For instance, Grande was recorded, extensively, directing the activities of others, including LCN members and associates, in an effort to extort local bookmakers and loansharks into paying monies to the LCN. In that portion of the case, Grande instructed another LCN member to “plant the flag” of the LCN in the Atlantic City area and regain control of bookmakers and loansharks. He acknowledged that associates had their “hooks into” the local criminals and that the local criminals had to either pair with the LCN or “get the fuck out.”

During discussions of how to exert full control over the local criminals, Grande warned that because of their activities that they would soon “catch, like, an extortion beef.”

After a series of successful extortion attempts of local bookmakers, Grande was then recorded negotiating the manner in which an extorted bookmaker would split proceeds with the LCN. Grande provided contact information to the local bookmaker for the LCN bookmaking operation, run by codefendant Louis Barretta, and explained the manner in which the operation functioned. From there, Grande was later recorded collecting gambling debts, or making gambling payments, on over 30 times.

Regarding loansharking, Grande said, “see, like, I’m a loanshark. . . . I could put out, like, $42,000 right now and I got to tell people, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’” Grande then continued on recordings to arrange several loanshark loans on his own behalf, and on behalf of LCN Underboss Steve Mazzone, with an FBI informant. Both Grande and Mazzone were then recorded several times, accepting “juice”, or interest payments, and principal payments on those loanshark loans.

Grande was also recorded discussing drug trafficking. He was recorded telling an FBI informant to be “careful” when obtaining a kilogram of cocaine for sale but that the informant should “do what you gotta do” in order to sell the drugs. When speaking of obtaining and selling oxycodone and counterfeit oxycodone (made with heroin and fentanyl) Grande stated, “if you can get that man, I can fucking move thousands of them. . . . You know these kids sell them for fucking $20 a piece?”