Mob-News

Friday, March 23, 2007

Trash co. manager pleads guilty to scheme

Richard Caccavale, 48, of Stormville NY, pleaded guilty in New Haven CT federal court March 21 to a single count of conspiring to violate the RICO Act through a property rights racket in the waste hauling industry, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Caccavale was operations manager for Connecticut-based Automated Waste Disposal (AWD) and affiliated companies. Federal investigators intercepted telephone calls in which Caccavale reportedly attempted to intimidate trash carters into joining the monopolistic property rights scheme. In his guilty plea, Caccavale acknowledged that a trash hauler's truck was damaged because it would not go along with the rules of the racket.

Caccavale is to be sentenced on June 8. He faces a maximum term of 20 years and a possible fine of $250,000. He has agreed to forfeit $20,000 to the government.

Caccavale was one of a number of individuals and businesses indicted in connection with the property rights scheme last June. Prosecutors charge that the businesses agreed on service territories and made regular payments to New York-based organized crime.

Related MobNews posts:

Hathaway agrees to return to Italy

A British court decided today that Ann Hathaway (above), 44, will return to Italy within the next 10 days, according to a story in the Manchester Evening News. Facing Mafia-related charges in Italy, Hathaway reportedly agreed to the extradition.

The Italian government insists that the wife of jailed Sicilian Mafia boss Antonio Rinzivillo helped to administer the Rinzivillo empire in his absence. After Rinzivillo's conviction, Hathaway returned to her hometown in the Manchester area, where she lived with her two children. The Italian government requested her extradition, and Hathaway was arrested at her home on Jan. 18.

She faces a possible sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges against her.

Related MobNews posts:

Download the March 2007 issue of

MobNews Digest

Italy arrests 200 in Camorra crackdown

A thousand police officers swept through Naples, Italy, neighborhoods before dawn on March 20 and arrested nearly 200 suspected drug criminals, according to a report by BBC News.

Police said they were targeting two clans of the local Camorra underworld organization. Entire families, including women and children, were taken into custody and charged with drug dealing or drug trafficking.

Related MobNews posts:

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Feds pressing for Bulger info

According to the March 17 broadcast of America's Most Wanted, federal authorities have released a surveillance video of James "Whitey" Bulger in the hope of locating the fugitive.

Bulger, a former Boston area gang leader and federal informant, has been in hiding for the past eight years. He and Steven "the Rifleman" Flemmi provided information on the New England Mafia to FBI agent John Connolly, who has since been linked with criminal activity and convicted of racketeering.

Bulger was indicted for racketeering in January 1995 but apparently learned of his pending arrest and escaped. He was reportedly a key member of Boston's Winter Hill Gang. His brother Billy Bulger is a veteran legislator in the State of Massachusetts.

Related MobNews posts:

Saturday, March 17, 2007

'No-show' trash company workers sentenced

Carmine Dominicus, 43, of 7 Bragdon Ave., Danbury, CT, was sentenced March 14 to six months of home confinement and two years of probation for conspiring to defraud the IRS through a no-show job with Automated Waste Disposal (AWD) of Danbury, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney of the District of Connecticut. He was also fined $40,000.

In June 2006, Dominicus was named along with 28 other people and 10 businesses, including AWD, in a racketeeering indictment. He pleaded guilty to a single count in the indictment, acknowledging that he received employee compensation, health insurance benefits and the use of a company vehicle from January 2000 to July 2005 though he provided no employee services to AWD.

Last month, Anna Priskie, 45, of Deerfield Lane, Cortland Manor, NY, received an identical sentence. She also pleaded guilty to holding a no-show job with AWD.

Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, bigshot in the Genovese Crime Family, was named in the original indictment, as was western Connecticut trash hauling czar James Galante of New Fairfield, CT. They were charged with leading a "property rights" racket in the waste hauling industry. Through that racket, company territories would be secured, eliminating competition and allowing higher prices to be charged to customers.

Ianniello pleaded guilty to racketeering in December. Galante maintains his innocence.

Related MobNews posts:

Battle Jr. sentenced to 15+ years, $642M forfeit

A federal court in Miami has sentenced Jose Miguel Battle Jr. to serve 15 years and eight months in prison and to forfeit $642 million in assets, according to a story in today's Miami Herald.

He was convicted of conspiring with his father and two other men in a racketeering venture known as "The Corporation" or "The Cuba Mafia." Authorities say the group was responsible for illegal gambling, drug trafficking, money laundering and murder in a territory that included New York City, New Jersey and south Florida, according to a Reuters story on Carribean Net News.

