New England Organized Crime » Colombo

Mob Informant’s Daughters Sue FBI for House

fdvent1 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:18:27 +0000

Four daughters of mob informant Paul Bevacqua who snitched on the Colombo crime family sued their mother and the FBI, demanding the deed to their late father’s house. Bevacqua died on Nov. 11, 2011. In a complaint in Suffolk County Court, four of his five daughters claim the FBI gave their father a security and alarm system, but did not put him in the witness protection program. After their father died, the daughters say, the FBI prevented them from entering the house. Plaintiffs Vita Bevacqua Ortolani and Caroline Bevacqua Miller claim they conveyed the house and property to the Bevacqua Family Trust by deed of Nov. 6, 1998. “The trust agreement provided, inter alia, that upon the death of Paul Bevacqua, the entire trust estate, consisting of no less than the premises, was to be divided one-fifth (1/5th) to plaintiff Vita Bevacqua Ortolani, one-fifth (1/5th) to plaintiff Pauline Bevacqua Levin, one-fifth (1/5th) to Rosalie Bevacqua and one-fifth (1/5th) to plaintiff Francesca Bevacqua Spilabotte,” according to the complaint. A fifth daughter, Rosalie Bevacqua-Verderame, renounced her share of the property, and is not a party to lawsuit, according to the complaint. “On January 3, 2012, at approximately 7:30 p.m., plaintiffs Caroline Bevacqua-Miller [...] Related posts:

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Scott Fappiano Facing Jail Time

fdvent1 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:08:52 +0000

Scott Fappiano, reputed Colombo crime family associate who served more than 20 years in prison on a wrongful rape conviction now faces more jail time for a new crime he admits committing. Since being exonerated through DNA evidence that cleared him of raping a NYPD officer’s wife, Fappiano has grappled with problems of substance abuse. Fappiano's attorney Harlan J. Protass argues that the trauma of his criminal justice ordeal has taken a toll on the man. “In the years following his release, Mr. Fappiano struggled with alcohol and drugs in a misguided attempt at self-medicating for the severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress from which he was suffering,” his lawyer, Harlan J. Protass, wrote to a federal judge. The feds say that after Fappiano left prison after being cleared, he was quick to resume his association with mobsters. “He schemed with members and associates of the Colombo family to assault the ex-husband of his current wife, to commit a violent armed robbery, and to distribute marijuana,” Assistant US Attorney Liz Geddes wrote to the judge. Last year, Fappiano pleaded guilty to participating in a mob-connect extortion plot. The FBI captured the wiseguy discussing his debt collection methods with the help of [...] Related posts:

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The Carnival And the Mob

fdvent1 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:51:20 +0000

Reputed Colombo family associate Angelo Spata Jr., who is awaiting trial on racketeering charges, also runs an amusement business that provides carnival rides for some of New York’s biggest street festivals, including Little Italy’s annual Feast of San Gennaro. Spata, out on bail, is asking a Manhattan federal judge for permission to attend the “carny” world’s national conference in Florida next month. Officials contend that New York’s mob families muscle their way into the city’s street festivals, running concessions and helping themselves to lucrative cuts of the cash they generate. Source: nypost.com addGooglePlusOne(12846, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/the-carnival-and-the-mob/"); Related posts: FBI Mob Unit Gets Unmade The FBI says it is "Mission Accomplished." But the feds... Staffing Against NY Mob Dangerously Low Is the N.Y. FBI allocating far too little to fight... Mob Expert Capeci Picks Top Mob Stories for 2011 Looking back at 2011 there seemed to be no shortage... Related posts:

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Gioeli Attorney Wants Tapes Barred

fdvent1 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:45:54 +0000

An attorney representing former acting Colombo crime family boss Thomas “Tommy Shots” Gioeli is hoping to persuade a judge to ban recorded tapes, unveiled two weeks ago, from the mobster’s upcoming murder trial. Reynold Maragni, the former mob captain-turned government informant, wore a hidden “wire” tape recorder to collect evidence about the murder of William “Wild Bill” Cutolo, who was the family’s underboss when he was killed in a Brooklyn basement during an internal power struggle. But defense attorney Adam Perlmutter has objected to allowing the jury to hear the tapes at Gioeli’s upcoming trial, arguing the conversations are nothing more than “hearsay” and are not direct evidence of a crime. Brooklyn federal Judge Brian Cogan has not yet ruled on the issue. Source: nypost.com addGooglePlusOne(12757, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/gioeli-attorney-wants-tapes-barred/"); Related posts: Mob Boss Gioeli Has The Wedding Bell Blues Reputed former Colombo acting boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli who... Mob Boss “Vinny Gorgeous” Borrows Tie From Judge Mob crime boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano had a wardrobe... Judge Rules Gambino Boss to Stay in Jail A federal judge ruled today that a top Gambino Mafia... Related posts:

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Colombo Hitman Sends Apology Letter

fdvent1 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:31:39 +0000

Ex-Colombo soldier Joseph "Joey Caves" Competiello was part of the hit team which killed underboss William "Wild Bill" Cutolo in 1999. Competiello, who is currently in the witness protection section of a federal lockup has sent an apology letter to the victim's family: "As a young adult my actions are inexcusable and I am ready to accept responsibility for them for causing you pain over the loss of your loved one." Competiello wrote. Source: NY Daily News addGooglePlusOne(12690, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/colombo-hitman-sends-apology-letter/"); Related posts: Cosa Nostra Mails Threatening Letter with Bullet to Five Year Old The Mafia in Sicily sent a threatening letter along with... Feds Shaking Colombo Family Tree Following an investigation that led to indictments in March of... Colombo street boss doing business in Mass. and R.I. It appears that a Colombo crew was doing business in... Related posts:

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Meet Michael Franzese, Ex-Mafia Boss

fdvent1 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:49:18 +0000

Michael Franzese, former Capo in the Colombo crime family, renounced organized crime and forged a career for himself as a youth charity fundraiser and motivational speaker, and lived to tell the tale. As you can imagine, one of the first questions I had for him was: How are you still alive? “One of the most important things to remember is that no one’s in prison because of me,” he tells me from his home in California. “My boss was extremely upset with me when I walked away, he took it very personally and put the word out on me very strong for a few years. A couple of times the FBI came round my house and told me that they’d had word from informants that there were guys out here who were out to hurt me. They told me that if I didn’t leave town then I’d be dead by the end of the weekend, that happened a couple of times some years back when things were quite hot. I took it very seriously and I still do, I never underestimate anybody. Although everyone who might have been after me is either dead or in prison and the new guys [...] Related posts:

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Colombo Consigliere Charged

fdvent1 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:45:44 +0000

The feds have struck the Colombo crime family again. Reputed consigliere Thomas Farese and alleged associate Pat Truglio were arrested on money laundering charges this morning in South Florida. The charges were based on evidence collected by reputed capo Reynold Maragni who was an informant for the FBI. "Maragni, who owns a vacation home in south Florida, wore a hidden 'wire' – a recording device to tape conversations with Farese and collect information about the wiseguy's activities, sources said." Source: New York Post addGooglePlusOne(12432, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/colombo-consigliere-charged/"); Related posts: Colombo Capo Wore Wire For Feds Colombo capo Reynold Maragni has been wearing a wire for... Feds Shaking Colombo Family Tree Following an investigation that led to indictments in March of... Colombo Family Sonny Franzese vs Son Colombo Crime Family member John “Sonny” Franzese is scheduled to... Related posts:

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NJ Lawyer Bergrin Faces 14 Drug Related Charges

fdvent1 — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:44:02 +0000

In the criminal case against former lawyer Paul Bergrin U.S. District Judge William J. Martini directed that prosecutors proceed next with 14 drug-related charges that form part of a pending 33-count indictment. The remaining charges, alleging racketeering conspiracies, murder, witness tampering, prostitution and tax evasion, can be tried at a later date. The drug counts include charges that Bergrin, with help from Paramus attorney Thomas J. Moran Jr., plotted in 2008 to hire a Chicago hit man to kill witnesses against a client accused of cocaine distribution. Source: The Record addGooglePlusOne(12194, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/nj-lawyer-bergrin-faces-14-drug-related-charges/"); Related posts: Mistrial For NJ Lawyer Paul Bergrin A federal judge last week declared a mistrial in the... RICO Reinstated Against NJ Lawyer Paul Bergrin A federal appeals court has reinstated racketeering charges against criminal... Son Charged With Killing Alleged Mobster Dad Faces New Charges William Silvi, charged in NJ for the May 2008 murder... Related posts:

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Crime Scene, Kingpin Crackdown

fdvent1 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:19:19 +0000

George Anastasia and Dave Schratweiser look back at drugs and crime in the region this past year. addGooglePlusOne(11990, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/crime-scene-kingpin-crackdown/"); Related posts: Mob Scene 2011 A look back at the wiseguys in 2011 with George... Mob Museum Unveils Barber Chair From 1957 Murder Mob Museum officials unveiled another artifact from organized crime’s bloody... Scarfo And The Illegal Takeover of First Plus Financial, Mob Scene Mob Scene with George Anastasia: Nicky Scarfo Jr is currently... Related posts:

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Colombo Capo Wore Wire For Feds

fdvent1 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:49:18 +0000

Colombo capo Reynold Maragni has been wearing a wire for the feds. Last week he captured a conversation with reputed soldier Vincent Manzo which seems to implicates former acting boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli in the 1999 hit of underboss William "Wild Bill" Cutolo during a family power struggle. Maragni quizzed reputed soldier Vincent Manzo outside Macy’s department store in Brooklyn. “Was Tommy there or not there?” Maragni pressed, referring to former acting boss Gioeli, who is charged with Cutolo’s rubout. “Tommy was there,” Manzo replied. Gioeli is charged with luring Cutolo to a house in Brooklyn where he was killed and is awaiting trial on six gangland killings. Source: NY Daily News addGooglePlusOne(11596, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/colombo-capo-wore-wire-for-feds/"); Related posts: Mob Boss Gioeli Has The Wedding Bell Blues Reputed former Colombo acting boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli who... Judge to Tommy Shots “Stop bothering me!” The reputed acting boss of the Colombo crime family, Thomas... FBI Digging For Colombo Associate In October 2008 in a vacant lot in East Farmingdale,... Related posts:

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