Arrests

Any word on who was taken into custody this morning???

I didn't see any names yet.

By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Tom Hays, Associated Press – 11 mins ago
NEW YORK – Federal agents have arrested more than 100 suspected mobsters in multiple investigations of New York's organized crime families.

The FBI said most of the arrests were made Thursday morning. Many were in Brooklyn, but they occurred throughout New York City, in New Jersey and New England. Charges include murder, extortion and narcotics trafficking.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials were expected to discuss the cases later Thursday at a news conference in Brooklyn.

The takedown was another blow to New York's five Mafia crime families. Federal probes aided by mob turncoats have decimated the families' ranks and resulted in lengthy prison terms for several leaders.

They are now saying the acting Colombo boss and virtually the entire Colombo administration...Andy Russo, Benji Castellazo, Ritchie Fusco?

This may be the end of the Colombos.

About 24 made members from 7 families...

Its never the end for the New York Families, it is sure a huge blow. But they will recover, it aint over yet. But first let see and wait whos taken away.

Baby Shacks arrested in Florida

any reliable sources on these arrest should be posted here..

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/reputed-ex-mob-boss-manocchio-arrested

As I've posted many times before, Mukremin (as have Ivy, Turnbull, Lilo and many of the other knowledgeable posters here): The Families will be around for quite some time. For as long as people want to gamble, borrow money and buy drugs (and that's pretty much forever), but it will NEVER be the same.

I'm not trying to offend you because you seem like a bright kid and I enjoy your enthusiasm about the subject of organized crime, but I think that living halfway around the world, coupled with the fact that you're still quite young, blinds you to the fact that these guys are a shadow of their former selves. Sitting by your computer and rooting for them to return to their glory days will not make it happen.

You just don't understand American law enforcement. Although it's at times quite prejudicial (a fact that drives me insane), they place Italian-American gangsters second only to Middle-Eastern terrorists on their "bad guy" lists. They'll cut a deal with the Taliban before they'll allow American Cosa Nostra to completely rebuild.

Again, please don't get offended by my singling you out like this. If you like, feel free to pm me whenever you want .

I was writing in the forum YESTERDAY how I was surprised Baby Shacks was never arrested when he was Boss.

I heard Bobby Vernace was arrested from the Gambinos

Included in the arrests were four of the Colombo crime family's New York-based captains, as well as one Colombo captain based in Florida, a source said.

"Early this morning, FBI Agents along with our law enforcement partners began arresting over 100 organized crime members for various criminal charges," said FBI spokesman Diego Rodriguez.

Luigi Manocchio, the reputed head of New England’s Patriarca crime family, was arrested Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the U.S. attorney’s office in Providence said.

A newly unsealed indictment accused him of collecting protection payments from strip club-owners.

Also busted was Thomas Iafrate, who worked as a bookkeeper for strip clubs and set aside money for Manocchio, prosecutors said.

The takedown followed a lengthy probe that was orchestrated by the US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn focusing on mainstay crimes of organized crime: racketeering, gambling, extortion and other alleged crimes including murder.

Among those charged in the sweep was Bartolomeo Vernace, a Gambino captain, who was arrested for an April 1981 mob double-hit, and Joseph "Jo Jo" Corazzo, consigliere of the Gambino crime family, sources said.

Authorities believe that Vernace is responsible for the murder of John D'Agnese, a Queens bartender, and Richard Godkin, in the three-decades-old case.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/histo...N#ixzz1BasdVIIA

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/20/feds-arrest-over-100-in-ny-nj-mob-takedown/
This is big!

It is all over our news here. I am sitting watching a presser by Eric Holder as i post......

Mark,

I didn't think to check that a thread was already started in the "Real Life" thread (makes sense). It DOES sound like a very significant bust. Ovation has the right idea.


TIS

IS - if you can get 1010 WINS online, they are going to go live to a press conference about this sometime soon.
http://player.radio.com/player/RadioPlayer.php?station=90

GRR! Darn media! 1010 WINS kept saying they would go to feds news conference LIVE and never went! Instead, they just played a sound clip from the FBI head. Anyways, this is big...over 100 wiseguys, 7 families including NJ and the top brass in Gambino & Colombo families got nabbed.

127 i just heard......

91 Leaders, Members and Associates of La Cosa Nostra Families in Four Districts Charged with Racketeering and Related Crimes, Including Murder and Extortion
Total of 127 Individuals Charged in Brooklyn, NY.; Manhattan, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; and Providence, R.I.

WASHINGTON – Ninety-one members and associates of seven organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including the New England LCN family, all five New York-based families and the New Jersey-based Decavalcante family have been charged with federal crimes in 16 indictments returned in four judicial districts, announced Attorney General Eric Holder. Another 36 defendants also have been charged for their roles in alleged associated criminal activity.

Joining in the announcement were Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Division; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara; U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman; U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Peter F. Neronha; Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor Daniel R. Petrole; and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

More than 110 of the 127 charged defendants have been arrested, and will appear in federal court in the districts in which they are charged. The charges relate to a wide range of alleged illegal activity, including murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, arson, narcotics trafficking, extortion, robbery, illegal gambling and labor racketeering, in some cases occurring over decades. The indictments charge leaders of these criminal enterprises, as well as mid-level managers, numerous soldiers and associates, and others alleged to be corrupt union officials.

"Today’s arrests and charges mark an important step forward in disrupting La Cosa Nostra’s illegal activities," said Attorney General Holder. "This largest single day operation against La Cosa Nostra sends the message that our fight against traditional organized crime is strong, and our commitment is unwavering. As we’ve seen for decades, mafia operations can negatively impact our economy – not only through a wide array of fraud schemes but also through the illegal imposition of mob "taxes" at our ports, in our construction industries, and on our small businesses. The violence outlined in these indictments, and perpetrated across decades, shows the lengths to which these individuals are willing to go to control their criminal enterprises and intimidate others. The Department of Justice and our partners are determined to eradicate these criminal enterprises once and for all, and to bring their members to justice."

"Some believe organized crime is a thing of the past; unfortunately, there are still people who extort, intimidate, and victimize innocent Americans. The costs legitimate businesses are forced to pay are ultimately borne by American consumers nationwide," said FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III.

"Today’s indictments represent a major milestone in the Office of Inspector General’s statutory responsibility to investigate labor racketeering and organized crime influence and control of unions, employee benefit plans and their workers," said Daniel R. Petrole, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor. "Through the alleged domination of these unions, these investigations revealed that union officials and associates and members of La Cosa Nostra Organized Crime Families conspired to steal from and extort hard working union members. My office remains committed to continue working with our law enforcement partners to combat these types of crimes."

