In a law enforcement sweep this morning, continuing into this afternoon, a dozen or so 'reputed' members and associates of the Colombo mob were nabbed by the feds....its unfolding as you read this

I heard about it a couple of hours ago. They got Andy Mush and The Claw

Colombo family boss, 12 others accused of move to take over labor union in federal racketeering indictment

Noah Goldberg, New York Daily News
Tue, September 14, 2021, 5:22 PM·3 min read
The reputed octogenarian boss of the Colombo crime family and his top two aides were busted Tuesday morning on racketeering and extortion charges over their menacing move to seize control of a local labor union, court documents charge.

Family head Andrew (Mush) Russo, 86, underboss Benjamin Castellazzo and consigliere Ralph DiMatteo were among those arrested as the Columbo hierarchy took a major hit, according to a federal indictment. The 13 suspects also included four captains in the crime family, including the nephew of legendary boss Carmine (Junior) Persico, with one defendant still at large, authorities said.

In addition to racketeering, the charges included loansharking, money laundering, drug trafficking and a construction safety scam, officials charged. According to the indictment, alleged family captain Vincent Ricciardo callously threatened to murder a construction union boss who was forced to surrender a portion of his annual income to the mob.

“(The union head) knows I’ll put him in the ground right in front of his wife and kids, right in front of his f---ing house,” Ricciardo was quoted as saying in court papers. “You laugh all you want, pal, I’m not afraid to go to jail. Let me tell you something, to prove a point? I would f---ing shoot him right in front of his wife and kids. Call the police.

“F--- it, let me go. How long you think I’m gonna last anyway?”

The Colombos first started the shakedown in 2001 of the union representing construction workers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The family’s top echelon became involved two years ago, the 46-page indictment charges, with an eye on turning the union into a mob-run operation.

“The investigation revealed that the collection of salary payments from Labor Union personnel was only one facet of a broader plan to take total control of the Labor Union and more lucrative Health Fund,” according to the indictment.

Ricciardo, known as “Vinny Unions,” explained the mob’s future plans for the union in another conversation, court papers allege.

“I’m gonna put an assistant administrator in there with youse, a legitimate guy,” he said in another recorded chat. “Youse are gonna have a trustee meeting, youse are gonna hire him as an assistant administrator, whatever the f--- you do, and he’s gonna call all the shots.”

Russo, the family’s longtime boss, continued to run the Colombos from behind bars after his 2011 arrest, authorities charge. His rap sheet includes seven prior convictions, including bribery, racketeering and witness tampering. Russo took over the family from his imprisoned cousin and fellow boss Carmine Persico.

Colombo captain Theodore Persico Jr., one of the late mob boss’s nephews, was also arrested, with court papers detailing plans for his rise to head of the family once the elderly Russo stepped down.

The defendants were due for arraignment Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn Federal Court,.

Russo was most recently arrested in January 2011, eventually pleading guilty to federal charges. Authorities said he was the Colombo street boss at the time — and captured him discussing mob business in recorded conversations.

“I don’t hesitate, I’ve never hesitated” to use violence against mobsters who stepped out of line, he said in a recorded chat.

Russo, once a schoolboy friend of “Godfather” star James Caan, famously disappeared in 1981 after a federal indictment and was believed dead by the FBI — only to resurface at a court hearing after his attorney arranged for the mobster’s surrender.

Ricciardo was caught on another recorded call discussing a suspected informant inside the family.

“Oh no, he’s dead now, he’s finished,” he said. “He signed his own death certificate.”

https://news.yahoo.com/colombo-fami...AbQzb5E9rrRWtj9JK6XTAyVTkRWq8PbA6Idnq7hV

The Defendants:

ANDREW RUSSO (also known as “Mush”)
Age: 87
Glen Head, New York

JOSEPH BELLANTONI
Age: 39
Massapequa, New York

BENJAMIN CASTELLAZZO (also known as “Benji”)
Age: 83
Manahawkin, New Jersey

THOMAS COSTA
Age: 52
West Islip, New York

RALPH DIMATTEO
Age: 66
Merrick, New York

RICHARD FERRARA
Age: 59
Brooklyn, New York

JOHN GLOVER
Age: 62
Queens, New York

VINCENT MARTINO
Age: 43
Medford, New York

THEODORE PERSICO, JR. (also known as “Teddy”)
Age: 58
Brooklyn, New York

JOHN RAGANO (also known as “Bazoo” and “Maniac”)
Age: 59
Franklin Square, New York

DOMENICK RICCIARDO
Age: 56
Franklin Square, New York

VINCENT RICCIARDO (also known as “Vinny Unions”)
Age: 75
Franklin Square, New York

ERIN THOMPKINS
Age: 53
Franklin Square, New York

MICHAEL UVINO
Age: 56
Garden City, New York

More info here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/p...istration-colombo-organized-crime-family

After a dry season, we finally got some news on the Colombos. Is Andy Mush the official boss now or is it Allie Boy who's passing down the orders?