Prosecutors say Battle oversaw money-laundering operations in Peru, Spain, Panama, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, the Dominican Republica and the British Virgin Islands, as a participant in an underworld organization that engaged in "violence and intimidation, including the commission of multiple murders," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Jose Miguel Battle Sr. (left), an exile from Cuba and a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion, was sentenced in January to 20 years in prison.

Related MobNews posts:

Familiar-sounding names in Detroit gambling case

A federal racketeering case in Detroit features two surnames long connected with Michigan organized crime: Giacalone and Tocco. But the individuals involved are not the infamous mobsters.

Jack V. Giacalone, 56, of West Bloomfield, MI, is a nephew of Anthony "Tony Jacks" Giacalone, believed to be one of the men responsible for the disappearance of union bigshot Jimmy Hoffa, and the son of convicted Mafioso Vito Giacalone, according to an Associated Press story published in today's Michigan Business Review. Jack V. Giacalone has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion. Officials say he plans to fight the charges in court.

Peter Dominic Tocco, 59, of Troy, MI, is the nephew of former Detroit mob boss Jack Tocco (his relatives include crime boss William "Black Bill" Tocco and the Zerilli family of Detroit, and there are family ties to the Profaci and Bonanno clans of Brooklyn). He has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

In addition to Giacalone and Tocco, there are 13 other defendants in a case that resulted from a probe into illegal sports gambling. Charges included the laundering of gambling proceeds through legitimate businesses operated by the defendants. Tocco and two associates were accused of using gambling profits to buy cars at auto auctions, which were then sold to earn laundered income, according to a story by Amanda Lee of the Macomb Daily. According to prosecutors, the Detroit-area gambling ring accumulated $5.9 million between 1998 and 2006.

Defendants Peter Joseph Messina, 51, of Roseville, MI; Thomas James Mackey, 50, of Clinton Township, MI; John William Manettas, 52, of Harrison Township, MI; and Wayne Joseph Kassab, 50, of Sterling Heights, MI; have also pleaded guilty. Under plea agreements, they face sentences of up to 46 months in prison. They collectively agree to forfeit up to $3 million in gambling income. No sentencing date had been announced.

Tocco, Messina and Mackey pleaded guilty on Wednesday. The guilty pleas of Manettas and Kassab were entered yesterday, according to a story by Paul Egan of the Detroit News.

Prosecutors say they are arranging plea deals with many of the remaining defendants.

The original federal indictment dated March 3, 2006, named 15 defendants. Joining Giacalone, Tocco, Messina, Mackey, Manettas and Kassab were:

David John Aceto, 48, of Roseville, MI;
Dominic Corrado, 35, of Glen Ellyn, IL;
Ronald S. Yourofsky, 64, of Warren, MI;
Alan H. Russell, 54, of Sterling Heights, MI;
Vincenzo Bronzino, 40, of Macomb, MI;
Joseph Messina, 48, of Macomb, MI;
Virginia Nava, 36, of Roseville, MI (Joseph Messina's sister);
William John Manettas, 27, of St. Clair Shores, MI;
Peter Tocco, 27, of Macomb, MI (son of Peter Dominic Tocco).

Corrado (whose relatives are shown in a WLS-TV graphic at right), a resident of Illinois, was processed in federal district court in that state. According to investigators, while Corrado resides within the territory of the Chicago Outfit, his bloodline includes a number of Detroit "Combination" bigshots.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Two tried for shaking down NY strip club

Reputed Gambino Crime Family capo Salvatore "Fat Sal" Scala and his aide Thomas "Monk" Sassano sucked hundreds of thousands of dollars out of a Manhattan strip club from the mid-1990s to 2002, according to the prosecution's opening statement in Manhattan federal court yesterday. The opening of the trial was reported by Kati Cornell of the New York Post.

Scala (left), 64, reportedly drew so much cash from the VIP Club that it was unable to pay its taxes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder said he "bled it dry."

The prosecution charges that Sassano, 61, was placed in charged of the extortion operation when Scala was jailed in an unrelated case.

Judge holds Coppola on $1M bond, orders DNA test

Judge Paul W. Armstrong of the Superior Court in Somerville NJ yesterday set bail for alleged mob assassin Michael Coppola (right) at $1 million and ordered DNA tests that could link Coppola to the 1977 murder of John "Johnny Cokes" Lardiere, according to a story by Chad Hemenway of the Asbury Park Press.

Coppola was apprehended last week after more than a decade on the run. He disappeared after hearing he was ordered to provide DNA samples in the Lardiere murder investigation back in 1996.

Coppola's attorney Thomas Cammarata entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client. Cammarata took issue with prosecutors' description of Coppola as a fugitive from justice. The attorney noted that Coppola was never actually served with the order to provide the DNA samples.

