New England Organized Crime » Lucchese

Sal Pelullo, Reputed Scarfo Jr. Associate, Wants Out of jJail, Mob Scene

fdvent1 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:53:08 +0000

The alleged mastermind of the organized-crime-linked, multimillion-dollar looting of Texas mortgage company First Plus Financial wants to be sprung from a Philadelphia jail. addGooglePlusOne(13002, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/sal-pelullo-reputed-scarfo-jr-associate-wants-out-of-jjail-mob-scene/"); Related posts: Scarfo Jr., Pelullo Appear in Court Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and Salvatore Pelullo were among a group... The Case of the Stolen Company, How’d the Mob Do It? It’s a criminal’s dream, owning a financial company that can... Scarfo Jr. Argues He’s Being Held Unfairly Nicodemo “Junior” Scarfo, son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob... Related posts:

Scarfo Jr., Pelullo Appear in Court Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and Salvatore Pelullo were among a group...
The Case of the Stolen Company, How’d the Mob Do It? It’s a criminal’s dream, owning a financial company that can...
Scarfo Jr. Argues He’s Being Held Unfairly Nicodemo “Junior” Scarfo, son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob...

Scarfo Jr., Pelullo Appear in Court

fdvent1 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:29:42 +0000

Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and Salvatore Pelullo were among a group of defendants who went before a federal judge in Camden on Friday afternoon, Jan. 20. Scarfo, of Galloway Township, and Pelullo were among 13 who were arrested on racketeering charges in November of last year. No trial date was set at Friday’s Status Update Conference, but the next conference was set for March 9, said Matthew Reilly, Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the United States Attorney’s Office/District of New Jersey. Reilly said the discussion at Friday’s conference before Judge Robert Kugler centered on discovery, meaning the sides exchanged evidence to be used in the upcoming trial. The proceedings lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. Scarfo, who was arrested at his home in Galloway on Nov. 1, faces 25 counts, each one carrying with it anywhere between a five-year and 30-year maximum jail sentence. The group also faces charges surrounding an alleged illegal takeover of the publicly traded company, FirstPlus Financial Group. Scarfo, a member of the Lucchese Family of La Costa Nostra, and Pelullo, an associate of the Lucchese and Philadelphia La Costra Nostra families, were indicted on charges of including securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, [...] Related posts:

The Case of the Stolen Company, How’d the Mob Do It? It’s a criminal’s dream, owning a financial company that can...
Guilty Plea In NJ Lucchese Gambling Case Gianni Iacovo has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate following...
Scarfo Jr. Argues He’s Being Held Unfairly Nicodemo “Junior” Scarfo, son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob...

Mafia Cops Get Long-Distance Appeal

fdvent1 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:03:38 +0000

The Mafia cops, ex-NYPD detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa returned to Brooklyn Federal Court on Thursday by telephone from separate federal pens for the latest appeal of their convictions. Judge Jack Weinstein, who had sentenced Eppolito and Caracappa to life in prison for multiple murders and passing information to the Lucchese crime family, said it wasn’t necessary for them to attend in person. The appeal contends that trial counsel Bruce Cutler failed to call then-Luchese underboss Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso as a defense witness to rebut the government’s allegations because Casso would have implicated Cutler’s most famous client, the late Gambino boss John Gotti, in a slew of crimes. “The whole thing is pretty much a dead horse,” Weinstein said. “Casso was a loose cannon. There isn’t an attorney worth his salt who would have called Casso.” Source: nydailynews.com addGooglePlusOne(12862, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/mafia-cops-get-long-distance-appeal/"); Related posts: NYC agrees to record settlement to man framed by Mafia cop The city of New York on Thursday agreed to pay... Judge Denies “Skinny Dom’s” Early Release Request Gambino captain Dominick “Skinny Dom” Pizzonia, who worked for the... Armando “Mr Mom” Rea Gets Break Bonanno-crime family soldier Armando “Mondo” Rea, 59, during sentencing for... Related posts:

NYC agrees to record settlement to man framed by Mafia cop The city of New York on Thursday agreed to pay...
Judge Denies “Skinny Dom’s” Early Release Request Gambino captain Dominick “Skinny Dom” Pizzonia, who worked for the...
Armando “Mr Mom” Rea Gets Break Bonanno-crime family soldier Armando “Mondo” Rea, 59, during sentencing for...

