Mob-News

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Feds: Sicilian mobster hid in Florida

Giuseppe Giambrone, 49, will be sent from Florida to New York to answer charges that he made a false statement on an immigration form. Federal officials and Italian authorities believe Gaimbrone is linked with the Vitale Mafia Family in Sicily, according to a report by Pat Gillespie of the Fort Myers News-Press.

Giambrone was captured in South Fort Myers, where authorities believe he has been laying low for the past two years.

As he entered the U.S. in 2002, He reportedly claimed that he had never been convicted of a crime. However, Italian records show he was sentenced to over a year in prison in 1981 for stealing and two years in 1982 for extortion. The Italian government has a warrant for Giambrone's arrest.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

'Saint' gets 56 months

Anthony "the Saint" St. Laurent Sr. was sentenced by a Rhode Island federal judge today to 56 months in prison, according to a story by WLNE-TV (ABC-6) in Providence. The 65-year-old St. Laurent (photos date from 1987), reputedly a longtime member of the New England Crime Family, was convicted this past summer of conspiring to extort payments from two victims. He has been in custody since his arrest in April. He faced a possible maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine, according to WPRI-TV (FOX-12) in Providence. However, a plea deal caused prosecutors to recommend the minimum possible term - between three and five years. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge William Smith said he doubted St. Laurent would ever reform. Judge Smith noted 17 convictions on a St. Laurent rap sheet that dated back to the 1960s. According to the Nevada Gaming Commission, St. Laurent's arrest record goes back to 1959. The commission notes that he was once charged with operating a gambling ring from within a prison cell. Saint Laurent was on supervised release from prison (due to a 1999 conviction for gambling, extortion and loansharking) at the time of his attempted shakedown of two Massachusetts men. Related MobNews posts:

Interested in Mob history? Visit The American Mafia website: https://mafiahistory.us/

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Chicago commission papers subpoenaed

Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 77, reputed boss of the Chicago Outfit, is reportedly hoping that documents in the possession of the Chicago Crime Commission will help his defense in a racketeering trial, according to a story by Steve Warmbir of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Lombardo's attorney Rick Halprin had a subpoena served relating to records that caused the commission to place Lombardo atop an Outfit hierarchy chart created in the 1980s. Haprin noted that the late William Roemer served as both an FBI agent and as a consultant for the crime commission in the assembly of the hierarchy chart. Haprin said he is particularly interested in research that might have been done by the FBI into the September 1974 murder of Daniel Seifert. Lombardo and two others were charged with that killing in 2005.

Lombardo and 13 other reputed leaders of Chicago's crime family have been charged in a racketeering case known as "Operation Family Secrets" that includes 18 killings and spans four decades.

Charges against the group were revealed in April 2005. Lombardo remained at large for nine months, as police sought him. He was finally apprehended in suburban Elmwood Park, Illinois, in mid-January 2006. When he was captured, Lombardo had long hair and a full gray beard.

DeVecchio case stays with D.A.

U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block rejected another defense motion to transfer the murder case of ex-FBI agent Lindley DeVecchio to federal court, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Judge Block noted that DeVecchio is being charged with murders and "nothing to do with his federal duties." Murder is a state-level offense. The Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney's Office will prosecute the case. A similar defense motion was denied in August 2006.

DeVecchio has been charged with providing FBI data to mob informant Gregory Scarpa, reputedly a key man in the Colombo Crime Family. Scarpa used DeVecchio's assistance to kill four underworld rivals. DeVecchio has denied any wrongdoing. He has received vocal support from a large number of former and current FBI agents.

The case has increased friction between the D.A. and federal agencies in Brooklyn. In September, the D.A.'s office said the U.S. Attorney's Office was withholding documents relating to a 1996 investigation of DeVecchio.

Related MobNews posts:

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Bus union employee to prison for 5 months

Ann Chiarovano was sentenced Monday to five months in prison for lying to federal agents about mob influence in a New York school bus drivers union, according to a story by Thomas Zambito of the New York Daily News.

Chiarovano, said to be the girlfriend of a Genovese Crime Family associate, pleaded guilty in August. When questioned by agents, she denied informing reputed Genovese capo Ciro Perrone about subpoenas received by Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Chiarovano worked as the local's pension fund director and continued at her post after the guilty plea. She faced the possibility of a 20-year sentence when initially charged in the case.

