It is not a mob case, per se. But the fact is that two of the four individuals indicted are the sons of Joseph (Joe the Cat) La Forte Sr., who was a top caporegime within the Carlo Gambino Family of New York, Joseph La Forte Jr., and his kid brother, James La Forte.

Not to mention the fact that this was a multi-year, multimillion-dollar fraud case, in and of itself, with two guys who were former mob associates makes this a worthwhile post.

If you're not already familiar with "Joe the Cat" La Forte, he was based on Mulberry Street in NY's Little Italy neighborhood. He was very close to Gambino underboss Neil Dellacroce, and was a top gambler in his own right.

His sons, especially Joe Jr., were very close to their father, and Joe Jr. was involved with his dad's gambling operations for years in Downtown NY, and on Staten Island. I also think he took a pinch with his father.

Correction: as Giacalone pointed out, they were the grandsons of La Forte, not the sons.


Last edited by NYMafia; 05/26/23 05:34 AM.