Among those charged are Luigi Manocchio, 83, the former boss of the New England LCN; Andrew Russo, 76, street boss of the Colombo family; Benjamin Castellazzo, 73, acting underboss of the Colombo family; Richard Fusco, 74, consigliere of the Colombo family; Joseph Corozzo, 69, consigliere of the Gambino family; and Bartolomeo Vernace, 61, a member of the Gambino family administration. In total, more than 30 official members of the LCN, or "made men," were charged in the indictments unsealed today.

According to the indictments, the LCN operates in numerous cities around the United States and routinely engages in violence and threatens violence to extort money from victims, eliminate rivals, settle vendettas and obstruct justice. In the New York City-area, five LCN families principally operate: the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese families. The Decavalcante family operates principally in New Jersey, while the New England LCN family operates in areas including Providence and Boston. Each LCN family has a hierarchical structure, with an administration comprised of a boss, underboss and consigliere at the top overseeing crews of criminals led by captains, who in turn supervise organized crime soldiers and associates.

In Brooklyn, 12 indictments were unsealed today charging 85 defendants from all five New York-based families as well as defendants from the Decavalcante family. One indictment (United States v. Russo) charges 39 defendants, including the entire leadership of the Colombo family not currently in prison – street boss Andrew Russo, acting underboss Benjamin Castellazzo and consigliere Richard Fusco – as well as four of the crime family’s official captains and eight of its soldiers, with crimes including racketeering and racketeering conspiracy committed during an approximately 20-year period. Among other acts of violence, Colombo family acting captain Anthony Russo is charged with the 1993 murder of Colombo family underboss Joseph Scopo during an internecine war among family members. According to court documents, Scopo was shot in the passenger seat of a car outside of his residence in Ozone Park, Queens, N.Y. The Russo indictment also charges numerous crimes of extortion and fraud, including charges related to the Colombo crime family’s alleged long-standing control of Cement and Concrete Workers Union Local 6A, and its alleged defrauding of the City of New York in regard to an annually held feast, the Figli di Santa Rosalia. The indictment is based in part on hundreds of hours of recorded conversations of members and associates of the Colombo family, including meetings of the Colombo family administration.

Two of the indictments returned in Brooklyn (United States v. Vernace and United States v. Dragonetti) charge 13 members and associates of the Gambino family, including Bartolomeo Vernace, a member of the current Gambino family administration. The Vernace indictment includes, among others, charges against Vernace in regard to the 1981 double murder of Richard Godkin and John D’Agnese inside the Shamrock Bar in the Woodhaven neighborhood of Queens. D’Agnese died from a single gunshot to the face and Godkin died from a point-blank gunshot to his chest. The Dragonetti indictment charges numerous acts of extortion, including a conspiracy by the Gambino family to extort a New York City cement manufacturer, as well as various construction companies and sites outlined on the crime family’s so-called "Construction List."

In nine of the indictments charged in Brooklyn (United States v. Alesi, United States v. Balzano, United States v. Caramanica, United States v. Cicalese, United States v. Colandra, United States v. Gallo, United States v. Gioia, United States v. Messina and United States v. Samperi), members and associates of the Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Decavalcante families are charged variously with racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, extortion, perjury, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, receipt of stolen property and possession of contraband cigarettes. For example, in United States v. Messina, Bonanno family associate Neil Messina is charged with the murder of Joseph Pistone during a home invasion robbery in 1992. The Alesi indictment charges, among other things, a former member of the Suffolk County, N.Y., Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit with obstructing a state investigation of illegal gambling businesses by tipping off the business to upcoming law enforcement raids. The Cicalese indictment charges three members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) with committing perjury during testimony before a federal grand jury investigating organized crime’s infiltration of the waterfront and the ILA.

Another indictment (United States v. Depiro), being prosecuted jointly by the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of New York, charges 15 defendants with various racketeering related crimes, including extortion of members of ILA Local Union 1235 and other New Jersey ILA locals, as well as for acts of illegal gambling through the management of a sports betting operation and a poker club, and extortionate collection of credit related to gambling debts. Certain defendants, who include numerous current and former officials in local ILA unions based in New Jersey, are alleged to be affiliated with the Genovese family. According to court documents, the Gambino and Genovese families have engaged in a multi-decade conspiracy to influence and control the unions and businesses that work on the New York-area piers. According to court documents, Stephen Depiro managed the Genovese family’s illegal activities on the New Jersey piers, including the Genovese family’s long-standing conspiracy to extort ILA members each year during the Christmas period, when the longshoremen annually receive a portion of royalty payments paid by shipping companies using the ports of New York and New Jersey. Depiro and others allegedly conspired with his cousin, Nunzio LaGrasso, an associate of the Genovese family and the vice-president of ILA Local 1478 in Newark, to extort ILA members each year.

In Manhattan, 26 defendants, primarily from the Gambino family, have been charged in two indictments that include charges related to racketeering conspiracy, murder, narcotics trafficking, extortion, assault, arson, loansharking, illegal gambling, mail and wire fraud, and stolen property crimes. Among the defendants charged are Joseph Corrozo, 69, who has served at times as the Gambino family consigliere; Bartolomeo Vernace, 61, a member of the Gambino family administration, who is also charged in Brooklyn; Gambino family captains Alphonse Trucchio, 34, and Louis Mastrangelo, 66; and Gambino soldiers Michael Roccaforte, 34, Anthony Moscatiello, 40, and Vincenzo Frogiero, 43.

According to court documents filed in the Manhattan cases, the criminal conduct allegedly occurred for more than two decades, from the late 1980s to approximately 2010. Gambino associate Todd LaBarca, 39, is charged with the 2001 conspiracy to murder and murder of Gambino family associate Marty Bosshart. According to the indictment, Bosshart was murdered on Jan. 2, 2002, with a single gunshot to the back of his head, and his body was left on the side of the road in Queens. According to court documents, a cooperating witness consensually recorded more than 100 conversations with other members and associates of the Gambino family, including conversations with LaBarca about the murder. In addition, according to court documents, the cocaine and marijuana trafficking involved multiple thousands of kilograms of the illegal drugs.

Finally, an indictment unsealed in Providence charges two defendants - longtime boss of the New England LCN Luigi Manocchio, 83, and LCN associate Thomas Iafrate, 61, - with extortion and extortion conspiracy. The extortion conspiracy allegedly spans almost two decades of illegal activity and involves the extortion of local pornographic bookstores and nightclubs, including the Satin Doll and the Cadillac Lounge, both in Providence.

The charges carry a variety of maximum penalties, up to life in prison on certain charges.

The charges announced today are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The defendants charged in each district will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from each of the respective districts in which the cases were charged, including the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the District of Rhode Island and the District of New Jersey. The case charged in Providence is also being prosecuted by trial attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section.

