Oh believe me, I get what Nicky is saying. I see why people outside Buffalo would think there is nothing left in WNY. There are times I have wondered if there is really a structured family do to the lack of indictments/news the last 10 years. But I've heard too much from people I know... clergy, undertakers, restauranteurs, and retired law enforcement that tell me otherwise. (And I know this is hearsay, can't be proven, and any yahoo can say they know somebody who knows--I get it!)

Todaro could certainly be retired... He has the money... However, I disagree with the Lee Coppola article from '98 where he suggests Todaro had retired from organized crime and gone legit many years earlier than '98... FBI even said he didn't "retire" till 2006.

I am just trying to prove that you can't trust the papers (another example Herbeck's Buffalo News articles where his Fino quotes don't add up.

Next, you have Matt Gyrta and George Karalus in their Book, The Real Teflon Don,, who say NY state couldn't trust the FBI... so they had to set up the "Forrest Avenue Boys" to fight the mob in Buffalo, because the FBI was inept or in bed with the mob. This was the precursor and template to NY States Organized Crime Task force.

Then there is Buffalo Lawyer William Gary Iannacone who makes another good case why the FBI in WNY can't be trusted and perhaps explain why the FBI was appeared to by "inept." He alleges in great detail the FBI used the mob in the MKUltra experiments. (Bensonhurst I think I am the one that you thought posted a weird article not Rooster.)

Admittedly the MKUltra and Mob connection seems weird... but man does Iannacone have documented evidence of Buffalo LCN and the FBI being in cahoots. He even has a tape where a US Attorney admits the FBI has dropped the ball in pursuing the murder of one of his friends. His name was Thomas Martin, and he was murdered by Iannacone's uncle Joe Pezzino, who was a made man. Ianacone writes:



Here is a link to the tape:

LISTEN TO THIS TAPE RECORDING
Iannacone with Assistant US Attorney

LISTEN TO THIS TAPE RECORDING
Here is a tape recorded of Iannacone talking to Betty Pezzino about Joe Pezzino and the murder Thomas Martin and others. Tape of Iannacone talking about his Uncle Joe murdering his friend Thomas.

You asked why no arrests in last 10 years... maybe its because of the collusion between the FBI and Buffalo LCN. Take a peek at this article by Dan Herbeck in 1989:



The article suggests buffalo continues to have a dismal conviction rate when it comes to organized crime. A Buffalo News story of May 7, 1989 is titled "15 deaths, 1 disappearance linked to mob since 1974: Arrests were made in only 1 case" and lists the following murder victims: Albert J. Billiteri, Jr.; Frank D'Angelo; William Esposito; Robert H. Reingold; a 64 yr-old "made man" who the FBI would not identify but say "may have been forced to hang himself under the threat that his family would be murdered if he did not"; Joseph C. Vara; John C. Certo; Peter A. Piccolo; Raymond Townsend (Local 91); William J. "Billy the Kid" Sciolino (Local 210); Carl J. Rizzo (Local 210); Albert J. "Big Al" Monaco; Joseph San Fratello (Local 210); Robert DiGiulio; Alan R. Levine; John Pinelli.

Could it the arrest rate be so low then, because the FBI is was working with the Buffalo Crime Family as Iannacone suggests?

I don't know but it is good question and could be the reason we so so few arrests today--could it not?

Even more, this article and nearly all of these deaths/disappearances occur while the FBI has an inside guy working for them--Ron Fino! How can that be?

You'd think their inside guy could have gave them at least a few leads that would have led to arrests. I do anyway. Especially given the fact that these guys were all in Local 210 as we hear in the second tape.