Henry Hill to Paul Ferris: Get Out Of the Country

fdvent1 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:36:49 +0000

Ex-mobster Henry Hill has warned former gangster Paul Ferris to flee Scotland after his movie biopic is released. Legendary Mafia hood Hill reckons Ferris could face revenge attacks, just like he has since the hit movie about him was released in 1990. Hill, 68, spent over a decade fearing that he would be whacked after his shady story became a Hollywood blockbuster. Goodfellas told how ‘wise guy’ Hill — played by Ray Liotta — became an FBI grass and eventually brought down his own mob. He had to be given a new identity and placed on the witness protection programme. There was a whopping £1million contract out on Hill’s head — and he’s only recently started making public appearances. And he reckons he’s only safe to do so because most of his enemies from the time are now dead. Now Hill has advised Glasgow’s former underworld enforcer Ferris, 48, to take time out for his own safety when controversial flick The Wee Man hits cinemas. Speaking exclusively to The Scottish Sun, Hill said: “He’ll have to be guarded for sure — he should come to America and live. “It’s important for him to stay on the straight and narrow path. [...] Related posts:

Goodfella Henry Hill Still Living in Hiding As the 20th anniversary of Martin Scorsese's gangster movie Goodfellas...
Henry Hill arrested in Ill. Gangster-turned-FBI informant Henry Hill whose exploits were the basis of...
National Geographic Interview Footage With “Goodfella” Henry Hill Henry Hill, the inspiration for classic movie “Goodfellas,” tells the...

Lucchese Fugitive Returns To NJ

fdvent1 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:56:17 +0000

Bail was set at $350,000 for Frank Cetta, 73, accused of running a Costa Rican “wire room,” where the Lucchese crime family processed billions in illegal sports bets. Cetta had his first court appearance this morning. Cetta was named in a sweeping indictment in May 2010, which charged leading members of the Lucchese crime family in New York — Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna, as well as 32 others — with racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering. Also indicted was Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., whose father, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, is serving a life term for running the Philadelphia-Atlantic City mob in the 1980s. “Organized crime cannot evade our determined efforts, not even by hiding in Central America,” said New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow. “Frank Cetta is charged with crimes that reached from Costa Rica to New Jersey. We’ve demonstrated that the reach of justice is equally long. We are grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service for their efforts in apprehending this fugitive.” Source: nj.com addGooglePlusOne(12145, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/lucchese-fugitive-returns-to-nj/"); No related posts. No related posts.

Defense Attorneys Question Legality of Wiretaps

fdvent1 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:58:55 +0000

A rule states that while monitoring a wire tap if no criminal conduct is heard within two minutes, the device should be shut off for 30 seconds. That's the basis of the defense request to examine the eavesdropping devices to learn whether they can comply with that rule. In 2010 the New Jersey Attorney General's Office busted an alleged $2.2 billion Lucchese gambling ring. During the investigation law enforcement intercepted 28,790 oral communications in their homes and cars which the defendants hope to exclude from evidence at trial. Thirty-four suspects were busted with three already pleading guilty. Among the remaining defendants are reputed NY-based Lucchese leaders Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna, and reputed NJ-based family overseers Ralph Perna and Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. Source: NJ.com addGooglePlusOne(11537, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/defense-attorneys-question-legality-of-wiretaps/"); Related posts: Guilty Plea In NJ Lucchese Gambling Case Gianni Iacovo has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate following... Defense Cross-Examines Joseph Massino – Judge Criticizes Defense Lawyers’ Actions For two days Joseph Massino, the former Bonanno boss has... Criminal Defense Lawyer Viciously Assaulted In Montreal QB Canada on Friday Gilles Doré, a criminal... Related posts:

Guilty Plea In NJ Lucchese Gambling Case Gianni Iacovo has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate following...
Defense Cross-Examines Joseph Massino – Judge Criticizes Defense Lawyers’ Actions For two days Joseph Massino, the former Bonanno boss has...
Criminal Defense Lawyer Viciously Assaulted In Montreal QB Canada on Friday Gilles Doré, a criminal...

Staffing Against NY Mob Dangerously Low

fdvent1 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:12:56 +0000

Is the N.Y. FBI allocating far too little to fight the five Organized Crime Families? The answer is a definite Yes, according to a story by mob expert Jerry Capeci, editor of Gang Land News. The site reports that the number of agents investigating New York wiseguys is at an all time low. One agent, the site reports, calls it “dangerously low.” Still, Gangland reports that “G-men and women from other federal agencies have jumped into the fray to fill the void against the thousands of wiseguys and associates of the infamous Five Families.” An example, according to the site, were the arrests last week by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) agents with the State Department arrested three wiseguys and four associates of the Gambino and Bonanno crime families on racketeering charges. Gang Land reported that the FBI has reduced the number of squads that investigate the Five Families to three and the number of agents trying to keep tabs and arrest 700 made men and 7000 associates to about 45. “It’s pretty obvious that there are other people locking up people that we used to lock [...] Related posts:

NY FBI Cuts Agents Probing Mafia Weeks After Big Bust Mob reporter Jerry Capechi of the website Gang Land News...
Feds Goof in Arrest of NY Mobster Mob expert Jerry Capeci of Gang Land News reports that...
FBI Mob Unit Gets Unmade The FBI says it is "Mission Accomplished." But the feds...