The bus driver's local was taken over by the international in November after federal indictments forced two top officers to step down. Local President Salvatore "Hotdogs" Battaglia, 60, was charged with obstruction of justice and racketeering. Prosecutors say he is an associate of the Genovese family. Local Secretary-Treasurer Julius "Spike" Bernstein pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and has been cooperating in the investigation.

The original indictment in the case also charged Genovese bigshot Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello (left), Perrone, reputed Genovese soldiers Salvatore "Zookie" Esposito and Daniel Cilenti, and reputed Gambino Crime Family asscciate Maurice Napoli. Ianniello reached a plea deal, admitting he concealed payments he arranged between bus companies and union officials. Esposito, Cilenti and Napoli also pleaded guilty. Perrone was acquitted on an obstruction of justice charge but still faces trial for racketeering.

Related MobNews posts:

Gang violence in NY

Video reports from CBS-TV in New York look at three regional incidents of gang-related violence over the past few days:

Mexican president targets organized crime

In his first weeks on the job, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has tackled the issue of organized crime by sending thousands of federal police and military troops into the country's drug-dominated states of Michoacan and Baja California, according to a report by James C. McKinley Jr. of the New York Times.

The forces are attempting to combat rampant corruption in local police forces. They have disarmed police suspected of underworld involvement, burned marijuana crops and arrested those believed part of drug gangs. Four alleged top members of the Valencia drug gang have been taken into custody.

Critics point out that the move of federal forces into the region has done little to slow the gang-related violence there. An estimated 21 people were killed during the last three weeks of December, and a mass grave was found containing what appeared to be seven victims of gang hits.

A special target of Calderon's efforts is Tijuana. In that city, the entire police force was ordered to turn over its weapons, and more than 2,700 soldiers and federal police were called in. Three hundred people, including 25 police officers, were killed in Tijuana last year. Most of those deaths have been linked to drug gangs.

The family of Arellano Felix is still believed to control much of the drug traffic through Tijuana.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Basciano says poker buddies set him up

Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, reputed ex-boss of the Bonanno Crime Family, says two jailhouse poker buddies attributed a murder plot to him in order to gain the favor of prosecutors, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News. Basciano was found to be in possession of what looked to be a list of people he would like killed. The list included the names of the federal judge presiding over his case and the prosecutor. Since the list was discovered, Basciano has been confined to his prison cell for 23 hours a day. Basciano insisted that the list was compiled at the suggestion of a fellow inmate, who was acquainted with the Santeria religion. The list was supposed to magically aid the crime boss in his upcoming trial. However, a couple of inmates, with whom Basciano regularly played cards, told authorities that the people named on the list were to be targeted for assassination. Defense attorney James Kousouros says the inmates were looking to help themselves by creating the story of a murder plot. Kousouros indicated that Basciano has reached out to fringe religious and mystical practitioners recently. "The government... is well aware that he has asked [his wife] to consult with fortune-tellers and mystics...," the attorney said. Basciano, believed to have succeeded Joseph Massino as Bonanno crime boss in 2003, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy on May 9, 2006, after a 10-month trial. He was indicted on racketeering, gambling and murder conspiracy charges in November 2004. One member of his jury would not convict on the murder charge. He faces a retrial before Judge Nicholas Garaufis on that charge this year. In 1994, Basciano was accused of heroin smuggling and later acquitted. His "Gorgeous" nickname is reportedly the result of his ownership of a beauty salon. Other MobNews items relating to Basciano:

Interested in Mob history?

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Monday, January 8, 2007

UK press tracks Mafia "godmother"

Quite a bit has been written in the U.K. press over the past few days regarding the British wife of jailed Mafia boss Antonio Rinzivillo. An Italian arrest warrant was issued last month for the woman, Ann Hathaway, 44, according to a report in the Edinburgh Evening News. Police suspect her of managing a Rinzivillo Family underworld empire valued in the millions of dollars. Hathaway has lived in Sicily and in mainland Italy. She reportedly moved recently to the Manchester region in her native Britain. The Sunday Mirror claimed it caught up with Hathaway at her small home in Manchester, where she "hardly lives up to the image of a Mafia Godmother." She has family in the area, and is believed to be living with her two daughters, aged 18 and 4, according to the Sunday Herald. Italian authorities believe Rinzivillo of Gela, Sicily, was once the second most powerful boss - under Bernardo Provenzano - in the Sicilian Mafia. He was jailed five years ago for the murder of an Italian lawyer and for drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 30 years. Italian police last month seized Rinzivillo assets worth the equivalent of $25 million. The assets included a supermarket, a pizzeria and two construction companies. More than 80 members of the Rinzivillo organization have been arrested. Hathaway is one of 10 women charged with involvement in the crime family. Rocco Ligouri, Italian prosecutor, told the Mirror, "We believe [Hathaway] was acting as the messenger between her husband in prison and other jailed members of the gang and people on the outside. We believe that she was involved in money laundering through pizzerias and building contractors." An article in the Evening Standard said Hathaway met her husband after moving to Italy as a teenager to begin a dancing career. Other sources indicate that she worked as a teacher of English. Hathaway and Rinzivillo married almost 20 years ago. The extradition of Hathaway to Italy could be difficult because the British government does not recognize Mafia association - the offense with which she has been charged in Italy - as a crime.

