Nicolo Ingarao, 46, reputed Mafia boss in Palermo, was shot and killed in his Sicilian home city in broad daylight today, according to a report published by the Agence France-Presse news agency. (AFP indicated that it was quoting an earlier ANSA news agency story.)
Ingarao was shot at least four times as he left a police station where he was required to report each day as a condition of his house arrest.
Authorities labeled Ingarao the underworld boss of an area in central Palermo. He was placed under house arrest while awaiting trial on charges filed against him in June 2006. His trial was scheduled for next April.
Sicilian authorities are concerned that Ingarao's killing could trigger a Mafia clan war.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Ratting out the Outfit
WLS-TV (ABC7) in Chicago this week provided a preview of the Family Secrets Trial testimony of ex-mobster Frank Culotta. Culotta (left), an ex-convict, turned on his former Chicago Outfit associates 25 years ago and has been a professional government witness since that time. The Family Secrets case involves 14 defendants, including Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo.
Related MobNews posts:
- Chicago mobster admits 14 killings, cooperates 05-24-07
- TV report previews Chicago Outfit trial 05-15-07
- Family Secret jurors' names secret 04-25-07
- Feds look for $500K from Lombardo 04-24-07
- Witness list of Chicago Outfit trial revealed 04-23-07
- Deputy marshal charged with aiding mob 01-13-07
- Chicago commission papers subpoenaed 01-10-07
Suspected mobster, 74, shot to death in Brooklyn
Suspected mobster Rudolph Izzi, 74, was found shot to death in his Brooklyn apartment at 2:30 yesterday afternoon, according to the International Herald Tribune. The apartment door looked to have been kicked in.
Izzi was reportedly beaten in his home by an unidentified man in 2001. At that time, Izzi was identified as a reputed soldier in the Genovese Crime Family.
Izzi was reportedly beaten in his home by an unidentified man in 2001. At that time, Izzi was identified as a reputed soldier in the Genovese Crime Family.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
None guilty of Calvi murder
An Italian jury acquitted all five defendants charged with the 1982 murder of financier Roberto Calvi, according to an Associated Press story published in the UK Guardian.
Calvi (left) had been known both as "God's banker" for his close ties to the Vatican.
Calvi's body was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge with rocks and cash stuffed into his suit. The death was initially ruled a suicide, as it coincided closely with the scandalous collapse of Calvi's Banco Ambrosiano establishment. The collapse also involved the Vatican's own bank.
Italian prosecutors eventually charged Giuseppe "Pippo" Calo with ordering a hit on Calvi. Calo, known as the "Mafia's cashier" because of his money-laundering efforts, is currently serving a jail sentence for unrelated Mafia charges. Prosecutors theorized that Calvi and Calo partnered in money-laundering deals until Calo became convinced that Calvi was pocketing some funds.
Also charged were Flavio Carboni, Ernesto Diotallevi, Calvi's driver Silvano Vittor and Carboni's ex-girlfriend Manuela Kleinszig. Prosecutors abandoned their case against Kleinszig.
Related MobNews post:
Calvi (left) had been known both as "God's banker" for his close ties to the Vatican.
Calvi's body was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge with rocks and cash stuffed into his suit. The death was initially ruled a suicide, as it coincided closely with the scandalous collapse of Calvi's Banco Ambrosiano establishment. The collapse also involved the Vatican's own bank.Italian prosecutors eventually charged Giuseppe "Pippo" Calo with ordering a hit on Calvi. Calo, known as the "Mafia's cashier" because of his money-laundering efforts, is currently serving a jail sentence for unrelated Mafia charges. Prosecutors theorized that Calvi and Calo partnered in money-laundering deals until Calo became convinced that Calvi was pocketing some funds.
Also charged were Flavio Carboni, Ernesto Diotallevi, Calvi's driver Silvano Vittor and Carboni's ex-girlfriend Manuela Kleinszig. Prosecutors abandoned their case against Kleinszig.
Related MobNews post:
Botched hit on reputed Brooklyn mobster
A reputed associate of the Gambino Crime Family was wounded yesterday morning during a drive-by shooting in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, according to stories published in the New York Times and the New York Post.
Slugs struck the arm and the leg of Robert DeCicco, 56, son of alleged Gambino lieutenant George DeCicco. Another grazed his head, as he sat parked in his car in front of 1678 Bath Avenue, at the corner of 17th Avenue (photo). He was treated and later released from Lutheran Medical Center.
The DeCicco family is well acquainted with violence. Robert DeCicco's cousin Frank was killed by a car bomb in Bensonhurst on April 13, 1986.
Robert and George DeCicco were indicted along with 11 other alleged mobsters of the Gambino and Lucchese Crime Families, charged with racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, money-laundering and other offenses.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Appeals court backs Peter Gotti conviction
The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the 2004 racketeering conviction of Peter Gotti, according to an AP story published in the International Herald Tribune.