I may be wrong, but I suspect Andy is the official boss. It has been hinted in some of those mob podcasts. Teddy Jr. must be getting tired of this. He was free for a year this time around lol

Who is the Bonanno soldier?

John Ragano

Thnx

About a month ago I was called way over the top for saying these pieces of shit would take any of us out in front of our families if we stood between them and prison.

Well here it is in a guysown words and it's not even out of desperation to remain free, it's pure predator scum of the earth.

All the money and power these hoods have access to and this is how they function in society. Give em all a fuckibg bullet and save us the $45,000 a year to house them.

SCUM

You are one hateful person. Vinny is a good man. All these tapes are spliced and it will be proven in court!

They had this union for years … pushing to far possibly or it could be blown up by LE cant see a couple of there guys talking on phone … Teddy from what i hear was fucking with dope …. Thought he still had to piss for feds .

Sorry dude but saying what I said doesn't make me a hateful person. I'm not the one on the tapes now am I? I'm not the one in the fucking mafia either, now am I?

If the case is bullshit then I hope it is proven so in court. The bigger the case the more crooked the feds and DA will sometimes be.

You sound unhinged. What are you referring to? One guy is quoted as saying he would use violence against MOBSTERS who stepped out of line. Do you want to condemn him or shake his hand and thank him?

Do you leave the house without a helmet on? You're opinion of what is unhinged carries little weight with me, I can assure you.

In addition to racketeering, the charges included loansharking, money laundering, drug trafficking and a construction safety scam, officials charged. According to the indictment, alleged family captain Vincent Ricciardo callously threatened to murder a construction union boss who was forced to surrender a portion of his annual income to the mob.

“(The union head) knows I’ll put him in the ground right in front of his wife and kids, right in front of his f---ing house,” Ricciardo was quoted as saying in court papers. “You laugh all you want, pal, I’m not afraid to go to jail. Let me tell you something, to prove a point? I would f---ing shoot him right in front of his wife and kids. Call the police.

“F--- it, let me go. How long you think I’m gonna last anyway?”

I don't like how you come here and judge these guys from a moral perspective, get off your soap box! You have no problem paying the government a huge portion of your hard earnings each paycheck yet you have a problem with mobsters shaking down people. Get a life!

Lol so they should be looked at from a perspective of business acumen?

Ethics? Human decency? I'm literally laughing out loud at your post.

Jace, does Dilly sound unhinged? 2 out of 3 sentences end in exclamation marks. Seems unhinged to me.

What really shows how far off your rockers you two are is that I STILL think they deserve a fair trial. I STILL think they deserve a fair judge. An honest DA. Honest federal agents. If they are innocent then they should be set free.

How many people morally judging from a soapbox, or whatever half baked interpretation of me or my opinions you have, would still believe those things? I'll bet very, very few.

Dope....as in actual Dope aka Heroin?

I was wondering the same thing.

Is he selling pot or shooting dope?

You sounded unhinged, and are getting worse. See a doctor.

Lets say they go away for a few years, who takes over the family? I can't imagine Russo remains in power behind bars like his cousin did. Also, anyone know anything about VINCENT RICCIARDO? I don't think I've ever heard of him before.

Also, I'd like to add for those in the past who claimed this family was dead, (I argued against that theory). Like Mark Twain said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated".

The only person dumber than Teddy was his old man

You think he should see a doctor? Don’t you think you should probably seek professional help for your repeated defensive stance of Child Molestors, murderers and rapists?

Listen I’m gonna speak frankly because it needs to be said, but there was an article posted today backed up by numerous documents ,sources and references about how these people time and time again have murdered innocent women and children(not to mention the thousands of men that have been murdered by them! And you still defend them... your a crazy fucking bitch and I say that not to deride you but to inspire you to seek professional help!!

Personally, don't get the guys who frequent this forum but then start moralising about lcn criminals.

The two bosses are old,really old. Wonder if they are truly active or just figureheads?

Carmine Persico's legacy LOL

Vincent Ricciardo, aka Vinny Unions goes way back. He was the victim of an assassination attempt in 1992, and part of the Orena faction of the Colombo Family.

I'm a crazy bitch???? Who the hell are you to say that, I was not even discussing you here.

Louiebynochi is a creep to the bone, he keeps saying I defend child molesting, and now has upped it. I did not even address him in this topic.

I hope I’ve inspired you as I said previously...