Palumbo charged with 1992 murder conspiracy

Already charged with racketeering and extortion, Anthony "Tony D" Palumbo was indicted June 15 for conspiring in the 1992 mob murder of Angelo Sangiuolo, according to a story by Bruce Golding of the New York Post.

    Sangiuolo was reportedly targeted because he was found to be robbing Palumbo-run gambling establishments in the Bronx. Federal authorities say Vincent "the Chin" Gigante, then boss of the Genovese Crime Family, approved the hit. Genovese capodecina Angelo Prisco helped lure Sangiuolo, Prisco's cousin, to the scene of his murder. Prisco has been convicted and jailed for complicity in the murder. Triggerman John Leto pleaded guilty of involvement in the killing and testified against Prisco. Paul "Doc" Gaccione was arrested in April and charged with being a getaway driver in the hit.

   

    Reputed acting capodecina Palumbo has overseen Genovese operations in New Jersey since 2006, said federal prosecutors. The latest indictment also charges him with plotting to extort money from Russian mobsters engaged in a gasoline tax racket. That scheme, which never came about, would have involved a Palumbo killing of a hitman employed by the Russians, according to federal prosecutors.

    Palumbo, free on bond, pleaded not guilty to the new charges.

Sammartino pleads guilty to loansharking

Reputed Bonanno Crime Family capodecina Joseph "Sammy" Sammartino, 55, pleaded guilty June 21 to loansharking, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News. The plea was entered in Brooklyn federal court. Sammartino faces a sentence of up to two years in prison when sentenced in October. Federal authorities say Sammartino is a member of the ruling panel of the Bonanno organization.

Riccobene grandson killed in Philadelphia

Rocco Maniscalco, 38, grandson of Philadelphia underworld leader Harry "the Hunchback" Riccobene, was shot to death June 10 by an unknown gunman outside his South Philadelphia home, according to a story by Dana DiFilippo of the Philadelphia Daily News. Maniscalco was walking home from the Wolf Street Cafe in the early morning hours, when the gunman, a slim man in a white shirt, jumped out of the shadows and fired at least 10 shots. The gunman escaped in a dark SUV. Maniscalco died near the corner of Wolf and Colorado Streets at 1:20 a.m.

Franzese Jr. testifies against underboss dad

John Franzese Jr. stepped to the witness stand in Brooklyn Federal Court on June 9 to testify against his father, reputed Colombo Crime Family underboss John "Sonny" Franzese, according to reports by the New York Daily News and the New York Post. The elder Franzese, 93 years old, is accused of setting up New York area businesses for mob extortion. As Franzese Jr. took the stand, his father lapsed into a nap, prompting New York media to nickname him, "The Nodfather." The younger Franzese, 50, testified that his father led him into a life of crime by age 16. Later, as Franzese battled a growing drug addiction, he became an informant for the FBI.

Bruno's Philly home is on the market

The South Philadelphia home where local Mafia boss Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno was shot to death 30 years ago is up for sale. The asking price is $250,000, according to an AP report. The home was put on the market by Bruno's daughter Jean, who is planning to move out of the area. Sitting in his car in front of the home, Angelo Bruno (left) was killed March 12, 1980, by a shotgun blast to the head.

Read:
Before Bruno & How He Became Boss: Book 3 - 1946-1959 (The History of the Philadelphia Mafia)

$9.9M settlement for man framed for murder

Barry Gibbs spent about 18 years of his life behind bars for a crime he did not commit. On June 3, the 62-year-old Gibbs received a $9.9 million settlement from the City of New York as compensation, according to stories in the New York Daily News and the New York Post. It is the largest civil rights settlement in city history. Gibbs was reportedly framed for a murder conviction by corrupt "Mafia Cop" Louis Eppolito. He was convicted of killing prostitute Virginia Robertson and sent to prison in 1988. He was released in September 2005, after Eppolito and his partner Stephen Caracappa were arrested and a key witness in the Robertson murder case admitted that Eppolito coerced him into accusing Gibbs.