Gotti, 67, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy. He contested the verdict, arguing that the trial judge acted improperly by allowing evidence of Gambino Crime Family murders with which Peter Gotti was not charged.
Peter Gotti, who reputedly served as acting boss and boss in the Gambino Family, was charged with ordering the death of Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, a mob turncoat whose testimony led to the conviction of Gambino boss John Gotti. The hit was never carried out.
Peter Gotti was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Related MobNews post:
Gotti, 67, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy. He contested the verdict, arguing that the trial judge acted improperly by allowing evidence of Gambino Crime Family murders with which Peter Gotti was not charged.
Peter Gotti, who reputedly served as acting boss and boss in the Gambino Family, was charged with ordering the death of Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, a mob turncoat whose testimony led to the conviction of Gambino boss John Gotti. The hit was never carried out.Peter Gotti was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Related MobNews post:
'Lion' caged without bail
Danny "Lion" Leo, 66, alleged boss of the Genovese Crime Family, was charged with four counts of extortion May 30 and held without bail, according to stories by Kati Cornell of the New York Post and Thomas Zambito of the New York Daily News.
Leo (see Daily News drawing at right) pleaded not guilty to the charges in Manhattan federal court.
Also charged with extortion was Joseph Tricario, who allegedly set up meetings between Leo right-hand-man Charles "Fat Charlie" Salzano and a shakedown victim. Tricario was released on $5 million bail. Salzano reportedly pleaded guilty to related charges last month.
Prosecutors say Salzano was caught on tape threatening a taxi company owner in order to extract a payment. They say Leo also extorted money from an East Harlem gambling operation.
U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder said, "At trial, the government would prove [Leo] is the current boss of the Genovese Crime Family, perhaps the largest and most violent crime family that exists. Two hundred or so members of this violent, ruthless criminal organization can only commit acts of violence with the approval of the acting boss, and that's the type of power he holds."
Leo resides in a $2 million home in Rockleigh NJ, a Bergen County suburb.
Leo (see Daily News drawing at right) pleaded not guilty to the charges in Manhattan federal court.Also charged with extortion was Joseph Tricario, who allegedly set up meetings between Leo right-hand-man Charles "Fat Charlie" Salzano and a shakedown victim. Tricario was released on $5 million bail. Salzano reportedly pleaded guilty to related charges last month.
Prosecutors say Salzano was caught on tape threatening a taxi company owner in order to extract a payment. They say Leo also extorted money from an East Harlem gambling operation.
U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder said, "At trial, the government would prove [Leo] is the current boss of the Genovese Crime Family, perhaps the largest and most violent crime family that exists. Two hundred or so members of this violent, ruthless criminal organization can only commit acts of violence with the approval of the acting boss, and that's the type of power he holds."
Leo resides in a $2 million home in Rockleigh NJ, a Bergen County suburb.
Related MobNews posts:
Italy arrests 10 funeral racketeers
Ten people, including the reputed head of the Sinesi clan in southern Italy, have been arrested in connection with an organized crime racket controlling funeral homes, according to a report in the UK Telegraph.
The suspects were charged with extorting money from 13 funeral homes in the city of Foggia while building a monopoly in funeral arrangements and transport.
Authorities track the growth of the racket to the release from prison last February of Robert Sinesi, 45, and Raffaele Tolonese, 48. Tolonese is regarded as a senior capo in the Strisciouglio family. The Sinesi and Stirciouglio clans are said to be key elements of the Sacra Corona Unita, Italy's fourth largest crime syndicate.
Police are investigating the involvement of hospital personnel in the racket. Nurses, ambulance drivers and security guards are believed to have passed death count information on to underworld contacts and to have helped direct grieving families to connected funeral homes.
The suspects were charged with extorting money from 13 funeral homes in the city of Foggia while building a monopoly in funeral arrangements and transport.
Authorities track the growth of the racket to the release from prison last February of Robert Sinesi, 45, and Raffaele Tolonese, 48. Tolonese is regarded as a senior capo in the Strisciouglio family. The Sinesi and Stirciouglio clans are said to be key elements of the Sacra Corona Unita, Italy's fourth largest crime syndicate.
Police are investigating the involvement of hospital personnel in the racket. Nurses, ambulance drivers and security guards are believed to have passed death count information on to underworld contacts and to have helped direct grieving families to connected funeral homes.
Biker gang violence escalates in Australia
Australian police are cracking down on outlaw motorcycle gangs, according to a story by the Marlborough Express. Strike Force Ranmore, drawing police officers from a variety of specialty squads, will conduct regular checks of gang clubhouses and business and motorcycle licenses, as well as covert operations.