New Jersey Assistant Attorney General Robert B. Leaman argued for $20 million bail. Leaman charged that Coppola had "unlimited access to funds" during the past 11 years while he was apparently not employed. Leaman charged that Coppola was part of the Genovese Crime Family.

Lardiere was shot to death on April 10, 1977, as he began a 26-hour furlough from a Clinton lockup. He was held in Clinton for five years following a refusal to testify before a government agency probing underworld influence in the garbage hauling industry.

Related MobNews post:

NJ man arrested for 1977 mob hit 03-13-07

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

NJ man arrested for 1977 mob hit

Michael Coppola (left), reputed member of the Genovese Crime Family, was arrested March 9 in New York City and charged with a 30-year-old murder, according to stories by Celanie Polanick of the Home News Tribune and Michelle Sahn of the Asbury Park Press.

Known as "Little Mike," Coppola is to be arraigned in Somerset County NJ Superior Court this afternoon for the April 10, 1977, murder of John "Johnny Cokes" Lardiere (right). Authorities hunted for Coppola for more than a decade. He disappeared after investigators called him Aug. 13, 1996, to submit to DNA testing in connection with the case. His last known address was Morris Avenue in Spring Lake NJ.

Lardiere is believed to have been a Mafia lieutenant serving boss Gerardo Catena in New Jersey's arm of the Genovese Family. After refusing to testify before a state investigations panel looking into racketeer influence in the garbage hauling industry, Lardiere was held at a prison in Clinton NJ. During an Easter holiday furlough on April 10, 1977, he was met by a gunman outside the Red Bull Inn on Route 22. Lardiere was found dead with five bullet wounds, two in his head.

Authorities pieced together the events of that day through interviews with mob informants. Coppola, allegedly carrying a .22-caliber pistol called Lardiere's name. When the victim turned, the weapon jammed. Lardiere reportedly laughed and said, "What're you gonna do now, tough guy?" Authorities say Coppola pulled a .38-caliber handgun from an ankle holster and put the five holes in Lardiere.

Tommy Ricciardi, a former Lucchese Crime Family member who turned government informant, reportedly witnessed the crime.

Lardiere is believed to have offended Ralph "Blackie" Napoli, a bigshot in the Philadelphia Mob, during his stay in Clinton.

While Lardiere was in custody, his wife Carolyn died of arsenic poisoning. She reportedly consumed enough arsenic (dissolved in a bottle of soda) to kill 700 people. Her death was ruled a homicide. It remains unsolved.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Judge rules D'Elia must remain in custody

Reputed Scranton PA crime boss William D'Elia (right) will remain in federal custody for at least a while longer, according to a story in the March 8 issue of the Times Leader.

D'Elia, 60, of Hughestown PA, requested release. He has been held since his arrest in October 2006. He was initially arrested for a violation of bail terms (after a release following a May 2006 indictment on money laundering charges), but a federal grand jury returned a second indictment for money laundering and witness intimidation.

Prosecutors say that, while D'Elia was on bail awaiting trial for money laundering, he plotted to have two witnesses against him killed. D'Elia reportedly communicated the plot to a secret government informant.

Authorities believe that D'Elia succeeded Russell Bufalino as boss of a crime family in Northeastern Pennsylvania. D'Elia reportedly has served as a mediator for Mafia disputes within the nearby Philadelphia Mob.

Related MobNews posts:

Sunday, March 11, 2007

UK's Adams gets seven years

Reputed London crime boss Terry Adams (left) was sentenced March 9 to seven years in prison, according to a story by Robert Stansfield of the UK Daily Record.

Adams, 52, believed by authorities to be responsible for as many as 25 killings, was instead convicted of money laundering. He pleaded guilty to a single count last month. He will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.

Adams and his brothers Tommy and Patsy reputedly ran a criminal empire that had links to Colombian cocaine distributors and the Russian Mafiya and engaged itself in loansharking, protection rackets and money laundering.

As part of a plea deal, authorities dropped charges against Adams' wife Ruth.

The costs involved in the Adams case are staggering. An estimated 10 million British pounds ($19 million US) was reportedly spent on an investigation that lasted for years. That investigation was triggered when Adams was found to be inaccurately reporting income to Inland Revenue. Prosecution of the charges against Adams is believed to have cost 4 million pounds. Authorities believe Adams' empire is worth about $380 million (US).

Related MobNews posts:

JUST RELEASED:

Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia
by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon

Click for more information or to order.

Canada's Musitano rearrested

Angelo Musitano, 29, was arrested in Ontario, Canada, March 7 for alleged parole violations, according to a story by Adrian Humphreys of Canada's National Post.

Musitano was released from prison Oct. 5 after serving six years for ordering a mob hit against a rival Mafioso. His parole included strict conditions. He was not to associate with anyone involved in criminal activity or even to contact his brother Pasquale "Pat" Musitano without prior approval. Pasquale reputedly took control of the Musitano Crime Family after the 1995 death of their father, Dominic.

