any infos on this ralph desimone guy?

54
In 1991 D'Arco was acting boss of the Lucchese Family. Ida gave him a list of persons being proposed for membership in the Genovese Family. The acting underboss of the Lucchese Family, Anthony Baratta, said to D'Arco when he saw the name of Ralph Desimone, "He is a rat." A meeting was arranged in January or February 1991 with Ida, now the consigliere of the Genovese Family, and Michael Generoso, its acting underboss, and Liborio Bellomo, its acting boss. Baratta came, as did the acting consigliere of the Lucchese Family and D'Arco. Baratta told the group that Desimone had been a government witness. They asked if he was sure. Ida said, "Could you get us the minutes?" Baratta said, "Yes." At that point Generoso stepped forward and said, "We will take care of it." Along with his statement, Generoso made a motion with his finger like a gun. Ida said, "Yeah." All of them nodded.

55
On June 13, 1991 Desimone's body was found in the trunk of his own car at LaGuardia airport, his legs bound and his head covered with plastic garbage bags. He had been shot twice in the head and three times in the chest. At trial the government offered evidence that the murderer had been a friend of Desimone's, Louis Ruggiero, and Ruggiero went on trial in this case for the actual murder as an act of racketeering violative of RICO.

56
The jury could reasonably have concluded from D'Arco's account of the conversation in which Baratta disclosed his information about Desimone that the leaders of the Genovese Family including Ida had agreed to procure his death. Ida now contends on this appeal that there is insufficient evidence to prove that there was an overt act on behalf of the conspirators to carry out their agreement. The circumstances under which Desimone's body was found suggested murder professionally executed. Money was in his wallet, suggesting that robbery was not the motive. The jury acquitted Ruggiero of the murder as an act of racketeering, a charge that required proof that the act was for money or intended to maintain or improve his position in the criminal enterprise. The absence of proof on the latter point did not mean that Ruggiero was innocent of the murder itself; as to that, the district court concluded, on the basis of the evidence presented, that Ruggiero was indeed the murderer. The Genovese Family had the motive to procure this murder.

57
Yet there is a gap in the government's case. The government contends in its brief that Ruggiero was "a long time Genovese associate." The evidence is that Ruggiero was known both to the murdered Family member Dilorenzo and to his own murder victim Desimone, a Family associate, and that Ruggiero was videotaped on three occasions in 1984 visiting the Palma Boys Social Club, a place where the affairs of the Genovese Family were discussed. The evidence falls short of establishing that Ruggiero was a Genovese Family associate. It falls short also of showing that Ruggiero was the instrument of the Genovese Family in carrying out its conspiracy to kill Desimone. There is no proof of a connection between the murder and the putative murderer and the Genovese Family.