Mob-News

Chicago mobster Schweihs dies at 78

2008-07-24T12:04:00.004-05:00

Frank "the German" Schweihs (left), reputed assassin for the Chicago Outfit, died last night, according to stories by Chuck Goudie of WLS-TV-7 in Chicago and the staff of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Schweihs' poor health did not allow him to be tried with his Family Secrets Case codefendants last summer. He was reportedly suffering from cancer. A separate trial for Schweihs was to begin this October.

During a June court appearance, Schweihs made an impression, with his rude and vulgar comments. Schweihs was transfered recently from Metropolitan Correction Center to Thorek Hospital and Medical Center, where he died.

According to the WLS report, Schweihs was first arrested in 1949 and averaged more than one arrest per year since then.

KC Outfit bigshot 'Tuffy' DeLuna dies at 81

2008-07-23T07:12:00.004-05:00

Carl Angelo "Tuffy" DeLuna, former underboss of the Kansas City Mafia organization known as the Outfit, died Monday at the age of 81, according to reports by Meredith Rodriguez of the Kansas City Star and Chuck Goudie and Ann Pistone of Chicago's WLS-TV-7.

DeLuna (right) was repeatedly convicted of racketeering and other crimes and served a total of 12 years in federal prison. He was investigated for skimming from Las Vegas casinos and for squeezing money out of the Teamster union pension fund. Electronic surveillance in 1978 allowed the FBI to listen in on a casino skimming-related conversation between DeLuna and Carl "Cork" Civella, then boss of Kansas City's Outfit. Civella's organization and the Chicago Outfit had an agreement in place for splitting skim drawn from the Tropicana Casino. Agents later discovered DeLuna documentation of underworld skimming. His records implicated mobsters in several cities.

DeLuna had been out of prison since 1998. He was noted at betting parlors in the Kansas City area until Feb. 23, 2005, when the Missouri Gaming Commission banned him.

Born April 30, 1927, law enforcement officials believe DeLuna began his career as a street gangster, armed robber and gunman. Federal agents came to regard him as a "perfect gentleman," according to former FBI supervisor Gart Hart. "He treated everyone with the same respect."

62 years for Chicago's Anthony Calabrese

2008-07-19T11:47:00.002-05:00

Reputed Chicago hitman Anthony Calabrese, 47, was sentenced yesterday to 62 years in prison, according to a story by Steve Warmbir of the Chicago Sun-Times. Calabrese was convicted of leading three armed robberies.

Calabrese plans to appeal the sentence.

Unrelated to the two Calabrese brothers involved in last year's Family Secrets case, Anthony Calabrese is suspected by federal authorities of involvement in the 2001 mob killing of Anthony "the Hatch" Chiaramonti. He has not been charged with that killing.

Allie Persico could get new trial

2008-07-17T20:13:00.005-05:00

Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico (left), the Colombo Crime Family boss convicted late last year of ordering the death of William "Wild Bill" Cutolo, could be given a new trial, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

The new trial is under consideration because a key prosecution witness might have lied. Cutolo's widow, Marguerite Cutolo, testified that federal agents allowed her to keep $1.6 million in cash that her husband, the Colombo Family underboss, stashed around their Staten Island NY home.

There appears to be no official documentation supporting her claim about the money. If prosecutors are unable to resolve the discrepancy, a new trial might be ordered.

'Cadillac Frank' sentenced, expects to be out in '09

2008-07-17T12:17:00.005-05:00

Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, 74-year-old former boss of the New England Crime Family, was sentenced Tuesday to five years for lying and obstruction of justice, according to a story by Shelley Murphy of the Boston Globe. With credit for time served, he could be released from prison by December or January.

In a plea deal, Salemme (right) admitted lying to investigators about the May 1993 disappearance of Steven A. DiSarro, owner of a nightclub in South Boston known as "The Channel." Salemme maintains that he had nothing to do with DiSarro's disappearance. The nightclub owner is presumed to have been murdered. A decade ago, Salemme told investigators that former New England boss Nicholas Bianco wanted DiSarro eliminated.