Angelo and Pasquale both pleaded guilty in 2000 to ordering the killing of Carmen Barillaro of Niagara Falls. The hit is believed to have been part of an underworld reorganization after the 1997 murder of Ontario boss "Johnny Pops" Papalia. The brothers were sentenced to 10 years and then released on parole last year.

Barillaro reportedly believed the Musitanos were responsible for Papalia's death, according to a 2006 report by Barbara Brown of the Hamilton Ontario Spectator. Police surveillance on June 2, 1997, picked up a conversation between Barillaro and Pasquale Musitano, in which Musitano denied any involvement in the killing. Barillaro connected the brothers to Ken Murdock, triggerman in the Papalia attack. Fearing Barillaro's wrath, the brothers decided to strike first and sent Murdock after Barillaro. Murdock pleaded guilty Nov. 24, 1998, to killing both Papalia and Barillaro. He was given a life prison sentence.

Authorities did not say what Angelo specifically did to violate his parole conditions, but they ruled out unauthorized contact with his brother as a cause for his arrest. The Canadian corrections service has 30 days to investigate the case and either release Musitano or turn him over to the parole board.

According to a story by Paul Morse of the Hamilton Ontario Spectator, the national parole board upheld the restriction against Angelo's association with his brother on appeal. The board found that, even while in Collins Bay Institution, the brothers combined to perform illegal activities: "...you and your brother actively recruited other inmates to participate, on your behalf, in... illegal gambling, bookmaking, intimidation and illegal drugs."

Related MobNews post:

Canada's Musitanos up for parole today 10-04-07

Thursday, March 8, 2007

UN official guilty of money laundering conspiracy

A jury in New York has found a Russian diplomat guilty of conspiring to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money, according to a press release from the United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York.

Vladimir Kuznetsov, 49, (shown above at the time of his arrest) faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 25. He has been held under house arrest, his movements checked by a bracelet monitor, since the Russian government secured his release from a detention cell.

Kuznetsov served as chairman of the United Nations' Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions until his arrest in September 2005. He was the highest ranking Russian diplomat at the UN. At the time of his arrest, Russian news agency Pravda insisted that American authorities were using a corruption probe as a means of slandering the UN after its opposition to the invasion of Iraq and of extracting the United States from the international body.

He was conviced of conspiring with Russian UN procurement officer Alexader Yakovlev from 2000 through mid-2005 to hide payments provided by foreign companies seeking to do business with the UN. Yakovlev is believed to have taken over $1 million in bribes during that period. Kuznetsov learned of the scheme and accepted a share of the proceeds rather than report Yakovlev to authorities. Kuznetsov established an off-shore company called Nikal Ltd. in order to hide the money at the Antigua Overseas Bank Limited.

According to the Washington Post, Kuznetsov is the fourth UN-based official implicated in an ongoing investigation into corruption.

Yakovlev pleaded guilty in 2005.

Download the March 2007 issue of
MobNews Digest

Charged with banker's murder, four face life in prison

An Italian prosecutor is asking for life prison terms for the four men charged with the June 17, 1982, London murder of a prominent banker, according to a story by Stephen Brown of Reuters UK.

Roberto Calvi (left), once head of the now defunct Banco Ambrosiano, was found dead, hanging from a rope under the Blackfriars Bridge. While his death was initially ruled a suicide, additional forensic evidence surfaced indicating that the suicide was staged and Calvi had been murdered by strangulation.

Accused of the crime are Pippo Calo, an alleged Sicilian Mafioso once known as the Mafia's treasurer; alleged Rome crime boss Ernesto Diotallevi; Sardinian financier Flavio Carboni; and Calvi's bodyguard Silvano Vittor. All the defendants have denied involvement.

Calvi had connections to the Vatican administration and was sometimes called "God's banker." The Vatican Bank was found to own a piece of Banco Ambrosiano when that institution failed just before Calvi's death. At the time, it was Italy's largest bank failure. Banco Ambrosiano is believed to have helped launder money for the Mafia. Calvi is theorized to have skimmed some of the money for himself.

Facing a four-year sentence in connection with the bank collapse, Calvi traveled to London in 1982.

Calvi was also linked with the secret Masonic lodge known as P2, which might in turn have had links to a right-wing terrorist organization. Among other activities, P2 is believed to have been involved in the bombing of a Bologna railway station in 1980. The P2 organization's leader, Licio Gelli, reportedly worked with Mafia leaders on a plan for Sicilian secession from Italy in the 1990s. That movement is blamed for the killings of anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Monday, March 12, 2007

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Thursday, March 8, 2007

About Me