Mobster: I Want to Change My Life

fdvent1 — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:50:52 +0000

In court papers Joel Winograd, defense attorney for reputed acting Lucchese capo Carlo Profeta is asking a federal judge to go easy on his client when sentenced on extortion charges next week. Winograd claims the 69-year-old has retired from the life, and upon his release desires only a quiet existence in upstate New York. Profeta is “hoping to perfect his skills as a fisherman on the banks of the Hudson River and to care for abused and unwanted animals, passions he has pursued since his youth.” Naturally the feds aren't buying it and insist "Profeta has a long criminal history and poses a danger to the community." Profeta's facing up to 20 years behind bars. I guess when your 69 and facing 20 years, a virtual life sentence, you'd rather be sitting in a boat on the Hudson then sitting in the can waiting for the end. Source: New York Post addGooglePlusOne(10992, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/mobster-i-want-to-change-my-life/"); Related posts: In NY Bonanno and Lucchese Bust The Fed’s have unsealed an 18 count indictment charging nine... Two Lucchese Mobsters Plead Guilty Two Lucchese crime family mobsters pleaded guilty today to federal... Feds: Mobster Ponzo Continued Life Of Crime On The Run Reputed Patriarca associate, Enrico Ponzo, arrested last April [...] Related posts:

In NY Bonanno and Lucchese Bust The Fed’s have unsealed an 18 count indictment charging nine...
Two Lucchese Mobsters Plead Guilty Two Lucchese crime family mobsters pleaded guilty today to federal...
Feds: Mobster Ponzo Continued Life Of Crime On The Run Reputed Patriarca associate, Enrico Ponzo, arrested last April living as...

Tommy Lucchese: The Quiet Don

fdvent1 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:59:35 +0000

One of the mob’s most powerful leaders in the 20th century was Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese, who lived quietly at 106 Parsons Blvd. in the exclusive Malba section of Whitestone for many years. Lucchese emigrated to the United States in 1910 at age 10 from Palermo, Sicily. He worked as a laborer in 1915 and one day lost his thumb and forefinger on the job. That’s when he entered a life of crime. Because of his deformed hand he was compared by a cop to the popular major league pitcher Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown. The nickname stuck. Lucchese moved up quickly in the mob and survived its wars. With the imprisonment of Frank Costello in 1952, he was believed to have inherited the role of underworld czar, capo of capos — the don. U.S. Marshals harassed Lucchese relentlessly without any meaningful results, and the government tried to revoke his naturalization as a citizen. But he never associated publicly with known criminals and seemed to lead a respectable life. His son went to the U.S. Military Academy and became an officer. His daughter graduated from Vassar College. Eventually Lucchese sold the big house in Malba and moved to a ranch-style home in [...] Related posts:

Buffalo NJ man arrested for running Lucchese online gambling operation Earlier this month NJ authorities arrested several suspected Lucchese mobsters...
34 Alleged Lucchese Mobsters Indicted In NJ The New Jersey state authorities have announced a sweeping indictment...
Guilty Plea In NJ Lucchese Gambling Case Gianni Iacovo has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate following...

Scarfo Jr.: I Can’t Afford Lawyer

fdvent1 — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:44:58 +0000

Nicky Scarfo Jr., the son of jailed former boss Nicky Scarfo Sr., arrested along with 13 others on racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering charges says he can't afford a lawyer and asked for a public defender. Scarfo Jr. Says He Can't Afford Lawyer: MyFoxPHILLY.com UPDATE 11-5-2011 A federal judge denied Nicky Scarfo Jr. bail on Friday, ruling he is a danger to the community. Apart from the takeover of FirstPlus Financial Group, Scarfo is facing charges that he violated terms of his supervised release from a previous sentence for running an illegal gambling operation. addGooglePlusOne(10444, "http://newenglandorganizedcrime.com/scarfo-jr-i-cant-afford-lawyer/"); Related posts: Feds Arrest Nicky Scarfo Jr. Along With 13 Others Nicky Scarfo Jr. was arrested Tuesday morning at his home... Scarfo Jr., Pelullo Appear in Court Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and Salvatore Pelullo were among a group... Scarfo Jr. Argues He’s Being Held Unfairly Nicodemo “Junior” Scarfo, son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob... Related posts:

Feds Arrest Nicky Scarfo Jr. Along With 13 Others Nicky Scarfo Jr. was arrested Tuesday morning at his home...
Scarfo Jr., Pelullo Appear in Court Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and Salvatore Pelullo were among a group...
Scarfo Jr. Argues He’s Being Held Unfairly Nicodemo “Junior” Scarfo, son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob...