New England Organized Crime » News

New Book “The Hit Man: A True Story of Murder, Redemption and the Melrose Diner”

fdvent1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:25:54 +0000

Fox 29 has done several interviews in the past with John Veasey, the most-feared man in the Philadelphia mob. The new book from Ralph Cipriano and Dave Schratwieser “The Hit Man: A True Story of Murder, Redemption and the Melrose Diner” has many chilling parts. The book tells the story of Veasey, the former hitman who went into the witness protection program, survived a hit on him, extracted his revenge in the court system, and made a new life for himself. “The only thing I miss about Philly,” he said, “is the pretzels and the cheesesteaks.” “Hit Man” on Amazon addGooglePlusOne(13027, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/new-book-the-hit-man-a-true-story-of-murder-redemption-and-the-melrose-diner/"); Related posts: Mob Scene, Sixteen Years After the Billy Veasey Hit Sixteen years ago Billy Veasey was gunned down at 17th... Surviving The Mob by Dennis Griffin and Andrew DiDonato-Book Review A Street Soldiers Life Inside The Gambino Crime Family... The Mob and Me – A Book by John Partington and Arlene Violet Former Rhode Island Attorney General Arlene Violet in collaboration with... Related posts:

Mob Scene, Sixteen Years After the Billy Veasey Hit Sixteen years ago Billy Veasey was gunned down at 17th...
Surviving The Mob by Dennis Griffin and Andrew DiDonato-Book Review A Street Soldiers Life Inside The Gambino Crime Family...
The Mob and Me – A Book by John Partington and Arlene Violet Former Rhode Island Attorney General Arlene Violet in collaboration with...

Revisiting an Old Neighborhood

fdvent1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:54:07 +0000

Crime writer Megan Abbot looks back at Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, once the stomping ground for Genovese boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno. David Durk and Ira Silverman wrote in their 1976 exposé The Pleasant Avenue Connection, "If you knew the right people, you could go there at three in the morning and borrow 50,000 dollars in cash or rent a submachine gun or arrange to fix a judge or pick up three kilos of heroin." Ms. Abbott writes that neighborhood changes can be deceiving, and the underlying reality of the mob in New York has changed very little. The Genovese crime family still controls the town, and all of the underworld services it offered on Pleasant Avenue in the 1970s still are available today even if through a different boss on a different street. Source: The New York Times addGooglePlusOne(13025, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/revisiting-an-old-neighborhood/"); Related posts: Former NY Mafia Boss Convicted in Murders A former boss of New York’s Genovese crime family and... Western Massachusetts And The Mob Since the days of Prohibition the New York-based Genovese crime... Fusco Pleads Not Guilty In Genovese Case Following extradition from Italy convicted loanshark Emilio Fusco, of Longmeadow,... Related posts:

Former NY Mafia Boss Convicted in Murders A former boss of New York’s Genovese crime family and...
Western Massachusetts And The Mob Since the days of Prohibition the New York-based Genovese crime...
Fusco Pleads Not Guilty In Genovese Case Following extradition from Italy convicted loanshark Emilio Fusco, of Longmeadow,...

83-Year-Old Reputed Mobster Wants Probation Lifted

fdvent1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:40:09 +0000

Jerome Brancato, an 83-year-old reputed soldier in the Gambino crime family, once close to the Gotti family has asked a judge to end his probation early so he can start enjoying his vacation home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Brancato wants to spend time in Florida and visit his brother in Canada. But the rules of his federal probation keep him from traveling outside the New York City metropolitan area. Once a trusted lieutenant to Peter Gotti – the Dapper Don’s brother – Brancato continued living a wiseguy’s life well into the autumn of his life, authorities say. Back in 2009 at the spry age of 80, Brancato went away for yet another stint in a federal prison. To buttress his argument for early termination from probation, Brancato cites a litany of health issues that he says would be eased by life under the Florida sun. But federal probation officers oppose the request, citing his three “convictions for criminal activities associated with the Gambino crime family – two of which transpired” while he was on probation, they allege in court papers. Brooklyn federal Judge Jack Weinstein has not ruled on the issue yet. Source: nypost.com addGooglePlusOne(13023, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/83-year-old-reputed-mobster-wants-probation-lifted/"); Related posts: Prison Inmate: [...] Related posts:

Prison Inmate: A Bronx Tale Star Lillo Brancato Jr. “Got This Fetish With The Mafia” He's still a punk. TV tough guy Lillo Brancato whaled...
Reputed Mobster Timothy Mello To Be Released Reputed Patriarca associate Timothy Mello is scheduled for release from...
Reputed Italian Mob Figure Sentenced In Florida Roberto Settineri, the Miami Beach, FL wine merchant...

Ex-Mob Boss Marcello Crying Foul

fdvent1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:16:50 +0000

Five years ago in Chicago James "Jimmy the Man" Marcello was convicted in the Family Secrets trial against the Chicago Outfit for his role in the 1986 murders of the Spilotro brothers. The government located him in a California prison to serve out his double life sentence and Marcello is crying foul, whining that it's too far away for his relatives to visit. Source: WLS addGooglePlusOne(13020, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/ex-mob-boss-marcello-crying-foul/"); Related posts: Blago Gets More Time Then The Mob Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced Wednesday to 14... 25 Year Sentence Sought For Chicago Outfit Boss Michael "the Large Guy" Sarno, reputed Cicero boss for the... February Sentencing For Outfit Boss Michael "the Large Guy" Sarno, the reputed Cicero boss for... Related posts:

Blago Gets More Time Then The Mob Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced Wednesday to 14...
25 Year Sentence Sought For Chicago Outfit Boss Michael "the Large Guy" Sarno, reputed Cicero boss for the...
February Sentencing For Outfit Boss Michael "the Large Guy" Sarno, the reputed Cicero boss for...

Anti-Mafia Magistrate Borsellino Sacrificed Himself

fdvent1 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:01:55 +0000

A trial witness has said that Paolo Borsellino, the Italian anti-Mafia magistrate who was killed by a Mafia car bomb in Palermo in 1992, knew about the attempt on his life and chose to sacrifice himself. Colonel Umberto Sinico, a witness for the defence in the Mori trial, reported that in late June 1992 carabinieri officers went to tell Borsellino that they had learned from an informer that “there was a recurring rumour – in the prisons – that an attack on the judge was at an advanced stage. Borsellino responded: “I know, I know: I have to leave some opening, otherwise they’ll go for my family.” The judge was killed on July 19th in Palermo. According to the Sinico, the judge consciously chose to leave “a few cracks” in his security, exposing himself in order to safeguard his family from retaliation. Source: AKI addGooglePlusOne(13018, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/anti-mafia-magistrate-borsellino-sacrificed-himself/"); Related posts: An Arrest Made In 1992 Mafia Hit On Italian Judge Fabio Tranchina, the suspected former driver to jailed boss Giuseppe... Taking on Berlusconi and His Associates ROME LETTER: ‘WE’VE NEVER charged Berlusconi, never taken a case... “Falcone Award” Italian Backing for Bulgaria’s Fight against Organized Crime Giovanni Falcone, Prosecutor, as well as [...] Related posts:

An Arrest Made In 1992 Mafia Hit On Italian Judge Fabio Tranchina, the suspected former driver to jailed boss Giuseppe...
Taking on Berlusconi and His Associates ROME LETTER: ‘WE’VE NEVER charged Berlusconi, never taken a case...
“Falcone Award” Italian Backing for Bulgaria’s Fight against Organized Crime Giovanni Falcone, Prosecutor, as well as his colleague Paolo Borsellino...

Local Govt Dissolved for “mafia infiltration”

fdvent1 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:50:31 +0000

The Italian government on Friday dissolved the city government of the northern border town of Ventimiglia because of suspected infiltration by organized crime. The scenic town of 25,000 residents on the Ligurian coast last year drew international attention because the hundreds of illegal migrants attempting to cross into France from the city after arriving in Italy from North African countries in the midst of popular revolt. The decision to fire the city council was made by the Italian Cabinet of Ministers on the advice of interior minister Annamaria Cancellieri. The Italian government at times takes over city councils when investigating magistrates uncover enough evidence to suspect that councilors are diverting working for the good of the mafia by awarding gangsters public works contracts and doing other favors. It’s most common for the central government to take over local administrations in the Italian south where organized crime groups have their roots. “This time it happens to a city on the border with France rather than one in the south,” said the website of Corriere della Sera, one of Italy’s biggest dailies. Source: adnkronos.com addGooglePlusOne(13016, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/local-govt-dissolved-for-mafia-infiltration/"); Related posts: “Catturandi” Elite Police Garners Support in Sicilan Mafia Round Up The days when [...] Related posts:

“Catturandi” Elite Police Garners Support in Sicilan Mafia Round Up The days when the Mafia ruled Sicily could soon...
Mafia Threats Evolve From Horse Heads to Blogs While 21st century Italian mobsters still use bullets, anonymous phone...
Trio Accused of Mafia Association Hire Local Lawyer in Canada Three of the seven local men implicated by Italian Police...

Mafia Treasure Hunters and the Costa Concordia

fdvent1 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:23:08 +0000

Lying silently beneath the pristine Italian waters are jewels, cash, champagne, antiques, 19th century Bohemian glassware, and thousands of art objects – including 300-year-old woodblock prints by a Japanese master. When passengers fled the Costa Concordia, they left everything behind and now a fortune is at the mercy of treasure hunters. It could just be a matter of time before anyone from common thieves to underwater teams run by the Mafia and specializing in recovering booty try to steal it. "As long as there are bodies in there, it's considered off base to everybody because it's a grave," said Robert Marx, a veteran diver and the author of books on treasure hunting. "But when all the bodies are out, there will be a mad dash for the valuables." The Costa Concordia was essentially a floating luxury hotel. Many of the passengers embarked on the ill-fated cruise with their finest clothes and jewels so they could parade them in casinos and at gala dinners beneath towering chandeliered ceilings. On top of that was massive wealth belonging to the ship itself: elegant shops stocked with jewelry, and more than 6,000 works of art decorating walls. The wellness spa alone contained a collection [...] Related posts:

Canada Orders Man Deported on Mafia Charge Carlo Figliomeni, 42, of Woodbridge who applied for Canadian citizenship...
Mafia Has Big Presence In Spain Spain has more mafia members than any other country except...
Bank for Gangsters 7000 Safety Deposit Boxes Opened: 81 Million US Criminal Treasure Trove Largest sting in Yard’s history and biggest operation against organized...

Japanese City Takes On Its Gangsters

fdvent1 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:11:47 +0000

Two years ago, the authorities in Kitakyushu, Japan, a gritty rust-belt region declared war on the yakuza, Japan’s entrenched organized crime syndicates. And that is exactly what they got. Since this city and other local governments beefed up regulations to take on the yakuza — making it a criminal offense for companies and individuals to do business with them — there has been a death threat against Kitakyushu’s mayor and his family, hand grenades tossed at the homes of corporate executives and a construction company chairman gunned down in front of his wife. The police say the attacks, and many other lesser threats and intimidation tactics, are the doing of the Kudokai, a gang with more than 650 members that officials call one of the most dangerous of Japan’s yakuza. The attacks have prompted the National Police Agency to propose giving law enforcement more powers to search and arrest gang members. The yakuza remain a remarkably visible presence in Japan, as they have been for centuries. But law enforcement officials say the violence in Kitakyushu may prove a turning point, by shocking a public that has become increasingly fed up. Any romantic aura that may have enveloped the gangsters in [...] Related posts:

Renowned Japanese Temple Refuses Yakuza Visits In the ancient capital of Kyoto, Enryakuji Temple, one of...
Japan Fighting the Mob Members of Japan’s criminal underworld, known as the yakuza, are...
Japan Pushing The Yakuza It was a very lonely New Year’s Day for many...

Feds Ask to Empanel Anonymous Jury in Mob Trial

fdvent1 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:07 +0000

The trial against accused former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio and six others who are accused of running a continuing criminal enterprise that engaged in extortion of strip clubs for protection payments is scheduled to begin on April 23. The Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s office, citing concerns over jury safety and extensive media coverage, is asking that a judge empanel an “anonymous jury” in the upcoming organized crime trial against a reputed former mob boss. In a motion Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ferland said a juror's personal information should be omitted from documents and that the jurors be placed in “partial sequestration.” “The Government further requests that each trial day, the United States Marshals Service transport the jurors as a group to and from the courthouse,” Ferland wrote. “This procedure will minimize the burden on the jurors and insulate them from intrusion, intimidation or harassment.” In the filing, Ferland said in considering the government’s request, the judge should factor in that the defendants are “members or associates of a notorious organized crime enterprise.” “This is a factor that should be considered in determining whether or not these defendants could seek ‘outside assistance’ in an effort to intimidate or [...] Related posts:

Jury Deliberates In Vincent Basciano Trial The racketeering case against reputed Bonanno boss Vincent Basciano involving...
NY’s Junior Gotti gets his 4th hung jury in 5 years I find this an interesting story in that it appears...
“Baby Shacks” Defense Team Out Of Time In Providence R.I. the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the clock...

Claims of Judge’s Mafia Ties Ignored by Bulgarian Prosecution

fdvent1 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:44:12 +0000

Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev has made it clear that the prosecution will not examine the allegations of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov against Miroslava Todorova, a judge at the Sofia City Court and Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association. In a series of media appearances two weeks ago, Tsvetanov claimed that Todorova was incompetent in doing her job and was patronizing the mafia. He argued that she had delayed the issuing of written motives for verdicts against high-profile criminals, including drug lord Vasil Manikatov. Todorova countered the accusations by saying that the delay had not allowed anybody to evade justice because the offender had been behind bars during the period. She further threatened to file a libel lawsuit against the Interior Minister. Tsvetanov's accusations caused the indignation of three former BJA Chairs, who insisted that the Chief Prosecutor check the credibility of the Interior Minister's assertions. They went on to inquire whether Tsvetanov had notified the prosecution if he was aware of any wrongdoing on the part of Miroslava Todorova. Meanwhile, judges from the Penal Division of the Sofia City Court (SCC) came up with a statement in support of Todorova. "We believe that by declaring our support for Judge Todorova [...] Related posts:

“Killer” Testifies about Bulgarian PM Mafia Ties The defendant in Bulgaria’s high-profile organized crime case code-named “The...
U.S. Citizenship Granted To Bulgarian Mobsters A WikiLeaks document details a State Department cable dated April...
Bulgaria Interior Minister: 250-300 Mafia Bosses Plague Our Country Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Bulgarian Interior Minister stated that 250-300 criminal bosses...