There are 35 outlaw groups in Australia, according to an Australian Crime Commission 2006 report, and those include an estimated 3,500 members. Twenty-six new chapters were opened last year.
Gangs like the Nomads, Rebels, Commancheros and Bandidos are believed to be engaged in a violent struggle for territory. There has been a noticeable escalation of violence on the streets of Sydney.
Some gang members are involved in organized crime, murder, prostitution, arson robbery, drug trafficking and production, and money laundering, according to the crime report.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Feds bust alleged Genovese boss
Danny Leo, 65, reputed acting boss of the Genovese Crime Family, was arrested at his Rockleigh NJ home this morning, according to a story by WABC-TV in New York. He is scheduled for arraignment on extortion charges in Manhattan federal court today.
Authorities say Leo recently took over command of the crime family formerly led by Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. Leo's only known arrest occurred in 1980, when he was charged with criminal contempt for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigation of illegal activity in East Harlem and the Bronx, NY.
Authorities say Leo recently took over command of the crime family formerly led by Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. Leo's only known arrest occurred in 1980, when he was charged with criminal contempt for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigation of illegal activity in East Harlem and the Bronx, NY.
Law enforcement officials first mentioned Leo as the new boss of the Genovese clan at the end of November. New York Sun columnist Jerry Capeci shared the information through his Gang Land column on Nov. 30. Jeane MacIntosh and Kati Cornell followed with a story in the New York Post the following day.
Leo is believed to have associated himself with East Harlem's Purple Gang in the 1970s. That organization served as a minor league for a number of later Genovese and Lucchese Crime Family members.
Leo is believed to have associated himself with East Harlem's Purple Gang in the 1970s. That organization served as a minor league for a number of later Genovese and Lucchese Crime Family members.
Related MobNews post:
Friday, May 25, 2007
97-year-old mobster gets 6 months house arrest
Albert "Chinky" Facchiano, 97, was sentenced today to serve six months house arrest followed by 18 months of probation, according to an AP story by Curt Anderson.
Facchiano pleaded guilty in February to racketeering-related offenses in Florida and in New York. Law enforcement officials say he is a longtime soldier in the Genovese Crime Family.
He faced a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison. Due to his advanced age and to medical problems, the court decided to confine Facchiano to his Florida condominium. He is permitted to leave the home only for doctor visits and other necessary travel.
Press reports indicate that Facchiano's first arrest, back in 1932, coincided with Charlie "Lucky" Luciano's rise to power in the American Mafia.
He was one of six members of a Florida-based wing of the Genovese Family to be arrested last summer. The group's acknowledged leader, 73-year-old Renaldi Ruggiero, was sentenced to 14 years in prison earlier this month.
Facchiano pleaded guilty in February to racketeering-related offenses in Florida and in New York. Law enforcement officials say he is a longtime soldier in the Genovese Crime Family.
He faced a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison. Due to his advanced age and to medical problems, the court decided to confine Facchiano to his Florida condominium. He is permitted to leave the home only for doctor visits and other necessary travel.
Press reports indicate that Facchiano's first arrest, back in 1932, coincided with Charlie "Lucky" Luciano's rise to power in the American Mafia.
He was one of six members of a Florida-based wing of the Genovese Family to be arrested last summer. The group's acknowledged leader, 73-year-old Renaldi Ruggiero, was sentenced to 14 years in prison earlier this month.
Related MobNews posts:
- Miami mob boss gets 14 years 05-15-07
- South Florida racketeers get jail time 04-06-07
- 'Chinky' Facchiano, 96, pleads guilty 02-28-07
- Ruggiero admits to being Genovese capo 02-02-07
- Facchiano indicted in two states 01-04-07
- Guilty plea from Fla. Genovese associate 12-30-06
- Florida Mafia case based on wiretaps 08-16-06
- Four Floridians held without bail 07-08-06
- Feds break up Florida arm of Genovese family 07-01-06
Panzuto agrees to extradition
Gennaro Panzuto, 32, held in custody in the UK, has agreed to be extradited to his native Italy for trial, according to a report in the Lancashire Evening Post. Italian officials have charged Panzuto with running a criminal organization known as the Pincirillo clan in Naples. UK and Italian police tracked him to Lancashire, where he was arrested last week. He is scheduled to be returned to Italy in about 10 days.
Related MobNews post:
Rizzuto may serve his time near Canada border
A U.S. judge has recommended that Vito Rizzuto, reputed boss of the Mafia in Montreal and confessed accomplice in the 1981 murders of three Bonanno capos, serve his 10-year prison sentence in an upstate New York institution, according to a CBC News report.