"I want to categorically deny that I had anything to do with DiSarro, the assault or the murder...," Salemme told the court before hearing his sentence.

Salemme took over as New England boss after Bianco was removed by federal prosecution and by his November 1994 death in prison. During a power struggle within the Boston and Providence-based Mafia, Salemme was indicted on racketeering charges in January 1995.

Also indicted at that time were James "Whitey" Bulger (left) and Stephen "the Rifleman" Flemmi. Bulger and Flemmi were longtime FBI informants. According to Salemme, former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. warned Salemme, Bulger and Flemmi of the indictments. Bulger and Flemmi fled. Bulger remains a fugitive. Salemme became a government witness against Connolly in 1999, helping to convict Connolly of racketeering.

Salemme was released into the witness protection program in 2003. He was back in custody in 2004 after prosecutors accused him of covering up his son Frank Jr.'s alleged involvement in DiSarro's slaying. Salemme denied the charge. Frank Jr. died in 2005 of lymphoma.

Prosecutors noted that DiSarro's disappearance occurred shortly after investigators began looking into the relationship between the Salemmes and The Channel.

Statement links construction firm to the mob

2008-07-07T05:04:00.004-05:00

An affidavit filed in Brooklyn federal court links officials of the Schiavone Construction Company with schemes involving organized crime, according to a story by William K. Rashbaum of the New York Times.

The affidavit was part of a 2005 investigation of organized crime. In it, a federal investigator described the methods through which Schiavone officials intended to direct payments to a trucking executive connected with the Mafia. The statement includes a quote attributed to carting company executive Nicholas Calvo, in which Calvo explained Mafia influence over Schiavone. Calvo, arrested in a racketeering case earlier this year and identified by prosecutors as a Genovese Crime Family associate, recently pleaded guilty to extortion conspiracy.

Schiavone ties to the Genovese Crime Family have been rumored since an unsuccessful state fraud prosecution of a company owner in 1987. However, the contracting giant's general counsel Mary Libasi insists Schiavone is operating within the law and is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn on the investigation. No charges related to the affidavit have been filed against the company or its executives.

Two employees of Schiavone Construction Company were among the 62 people charged in a broader racketeering investigation earlier this year.

'Mafia cop' Eppolito gets 18 months on tax charge

2008-07-07T04:15:00.005-05:00

Louis Eppolito, a former New York Police detective who aided the Lucchese Crime Family, has been sentenced in Las Vegas to 18 months in prison for filing a false income tax return, according to broadcast reports.

During his July 1 sentencing in U.S. District Court, Eppolito also was ordered to pay $102,000. The imposition of a prison sentence won't mean much to the former detective. In federal custody since 2005, he has been credited for time already served. He pleaded guilty in February to one count of filing a false income tax return. As part of his plea deal, Eppolito acknowledged owing just over $102,000 to the IRS for tax years 2000 through 2002.

Eppolito is expected to be turned over to New York authorities. The state has a detention order against him in connection with a racketeering case.

In 2006, Eppolito and his NYPD partner Stephen Caracappa had been convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn of participating in mob killings on the behalf of the Lucchese Family. The two former detectives became known in the press as the "Mafia Cops." A federal judge ruled, however, that the statute of limitations on the charges had expired. Prosecutors are appealing that decision.

Former bus union boss gets 4-plus years

2008-06-27T12:46:00.005-05:00

Salvatore "Hot Dogs" Battaglia (left), former president of a union of 15,000 New York City school bus drivers, was sentenced yesterday to four years and nine months in prison as a penalty for extortion and receiving bribes, according to a story published by the New York Times.

In January, Battaglia, 61, admitted taking payoffs in exchange for keeping his Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union out of certain bus companies. The payoffs were linked to Matthew Ianniello, former acting boss of the Genovese Crime Family.