Feds want Corozzo off Scarpaci case

Charging that attorney Joseph Corozzo is "house counsel" for the Gambino Crime Family, federal prosecutors have questioned Corozzo's suitability as defense attorney for accused Gambino associate Michael Scarpaci, according to a story by Alison Gendar of the New York Daily News.
    Prosecutors noted that Corozzo suddenly assumed the role of defense counsel following a two-day late-April release of Scarpaci to attend his daughter's baptism.They questioned whether Corozzo, son of reputed Gambino consigliere Joseph "JoJo" Corozzo and nepgew of reputed capodecina Nicholas "Nicky" Corozzo, was being forced upon Scarpaci by members of the crime family. The temporary release may have been interpreted as a sign that Scarpaci was poised to cooperate with authorities, the prosecutors explained, and a defense attorney may have been imposed upon him to keep him in line.
    Corozzo responded by stating that he is being paid for his defense work by Scarpaci alone. "The government will always try to disrupt the defense any way they can," he said.
    Scarpaci, 34, is charged with running gambling operations for the Gambino Crime Family and with extorting payments from loan customers and businesses.

Wiretaps capture Lucchese-Bloods alliance

A New Jersey case against 34 reputed underworld figures is based on hundreds of wiretapped conversations, some of which illustrate an alliance between the Lucchese Crime Family and the Nine Trey Gangster set of the Bloods street gang, according to a story by George Anastasia of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
    During the course of Operation Heat, investigators tracked and recorded at least a dozen conversations between imprisoned Nine Trey leader Edwin Spears and reputed mobsters Joseph Perna, 40, and Michael Cetta, 41. The groups are alleged to have cooperated on the smuggling of drugs and prepaid cellphones into East Jersey State Prison. Portions of the recorded conversations were presented in a 195-page investigative affidavit that is part of the pending criminal case.

Buffalo man charged in NJ gambling case

Brian R. Cohen, 61, of Buffalo NY, was charged May 27 with money laundering and gambling promotion in connection with a New Jersey-based Lucchese Crime Family online gaming racket, according to a story by Chris Megerian of  the Star-Ledger. The racket processed wagers amounting to $2.2 billion in a 15-month period, prosecutors said. Bets were routed through a wire room in Costa Rica, where Cohen (right) maintains a residence. Detectives arrested Cohen May 16 at Buffalo Niagara International Airport as he got off a plane from Central America. Two days earlier, prosecutors announced a 34-count indictment against alleged Lucchese Crime Family members and associates, including the alleged current and former leaders of the crime family's operations in New Jersey.

Canada agency orders Gallo deported

Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board ordered May 27 that reputed Montreal Mafioso Moreno Gallo be deported to Italy, according to a story by Paul Cherry of the Montreal Gazette. Born and raised in Italy, Gallo (left) has been a Canadian resident for almost 50 years. In the 1970s, Gallo was sentenced to a life prison sentence for the murder of a drug dealer. He was paroled in the early 1980s. During the Project Colisee investigation, authorities videotaped him bringing large quantities of cash to the Cosenza Social Club, a headquarters of the Rizzuto Mafia clan. Gallo was returned to prison for violating the conditions of his parole.

Bilek is Chicago Crime Commission exec VP

Criminologist Arthur Bilek has been named executive vice president of the Chicago Crime Commission. The commission announced the appointment May 23. Bilek is a highly regarded expert on organized crime. He founded the criminal justice department of the University of Illinois at Chicago, served as a special investigator for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and held other law enforcement positions. He is author and coauthor of books about Chicago organized crime history. Following his appointment, Bilek said he intended to reintroduce the crime commission's "Most Wanted" program and to expose the link between Chicago area drug gangsters and street violence.

Genovese associate Masullo, two brothers sentenced

Three Masullo brothers of Brooklyn were sentenced May 25 to prison terms for criminal conduct related to the Genovese Crime Family, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Felice Masullo, 38, was sentenced to 41 months. Anthony Masullo, 35, was sentenced to seven months. Angelo Masullo, 40, was sentenced to one year and a day.
    Felice Masullo, described by federal prosecutors as an up and coming associate in Anthony Palumbo's Genovese crew, pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2009, to charges related to cocaine distribution conspiracy, extortion conspiracy and illegal gambling conspiracy. According to federal prosecutors, he admitted participating in the racketeering enterprise known as the Genovese Crime Family.
    Anthony and Angelo Masullo pleaded guilty to participating in an extortion conspiracy.
    The press release states that Felice Masullo functioned in part as Palumbo's driver, accompanied him to meetings and delivered Palumbo messages to other members and associates of the Genovese Crime Family. "In connection with his criminal businesses, Felice Masullo relied on the assistance of two of his brothers..., who, among other things, collected cash payments from loansharking victims and gamblers. Felice Masullo, Anthony Masullo and Angelo Masullo operated these illegal businesses out of a restaurant they operated together in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York," the release said.
    The brothers were indicted with a group of other defendants, including reputed former Genovese acting boss Daniel Leo, his nephew Joseph Leo, Vincent Cotona, Charles Salzano, Arthur Boland and Patsy Aversa. Daniel Leo pleaded guilty to racketeering offenses and was sentenced March 23 to 18 months in prison and the forfeit of $1.3 million. Joseph Leo, who pleaded guilty to related charges, received a year in prison and was ordered to forfeit $200,000.
    Cotona pleaded guilty March 3 to receiving proceeds of extortion and was sentenced March 25 to 10 months in prison. Salzano pleaded guilty March 5 to knowingly receiving the proceeds of extortion and to operating a gambling business. He will be sentenced June 9. Boland pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to loansharking and will be sentenced May 21. Aversa pleaded guilty April 9 to tax evasion and will be sentenced July 8.

Lake Ontario victim was not Renda

Montreal Mafioso Paolo Renda remains missing. A body pulled Sunday from Lake Ontario was identified today as Quang Li, 47, a Thornhill, Ontario, resident who has been missing since 2007, according to a story by Katherine Wilson of the Montreal Gazette. Renda, a top man in the Rizzuto Mafia and a brother-in-law of reputed boss Vito Rizzuto, was reported missing on Thursday. His car was found near his home, its windows down and its key still in the ignition. Rizzuto is imprisoned in the U.S. Rizzuto's son Nick was shot to death in December. Canadian officials believe the Rizzuto organization is under siege by another underworld organization. The body of Quang Li was found encased in concrete within a rusty steel oil drum.

No deals: Taccetta looks ahead to federal trial

Maria Noto, defense attorney for reputed Lucchese Crime Family big shot Martin Taccetta, said May 24 that her client is not seeking a plea deal and is looking forward to a jury trial, according to a story by Peter J. Sampson of the Record.

    Already serving a life prison sentence on a 1993 state racketeering and extortion conviction, Taccetta, 59, of East Hanover, NJ, was one of 23 reputed members and associates of the Gambino and Lucchese Crime Families indicted by a federal grand jury two years ago. The indictment contained 30 counts, but Taccetta was charged in only three of those. He is accused of conspiring to extort a loan payment and of involvement in a scheme to allow non-union labor at a Morristown NJ construction project in exchange for approximately $20,000.
    The cases against all other defendants have been resolved. Taccetta broke off plea deal negotiations in December. His federal trial is scheduled to begin July 6 in Newark.
    "He's not guilty of the charges, and we look forward to an acquittal by the jury," Noto said.
   Last week, Taccetta sought information about the government's witness list and its evidence against him. Prosecutors have noted that at least one informant currently in the witness protection program will be called to testify. Taccetta's request was rejected by U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler.
    

Concrete-encased body may be Renda's

There is widespread speculation that a concrete-encased body drawn May 23 from Toronto's harbor on Lake Ontario was that of Montreal Mafioso Paolo Renda, missing since last week, according to a story published the Montreal Gazette.

    Police in Montreal have contacted Toronto authorities about the remains, which were found within concrete contained in a steel oil drum. However, neither police agency would publicly comment on any connection to Renda's disappearance. Toronto Detective Justin Vander Heyden told reporters that police have "a good idea" whose body it is. He said identification by the coroner's office would take at least two to three days.
    Renda has been a high-ranking member of the Rizzuto Mafia in Montreal. He is the brother-in-law of reputed Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, now imprisoned in the U.S. Montreal authorities believe the Rizzuto underworld clan has been under siege since the shooting death of Vito Rizzuto's son Nick last December.
    Released from prison in mid-February, Renda was last seen at 3:15 p.m. on May 20. His wife reported him missing at 6 p.m. Police found his automobile, with the windows down and the keys in the ignition, not far from his home.