http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/fbi_busts_thug_gang_in_loan_shark_P2tAodOfaOI9LaIjwjnz4L

The FBI has busted a loan-sharking ring featuring an unlikely alliance -- between an alleged Gambino crime-family member, Westies gangster and motorcycle gang member, authorities said today.

Brooklyn-based feds pinched alleged Gambino James Ferrara, purported Westies gang member Daniel Hanley and reputed Demon Knights motorcycle gangster Peter Kanakis for running a menacing loan-sharking outfit together.

The Knights are a spinoff of the infamous Hell’s Angels.

“Allegedly members of three different organized crime enterprises, these defendants nevertheless banded together and spoke the same language of violence, threats and intimidation to their victims. Such tactics will always be met with the full force of the law,” US Attorney Loretta Lynch said.

“We will not rest until organized crime is eradicated from our communities.”

Lynch added that the government’s investigation is continuing.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly likened the mass bust to hitting a big winner at the race track.

“With alleged involvement of the Gambinos, Westies and Hell’s Angels, this case hit the trifecta of loansharking and extortion,” he said.

“I want to commend the NYPD detectives and federal agents and prosecutors who brought the suspects to justice.”

interesting. apparently the biker shot at one of the customers and ferrara tried muscle another even after the guy had paid back the loan.

Cool info..thanks

didnt know westies were still around

Yeah but the Luck O'D'Irish has run out a little. Bokun already facing these charges from earlier this year. Cops had this to say “It’s rare to run into an organization that’s wealthy enough and sophisticated enough to pull it off.”

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/The-Wes...-139963393.html

WOw the Westies bit was really surprising. I really thought they were down and gone forever following the Serb.

And I genuinely thought the John Bokun marijuana smuggling bust and the "westies connection" was merely hype to sell a news story about some otherwise uninteresting drug smugglers.. I dunno what this means, but it's pretty intriguing..

Will the Westside Irish Psychos rise again?

I admit I thought the Westies were extinct as well. But this is interesting. Anyone put a guess on how many active members they have now?

Making money never goes out of fashion. HK is definitely in vogue right now for the fags and the Yups but that don't mean they closed up shop and just handed over their rackets to the new residents.

Alot of them live in Jersey now but they still have property on the West Side though some still live there. Also they still have building contracts, union jobs, stagehand stuff and alot of these guys live in Yonkers now too and you can sometimes see some of these guys in the North Bronx around Katonah Ave.

I wouldn't like to make a guess as to how many are active. because the Feds and the Irish Cops hate these guys with a passion. It doesn't surprise me that it was an Irish Cop that busted this thing. One night in Coppersmiths a Fed got thrown a beating by one of the sons.

westies?give me a break. its all headlines. they see an irish last name and a minute connection to some westside mick and next thing you know some juiced up spray tanned drag queen is a 'westie boss'.heres what im trying to get at, there are no 'westies'. they didnt even call themselves 'westies'. to give an example. frank mcgahee was a 'westie' that i knew. he was never a 'westie'.lol.he was 'from' the westside, yeah we knew that. but he was always jimmy coonans 'guy'. he was 'with' jimmy. it was nothing more than a non italian crew. if by some chance frankie is still alive,free, and still on the street, he answers to a made guy. just like that guy bosko did. whats left of those guys all work 9 to 5 s out in queens somewhere or they still work for jg.

The media gives a lot of people stupid titles and nicknames. Your right they have to make everything to a bigger deal then it really was..

Have you seen the West Side lately?

It's all Starbucks, well-to-do Asians and hipsters from Ohio who made a few bucks and want to live in the big city.

The Westies reference is a fucking joke. A headliner grabber by an overzealous prosecutor.

I've read that Yonkers is suspected to have more illegal Irish than any other city in America.

Funny that you mention Katonah Avenue. I just made a post about that block a couple of weeks ago: http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthr...true#Post678108

That guy wasn't a drag queen, he was auditioning for the Irish Riviera version of Jersey Shore down by Spring Lake.

LMFAO at both posts .

Thanks for the link pizzaguy. That was interesting stuff. There's a good bar scene down there and it's one of the best neighborhoods in the Bronx.

It's probably one of the last old style Bronx neighborhoods left. In fact it hasn't changed much since the 60's.

As for the 'Westies' yeah most of it is hype. The Cops feed these lines to the press and they gobble it up. But same old, same old, not much new going on really that hasn't been going on for years.

You can walk into a bar in Woodlawn and try and get hired upstairs by a red faced mick and that kind of business is the only action I've really noticed to be honest. Obviously there's stuff going on you know some guys have a name attached to em but mostly its over nothing.

Good place to get a job if you're Irish though. Loads of fresh of the boat donkeys.

Very true.... I mean, they got to sell papers somehow....lol...

'sell the papers, sell the papers'. lol. i crack myself up.

I thought it was the case too. WIth the Press' extrapolation and connecting dots that werent there to sell papers but...

Seems like the hype originated from an FBI press release:

Alleged Gambino Associate, Westies Membe...olent Extortion

In it the release explicitly stated that Hanley is a member of the Westies. So you really can't blame the media on this one.

Yeah, the Feds and the big city police departments employ what they call a "Press Liaison" today. This person functions as half agent-half reporter. Two birds with one stone. Trump up the charges for the Feds, give the papers a good headline. It's still blown way out of proportion, though.

lol