Two other union officials earlier pleaded guilty to related charges. Ianniello also acknowledged wrongdoing.

Ianniello acknowledged in 2006 that he had arranged illegal payoffs for the union leadership. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Ann Chiarovano, who directed the local's pension fund, pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about mob influence in the union local. She was sentenced to five months in prison. Julius "Spike" Bernstein, secretary-treasurer of Local 1181, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and cooperated with the federal investigation.

Galante reaches plea deal on trash racket

2008-06-24T12:32:00.005-05:00

Connecticut trash czar James Galante (right) faces between six and seven years in prison when sentenced for racketeering and other offenses in federal court on Aug. 22, according to a story by Dave Altimari of the Hartford Courant.

As part of a plea deal, Galante, 55, admitted earlier this month to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiring to defraud the IRS and one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Those crimes stemmed from attempting to fix bids on a garbage transfer station project, coaching witnesses in advance of appearances before a grand jury, arranging payroll kickbacks and improper business expenses, and setting up no-show jobs.

Galante was one of 33 people named in a 98-count indictment back in 2006. Initially he was also charged with making regular payments to Genovese Crime Family bigshot Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello. There was no mention of those payments in the recent plea deal. Ianniello reached an earlier plea arrangement, admitting to racketeering conspiracy and tax evasion.

In addition to the expected jail time of between 70 and 87 months, Galante has agreed to a number of forfeitures and to withdrawal from the trash industry. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, he will surrender all of his interests in 25 trash hauling companies in western Connecticut and nearby New York State, he will turn over a Southbury residence and land, six racing cars and a trailer, and he will drop any claim on $448,153.10 and interest on that money, which was seized from his business office and home. He owes an estimated $1.6 million in back taxes to the IRS. At sentencing, he could be fined additional money, up to a total of $750,000.

The Courant reported that federal authorities eventually will return to Galante and his wife $10.75 million they loaned to the trash businesses. That payment is to be made after the companies, estimated to be worth $100 million, are sold.

Investigation of the waste hauling "property rights" racket in western Connecticut led to charges against Connecticut State Senator Louis DeLuca. DeLuca, who admitted to seeking Galante's aid to threaten the husband of DeLuca's granddaughter, later resigned from the state legislature.

Mob-affiliate burglar pleads guilty

2008-06-22T07:05:00.003-05:00

John Melicharek, alleged associate of the Genovese Crime Family, pleaded guilty in a White Plains, NY, court last week to robbery, extortion and firearms charges, according to a story published by the Mid-Hudson News Network.

Prosecutors say Melicharek was an associate of the Mafia crew led by Angelo Prisco. Melicharek was accused of leading home invasions in Orange County, NY, and Morris County, NJ, as well as of extorting the owner of a small business in New York City.

He could receive a life prison term when sentenced in September.

Prisco (right), 68, of Brooklyn, is serving time in federal prison, according to a story published a year ago in the Star-Ledger. He reached a plea deal on extortion charges in Newark, NJ, last May and was sentenced to five years. He had been held in New Jersey lockups since a March 2006 arrest. Prisco's 2002 parole from state prison in New Jersey triggered an investigation of a top aide of then-Governor Jim McGreevey.

Another reputed associate of Prisco's crew, Michael Visconti, 39, of Newburgh, NY, pleaded guilty to six criminal counts earlier this month, according to the Star-Ledger. Like Prisco, Visconti was charged in connection with a scheme to eliminate competition for an electrical contracting job.

Italian court upholds Camorra life sentences

2008-06-22T05:51:00.005-05:00

An Italian Court last week upheld life sentence penalties imposed on 16 convicted leaders of the Casalesi Camorra clan, according to reports by RTTNews and Malcom Moore of the U.K. Telegraph.

