly contracted by the woman's ex-boyfriend.
18 dead in Brazil gang attacks
As Brazil's tourist season opens, authorities are battling heavily armed drug gangs on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, according to a story by Larry Rohter of the New York Times.
Gangs attacked police stations and other targets on Dec. 28. At least 18 people were killed in the violence. The gang assaults are believed related to a change in the local governor. Sergio Cabral took office on Monday, and some speculate that gang leaders were sending him a warning.
Since May, gang attacks in Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, have taken 200 lives.
Betting ring busted
Seventeen people were arrested last week as police dismantled a betting ring in Long Island, NY, according to a story by John Lauinger of the New York Daily News.
The arrests were the result of a one-year investigation and a wiretap of a computer in Suffolk County. Authorities traced betting activity through a wire room in Costa Rica.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the betting operation was run by Salvatore Gerrato, 45, of Seaford, and Frank Lonigro, 33, of Hauppauge. The two men are also accused of running a side business that generated $1 million a year in marijuana trafficking.
Click to access the 2006 MobNews Story/Photo index
The arrests were the result of a one-year investigation and a wiretap of a computer in Suffolk County. Authorities traced betting activity through a wire room in Costa Rica.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the betting operation was run by Salvatore Gerrato, 45, of Seaford, and Frank Lonigro, 33, of Hauppauge. The two men are also accused of running a side business that generated $1 million a year in marijuana trafficking.
Click to access the 2006 MobNews Story/Photo index
Sicilian godfather's Bible verse puzzle
Authorities are studying a memorial message in a Sicilian newspaper placed by reputed Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, according to a story by Richard Owen of the UK Times.
Denaro's memorial notice to his father, who died in 1998, contains a Biblical verse in Latin, to which some words have been attached. Police suspect that Denaro might be using the message to communicate with underworld colleagues. Sicilian mob bosses, including Bernardo Provenzano who was captured last year, are known for sending coded messages based on Bible passages.
The first portion of the memorial, translated into English reads from the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes: "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die"
But, after that, it includes words not used in the Bible: "but only he who wants to will fly, and your flight has forever been sublime."
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Mobster bombed competing deli
New York police and federal investigators believe that Edward "the Irishman" Fisher orchestrated the post-9/11 bombing of a Staten Island deli, according to a story by Stefanie Cohen, Philip Messing and Bill Sanderson of the New York Post.
Authorities previously believed the Dec. 22, 2001, bombing was an anti-Muslim hate crime. The deli owner, Hamim Syed, is said to be active in Staten Island's Pakistani community.
According to Lt. Dennis Briordi of the NYPD Arson and Explosions Squad, Fisher, 54, set up the bombing to eliminate a rival to his own bagel store. He obtained the bomb and had associates Anthony Maniscalco and Salvatore Palmieri toss it into the rival deli. The store cost $400,000 to rebuild.
Fisher denies any involvement in the crime.
Authorities suspect Fisher of being an associate with the Gambino Crime Family. Palmieri and Maniscalco have already been imprisoned for their roles in the crime.
Authorities previously believed the Dec. 22, 2001, bombing was an anti-Muslim hate crime. The deli owner, Hamim Syed, is said to be active in Staten Island's Pakistani community.
According to Lt. Dennis Briordi of the NYPD Arson and Explosions Squad, Fisher, 54, set up the bombing to eliminate a rival to his own bagel store. He obtained the bomb and had associates Anthony Maniscalco and Salvatore Palmieri toss it into the rival deli. The store cost $400,000 to rebuild.
Fisher denies any involvement in the crime.
Authorities suspect Fisher of being an associate with the Gambino Crime Family. Palmieri and Maniscalco have already been imprisoned for their roles in the crime.
Italy arrests Litvinenko confidant
Italian police arrested Mario Scaramella on arms trafficking charges Sunday, according to a Reuters report published in the New York Post. Scaramella was one of the last people known to be with recently murdered ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Scaramella was arrested as he arrived at the Naples airport from London, where he had undergone treatment for suspected exposure to the same radioactive substance - Polonium-210 - that killed Litvinenko last month.
British and Russian law enforcement agencies are conducting murder investigations into Litvinenko's death.
See also:
Writer links Litvinenko death to Mafiya and U.S. 12-19-2006
Scaramella was arrested as he arrived at the Naples airport from London, where he had undergone treatment for suspected exposure to the same radioactive substance - Polonium-210 - that killed Litvinenko last month.
British and Russian law enforcement agencies are conducting murder investigations into Litvinenko's death.
See also:
Writer links Litvinenko death to Mafiya and U.S. 12-19-2006
Reputed mobsters accuse housewife of con
Three reputed mobsters, charged in federal court with loansharking, have pointed an accusing finger at a Howard Beach, Queens, housewife, according to a story by Stefanie Cohen of the New York Post.
Reputed Bonanno Crime Family members Michael "Mike the Butcher" Virtuoso and Michael Cassese and reputed crime family associate Agostino Accardo insist that Yvonne Rossetti conned them to the tune of a half million dollars in a phony real estate deal back in 2005.
When the reputed wiseguys got wise to the scam, they made some threatening remarks. Those were overheard by Rossetti's husband Vincent, and also some federal investigators via an electronic eavesdropping device worn by Vincent.
Accardo was the first to be approached with the alleged scam. He reportedly brought in Virtuoso. When promised returns failed to materialize, Cassese was allegedly called in to persuade Yvonne Rossetti to make good. Vincent Rossetti reportedly taped Cassese and Virtuoso making threats to his wife.
Federal agents connected the threats to expected payments on a loan, and the loansharking case was the result, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.
The Daily News also reported that Rossetti has been accused of conning relatives and others out of money she said was needed to care for her handicapped teenage daughter. Some have questioned her use of money generated through fundraisers held for her daughter's benefit.
Accardo, Virtuoso and Cassese were indicted last month. Accardo is free on $1 million bail. The other two men are being held without bail as they await trial. Vincent Rossetti faces federal extortion charges in a separate case.
Friday, December 22, 2006
FBI "knew all along they were not guilty"
Michael J. Albano, former Springfield MA mayor and state Parole Board member, testified this week that the FBI repeatedly withheld evidence that several men convicted of murder were actually innocent, according to a story by Dan Ring of the Springfield Republican.
"The FBI knew all along they were not guilty," Albano, 56, said in U.S. District Court in Boston on Tuesday.
Albano's testimony in the $100 million lawsuit brought against the government by Peter Limone, Joseph Salvati and the families of Louis Greco and Henry Tameleo echoed that of former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who testified last week. The four men were convicted in 1968 of the 1965 murder of Edward "Teddy" Deegan. The conviction was based in large part on testimony that has since been proven false. Greco and Tameleo spent the remainder of their lives behind bars for a crime they did not commit. Limone and Salvati were finally released in 2001, after FBI documentation in the case was revealed.
While a new member of the Parole Board in the 1980s, the matter of commuting the sentences of Limone, Salvati and Greco came before the board. (Tameleo had died in prison in 1984.) Albano said he asked the FBI for information, but was not provided with an important report. He ultimately and unsuccessfully voted for commutation.
After leaving the witness stand, Albano told reporters that FBI agents attempted to persuade him against voting for the commutation of the sentences. "They... said it probably would not bode well for me if I wanted to remain in public life, that this would not be a good vote for me."
Related MobNews items:
Dukakis testifies in Limone lawsuit 12-14-2006
DiNunzio released on $20K cash bail 12-05-2006
Mass. police arrest DiNunzio 12-02-2006
Salvati, Limone sue FBI for 1960s frameup 08-19-2006
Attorney: FBI responsible for mob hit 06-30-2006
Agent had 'Whitey' concerns in '81 06-14-2006
FBI 'condoned' crimes, gang hits 06-07-2006
"The FBI knew all along they were not guilty," Albano, 56, said in U.S. District Court in Boston on Tuesday.
Albano's testimony in the $100 million lawsuit brought against the government by Peter Limone, Joseph Salvati and the families of Louis Greco and Henry Tameleo echoed that of former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who testified last week. The four men were convicted in 1968 of the 1965 murder of Edward "Teddy" Deegan. The conviction was based in large part on testimony that has since been proven false. Greco and Tameleo spent the remainder of their lives behind bars for a crime they did not commit. Limone and Salvati were finally released in 2001, after FBI documentation in the case was revealed.
While a new member of the Parole Board in the 1980s, the matter of commuting the sentences of Limone, Salvati and Greco came before the board. (Tameleo had died in prison in 1984.) Albano said he asked the FBI for information, but was not provided with an important report. He ultimately and unsuccessfully voted for commutation.
After leaving the witness stand, Albano told reporters that FBI agents attempted to persuade him against voting for the commutation of the sentences. "They... said it probably would not bode well for me if I wanted to remain in public life, that this would not be a good vote for me."
Related MobNews items:
Dukakis testifies in Limone lawsuit 12-14-2006
DiNunzio released on $20K cash bail 12-05-2006
Mass. police arrest DiNunzio 12-02-2006
Salvati, Limone sue FBI for 1960s frameup 08-19-2006
Attorney: FBI responsible for mob hit 06-30-2006
Agent had 'Whitey' concerns in '81 06-14-2006
FBI 'condoned' crimes, gang hits 06-07-2006
Brazil sends Alite home to U.S.
The Brazilian government turned reputed Gambino Crime Family bigshot John Edward Alite, 44, over to U.S. law enforcement agents earlier today, according to a story on CNN.
The agents immediately brought Alite back to the United States. He faces a list of racket-related charges in connection with a Gambino family branch that operated in the Tampa, Florida, region.
Four men, believed to be Alite's underworld accomplices, were convicted in November in Tampa. Alite was fighting extradition from Brazil at the time of that trial.
The four - Ronald "Ronnie One Arm" Trucchio, Steven Catalano, Kevin M. McMahon and Terry L. Scaglione - are to be sentenced in March. Trucchio and Catalano face possible life prison sentences. McMahon and Scaglione could be jailed up to 20 years.
One member of Gambino crew in Tampa, Michael Malone, earlier pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against his former associates.
Earlier this month, the November jury verdict was called into question, as one juror claimed that she was pressured into voting guilty and that she observed improper behavior by some jurors.
Related MobNews items:
Tampa jury frightened by Trucchio investigators 12-08-2006
Gambino's Tampa crew convicted 11-30-2006
Trucchio defends himself, for now 10-18-2006
Tampa Gambino crew goes on trial 10-16-2006
Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-2006
The agents immediately brought Alite back to the United States. He faces a list of racket-related charges in connection with a Gambino family branch that operated in the Tampa, Florida, region.
Four men, believed to be Alite's underworld accomplices, were convicted in November in Tampa. Alite was fighting extradition from Brazil at the time of that trial.
The four - Ronald "Ronnie One Arm" Trucchio, Steven Catalano, Kevin M. McMahon and Terry L. Scaglione - are to be sentenced in March. Trucchio and Catalano face possible life prison sentences. McMahon and Scaglione could be jailed up to 20 years.
One member of Gambino crew in Tampa, Michael Malone, earlier pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against his former associates.
Earlier this month, the November jury verdict was called into question, as one juror claimed that she was pressured into voting guilty and that she observed improper behavior by some jurors.
Related MobNews items:
Tampa jury frightened by Trucchio investigators 12-08-2006
Gambino's Tampa crew convicted 11-30-2006
Trucchio defends himself, for now 10-18-2006
Tampa Gambino crew goes on trial 10-16-2006
Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Text of Ianniello plea agreement
The News-Times of Danbury CT is providing a web link to the plea agreement between Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. ( Click here to access the document. ) Yesterday, Ianniello pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiring to defraud the IRS in connection with a property rights racket in the Connecticut waste hauling industry.
Under the agreement, Ianniello agreed to pay $277,970.90 in taxes and penalties and to forfeit $130,680 seized by the FBI and the IRS during a search of his Old Westbury NY home in July. He also faces a maximum penalty of 24 to 30 months in prison and a possible additional fine when sentenced March 9. The prison term might run concurrently with the up to two years he could be sentenced in connection with a labor racketeering conviction from September.
Related MobNews items:
Ianniello pleads guilty to trash racketeering 12-20-2006
School bus union boss charged with racketeering 11-21-2006
NYC schoolbus drivers want mob out of union 11-09-2006
Galante employee admits hockey-trash link 11-02-2006
CT mulls waste hauling regulation 09-24-06
'Matty the Horse' pleads guilty to racketeering 09-15-06
Feds: Galante diverted millions 08-10-06
Galante waste companies could be sold 07-17-06
Trash racket defendants want court delay 07-12-06
Indicted garbage co. tries to hold onto contracts 07-10-06
Strict conditions set for Galante release 07-01-06
Trash king Galante to stay in jail for now 06-28-06
Feds run CT waste biz 06-13-06
Indicted hauler's hockey team suspends operations 06-13-06
29 charged in CT-NY trash hauling rackets 06-10-06
Garbage 'property rights' 04-28-06
Guilty hauler 04-28-06
Under the agreement, Ianniello agreed to pay $277,970.90 in taxes and penalties and to forfeit $130,680 seized by the FBI and the IRS during a search of his Old Westbury NY home in July. He also faces a maximum penalty of 24 to 30 months in prison and a possible additional fine when sentenced March 9. The prison term might run concurrently with the up to two years he could be sentenced in connection with a labor racketeering conviction from September.
Related MobNews items:
Ianniello pleads guilty to trash racketeering 12-20-2006
School bus union boss charged with racketeering 11-21-2006
NYC schoolbus drivers want mob out of union 11-09-2006
Galante employee admits hockey-trash link 11-02-2006
CT mulls waste hauling regulation 09-24-06
'Matty the Horse' pleads guilty to racketeering 09-15-06
Feds: Galante diverted millions 08-10-06
Galante waste companies could be sold 07-17-06
Trash racket defendants want court delay 07-12-06
Indicted garbage co. tries to hold onto contracts 07-10-06
Strict conditions set for Galante release 07-01-06
Trash king Galante to stay in jail for now 06-28-06
Feds run CT waste biz 06-13-06
Indicted hauler's hockey team suspends operations 06-13-06
29 charged in CT-NY trash hauling rackets 06-10-06
Garbage 'property rights' 04-28-06
Guilty hauler 04-28-06
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ianniello pleads guilty to trash racketeering
Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, 86, has admitted participation in a waste hauling "property rights" racket within Connecticut, according to a story by John Christoffersen of the Washington Post.
Ianniello, until recently considered by law enforcement to be the top man of the Genovese Crime Family, was one of 29 people charged in connection with the Connecticut racket over the summer. Prosecutors say regional trash czar James Galante of New Fairfield CT oversaw monopolistic cooperation among hauling firms and made regular tribute payments to Ianniello. Competition was suppressed by crime family backing of Galante, they say. (Click for original indictment.)
Ianniello pleaded guilty in New Haven CT federal court today and will be sentenced March 9. He faces between 24 and 30 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy and tax evasion. He faced a possible penalty of 20 years in prison if he went to trial and was convicted, according to a story by Kent Pierce of WTNH-TV. Ianniello admitted to sending representatives to Connecticut quarterly to pick up cash payments, but he did not admit to being a member of the Mafia.
It has been a difficult year for the reputed crime boss. In September he pleaded guilty to racketeering offenses in connection with an allegedly corrupt school bus drivers union. (Click for original indictment.) He admitted to obstructing justice by concealing payoffs he arranged between bus companies and union officials. He could be sentenced up to two years in prison in that case.
While Ianniello is technically "free" on $1 million bail in the trash property rights case, he is actually legally confined to his home (when not making court appearances) as a result of other legal matters.
Law enforcement officials believe that Ianniello became an acting boss of the Genovese family after Vincent "the Chin" Gigante was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1997. Gigante died in prison last year. (Some authorities now say that Daniel Leo, 65, of Rockleigh NJ, is the top man in the Genovese family.)
According to Galante's defense attorney, Hugh Keefe, the Ianniello plea will not push Galante toward a plea deal. Galante insists that he is innocent of wrongdoing.
On Nov. 1, the former head coach of the Galante-owned Danbury CT Trashers minor league hockey team pleaded guilty to evading league salary cap rules by concealing no-show jobs given to players in waste hauling firms. J. Todd Stirling, 34, acknowledged filing fraudulent reports with the UHL league offices during the 2004-05 season. Prosecutors say the Trashers' actual payroll, including no-show job income and other improper benefits, was about $475,000 over the league salary cap of $275,000. The Trashers team was dissolved over the summer.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut, Danbury CT waste hauler Paul DiNardo, 48, pleaded guilty last Friday to participating in the property rights racket. DiNardo, employed by American Disposal Services of Connecticut and one of the 29 people indicted in June, admitted that he manipulated the bidding process to ensure that his employer would obtain contracts. DiNardo is to be sentenced March 5. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Another defendant in the case, former Waterbury CT mayor Joseph Santopietro is said to be working on a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Santopietro's attorney Martin Minella said his client had no involvement with Ianniello and would not be affected by Ianniello's plea.
About a third of the defendants in the case have reached plea deals.
Related MobNews items:
School bus union boss charged with racketeering 11-21-2006
NYC schoolbus drivers want mob out of union 11-09-2006
Galante employee admits hockey-trash link 11-02-2006
CT mulls waste hauling regulation 09-24-06
'Matty the Horse' pleads guilty to racketeering 09-15-06
Feds: Galante diverted millions 08-10-06
Galante waste companies could be sold 07-17-06
Trash racket defendants want court delay 07-12-06
Indicted garbage co. tries to hold onto contracts 07-10-06
Strict conditions set for Galante release 07-01-06
Trash king Galante to stay in jail for now 06-28-06
Feds run CT waste biz 06-13-06
Indicted hauler's hockey team suspends operations 06-13-06
29 charged in CT-NY trash hauling rackets 06-10-06
Garbage 'property rights' 04-28-06
Guilty hauler 04-28-06
Ianniello, until recently considered by law enforcement to be the top man of the Genovese Crime Family, was one of 29 people charged in connection with the Connecticut racket over the summer. Prosecutors say regional trash czar James Galante of New Fairfield CT oversaw monopolistic cooperation among hauling firms and made regular tribute payments to Ianniello. Competition was suppressed by crime family backing of Galante, they say. (Click for original indictment.)
Ianniello pleaded guilty in New Haven CT federal court today and will be sentenced March 9. He faces between 24 and 30 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy and tax evasion. He faced a possible penalty of 20 years in prison if he went to trial and was convicted, according to a story by Kent Pierce of WTNH-TV. Ianniello admitted to sending representatives to Connecticut quarterly to pick up cash payments, but he did not admit to being a member of the Mafia.
It has been a difficult year for the reputed crime boss. In September he pleaded guilty to racketeering offenses in connection with an allegedly corrupt school bus drivers union. (Click for original indictment.) He admitted to obstructing justice by concealing payoffs he arranged between bus companies and union officials. He could be sentenced up to two years in prison in that case.
While Ianniello is technically "free" on $1 million bail in the trash property rights case, he is actually legally confined to his home (when not making court appearances) as a result of other legal matters.
Law enforcement officials believe that Ianniello became an acting boss of the Genovese family after Vincent "the Chin" Gigante was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1997. Gigante died in prison last year. (Some authorities now say that Daniel Leo, 65, of Rockleigh NJ, is the top man in the Genovese family.)
According to Galante's defense attorney, Hugh Keefe, the Ianniello plea will not push Galante toward a plea deal. Galante insists that he is innocent of wrongdoing.
On Nov. 1, the former head coach of the Galante-owned Danbury CT Trashers minor league hockey team pleaded guilty to evading league salary cap rules by concealing no-show jobs given to players in waste hauling firms. J. Todd Stirling, 34, acknowledged filing fraudulent reports with the UHL league offices during the 2004-05 season. Prosecutors say the Trashers' actual payroll, including no-show job income and other improper benefits, was about $475,000 over the league salary cap of $275,000. The Trashers team was dissolved over the summer.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut, Danbury CT waste hauler Paul DiNardo, 48, pleaded guilty last Friday to participating in the property rights racket. DiNardo, employed by American Disposal Services of Connecticut and one of the 29 people indicted in June, admitted that he manipulated the bidding process to ensure that his employer would obtain contracts. DiNardo is to be sentenced March 5. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Another defendant in the case, former Waterbury CT mayor Joseph Santopietro is said to be working on a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Santopietro's attorney Martin Minella said his client had no involvement with Ianniello and would not be affected by Ianniello's plea.
About a third of the defendants in the case have reached plea deals.
Related MobNews items:
School bus union boss charged with racketeering 11-21-2006
NYC schoolbus drivers want mob out of union 11-09-2006
Galante employee admits hockey-trash link 11-02-2006
CT mulls waste hauling regulation 09-24-06
'Matty the Horse' pleads guilty to racketeering 09-15-06
Feds: Galante diverted millions 08-10-06
Galante waste companies could be sold 07-17-06
Trash racket defendants want court delay 07-12-06
Indicted garbage co. tries to hold onto contracts 07-10-06
Strict conditions set for Galante release 07-01-06
Trash king Galante to stay in jail for now 06-28-06
Feds run CT waste biz 06-13-06
Indicted hauler's hockey team suspends operations 06-13-06
29 charged in CT-NY trash hauling rackets 06-10-06
Garbage 'property rights' 04-28-06
Guilty hauler 04-28-06
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About Me
- Thomas Hunt
- 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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