The cases were variously investigated by the FBI’s New York and Newark Field Offices, and the Boston Division’s Providence Resident Agency; the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; the New York City Police Department; the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; the U.S. Secret Service; the Suffolk County Police Department; the Rhode Island State Police; and the Providence Police Department. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Marshals Service in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York; the Monmouth County, N.J., Prosecutor’s Office; the New York State Police; the New Jersey State Police; the New Jersey Department of Corrections; the U.S. Army-Ft. Hamilton; and the Italian National Police also provided assistance.

Copies of the indictments can be found at www.justice.gov/opa/lacosanostra.htm.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/January/11-ag-077.html

Well done, Dap. Good info...

Finally, we will get a picture and some info on Bobby Vernace.

While this is clearly a massive arrest, I cannot help but notice that the Genovese and Lucchese Families - which seem to be strong and rebuilding respectively - went virtually unscathed.

The murders in this indictment are pretty old. Joseph Scopo was killed by John Pappa. The murders they are pinning on Vernace are ancient, I thought those charges were dropped a few years ago, I don't think he was the shooter either. The other murder of the guy was in the trial of Ronnie "one arm" Trucchio, so I guess they are trying to charge his son with that murder too. The FEDS like to pin one murder on many different guys, even if they didn't directly take part in it. These indictments always look strong when they first come out, but seem to fizzle out by the time they get to trial, will see how this plays out. The fact that they are trying to tie old murders into the case makes me wonder how strong it is, but jurors these days believe anything the Government says for some reason.

I noticed that too, I was looking to see if any Lucchese guys got taken down but they evaded arrest.

Interesting how they finally took down Baby Schack today after all those years as Boss of the Patriarcas and nothing pinned on him. Yesterday, The Saint pleaded guilty and took another 10 eyars he also admitted to being a made member of la cosa nostra and said that Baby Schacks was the Boss. Did he tip off the feds for a sweeter deal?...

Yeah I wonder what role they are going to charge Russo for the Scopo murder...

A lot of these guys will never get jail time. Its a huge dog and pony show. The fbi likes to do these sweeping busts every few years and not much comes of it. A few guys will receive 5 or 6 years but a lot of these murder charges dealing with old murders won't stick.

I am guessing the only reason they Arrested Baby shacks was a few days ago in the saints plea agreement he admitted that baby shacks was the previous boss. I bet the charges are about some rough evidence on the shakedown of those two strip clubs and with the saint giving up baby shacks they were able to pounce. The one thing that could get baby shacks is Thomas Iafrate (who was also arrested) flipping. Thomas Iafrate was a kep part of the strip club shakedown payments getting to baby shacks. If they have something on Thomas Iafrate and he flips, baby shacks is screwed.

I don't get it. With all the trials and infomrants over the years dealing with the Colombo war you would think the Scopo murder would have been put to rest. The Colombo's are either very disfunctional, or the FBI has a hot for them, because they are always getting hit with cases. I think it is a little of both, they might still hold a grudge over the Scarpa/Lin Delvecchio fiasco.

I thought the double murder Vernace is charged with was settled a few years ago. The supposed shooter was picked up in the mid 2000's after living on the run for over 20 years. Then I thought they dropped the case because it was so long ago, witnesses died, evidence was lost, etc.

Exactly what I am thinking, also its the Colombos! The most dysfunctional of all the five families and probably the easiest to score a major bust. To the Feds credit, with one big swipe they took down the entire administration of the Colombos along with some 4 Captains and 8 Soldiers. Thats a huge blow considering the Colombos still havent really recovered from the takedowns /informants from recent years.

Besides Stephen Depiro (Tino Fiumara's right hand man, Tino would have been taken down if he was still alive probably) being taken down, what other Genovese and what Lucchese members were taken down? It looks like both families escape relatively untouched and continue to build and get stronger in the shadows while the other families grab the headlines..

I wonder what will become of the Colombos now lol. There's no one left. The ENTIRE administration is now in jail AND four new capos! If they don't get a nice plea, they actually might wind up doing some real time. And how old is Andy Mush by the way? He's gotta be at least 75.

The Corozzos also maybe finished, but The Gambinos are definitely not finished. Same goes for the other three families.

This is a chart of all the guys taken down by the FBI, this was put out by the FBI

http://www.mediafire.com/?n049saqc2labczn

And what about the Bonanno's?

I agree with what the poster a few posts above said regarding the Feds having it out for the Colombos. It seems like that's the case. I'm sure the NYPD has an axe to grind with some of those guys too, and with good reason. If you look at some of the stuff that's gone on with the Colombos over the past 20 years up until now, you kind of see that they're probably the scummiest and most degenerative family operating on the streets.

Killing a cop in broad daylight, attempting to assassinate a federal prosecutor (the 'aronwald hit'), the Scarpa/DelVecchio connection, a very public war that left some innocent people dead, drugs, etc... and then you have associates trying to chizzle bar owners out of a tab by threatening to ram a screwdriver through the guys hands (RueB)... you add up the list of stuff these guys have been involved with through the 80s, 90s, 00s and realize the city is probably better off without these guys on the streets.

Also I couldn't help but notice the age of some of the Gambino guys. A few in their 30s and 40s...even a captain in the 30s. Seems relatively young for this day and age. Shows that things are still movin along in the city...or on staten island at least ...

Thanks for this. Looks like The Lucheses and The Bonannos are getting out of this one pretty much unscathed.

Great! This is a lot easier to understand than all those large newspaper articles.

There seems to be plenty of young guys around. It's the GoodFellas generation. Hollywood has given us a gang of young mafia wannabes. This explains the age gap.

Heres the rundown:

No made guys from the Lucchese (1 Associate) or Bonanno's (3 Associates) was taken down. 2 Genovese Soldiers, 2 Decalvacante Soldiers, from the Gambinos Bobby Vernace(Ruling Panel), Joseph Corozzo (Consiglieri), Luis Mastrangelo (Capo), Alphonse Trucchio (Capo), and eight 8 other Soldiers, plus 22 associates. The Colombos have the entire administration taken down. Andrew Russo (Street Boss), Benjamin Castellazo (Acting Underboss), Richard Fusco (Consiglieri), Teddy Persico Jr (Former Ruling Panel), Joseph Carna (Capo), Dennis Delucia (Capo), Reynold Maragni (Capo), Anthony Russo (Acting Capo), plus 8 Soldiers, and 18 associates.

Decapitating strike against the Colombos!

It'll be intresting to see what becomes of all this

Yeah i understand, but its just my own opinion. No one has to agree with it, and i dont have to agree with everyone else. I respect all the members here, and seems that everyone has an opinion and no one else is getting lectured

On topic:
This is indeed big, but time will show who will be really put in prison. Thanks for the pdf Dapper Don

I honestly see one route the Colombo family can now take: Completely sever all ties to Persico and his supporters and restart. I genuinely believe that the Profaci crime organization as it was once known is done.