Interested in Mob History? Click to visit The American Mafia website: mafiahistory.us

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Limone testifies in $100M lawsuit

Peter Limone Six years from the day he was released from prison, Peter J. Limone Sr. (right) yesterday told a district court judge about the 33 years he spent behind bars for a crime he did not commit, according to a story by John Richardson Ellement of the Boston Globe.

Joseph Salvati Limone, 72, described his fear and shock at being convicted in 1967 of the murder of gangster Edward "Teddy" Deegan and being placed on death row at Walpole State Prison.

Limone, Joseph Salvati (left), Louis Greco and Henry Tameleo were all convicted of the 1965 slaying, largely based on the perjured testimony of Mafia hitman Joseph "the Animal" Barboza. While death sentences were eventually commuted, Greco and Tameleo died during their long stays in prison. Limone and Salvati were released in 2001, as evidence of Barboza's perjury and FBI complicity in the frameup was uncovered.

Limone, Salvati and the families of Greco and Tameleo are now suing the U.S. government for $100 million.

While there now seems no question that Limone is innocent of the Deegan murder, he has long been linked by law enforcement with the leadership of the New England Crime Family. Some believe he would have been put in charge of the Boston branch of the Mafia organization if he had not turned the post down.

Related Mob-News items:

Friday, January 5, 2007

23 charged in mortgage fraud scheme

The FBI, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the New York City Police Department busted a mortgage fraud ring in New York yesterday, according to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

A federal indictment charges 23 Russian brokers, appraisers and bank employees of cooperating on fraudulent mortgage applications. Law enforcement agencies arrested 18 of those charged yesterday. They were arraigned yesterday. They pleaded not guilty and were released on bail. Four others were expected to turn themselves in today. One of the accused, Oleg Anokhin, is reportedly at large.

Among those arrested were Aleksander "Shorty" Lipkin, Igor "Ryzkiy" Mishelevich and Alex "Lyosha" Gorvits, brokers with AGA Capital of Brooklyn, according to a story by Kati Cornell of the New York Post.

The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that employees of Northside Capital NY Inc. (later Lending Universe Corporation) of Brooklyn were also charged.

From 2004 through 2006, the mortgage agents brokered more than 1,000 home loans with a total face value of more than $200 million. Lending institutions paid the agents a percentage - between 2% and 4% - of each loan as a fee. The indictment charges that property values were often inflated to increase the amounts of the loans (with the brokers keeping the difference), while the financial qualifications of phony purchasers were enhanced to guarantee loan approval.

The loans defaulted, forcing lending institutions to foreclose.

Alleged racketeer won't be at kid's birthday bash

A reputed Lucchese Crime Family associate and convicted gambler, Al Alvarez will not be attending his daughter's fifth birthday party, according to a story by Thomas Zambito of the New York Daily News.

Alvarez has been confined to his home as part of a bail arrangement since 2005, when he was arrested along with members of the Gambino Crime Family on a racketeering indictment. He has been granted permission to go trick-or-treating with his daughter each of the past two years, but Manhattan federal court Judge Alvin Hellerstein (photo) felt the latest request was out of line.

"A birthday party at home, school or church is one thing," the judge said. "A celebration outing on the eve of going to jail is another. Bail conditions were set for a reason, and the celebration is not consistent with those reasons."

The five-year-old's party is to be held at the 116-acre Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester NY.

Alvarez, who reached a plea bargain on gambling charges, will enter prison later this month. He is to serve a year and a half behind bars.

Albanian & Russian mobs run 'baby factories'

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.

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."

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.