Rizzuto (right), 61, was officially sentenced today, though prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on a 10-year prison term as part of his plea bargain earlier this month. He pleaded guilty May 4 to participating in the assassinations of Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera, Philip "Philly Lucky" Giaccone and Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato. He said his role in the hit was to shout "It's a hold up!" to cause a gathering of Bonanno mobsters at a Brooklyn social club to momentarily freeze.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis recommended that Rizzuto be placed in Ray Brook medium-security prison near the Canadian border. Prison officials will have the final say in his placement.
Related MobNews posts:
- Rizzuto pleads guilty to 1981 slayings 05-04-07
- Attorney: Rizzuto won't flip 04-03-07
- Rizzuto, dozens more, arrested in Canada mob sweep 11-26-06
- No parole for Canada mob turncoat Simard 10-22-2006
- Canada's Musitanos up for parole today 10-04-2006
- Fugitive mobsters known to be in Toronto 09-22-2006
- Canada's 'godfather' deported 08-18-2006
- Thug-boxer deported from Canada 08-16-2006
- Canada court clears way for Rizzuto extradition 07-22-2006
- Few contenders for Toronto mob boss title 07-21-2006
- Rizzuto extradition decision due Friday 07-17-2006
Thursday, May 24, 2007
NJ man arrested as Gambino leader
Andrew Merola, 40, of East Hanover NJ, was arrested May 21 and charged with supervising organized criminal activities, with racketeering and with theft by extortion, according to a story by Kareem Fahim of the New York Times.
Law enforcement officials say Merola (whose name was legally changed from Knapik) has been an important figure in the Gambino Crime Family and has worked closely with an ally in the Lucchese Crime Family on racketeering ventures.
Investigators have linked Merola to corruption in Springfield-based Local 825 of the International Union of Operating Engineers and Newark-based Local 1153 of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA). Two union officials were also arested this week.
Through their influence with Local 825, Merola and his Lucchese Family ally allegedly arranged for a $20,000 bribe from a construction company. Prosecutors have charged Martin Taccetta with membership in the Lucchese clan and with engaging in racketeering with Merola. Taccetta is the brother of imprisoned Lucchese bigshot Michael Taccetta. (Martin and Michael Tacchetta shown at right.) Martin's recent racketeering conviction was overturned, and he is awaiting retrial.
Law enforcement officials say Merola (whose name was legally changed from Knapik) has been an important figure in the Gambino Crime Family and has worked closely with an ally in the Lucchese Crime Family on racketeering ventures.
Investigators have linked Merola to corruption in Springfield-based Local 825 of the International Union of Operating Engineers and Newark-based Local 1153 of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA). Two union officials were also arested this week.
Through their influence with Local 825, Merola and his Lucchese Family ally allegedly arranged for a $20,000 bribe from a construction company. Prosecutors have charged Martin Taccetta with membership in the Lucchese clan and with engaging in racketeering with Merola. Taccetta is the brother of imprisoned Lucchese bigshot Michael Taccetta. (Martin and Michael Tacchetta shown at right.) Martin's recent racketeering conviction was overturned, and he is awaiting retrial.Union officials John Cataldo of Nutley NJ and Joseph Manzella of West Orange NJ were arrested. According to a story in the Daily Record, Cataldo was an organizer for Operating Engineers Local 825, and Manzella was a business agent for LIUNA Local 1153.
"Both men basically surrendered their control of the unions to Andrew Merola of East Hanover, New Jersey, a known soldier of the Gambino Crime Family," said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.
Merola is also accused of supervising gambling rings in northern New Jersey and New York State. Those were allegedly run by Merola underlings Ralph Cicalese and Kyle Ragusa. Cicalese is a former investigator of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
Before his name change, Knapik was reportedly jailed for almost four years in the 1990s for theft by deception and for distributing a controlled substance.
Genovese capo ordered assault on contractor
Angelo Prisco, 67, pleaded guilty in Newark, NJ, last week to authorizing an assault on an electrical contractor who was competing with a contractor allied to Prisco, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
The U.S. Attorney's Office identified Prisco as a capo in the Genovese Crime Family. Prosecutors charged that contractor John Capelli of the Bronx, NY, paid Prisco $2,500 for authorizing an assault on his competitor. Prisco reportedly passed the assignment along to Michael Visconti, who involved an associate already secretly cooperating with the FBI.
Prisco is likely to serve five years in prison. At the time of his arrest, he was on parole for a state arson conviction and on supervised release for a federal extortion conviction.
The U.S. Attorney's Office identified Prisco as a capo in the Genovese Crime Family. Prosecutors charged that contractor John Capelli of the Bronx, NY, paid Prisco $2,500 for authorizing an assault on his competitor. Prisco reportedly passed the assignment along to Michael Visconti, who involved an associate already secretly cooperating with the FBI.
Prisco is likely to serve five years in prison. At the time of his arrest, he was on parole for a state arson conviction and on supervised release for a federal extortion conviction.
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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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