I am just waiting for Capeci or whoever else to reveal who were the informants wearing wires or who flipped if anyboyd...that would be interesting.

Any predictions?

I say a few Colombo guys from the ones picked up today jump ship and maybe a Gambino as well. I dont see any Genovese guys talking.

Also, does anybody have ANY photos from the arrests? I am dying to see what some of these guys look like, especially Vernace.

same, just seen the video and some pics of them being booked from behind, all of them looking like bums! I have seen homeless people on the subway who were dressed better than these guys, whatever happened to the days of wearing a classy suit so when the cameras see you you dont look like a jerkoff? Images of Gotti, Locascio, and others remind me of this, then again those guys probably know they were getting arrested they got tipped off. If I was going down I wear my best suit for the cameras go out in style.

I read on another forum this member posted that he knows this guy who some "guys" from NJ and he was saying that they were waiting for the FEDS to pick them up this morning before the raids even started cause apparently some of them were tipped off.

thats what i have been preaching for quite some time now, all the persicos should be outcast and the family should start rebuilding, follow the joe massino model (before he flipped) just make close members(sons,family) of made guys already so that people will be less likely to flip cause they will be hurting their blood family as well as the crime family.

Here's a chart of all those arrested....

http://www.mediafire.com/?n049saqc2labczn


Here are most, if not all, the indictments....

http://www.scribd.com/doc/47262255/January-2011-Mafia-Indictments
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/russo-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/vernace-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/dragonetti-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/alesi-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/balzano-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/caramanica-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/cicalese-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/colandra-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/gallo-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/gioia-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/messina-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/samperi-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/depiro-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/corozzo-indictment.pdf
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/files/luigi-manocchio-indictment.pdf


http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/

This is untill know a major event. Withing a few days well know the details. According some defense counselers, some of the clients will flip. I wonder if it will be the top Colombo guys who will flip.

Press conference....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41172980#41172980


Looks like the Justice Dept. is working to merge it's organized crime and racketeering unit and gang division.

I will never forget the day when I saw the pictures of Tommy Shots and Dino Calabro being lead away in handcuffs. Haven't had a laugh like that since I saw Steve Martin trying to hitchhike in The Jerk.


My predictions usually don't come true, but judging by the luck of this family I predict Allie Boy, Andy Mush, Fusco, Gioeli and Castellazzo flip on the two guys that are left..Sonny and Junior.

Here's a collection of all the indictments from the Justice Dept. website

http://www.justice.gov/opa/lacosanostra.htm

If you really think guys like Allie Boy and Andy Russo will flip, no wonder your predictions usually don't come true.

LMAO! Agreed Tommy Shots was a brutal picture thats for sure, looking like a bum with a big white tshirt and shades on with his tits flopping around.

LOL, i highly doubt any of the direct Persico relatives will flip, but the rest are up for grabs...

I admit it's a long shot, but did anyone ever think Massino was gonna flip? After that happened, nothing surprise me anymore. Well OK, if Sonny flipped I'd be surprised.

Lots of videos on the bust...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_viNtcFMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAkCOvB5Zr4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fYNukX7y3A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpFg0YO7Zps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZEn_kafoWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_4Utmxquco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCH8eAb8CoA

Here are some pictures

http://photos.nj.com/star-ledger/2011/01/largest_mob_takedown_in_histor_1.html

True, Massino flipping was a shock. But if somebody like Sonny or Carmine Persico ever flipped LCN foundation is def hurt at its core.

Massino was from the Gotti generation. Guys like Sonny Franzese and Carmine Persico will never flip. They go further back. Same as others like Matty Ianniello, Dominick Cirillo, and others. They will never flip.

Nice find.

Some more...

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Massive-Mafia-Crackdown/ss/events/us/012011mobsters

If you ever have any questions about the Mafia, just e-mail this guy...

Yeah, I noticed that too. Interesting all the Genovese made guys I have seen in the past and today are older like 40s and Captains around 50/60. Seems the family waits to make guys which porbably helps them avoid turncoats

In another post i mentioned how a few years ago the commission wanted to disband and take over the colombos but didnt out of respect for carmine.But if their entire admin and 4 capos are going to be put away i really think the other families r going to absorb them and the crews will have to start kicking up to there new bosses.If these guys in the admin were the best the colombos had to offer imagine now that they will be in jail they will have even more incompatent guys runing the family and i dont think that will happen

I think the feds r targetting the colombos because they r so weak thet they want to finish them off

I dont see that happaning, its bad for reputation for the Colombos to get absorbed by the other 4 families. It was discussed back then, it may be discussed now. But it never ever will happen, there isnt much to gain anyways by absorbing the colombos. Its riddled with rats and informants.

I heard the news on Dutch television and I immediately thought about my good times on this forum so I went here and read the posts about this subject.

Mukremin, looks like you may have to revamp a lot of the charts you spent a lot of time working on. Leave it to the Feds to screw things up!

Dutch news? What channel its on?

@Mark: Yeah you are right, i think i will wait a bit untill i upload the new charts. Some things might change and keep changing from now on. Thanks USA!!

It was on the "NOS journaal" Mukrenim.

As has been said by most on these forums it'll be very interesting to see what charges stick as a result of these arrests.

Whatever the outcome may be it's certainly huge news, we've had some fairly extensive coverage even on our side of the pond so I can only imagine what the news channels are like in the States. Over the coming days though i'm sure we'll receive less coverage so please keep this topic updated! I'd hate to miss anything.

With regards to some of the earlier posts about the possible end of the Colombo family that may be a bit extreme in my opinion, i've no doubt they'll suffer as a result of these arrests but it would be naive to assume that this would end a family (Just my opinion though). Obviously I could be wrong, and usually am and we'll not know for sure until people have actually been charged but bear in mind the time and effort that has been put into this case by the FBI, this only shows how active these families must still be, if it were the end of one of the five families as we know it rest assured that one of the then remaining 4 would soon be in a position to strengthen as a result of the loss of the other or could allow an entirely new faction to become active.

Another video of the bust

http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-fed-mafia-arrests,0,6169611.story

Thanks Sonny..
I am surprised that Ligambi isnt mentioned, everyone thought he had it coming soon before 2011 even. So he still maintaints stability there, thats good.

Thanks for the video Ivy.

It isn't all that surprising. The Philadelphia family is so small and it's much harder to penetrate a tight knit group like that. It becomes especially hard when you got a boss like Ligambi. It's obvious they don't have anything substantial on him. He might even be able to get through the next three years without any problems. But if anyone can throw a monkey wrench in his program, it's Skinny Joey Merlino and he'll be out in a few months. We'll see what happens.

