Are there still guys in the Gambino family doing this, or its all Westside and Lukes?

Yes, recent bust of an underling of Salvatore Franco, who is a capo.

Accused Labor Racketeer: My Goons Are Ex-Military Men, And I Use Coke Only On Weekends

Gang Land Exclusive!Roland BedwellRoland Bedwell is a business agent for a small union that claims to represent landscapers and asphalt workers. But, as court records in his pending labor racketeering case indicate, Bedwell is cut from the Johnny Friendly mold — the corrupt waterfront union boss indelibly portrayed by Lee J. Cobb in the classic film On The Waterfront.

In Bedwell's own words, he's "an asshole" whose union organizing is done through a goon squad of ex-U.S. armed forces vets who have "about 95 years of military service" behind them. The strong-arm gang, Bedwell openly brags, specializes in forcing employers to sign contracts with his local independent union, one that is controlled by Gambino soldier Anthony Franco.

Don't take Gang Land's word for that. We'll give you a good sampling of what Bedwell, who pulls down a cool $190K a year from Local 175 of the United Plant and Production Workers, told a contractor in a tape recorded talk that was detailed in a Brooklyn Federal Court filing last week — a week that was a decidedly bad one for the 57-year-old union official.

First there was Bedwell's personal bad-boy behavior. Those problems got a dramatic airing in open court on Friday when an angry federal judge revoked Bedwell's bail for testing positive for cocaine four times in recent months, including a test that he flunked just two days earlier. That self-destructive episode occurred shortly after Bedwell learned that the judge had scheduled a hearing to determine whether he should be remanded while awaiting trial.

Judge Nicholas GaraufisThroughout the session, Judge Nicholas Garaufis voiced displeasure with Bedwell's lawyer for his efforts to mitigate the union leader's drug "problem" as one that was confined to weekends when Bedwell, "in his words," said attorney Vito Palmieri, "blows off steam."

"Cocaine is okay on weekends?" the judge asked. "It's one thing if you're out there, you're not under indictment, you're not under Court supervision. But when you're under indictment," said Garaufis, "you have an obligation to the Court to get the treatment and to stop using the drugs not just on weekdays but also on weekends."

The judge's displeasure grew exponentially when Palmieri asked for home detention, noting that his client "has an ex-wife with a son, who is not even his own biological son, whom he takes care of. He sees him every weekend as well."

"And he's taking drugs?" The Judge asked, incredulously. "He takes drugs on the weekend. That's when he sees — "

"No," Palmieri interrupted, "During the day he sees the child and at night — "

"You know what," interrupted Garaufis, "I'm not interested in having his schedule on the weekend when he's taking the drugs and then he's seeing the kid. Most people are really trying to fix their problem. Unfortunately, the defendant has not demonstrated that. He needs to get his head straightened out. So he's going to have to go in and he can think about it."

The judge shot down Palmieri's request to revisit the issue in two weeks, stating that Bedwell will be released when he's acquitted at his trial in August, or after he serves his sentence following a conviction.

Anthony Franco"This is not a two-week problem," said Garaufis. "This is a long-haul problem, and I'm not here to deal with this problem. I'm here to deal with the indictment and the superseding indictments."

The judge was unmoved by the attorney's argument that Bedwell, who was presumed to be innocent, would not be "getting any help in the jail" for his admitted drug problem.

"Maybe he should have thought of that before he spent his weekends taking cocaine and visiting with his children," said Garaufis. "I'm not sympathetic. He was warned. He had several occasions and then he tests positive after I set a hearing for a violation based on his use of cocaine. No, he's staying in until the issue of his indictment is resolved."

His trial is slated to begin August 21. Reached by Gang Land, Palmieri said he needed time to gather his thoughts before commenting, and would call us back. He never did, ignoring several calls and email requests.

Drug problems, and his current digs at the Metropolitan Detention Center aside, the other bad news was even worse for the defendant.

Earlier last week, prosecutors filed an amended indictment charging Bedwell with threatening two additional construction company owners with "economic and physical harm if they did not sign with his union," including one victim, identified only as John Doe #2, who tape-recorded Bedwell's threats in June of 2013.

The extortion conspiracy against John Doe #2 began in January of 2013 and lasted until last week, according to an expanded indictment that was filed last week. Bedwell is also charged with extortion of two other contractors, one in November of 2013, and another in December of 2011.

Salvatore FrancoIn court papers, prosecutors Andrey Spektor and Nadia Shihata wrote that Bedwell, who doubles as Local 175's treasurer, had previously "disrupted a number of John Doe #2's jobs" and that he "made clear" during his taped talk "what he wanted: for John Doe #2 to sign a labor contract with Local 175" and the methods he would use "to achieve this goal."

"I run the union; I handle the streets," Bedwell told the wired-up contractor, before stressing the mob power behind him. "Anthony Franco takes care of all the problems. And anything that gets done on the street or with the contract, he leaves up to me," said Bedwell.

Franco, 55, is a former official of Local 1018 of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA.) His familial mob ties — his father Salvatore is a Gambino capo and their late uncle, Joseph Arcuri was a capo during John Gotti's heyday — cost him his Local 1018 post in 2002. A year later, he allegedly helped form Local 175, which has about 600 members.

"Now understand the type of crew I have now," said Bedwell. "Fifteen of them are ex-military. All served in the armed forces. He's an ex-SEAL. He's an ex-reconnaissance man. He's ex-army. He's ex-Navy. There are about 15 of 'em. They don't like the idea, that, one, that they're home and this company's working nonunion, and these men – who don't even belong to this country – are taking their jobs."

"I don't care if they don't vote for me," said Bedwell. "I don't care if they don't want a union. I don't care. I need to have a contract and I need to have it done. And I don't care about all the rules and regulations. Like I said, the animals that I got on the streets now, don't care either. They're sick, don't forget. And I'm not lying to you."

Joseph Arcuri"Now if your men don't want to join? They really don't care. So, the ball's gonna be in your court. Either you're gonna sign the contract, and your men will live with it. Or these boys are gonna do it again. I told you that in the beginning. And I don't want to do it but that's what's going to happen. Because these guys are not going to go away. Ever. Cause they're not scared."

The prosecutors wrote that Bedwell bragged about tactics he used to coerce two others to sign with his union. In one case, "he took the keys out of an asphalt-delivery truck" on the Long Island Expressway and caused a huge traffic jam. Another time, Bedwell told how he stopped a truck from delivering trees and had cost the contractor "a tremendous amount of money," because, the prosecutors wrote, "the defendant boasted, 'his trees died on the truck.'"

As bad as Bedwell was — "I don't know how I don't have any felonies against me," he said — he was a voice of reason and restraint, compared to Franco, he told John Doe#2. Franco wanted to set fire to the contractor's equipment, but Bedwell had dozens of men surround the truck in the Bronx, because, he said, "the cops in the Bronx really don't give a fuck."

The ploy "caused an accident," but it got the job done, prosecutors wrote, stating that Bedwell told John Doe #2 that the contractor said: "I give up. Send me a man, we'll sign the contract."