Three reputed leaders of the Lucchese organized crime family were charged yesterday with heading a $2.2 billion sports-betting and loan-sharking operation targeted in an investigation by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice.
The investigation, Operation Heat, also uncovered an alliance between organized crime figures and a member of the Bloods street gang, authorities said.

The arrests and alleged connection between La Cosa Nostra and the Bloods were disclosed by New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram during a news conference in West Orange.

Milgram said "an alarming alliance" between the traditional mob family and the street gang had smuggled heroin, cocaine, marijuana and cell phones into East Jersey State Prison in Rahway.

One of those charged was a guard at the prison.

The gambling operation involved high-tech Web sites and a wire room in Costa Rica where most of the transactions were processed, authorities said.

The top figures taken into custody were New York mob leaders Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna, both 72, and Ralph V. Perna, 61, who was described as the ranking member of the New Jersey branch of the crime family.

DiNapoli and Madonna, according to the charges, routinely received "tribute payments" from Perna and others who directed the gambling operation from New Jersey.

Perna's three sons - Joseph, 38, John, 30, and Ralph M., 35 - and Martin Tacetta, 56, a former underboss of the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese organization, were also among 27 reputed mob members and associates charged.

Five others, including reputed Bloods leader Edwin B. Spears, 33, and prison guard Michael T. Bruinton, 43, were charged in the prison-smuggling operation.

Twenty arrests were made yesterday. Warrants and complaints were issued for those not picked up.

The Division of Criminal Justice alleged the gambling ring handled about $2.2 billion in wagers over 15 months beginning in August 2006. While the ring was sophisticated and included password-protected Web sites, division director Gregory Paw said, the defendants "collected debts with the same crude tactics that have always characterized organized crime, namely extortion, violence and loan-sharking."

In addition, authorities said, the investigation uncovered ties between mob figures and Spears, a high-ranking member of the Nine Trey Gangster set of the Bloods and at one point an inmate at East Jersey State.

Authorities said Spears, who had the rank of a "five-star general" in the gang, and Joseph Perna had set up a system that bribed Bruinton, the guard, to help get contraband into the prison.

"The drug and cell phones were allegedly distributed to inmates who had previously placed orders through Edwin Spears," authorities said.

The inmates arranged to have money orders for the purchases sent to associates of Spears, who passed the money on to Joseph Perna and other mob figures.

Authorities also allege that Perna, because of their relationship, sought Spears' assistance in stopping a member of the Bloods from extorting an associate of the Lucchese organization.

While most of those charged yesterday are from North Jersey or New York, a Philadelphia man, Michael T. Ramuno III, 33, was one of several individuals charged with promoting gambling and money-laundering in the gambling operation.

In addition to the arrests, authorities obtained court orders to freeze 16 bank accounts, seize 16 motor vehicles, and place liens against seven properties.



http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20071219_Mob_case_snares_3_reputed_leaders.html

You just can't keep these criminal types down can ya....?

The remnants of one of the five families hooking up with a bunch of gangbangers.

That tells you everything you need to know about the future of the American mob.

I couldnt belive it when i read it,i never thought any of the five famlies would have anything to do with street gangs and the they were top ranking mob leaders that were dealing with the bloods.

Actually, it's not without precedent. The Gambinos, under Paul Castellano, made an alliance with the Westies, who were nothing more than a street gang at the time--probably more drug-crazed and less organized than the Crips and the Bloods.
The story was that one of the Westies whacked a Gambino-connected loan shark over a $40k debt. Instead of avenging him, Castellano held a sit-down on their turf and, in effect, franchised them. That was one of many gaffes that pissed off Gambino capos and soldiers, and that assured that Gotti didn't have to answer for whacking him.

I never thought about the westies,but i know the italian mob look down at blacks so i thought if they did have any dealings with the black gangsters then the low level soldiers would deal with them not any of the family administration

If the Mafia doesn't do business with a large gang such as the Bloods then they are leaving money on the table. In Philly, Scarfo and Stanfa did business with the black mob and Pagans motorcycle gangs. My guess is the Lucchese's found out about it and wanted a taste.

Well, Joey Gallo had a fondness for doing business with blacks, and Castellano had the Westies. More recently, east Harlem's Purple Gang (no relation to Detroit's) served as a recruiting ground for the Genovese and Lucchese families back in the 60's and 70's.

But still, I don't think the idea of using these modern day Crips, or Bloods, or whatever, would have ever made it to a commision meeting (when there was a commission) without being dismissed as an infamita by the old time wiseguys.