Alright fellas,

I stumbled across this site whilst looking for information on the latest arrests (great site by the way).

Thanks for all the info so far, I just wanted to echo Englishman's words and ask that you keep the info comming for those not in the states (im sure you all will anyway even without me asking). There have been a few newspaper bits over here but nothing like the coverage you guys have.

Welcome to the forums Mr Adams.

Out of 127 indicted, what do you think the over/under should be on plea bargains?

I say at least 100.

I have grown to become almost fascinated w the Philly Mob. There is extensive coverage on these guys with George Anastasia posting videos every week. Every week he has a video of the current status and new updates for the Philly Mob. I have grown to become a huge fan of Uncle Joe. I would like to get a chat going regarding Merlino and why the Ligambi crew hasnt been taken down yet

What will Merlino do? I personally think hes always going to be a cowboy and will look to take the spotlight again..

For yrs now Ligambi and his crew were suppose to get taken down. Is this ever going to happen? Seems like they dont have anything good and may never until mby Merlino comes around again.. I happen to like Merlino as well..

Merlino's not a kid anymore. If he's matured while he's been away, and he's willing to truly accept a subordinate spot under Ligambi, maybe he can make a go of it. He's certainly proven that he's a standup guy.

He'll be under intense FBI scrutiny when he gets out, so I wouldn't expect anything too dramatic right off the bat. It should be interesting.

I agree law enforement makes it so difficult for these guys to just jump back in the life after being released. Over the last decade some major new england guys have been released and a lot of them did not resurface and the ones who did usually waited some period of time. In my opinoin merlino will probably resurface but it may take a few years

I agree. I bet that no one in named in those indictments (which I didn't read so I don't know how serious they really are) serves over 8 years. Just a guess. Kinda reminds me of Operation Old Bridge from a few years ago. Most of those guys besides Nick Corrozo who were swept up in that are getting out soon if they arn't out already. That Dragonetti guy , supposedly Corrozo's son-in-law, was named in the Operation Old Bridge indictment as an associate... now he's named in this new indictment as a Soldier. Interesting

Uncle Joe may be the most successful boss in quite some time as well.

As for Merlino, alot of his guys are not happy with the amount of money their making. At Anthony Staino's wedding, the alcohol was flowing and many Merlino guys were talking.. They claim they made alot more with Merlino around. Im sure Ligambi could care less what these guys think.. It will be interesting though bc im sure his crew will back him once hes around. There are rumors that he is going to Florida.. I dont buy this one bit.. He loves this life too much.. In my opinion, Merlino will come out n become prob Consiglere. Staino is the underboss and Ligambi's most trusted guy. I dont see Staino moving unless he does Uncle Joe a favor..

Ligambi probably is a pretty good guy for mafia standards. But to say he's the most successful boss goes too far. The Philly mob is nowadays no more than a street gang.

Bruno will always be the most successful boss Philly had. Not that I'm such a fanboy, but I feel like it's a big shame he was killed.

I would lay good odds that about 25 of them fully cooperate and start singing. This generation doesn't want to spend one night behind bars let alone 5 to 10 years minimum. The Feds better get a lot of cheese ready...the rats will be hungry after flipping.

Damm 25 is quite a big number, I would agree with you if there were more murder charges that were spread out against multiple guys but the crutch of these indictments are gambling,loan sharking, etc i say less than 10 guys flip, a few of them being some colombos given that so many of themn were arrested

i saw this new article that said this sweep has left the colombos with only around 50 made guys on the streets!!

Our favorite reformed mobster (pun intended)

Michael Franzese was on CNN talking about the recent bust, his first Captain Andrew Russo, Russo's sons who were made with/around him, Sonny Franzese, why the feds have been so effective, whats the real deal with the life...

http://ow.ly/3Ib2R

http://ow.ly/3IdCZ

so, is the colombo family dead now since their head is basically cut off.

They were saying the same thing about the big Gambino bust back in 2008. Even for the younger guys, unless they are facing stiff charges such as murder, they can and do usually plead out and only have to serve a fraction of the time.

Unless I just completely missed them yesterday, a number of "detention memos" have been included among the various indictments. There is A LOT of information in them, often even more than the indictments themselves. Check 'em out at the link below.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/lacosanostra.htm

Yeah, I was checking it out they just added those memos recently.

One of them talks about a Walter Samperi a Colombo Associate that was stabbed in an altercation by someone from the Gambino family. The Colombos settled the dispute at a sit down and got a cash payment from the Gambinos. Apparently it was agreed that if the Colombos didn't retaliate, the Gambinos would give up $150,000 - $100,000 of which would come from their stake in the Figli di Santi Rosalia feast in Brooklyn. Looks like Andy Russo was upset with his guys for having a sit down first. He thought they should have retaliated and then reach out.

In the Russo detention memo, it states the Colombos are using firearms in the making ceremonies. Interesting, I remember Basciano wanting to bring that back to the family as they stopped doing it under Massino for fear of being raided and found with weapons. It's funny, the associate who is about to be made complains about being embarrassed at having to bring his own firearm to his own making ceremony. It says the Colombos made 6 guys in January 2009 and then attempted to make 4 more in December 2010 but that one was canceled due to surveillance.

Our notoriously crappy,but very popular, newspaper The Sun had a full page on these aressts yesterday but seemed to get their facts a bit askew. They were more concerned about talking how the DeCalvacantes were the basis for the Sopranos and how Nicky Scarfo was the notorious leader of the Lucheses???????????

Epic Fail?

Structure Keeps Mafia Atop Crime Heap
Strict Hierarchy and Ability to Recruit Have Enabled La Cosa Nostra to Survive Challenges From Other Organizations
By DEVLIN BARRETT and SEAN GARDINER
January 22, 2011

Over the past three decades, Russian mobsters, Chinese gangsters, Mexican cartels and a host of other groups have all grabbed slices of the criminal activity traditionally dominated by the mafia.

But none have come close to exerting the kind of wide-ranging influence still enjoyed by La Cosa Nostra, as the Italian-American mob is known.

That is partly because of how the different gangs have organized themselves. The mafia has a strict hierarchical structure, law-enforcement officials said, and it has proven capable of finding new soldiers. Even after imprisonment of senior leadership, it survives, and in some places thrives, though most experts agree that its operations are now largely confined to its traditional bases in the Northeast and Chicago.

This week's round-up of more than 100 suspected mob members and associates is unlikely to stop the mafia's core businesses: extortion, loan-sharking, fraud and theft. Yet the arrests also indicate how difficult it is these days to be a mafia leader—paranoid about informants, afraid of telephones and dreading the early-morning knock on the door.

"We aggressively attack them…and the sentences are very large, but they continue to roll the dice," said David Shafer, who heads the Organized Crime Branch in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York Office, which also has squads dedicated to Russian and Asian gangs.

The mob has evolved in part by outsourcing, contracting out some of its criminal work to motorcycle gangs, according to Howard Abadinsky, a professor at St. John's University who writes about organized crime. The so-called Outlaws gang has done a lot work in recent years with the Chicago mob, while the Hell's Angels are used by New York City's mafia families. Philadelphia mobsters use a gang called the Pagans.

Russian gangsters were once feared as the next criminal superpower. But their looser structure, which helps them avoid detection by law enforcement, has also kept them from growing into an organization able to recruit the number of members needed to challenge the mafia.

The Russian networks tend to come together briefly for particular criminal plots and then disband, according to Michael Vecchione, who heads the rackets division at the Brooklyn district attorney's office.

Mr. Shafer, the FBI official, said some Russian crooks also realized there were great profits to be made in white-collar crime, such as scams involving insurance or medical fraud, "so why do the extortion or gambling?"

Most Asian gangs, meanwhile, tend to victimize only members of their own immigrant group and therefore remain small compared with much larger mafia families, experts who study the groups said.

In the late 1980s, Chinese and Vietnamese gangs such as the Ghost Shadows, Born to Kill and Flying Dragons were operating in New York City's Chinatown, engaging in gambling, drug-trafficking, prostitution, robbery, extortion and other crimes, including murder.

A series of racketeering prosecutions effectively dismantled the most dangerous of those groups, according to Mr. Shafer, reducing them to smaller, less ambitious groups that he said were more akin to "roaming wolf packs" than true street gangs.

But the true breadth and penetration of some ethnic gangs isn't entirely clear. For instance, Russian criminal networks are particularly difficult to crack because of the foreign-language expertise required, experts said.

One area dominated by the newer gangs is the U.S. drug trade, where Mexican cartels are now challenging the Colombians for supremacy, said John Gilbride, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Office.

The shift in power began in the mid-1990s when the Colombian drug lords started paying the Mexican cartels—whose members transported the cocaine and heroin into the U.S. in tractor trailers and vehicles with hidden traps—with drugs instead of money.

But Mr. Abadinsky said the big drug cartels were "one-trick ponies" and didn't participate in non-drug-related crime since nothing else was as profitable.

So while the days of John Gotti—the "Dapper Don" whose swagger and scheming made him the most wanted mobster of his time—are long gone, the Italian-American mob remains the most powerful criminal enterprise in the U.S., mafia observers say.

A former mobster, who first joined a New York crime family 25 years ago, said: "The mob is still around but the education to it ain't there."

But he said the mob always had a comeback. "It will regroup. Everybody will lay low and see what happens. Then all of a sudden, little by little, they'll come out and they'll start regrouping. They gotta. There's too much money, and you gotta remember their egos won't let them walk away."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704115404576096392318489246.html

Listening to that video it almost sounds like Michael is still in contact with Andy Russo. I'd bet you a million dollars that if somebody from the Russo cam approached Michael and asked him for help, he wouldn't even think twice about it.

No doubt.

There are rats, and then there are rats. In the big scheme of things, Michael Franzese never really hurt anyone. And if he didn't still have a few friends, I doubt he'd be living such an open lifestyle.

Third that. I think his own father would have consented to having him whacked if he had really raised a shitstorm. In the end, what? He went to jail, I'm not even sure he brought anybody down and he spends his time addressing Christian groups. Out of view, no trouble being caused. I think the guy could never betray his father anyway.

good article here...


http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/family_health_plan_MPCyrekysDF2hbRsPo0RYM

Colombo Crime Family on brink of Mob War?

Heads will roll.
The Colombo crime family rats whose taped conversations led to last week’s massive federal bust of 127 gangsters will likely touch off a bloodbath in the family to avenge the betrayal.
“I think they’re going to kill people, because the guys running around making the tapes were made members of the family,” a high-ranking source close to the investigation told The Post.
“I’ve heard that people are looking to retaliate.”
The FBI arrests took down the entire leadership of the Colombo crime family, two top Gambino family figures, and 34 made members of New York’s five crime families — Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese — and families in New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Arrests like that of alleged street boss Andrew 'Mush' Russo and associate Angelo Spata ( second from left) have left the Colombos in disarray. But unlike the old days, it's informants, not hits, that hurt the mob most.
The Colombo turncoats included two “well-positioned” made members — above the rank of soldier — and one associate, the source said.
Made men take an oath of omerta, or silence. They are expected to do anything for the family — including murder.
“I think people in the Colombo family are very much in shock over what happened,” the source said. “That Colombo leadership is a dangerous bunch — they’re reckless killers, and sometimes it doesn’t take much for them to decide someone has to go.”
The first targets of revenge would be the informants, and then guys who brought them into the family. The biggest-ever Mafia sweep hit the Colombos hardest, leaving around 40 made guys on the street, the source said.
Another law-enforcement source, an expert on the Colombo family, said the most important arrest was the de facto leader Andrew “Mush” Russo — which leaves the family rudderless.
“Nobody knows who will take over,” the source said. “There’s nobody left.” Russo, well-liked by the family, was convicted of jury tampering in 1999.
For fellow Colombo Anthony “Big Anthony” Russo, who is not related to Andrew Russo, violence was as easy as spreading butter on bread. In one of the taped conversations by a mob rat, the capo boasted that mobsters “were the only guys willing to go to war.”
In another tape, Big Anthony was getting itchy, telling a confidant he suspected “a rat real close to us.” He swore that when he found the snitch, he would “chop his head off.”
While on parole for a prior racketeering conviction, Anthony Russo was inducted as a made man and soon was promoted to capo. He’s now accused of murder, extortion and loan sharking, among other charges. He faces life in prison.
The relatively unscathed Genovese family, which had only 13 members charged in the bust, is now dominant, said a former law-enforcement official.
“They remain a very powerful group,” agreed Jack Garcia, a legendary FBI undercover agent who posed as moneyman Jack Falcone to infiltrate the Gambino family for three years beginning in 2002. The Gambinos have dropped to No. 2, he said.
“In the Genovese family, you really don’t have that many defectors. They’re still very entrenched in the unions and construction industry,” Garcia said.
The snitches and turncoats who aided investigators underscore a dramatic transformation of the city’s mob from the old days, agents and informants say.
“There have never been so many informants as in the past 10 years, They talk big, but they can’t do the time,” said Joe Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who penetrated the Bonanno crime family as jewel thief Donnie Brasco in 1976.
“With the young guys today, it’s the ‘me generation,’ ” Pistone said. “They want to make their money now and this why so many have gone into the drug business.
“They don’t have the wherewithal to cultivate the politicians and judges. Most of these guys couldn’t point out Italy on a map,” Pistone said.
Former Gambino soldier Andrew DiDonato, who is now living “in Middle America” under a different name, said shaking down drug dealers was a steady source of income in the ’80s and ’90s.
He would approach dealers in Canarsie, Mill Basin and Bergen Beach, Brooklyn, and demand a regular kickback, telling them: “You got one of two choices: We kill you right here, or you pay us weekly.”
And the process of becoming a made man is now just a straight numbers game, decreasing the importance of honor and experience in favor of earning power.
According to Garcia, killing used to be mandatory before induction into La Cosa Nostra. “They felt you would never betray them, because you were dirty yourself,” he said.
Now all “they really want are guys who will make money for the family,” added Garcia, who was invited to be a made man in 2005 simply because he was a “big earner.”
Mob bosses have also rejected the late John Gotti’s flamboyance and public bravado, becoming more secretive.
Gotti held meetings each Wednesday with all his capos at the Ravenite Social Club in Howard Beach, which helped investigators piece together their criminal enterprise.
“We realized that social clubs and gathering together brought unnecessary heat, and law-enforcement an opportunity to identify the players,” said DiDonato, who turned state’s witness in 1997 and blew the whistle on a double murder and other crimes.
DiDonato said more goodfellas are either becoming snitches or leaving the life entirely to avoid hefty prison sentences. Most fear being double-crossed — or killed — by their own mob families.
“The respect in the mob only goes up the ladder — it does not come back down,” he said.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/ope...M#ixzz1BssTxCiN

two new videos of Franzese, look at him wearing that freaking black leather jacket, wait till the first video finishes to see the rest

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2011/01/22/nr.candiotti.mob.cnn

Tales From The Mob Bust;
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/tales_from_the_mob_busts_yNxDbft2Sf0gcSBx0hRoPM

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110121/NEWS01/101210346/Mob-arrests-include-7-local-suspects

Cool articles on who has been arrested.

Hahahaha "Have you ordered hits?" what a question. I thought Franzese was gonna have a heart attack. The guy was a captain in one of the most violent crime families in the history of mankind. He must have been involved in something.

Link

Omertà May Be Dead; the Mafia Isn’t
By SELWYN RAAB
Published: January 22, 2011

QUITE a coincidence: In January 1961, Robert F. Kennedy, newly appointed as attorney general of the United States, orchestrated the first concentrated attack on the American Mafia. Almost to the day 50 years later, the government swept up more than 120 people in a smorgasbord of racketeering indictments, mainly in the New York area.

It was described as the largest single-day assemblage of Mafiosi defendants in America. The arrests, however, underline a sobering message: despite half a century of law enforcement campaigns, New York’s Cosa Nostra (“Our Thing”) continues to prosper. This is often because some change — usually either shifting priorities for law enforcement or improved strategy on the part of the new criminal bosses — gives the mob breathing space to rebuild.

Since the birth of the American Mafia in 1931, New York has been its crown jewel. While other major cities and regions were limited to one family, or borgata, New York was afflicted with five powerful ones, now known as the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese groups. (There is also a satellite unit, the DeCavalcantes, in New Jersey.)

In the decades after the passage of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations laws of 1970, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department eliminated or severely weakened all 20-odd families in other cities and regions. In New York, the hierarchies of the five families were thought to have been pretty much destroyed by the so-called Commission Case in the mid-1980s and other investigations. By the end of the last century, prosecutors and F.B.I. officials all too frequently proclaimed that even the mob’s sacred stronghold in New York was crushed.

As they did to so many aspects of American life, however, the 9/11 attacks radically transformed things. Until 9/11, the F.B.I. had two top priorities: counterespionage and the mob. But in the early 2000s the Justice Department dropped Cosa Nostra investigations as a priority, reassigning hundreds of agents to antiterrorist units.

In New York, the linchpin in the F.B.I.’s crusade against wise guys, the number of agents and Police Department investigators assigned to battling the five families in combined task forces declined to about 100 from a high point of 450. Last week’s indictments demonstrated how effectively the borgatas had regrouped.

Federal officials, as recently as five years ago, boasted that the New York Mafia had been expelled from its main bastions: private garbage carting, the garment center, the construction industry, waterfront cargo and control of key unions. But the current indictments tell a different tale — most allege that the mob was behind corrupt construction deals and waterfront shakedowns through infiltration of unions.

The sweeping arrests also reflect a major change in Mafia strategy. There were no celebrity names reminiscent of former kingpins like John J. Gotti or Vincent Gigante, known as “Chin.” The alleged bosses are virtually unknown outside of law enforcement circles. Like the dons of the 1930s and 1940s, they maintained low profiles and, unlike the flamboyant Mr. Gotti, were presumably aware they were running secret organizations.

This is not to say the arrests don’t indicate progress. It’s encouraging that law enforcement is still able to overcome the Mafia’s code of silence, or omertà. The racketeering statutes’ threat of severe prison sentences, including life behind bars, is reported to have spurred many low- and middle-ranked mobsters to turn informant.

Nonetheless, even if we drive the criminals out of their traditional corruption rackets, it’s unlikely to be an obituary for the mob. Sports bookmaking and loan-sharking, the Mafia’s symbiotic bread-and-butter staples, will continue to flourish and provide seed money for other criminal endeavors.

There are several reasons for this. High-end gamblers prefer wagering with the mob rather than with state-authorized gambling operations like Off-Track Betting, where you have to pay taxes on your winnings. Moreover, the mob is adept at running bookmaking mills and, even when arrests occur, sentences are rarely harsh.

The timing of the government crackdown, which included some raids on gambling networks, might put a crimp into an exceptionally profitable venture for the mob — the Super Bowl next month. A study by the New York Police Department’s Organized Crime Control Bureau 20 years ago estimated that more than $1 billion was wagered on the Super Bowl with mob-linked bookies in the New York area.

Another huge money-producer, loan-sharking, is customarily a partnership with illegal gambling. Compulsive bettors in debt to a bookie frequently have recourse only to a loan shark for quick cash. Hard economic times can be a bonanza for mob lenders. They learned during the Great Depression that honest business owners will seek usurious loans when banks are reluctant to finance small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Above all, though, the mob’s ability to survive is a legacy from Charles (Lucky) Luciano. He was a brilliant criminal executive who created the framework, culture and ground rules for the American Mafia 80 years ago. Luciano realized that other ethnic gangs were loosely organized, usually involved in just one type of crime and easily obliterated when their leaders were imprisoned. Hence his cardinal principle: the organization — the family — was supreme and not reliant on a single individual or one racket. Whenever a boss or a capo was removed, a replacement would be waiting in the wings to keep the loot flowing.

So, while the unveiling of the indictments last week by Attorney General Eric Holder was a sharp warning that the Mafia was again on the Justice Department’s radar screen, we should bear in mind the mob’s previous Lazarus-like revivals. The removal of the current crop of Mafia barons will probably engender a new generation of mobsters. There have always been, and always will be, ambitious, greedy wise guys who are willing to risk long prison sentences for the power and riches glittering before them. The Mafia is wounded, but not fatally.

Selwyn Raab, a former reporter for The Times, is the author of “Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires.”

That's what I thought.

I don't know. I think there is a possibility he didn't order any hits. You can certainly tell when you see him speak that he's not a cold blooded killer. His time as a captain was relatively short only 6 or 7 years at the most and during that time he wasn't involved in a lot of conflict. He was a business man and had his fingers in a lot of pies but i don't think he ever had a crew that put in a lot of work. they had other crews for that.

Article compares the outcome of '08 roundup Operation Pathfinder/Old Bridge to these latest arrests. How many of the 127 odd mobsters arrested will actually go to trial & get convicted, & how many of those will serve serious time? Most of those arrested in '08 are out already.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/nyregion/22mob.html?_r=1

Altough i guess the arrests were bad enough for Charles Carneglia, Little Nick & the Gotti's eh? Still, its a low percentage. So really, even if there are succesful convictions of the Colombo heirarchy, for example, the arrests have served purpose.

You know what's funny, Sonny could be out BEFORE Andy Mush and his two lovely assistants. Sure he'll be 102, but with the all the problems that family has had recently, a 102 year-old sadistic wiseguy with a short fuse and a thing for strip clubs doesn't sound bad at all.

Here's the ultra talented Colombo capo Anthony Russo.

Here's a recent photo of Vernace....

Aha. Thanks Ivy.
*adds to chart*
Apparantly Bobby is one of the guys who wont be getting bail.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime...s%2FNY+Crime%29

Not quite recent, i believe that was taken in 1998 but certainly one of the more recent ones out there.

Really? It looks like he's doing the perp walk while in cuffs and I don't remember him getting busted back in 1998.

Here's another one.

thats an older picture, that was allready posted here

I can't even look at that picture anymore. Can someone please remove it. His eyes keep following me.

I am just going by what the caption under this photo says...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/01/27/2011-01-27_feds_appeal_judges_ruling_to_free_highranking_mobster_charged_with_killing_men_o.html?r=news%2Fny_crime&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fnews%2Fny_crime+%28News%2FNY+Crime%29

Looks like the New Jersey AG has brought their own charges in this ongoing ILA case....



ILA union official, Newark cop and third man indicted in alleged scheme to extort longshoremen
Tuesday, 08 February 2011

Nunzio LaGrasso of Florham Park, Rocco Ferrandino of Lakewood and Alan Marfia of Kenilworth are named.

A top official of the International Longshoremen's Association, a Newark police officer and a third man were indicted Tuesday in connection with an investigation into an alleged scheme to extort money from dock workers by demanding "tribute" for better jobs and wages.

The state grand jury indictment obtained by the state Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau charges among the three Nunzio LaGrasso, 60, of Florham Park, secretary-treasurer of ILA Local 1478. LaGrasso is vice president of the Atlantic Coast District of all ILA locals. The indictment also charges Rocco Ferrandino, 68, of Lakewood, and LaGrasso's nephew, Newark police Officer Alan Marfia, 39, of Kenilworth.

Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said the indictment stems from Operation Terminal, an ongoing investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor into the activities of a criminal enterprise that allegedly has exercised control and corrupt influence over International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) locals operating shipping terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Three other defendants were indicted in October.

LaGrasso is charged with two counts of conspiracy, and one count each of extortion, commercial bribery, official misconduct, and money laundering. Ferrandino, a timekeeper at Maher Terminal in Port Newark/Elizabeth, is charged with conspiracy, extortion, commercial bribery, and money laundering. Marfia is charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of law or governmental function.

LaGrasso and Ferrandino were charged in connection with the alleged tribute scheme. Marfia was charged for allegedly using his access to police databases to obtain information for LaGrasso regarding undercover police vehicles that were conducting surveillance near his union office.

The investigation into the alleged criminal enterprise at the New Jersey waterfront revealed that ILA members working at the shipping terminals are required to make a cash "tribute" payment at Christmas time each year to the enterprise out of the year-end bonuses each ILA member receives called "container royalty checks."

It is alleged that those payments are funneled to the criminal enterprise through LaGrasso. The payments must be made for union members to receive high-paying jobs, preferred shift assignments and overtime, all as determined under the influence of the criminal enterprise.

Each of the thousands of union members allegedly must make a payment that typically ranges from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars depending on the size of the container royalty check. It is alleged that LaGrasso collected some tribute payments directly, but usually relied on accomplices such as Ferrandino to collect them.

As a result of the investigation, the Division of Criminal Justice obtained an indictment on Oct. 26, charging Joseph Queli, 64, of Wall, and Nicholas Bergamotto, 63, of Newark, with loansharking and money laundering. Queli's wife, Regina Queli, 62, was charged with money laundering and tax evasion for allegedly handling criminal proceeds and failing to report them on tax returns. The indictment was sealed until Jan. 10 because of the ongoing investigation.

It is alleged that as part of the criminal enterprise at the Port, Queli made loans to ILA members at usurious interest rates, ranging from 78 to 156 percent per year. Queli or Bergamotto, acting on his behalf, would allegedly demand weekly payments from the union members of 1 ½ to 3 percent interest on the loan amount.

Bergamotto allegedly gave the money he collected on such loans to Queli. Queli is also charged in the indictment with theft by extortion because he allegedly threatened bodily injury to one man if he did not make his loan payments.

LaGrasso, Ferrandino, Marfia, Queli and Bergamotto were initially arrested and charged in the investigation in April. All five men remain free on bail.

Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine, while third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Fourth-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The indictment was handed up to state Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jimenez Jr. in Trenton, who assigned the case to Monmouth County.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades, chief of the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General Erin Callahan presented the case to the grand jury.

The Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission were assisted in the investigation by the Newark police.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port complex located on the East Coast of North America. Roughly $200 billion in cargo moves through the port each year.

Through the years, the Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission have conducted investigations into the activities of organized crime around the port. Past investigations have led to prosecution of union officials and members of the Genovese crime family, which has been found to control or exert significant influence over the ILA and commercial activity at the waterfront. Its criminal activities have included extortion, fencing, commercial bribery, loansharking and gambling.

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/i...rt-longshoremen

I guess the State didn't want to get shown up by the Feds. It seems a bit redundant, though.