The 16 leaders, including alleged boss Francesco "Sandokan" Schiavone (left) were sentenced to life late in 2005 after the "Spartacus trial" held in Santa Maria Capua Vetere north of Naples. Michele Zagaria and Antonio Iovine, alleged to be leaders of the criminal organization, were among those sentenced to life terms though they remain at large. Ten other defendants were convicted in the trial and sentenced to lesser terms.

The Casalesi clan was primarily involved in toxic waste disposal, extortion and monopolization of the cement market between Naples and Salerno, according to Judge Raffaello Magi. "They control the distribution of essential products. They control elections, and they offer protection and market opportunities to businesses," he said.

Investigators believe the Casalesi clan, based in the town of Casal di Principe, held assets amounting to billions of dollars. The group is believed responsible for numerous murders. During the trial, five people involved in the case were killed. The lives of a judge and two journalists were threatened.

Five hundred witnesses were called in that trial. Twenty former clan members provided evidence against their old underworld colleagues.

Schiavone was apprehended in 1999, as he attempted to escape from police by climbing over a garden wall at his personal villa.

Three face federal murder charges

2008-06-19T15:11:00.004-05:00

Thomas Dono, 34, Letterio "Lenny" DeCarlo, 47, and Edmund "Eddie" Boyle, 43, were charged Wednesday with the 1998 killing of a suspected informant, according to reports in the New York Daily News and Newsday.

According to prosecutors, the three men killed Frank Hydell outside a Staten Island, NY, strip club because they feared he would reveal what he knew of the 1997 slaying of construction foreman Frank Parasole at a Brooklyn social club. The prosecutors say Dono, DeCarlo and Boyle are associates of the Gambino Crime Family.

Hydell was shot in the head and chest at midnight April 27, 1998, outside of Scarlet's club.

Dono was arrested early Tuesday. DeCarlo and Boyle are in federal prison on unrelated charges.

JoJo Corozzo reaches plea deal

2008-06-19T14:52:00.005-05:00

Federal prosecutors on June 6 dropped drug-trafficking charges against the reputed consigliere of the Gambino Crime Family and permitted him to plead guilty instead to an extortion charge, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Joseph "JoJo" Corozzo (right), 66, reached the plea deal in New York shortly after his brother, Nicholas Corozzo, turned himself in to authorities at the end of May. Authorities believe Nicholas is a leader of the Gambino clan. He is charged with extorting money from construction companies, running illegal gambling and ordering a 1996 mob hit in which an innocent bystander was killed. Prosecutors labeled Nicholas a fugitive from justice after February raids against suspected Gambino members and associates.

Joseph Corozzo admitted extorting money from a Staten Island cement company. He could be sentenced to as little as 37 months in prison for the offense. The dismissed drug-trafficking charges carried the possibility of life in prison.

Spain breaks up Tambov Mafiya ring

2008-06-19T14:29:00.004-05:00

Spanish authorities say they have broken up the Tambov "family" of the Russian Mafiya, according to reports from the St. Petersburg (Russia) Times, UPI and RIA Novosti.

Twenty people were arrested across the country June 14 on money laundering, tax fraud and criminal association charges. Four hundred law enforcement officers participated in raids conducted in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. In addition to the 20 suspects, the raids netted 23 luxury cars, a yacht, weapons and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash. Police also froze an estimated $18 million in bank accounts believed linked to the Tambov organization.

Over the weekend, five suspects were freed after promising not to leave the country. Two were released on bail. The other 13 suspects remain in custody. Gennady Petrov (left), a reputed leader of the gang, is among those still held by Spanish authorities. Petrov and his wife were arrested at their home in the Sol de Mallorca region of the island of Mallorca. Police also nabbed alleged Petrov deputy Yuri Salikov.

Alexander Malyshev, another reputed leader of the criminal organization, was also arrested, along with his wife and a friend. They were arrested at a luxury estate in Frigiliana, province of Malaga.

The Tambov organization - based in St. Petersburg, Russia, but named for a southwestern Russian city - is believed to have hundreds of members. Russian, U.S., German and Swiss authorities assisted in the Spanish law enforcement action.

Last August, Tambov boss Vladimir Basukov was arrested at his home outside of St. Petersburg. He remains in custody in Moscow.

Court ignores Schweihs' antagonism

2008-06-19T14:03:00.003-05:00

U.S. District Judge James Zagel and federal prosecutors said nothing in response to antagonistic remarks by reputed Chicago mobster Frank "German" Schweihs (right) last week, according to reports by Steve Warmbir of the Chicago Sun Times, and the staffs of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicagoist.

The Chicagoist, which reported how Schweihs' vulgar remarks were handled in the press accounts of the Sun-Times, Tribune and Associated Press, announced in its headline that Schweihs "has a potty mouth."

During a court appearance on June 10, Schweihs, 78, asked one male assistant U.S. attorney, "Are you makin' eyes at me?" After noting that another prosecutor wore a turban, he asked his attorneys if they were in a foreign country. Later, he called another prosecutor a vulgar name.

The court went ahead with its business, setting an Oct. 28 date for Schweihs' racketeering trial. Schweihs initially was charged in the Family Secrets case, but he was separated from the other five defendants because he was afflicted with cancer.

Geas charged with Massachusetts mob murder

2008-06-07T04:57:00.006-05:00

Fotios A. "Freddy" Geas, 41, of West Springfield, MA (right), was indicted June 5 on one count of murder in aid of racketeering, according to a press release from the Boston office of the FBI.

Geas is accused of paying $10,000 to Frankie A. Roche for the Nov. 23, 2003, murder of Springfield Mafia bigshot Adolfo Bruno. U.S. attorneys say the payment was made on behalf of Bruno's underlings in the Springfield, MA, crew of the Genovese Crime Family.

Roche pleaded guilty in April to killing 57-year-old Bruno (below right) with a .45-caliber pistol as Bruno exited a Springfield social club. Defense attorneys for Geas say Roche is cooperating with the continuing federal investigation of the Bruno murder.

Geas faces a possible death penalty if convicted on the charge.

After Roche's guilty plea, attention turned toward Geas and Brandon D. Croteau. Geas and Croteau were initially named as codefendants in a state-level case stemming from the Bruno murder. The state case was never brought to trial. Croteau was not mentioned in the FBI press release.

The FBI reportedly also has information linking Bruno's successor Anthony J. Arilotta (above left) to the crime. According to the Bureau, Arilotta obtained approvals from higher-ups in the Genovese family - Pasquale "Scop" Deluca and Arthur "Artie" Nigro - to murder Bruno. Arilotta has been serving a three-year sentence in a Massachusetts State Prison for gambling and loansharking.

17-count indictment against accused mobsters

2008-06-05T17:49:00.004-05:00

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York yesterday unsealed a 17-count indictment against the acting boss and the underboss of the Colombo Crime Family, as well as 10 additional Colombo Family members and associates. The indictment charges racketeering conspiracy, including four acts of murder, robbery, extortion, narcotics trafficking and loansharking.

Prosecutors said the indictment was the result of a three-year investigation into Colombo Family activities.

Those charged in the indictment were:

Reputed boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli, 55;
Reputed underboss John "Sonny" Franzese, 89;
Reputed "captain" Dino Calabro, 41;
Michael Catapano, 42;
Frank Campione, 65;
Joseph "Joey Caves" Competiello, 36;
Joseph DiGorga, 67;
Orlando Spado, 63;
Angelo Giangrande, 55;
John Capolino, 39;
Nicholas Bova, 31;
Christopher Curanovic, 26.

The indictment refers to four specific murders. It charges Calabro with the Jan. 9, 1992, armed robbery and felony murder of armored truck guard Carlos Pagan. It charges Gioeli and Calabro jointly with the March 25, 1992, double-murder of Colombo family soldier John Minerva and Minerva's friend Michael Imbergamo. It also charged Gioeli, Calabro and Colombo soldier Competiello with the June 12, 1991, retaliation murder of Frank Marasa.