Just my opinion.

It saves money.

That particular Blood gang was operating on the Lucchese crew's turf, so of course they'd want in. I'm sure the Dragna Family in LA does some work with the Bloods and Crips.

The mafia will affiliate themselves with anyone who can help them to earn some money.

The mafia have always looked down on blacks and counted them as lesser human beings yes they used them in buisness dealings,but not on an equal level as with this alliance between Luchesse bosses and blood members in the old days theres no way a boss would be partners with a black street gang member

As far as I'm concerned the Blood member was a connection of Ralph's son Joseph, not Ralph himself. Edwin Spears was to hand them customers, then how is he on the same level as them? He's simply doing the work for them. This type of affiliation between streetgangs and organized crime has been around for ages, its nothing new. Who do you think the Italians sell dope to? Only whites? Black/Hispanic street gangs are loyal customers.

And as Peter_Clemenza said, the mafia will deal with anyone making them money.

Soldiers i know will deal with gang members not bosses

Exactly. And I'm guessing since Ralph Perna is the leader, his son Joseph must be a Sgarista or soldier if you prefer. Which would make sense in this plot.

Where are my manners welcome o _pazzo

It just suprised me to see bosses doing buisness with gang memebers.

Thank you for the welcome

And if you look at it, its not really the Boss doing business, its more the soldier with the gangmember. All the Boss does is sit back and collect his share.. as always.

New Jersey prosecutors got their first guilty plea in a case they claim involved an unusual partnership between an alleged mafia family and a Bloods gang.

WNYC's Bob Hennelly reports.

The apparent breakthrough comes from a 50-year-old woman from Tinton Falls who has pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Prosecutors say she was central to an alleged smuggling ring that moved cell phones and drugs to inmates held at the state's East Jersey Prison.

A year-long probe culminated in the arrest of 24 alleged members of the Luchese crime family, a state corrections officer and several people linked to the the Nine Tray Gangster subset of the Bloods.

Investigators say they also broke up a gambling operation that handled $2.2 billion in bets over a 15-month period.

Defendants in the case hail from all over the state including upscale communities like Wycoff.

http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/94015

TOMS RIVER — A 28-year-old Neptune man, implicated in what authorities allege was a joint venture between the mob and the Bloods street gang to smuggle contraband into East Jersey State Prison, has pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense that was downgraded from an indictable drug charge in an unrelated case.

Dwayne Spears of Mayfair Lane pleaded guilty Friday to wandering to obtain a controlled dangerous substance.

Spears entered his plea before Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano, who fined the defendant $125, said Spears' attorney, Michael A. Grasso.

Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Christine Lento agreed to downgrade the charge from possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute it, an indictable offense carrying a potential prison term up to five years, in exchange for Grasso withdrawing a motion to suppress evidence, Grasso said.

It was claimed in the motion that police unlawfully obtained 201 bags of heroin that were to be used as evidence in the case.

The evidence was seized Aug. 30 during a traffic stop in Jackson, Grasso said.

Spears was free on bail on the drug charge when he was arrested again Dec. 18 during statewide raids that capped an investigation into gambling and contraband smuggling. He was released from custody later that month after posting a $275,000 property bond, Grasso said. State authorities said their investigation and raids broke up a $2.2 billion gambling operation and also revealed an alliance between traditional organized crime and the Nine Trey Gangsters set of the Bloods street gang.

The prison smuggling aspect of the case was said to have involved Spears' brother, Edwin Spears, 33, of Neptune, a reputed "five-star general" with the Nine Trey Gangsters set, authorities said.

Edwin Spears, who had been imprisoned at East Jersey State Prison in Woodbridge, is alleged to have formed an alliance with members of the Lucchese crime family to smuggle drugs and prepaid cell phones into the prison, authorities said. A state corrections officer assisted in the scheme, authorities have alleged.

Edwin Spears has since been transferred to Northern State Prison in Newark.

The state has alleged that Lucchese crime family operatives gave money to Dwayne Spears, who then obtained heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prepaid cell phones to smuggle into East Jersey State Prison.

Edwin Spears is alleged to have secured orders from prisoners for the drugs and telephones, which are useful to convicts because they enable communication that is not monitored by prison staff.

The Spears brothers and others involved in the alleged smuggling scheme face pending charges of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, bribery and money laundering


http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080415/NEWS02/804150397

The connection between the Luccheses and the Bloods was entirely overblown in the media. Some Lucchese soldiers and associates were smuggling drugs and cell phones into prison with some high level Blood members. That's it.