Of course he's not going to admit to being the head of the Rochester mob. You think we can ring up Frank Cali and he'll say he's the boss of the Gambino mob?



Apples and oranges. Todaro Sr. and Jr. were two unconvicted members of a family that suffered a shitton of convictions in the 80s and 90s.
The feds weren't able to convict them of anything, but the feds were able to say with confidence that the two mobsters were the heads of the Buffalo mob, and they declared that in the 80s. They also named them as participants in gambling, murder, and other crimes.
As well as this, the two Todaros weren't quite as in the firing line as one might think. By 1988, Todaro Sr. was semiretired and living in Florida. So the feds were probably looking to pin some old murders on him, but their real investigations were the ones that secured the busts. Todaro Jr., meanwhile, stepped down from his Laborers role in 1990 and, although said on wiretap that he'd try and keep his foot in the door and continue to exert control over the union, we know that this failed because his self-proclaimed "key guys" that were essentially to running the union, Peter Gerace and Peter Capitano, were booted out.

Also, the feds' informants were good enough at securing indictments combined with other investigative techniques like wiretaps, physical surveillance, forensics, and bugs, but feds didn't have that with the old murders that the Todaros were suspected in. No wiretaps or anything implicating them. So when a weaselly fuck like Sacco implicated the Todaros in murder, they couldn't use that as the basis for an indictment. When it's just one rat implicating someone in murder, then it's a tricky case to win.


Got a link.


You missed the point of blogging awhile ago when you told me to shut up because no one cares what I think. Open discussion.


Does every construction scam have to do with the Mafia? No, and there is no evidence that this Ciminelli one did. This was a plain and simple scam. What would the mob's role in this be? And don't you think that if there was a mob angle to this then prosecutors, feds and news reporters would lap it up?
I am not saying everyone in Buffalo is clean. But this article doesn't help your point because a construction exec committing a crime does not implicate the mob and, like I said before, many people who were once part of the Buffalo mob family probably still retained some form of criminal nature.



Beyond the basic concept of debt collecting, these are not Mafia-like tactics. Wiseguys don't have law degrees, and don't threaten legal action against their debtors.
Is this the same Frank that's Leonard's brother?
If so, then this Frank has never been implicated in organized crime by the feds beyond the fact that his brother was a high-ranking member (to the best of my knowledge; I don't know too much about him). Frank Falzone ran for the Buffalo City Council, and was accused of getting his union job from his brother. Whilst this may be true, he was never actually charged with any crimes, accused of any crimes, or implicated in any crimes.
This forum post questions that he is a real defense attorney, and claims this is a scam to collect debts. But the fact is that Frank Falzone is a real attorney and has represented a number of defendants over the years (as well as running for Buffalo City Council). Here's proof:
http://buffalonews.com/1990/04/30/heidi-jo-kessner-is-bride-of-frank-e-falzone/
http://buffalonews.com/1993/05/13/actions-speak-louder-than-attorneys-words/
http://buffalonews.com/1989/04/04/woman-who-led-police-to-body-was-key-figure-in-1985-slaying/
http://buffalonews.com/1989/04/03/kenmore-couple-linked-to-death-of-former-witness/
http://buffalonews.com/2015/05/01/tonawanda-drug-dealer-admits-selling-fatal-fentanyl-laced-heroin/
http://buffalonews.com/1998/12/03/slaying-case-is-forwarded-to-grand-jury/

So no, this was not a Mafia-type loansharking operation. He is an attorney specializing in debt collecting. Whilst the loan-debtors on that forum you posted might call that into question, they're wrong.
The Mafia and their debtors know that what's going on is illegal. The Mafia waves guns at people and beats people up to collect their debt. They threaten with physical violence. What we have here is an attorney specializing in debt collection: and not just any attorney, but a Republician City Council candidate at that.


NickleCity, do you believe the feds and the Mafia in Buffalo work together? I'll have to read the detailed articles you posted when I get home soon.