If convicted of the charges against them, Gioeli, Calabro, Competiello, Spado and Curanovic face possible life imprisonment. Catapano faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Franzese, Campione, DiGorga, Giangrande and Capolino face possible 20-year sentences.

Nine nabbed in Colombo clan crackdown

2008-06-05T17:36:00.003-05:00

Nine alleged members of the Colombo Crime Family, including reputed acting boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli, were arrested yesterday on federal racketeering charges, according to published reports by the New York Daily News, the New York Times and the Associated Press.

A federal indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court accused the nine with Mafia-related crimes across the United States. Among the offenses charged to the group are fur thefts and murders in New York and impersonation of police officers in Los Angeles.

Gioeli, 55 (left), charged with robbery, three murders and extortion, pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail. Two of the murders were related to the 1990s civil war within the Colombo clan. John Franzese, 89, reputed family underboss, was also charged, as were three men already held in prison.

Two more Gambino guilty pleas

2008-06-04T12:23:00.005-05:00

Frank Cali, 43, and Leonard DiMaria, 67, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court yesterday to extortion-related charges, according to a story by Anthony M. DeStefano of Newsday. The two men were arrested in February along with dozens of others suspected of involvement in the Gambino Crime Family. Roughly half of the 60-plus defendants have reached plea deals.

Cali admitted to conspiring to extort money from a trucker working at a Staten Island NASCAR construction site. Prosecutors believe he is an acting "captain" in the Gambino criminal organization and also close to members of the Mafia in Sicily. He could get up to 24 months in prison when sentenced in September.

DiMaria admitted to conspiring to extort money from contractor/trucker Joseph Vollaro. Vollaro, a former mob associate, cooperated with investigators in the case. DiMaria, now ailing but once considered a powerhouse in the Gambino clan, faces up to five years in prison.

In a story by Murray Weiss last August, the New York Post called Cali a Gambino "ambassador to Sicilian mobsters" and linked him to the Inzerillo Mafia clan. That information was apparently obtained through Sicilian wiretaps. Authorities at the time still hadn't precisely identified Cali. In February, the New York Daily News reported that the Frank Cali arrested in the Gambino raids was linked with Sicily's Inzerillo Crime Family. The Italian Repubblica reported that Cali was born in New York on March 26, 1965, as Francesco Paolo Augusto Cali. His father, who has no criminal record, was an immigrant to New York who maintained a residence in Palermo. Cali married into the Inzerillo family. The Inzerillos had fled to New Jersey during the 1980s Mafia wars in Sicily. In 2003, much of the family returned to Sicily and became influential in the underworld there.

Imprisoned Schweihs signs DNR order

2008-06-04T12:07:00.003-05:00

Alleged mobster Frank "the German" Schweihs may have to be moved to a prison medical facility due to his recent signing of a do-not-resusciate (DNR) order, according to stories by the Chicago Tribune and CBS-2 Chicago.

Schweihs had been named as a defendant in the Family Secrets case, which resulted in September 1997 guilty verdicts against five men linked to the Chicago Outfit. Schweihs missed the trial because he was battling cancer. A separate trial is scheduled for late October.

Schweihs, 78, is charged with a mob-related murder and with extorting payments from businesses. When he first learned he was indicted, Schweihs fled. He was apprehended by FBI agents in Kentucky. He has been behind bars for the past 17 months.

U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel said the recent do-not-resuscitate order could require Schweihs to be placed in a medical facility of the Bureau of Prisons. According to Zagel, other federal institutions would not be able to honor such an order.

Nick Corozzo turns himself in

2008-05-29T12:58:00.003-05:00

Nicholas Corozzo, brother of reputed Gambino Crime Family consigliere "JoJo" Corozzo and fugitive since a federal indictment of suspected crime family members and associates in February, has turned himself in to police, according to a story by Tom Hays of the Associated Press.

Corozzo has been charged with extorting money from construction companies, running illegal gambling and ordering a 1996 mob hit in which an innocent bystander was killed.

Alleged Gambino leaders make a deal

2008-05-29T12:15:00.007-05:00

John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico and Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalu, reputed leaders of the Gambino Crime Family, have agreed to plead guilty to a single count of extortion, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News. Through their plea deal, each could spend less than two years in prison.

Prosecutors say D'Amico (left), 71, is the acting boss and Cefalu, 61, the acting underboss of the Gambino clan. Those two men and reputed Gambino consigliere Joseph "JoJo" Corozzo, 66, appeared to be the main targets of early February's FBI arrests of dozens of suspected Mafia members and associates. Corozzo also appears close to reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.

The D'Amico deal was made possible, according to defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio, when prosecutors agreed to allow D'Amico to plead guilty to extortion rather than racketeering, which carries a tougher penalty. D'Amico and Cefalu admitted to extorting $100,000 from Staten Island cement company owner Joseph Vollaro. Vollaro later assisted the government's case.

Sixty-two people were indicted on federal charges in February. More than two dozen others were charged in related New York State matters.

D'Amico was recently in the New York newspapers as he hoped to win his release on $2 million bail in order to return to his $71,000 a year job as a sales representative for the Big Geyser beverage distribution company in Queens. D'Amico has worked for the company since 1991, according to a story by Tom Robbins of the Village Voice. The company also reportedly employs Matthew Madonna, 72, a reputed big shot in the Lucchese Crime Family, according to stories in the Daily News and the Village Voice.

Police bust Philadelphia betting ring

2008-05-21T05:41:00.002-05:00

Philadelphia police have "a strong feeling" that a $2.5 million illegal sports betting ring raided last week was linked to the Mafia, according to a story by Kitty Caparella of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Nine men aged 23 to 48 were arrested last Wednesday. Police expect to arrest two or three more. The suspects were arraigned on conspiracy and bookmaking charges. Police also seized 19 networked computers from two locations in West Philadelphia.

Police are looking into whether the operation paid a street tax to a Mafia organization or used crime family connections to lay off some bets.

Boston's Ferrara pleads not guilty to gambling

2008-05-21T05:27:00.002-05:00

Vincent Ferrara, 59, of Boston, pleaded not guilty in Norfolk Superior Court yesterday to gambling-related charges, according to a story by Franci R. Ellement of the Boston Globe.

Ferrara, a former lieutenant in the New England Mafia who was jailed for 16 years on a racketeering conviction, said he had nothing at all to do with a gambling ring recently broken up through police telephone wiretaps. Prosecutors contend that Ferrara was sharing gambling operation profits with ringleader Dominic Santoro of Quincy, MA.

Santoro faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him. The charge against Ferrara is a misdemeanor, punishable by a year in prison and a $2,000 fine. However, Ferrara is still on probation from federal prison and could be returned there if found to be violating the terms of his release.

Pellicano convicted of racketeering

2008-05-21T05:12:00.003-05:00

Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano was convicted last week of racketeering, wiretapping and other charges, according to a story by David Halbfinger of the New York Times.

After deliberations of nine days, a federal jury convicted the 64-year-old on 76 of the 77 counts against him on May 15. Just one count of racketeering could result in a 20-year prison sentence. Pellicano's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Most of the charges against Pellicano stem from his extensive use of wiretapping to accumulate damaging information against business rivals and former spouses of powerful Hollywood executives. A number of Pellicano's wealthy clients admitted paying for and listening to illegal wiretaps. However, they were not charged with wrongdoing.

Investigators turned up evidence that Pellicano surveillance was directed for a time against Sylvester Stallone and Keith Carradine and that an illegal criminal background check was done against Garry Shandling.