Gambino Cash & Escorts

Business on the street keeps moving no matter how many people go down.  There are always others waiting in the wings to step up and replace them.  I wrote before that crime does not pay.  A large number of people disagreed with me and argued that it does indeed pay.   One person posted an article claiming that a crime group made more than McDonald’s.  They missed my point.  It is the toll it takes on the person, I am talking about - the consequences for their family and friends.  It was not the balance sheet I was referring to, it was the fact that there are no real happy endings to the stories involving the Mafia.

Michael Rizzi an ex-NYPD officer who branched out into the lucrative business of escort services.   Rizzi went before a judge this week for sentencing.  He told the judge that he initially started off with a completely legal escort service, and it grew out of hand.  The judge laughed at him.  Rizzi has plead guilty to laundering money from the illicit sex workers and is awaiting his sentencing.  He had over two million dollars in credit card charges from October 2012 until May of 2016.

The escort girls went on dates for up to two thousand dollars an hour. The judge did not believe that anyone would pay that amount of money for dinner.  Rizzi is on a disability pension from the NYPD and he also owns an adult store.  Rizzi controlled over eighty adult websites and the parent company BJM-Manhattan Stakes and Entertainment.

There were some customers of the escort service that had spent over one hundred thousand dollars with the service. A few that paid in excess of twenty five thousand for one night.  In 2009, Rizzi was taken down in Queens because of his involvement with a mafia backed sportsbook.

Rizzi had married into the Gambino crime family.  His wife Jill is the daughter of Gambino soldier Richard Juliano Jr., and the niece of Gambino capo Joseph "Sonny" Juliano.

Sonny has a long history with gambling, loan sharking and adult businesses.  When I first began spending time in NYC, he was said to control some Manahatten stripbars.  He also had some large loans out, including some documented in a book that were photographed for the FBI.

Sonny was arrested in a 2003 gambling case was based in Albany, New York. The business had over ninety runners who picked up bets and paid out.  They also had a huge numbers business that was based on race track handles and state lotto numbers.  The business netted over three million dollars a year, yet Sonny claimed only one hundred and six dollars of income on his 2000 income taxes.

It is laughable that the Attorney General at the time was Eliot Spitzer, who served two terms in that office before being elected governor.  He had to step down as governor when he was caught paying for high end escorts.

It was alleged that he spent over eighty thousand dollars on the escort, including some campaign funds.

Sonny took a plea deal in his case and was given 1-1/2 to 4-½ years in state prison.  He forfeited $550,000 in gambling cash and paid $37,000 in taxes.

Richard plead guilty and face two to four years in prison.

Michael Rizzi will face up to four years next week.

So how does crime pay?

Merlino's Luck

Joey Merlino, the flashy former boss of the Philadelphia crime family, is one of the luckiest mobsters in the mafia.  Merlino has survived numerous assassination attempts and gotten away with murder.  He has done a lot of time, but none that took him off the streets for good.  He has lived a charmed life with lots of toys.  

He was out in Los Angeles and even made it on TMZ at the airport with Howard Stern wack packer Johnny Fratto. I wonder if he actually got one of these wannabe Hollywood types to buy his life’s rights?

Merlino might have hit the prosecutorial lottery in his latest case.  Merlino, along with 46 other members and associates of the mafia, were picked up on charges ranging from illegal gambling to medical fraud in 2016.

The problem is with the informant in the case, John Rubeo, a former Genovese associate.

John Rubeo recorded over 800 conversations with various mobsters including Merlino.  

The problem is, John Rubeo erased a lot of the conversations.  

I have nothing for respect for the FBI.  All the agents I ever had dealings with were consummate lawmen.  They were all by the book and kept their word to me.

I wore two wires most of the time, really small MP3 recorders hidden in things like my watch. It only had an on switch and there was no speaker.  I recorded and dropped them off and then was given new ones everyday. All my calls I recorded through their system and I had no access to the system.  My car was wired, and again I only had an on switch.  I had to meet my handlers and there were always two of them, a couple times a week.  They would debrief me and write it down for 302’s.  I used to forward text and emails via email daily.  I wonder how was it possible for Joph Rubeo to delete any conversations.  How did they not properly debrief him?

Two agents and their supervisor are in hot water over the lapses.

It is possible that Merlino and the 46 others including a Genovese underboss and capo could walk free.  It does leave a huge hole in the case, because as defendants they are entitled to all the evidence even that which maybe exculpatory.

If evidence has been destroyed, how could they possible have a fair trial?

Joey Merlino may actually walk on this case and his life rights could turn into another really bad Hollywood mafia movie.

NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre, is one of the best real estate investors in New York.

This guy is so good that he was able to get four properties that belonged to various Bonanno family members, including Vinny Basciano and Dominick Cicale, located in the Bronx, at below market rates.

I wonder why he even bothers to work for the NYPD anymore.  A company owned by his wife bought a lot that at one time had a home on it where the Bonanno’s had an initiation ceremony.  The home belonged to Cole's mother.  The home is gone and the lot had a 990,000 dollar loan against it.  Delatorre's wife’s company bought it and sold it to an LLC owned by Delatorre.

Much like many of today’s political elite, these people are excellent investors!  Just look at some of the people in Congress and Senate who never hold a private sector job, yet leave office with millions in the bank.  Why do they not share their investment secrets with us regular people?

The Gotti Follies

The name Gotti brings to mind the image of John Gotti as boss of the Gambino crime family, dressed in a two thousand dollar suit.  The public doesn’t understand the lasting negative effect John Gotti Sr. had on the Gambinos.  The truth is, John Gotti Sr. helped the feds weaken the crime family through his actions.

The Gambino family had a lot of crews in multiple states.  John Sr. started making all his capos check in every week at the Ravenite club in Little Italy. This made it easy for the law to keep tabs on who was doing what.  He held meetings inside an apartment above the club that the Feds had wired up.  He bragged, and they caught him on tape.  Sammy Gravano, the family underboss, flipped to team USA.

John Sr. went away for life and he left his son John Jr. as the acting boss.  Junior would later talk to the Feds when he had a proffer session.   He gave up guys for crimes.

Then his daughter Victoria had a reality show, “Growing up Gotti.” Today, they are shooting a movie about John Gotti.  I wonder if they will include anything about Gotti’s neighbor, John Favara, a hard-working man who “disappeared” after accidentally hitting and killing Gotti’s son Frank, who at the time he was hit was driving an illegal mini bike and not obeying basic traffic rules.

There is Gotti news in 2016.  John’s brother Gene, who did many years for dealing heroin, will be up for release soon.  

John Gotti Sr.’s grandson, John Gotti, the son of Peter Gotti, was arrested on June 30th for possessing 205 Oxycodone pills, Testosterone, Xanax, Marijuana and 18 methadone pills. He also had over $7k in cash on him along with the drugs, and was arrested while driving with a suspended license.  

On August 4th the NYPD concluded Operation Beach Party with the raiding of the former Queens home of John Gotti Sr., where his grandson John Gotti lived with his father Peter. The NYPD found a safe with $40k and over 500 Oxycodone pills inside.  They also raided the Rebel Ink Tattoo parlor and arrested seven other people involved in the drug crew.  The NYPD seized $200k from one of the players, who was said to be holding it for John Gotti.

Grandson John Gotti is now in a Rikers Island drug rehab where he awaits trial. A judge denied his bid to be freed on a $2 million bond because he is facing 25 years if convicted.

That is not all of the recent news in the Gotti saga. Victoria Gotti had her Long Island mansion raided by the IRS on September 14th. They also raided an Auto Parts store in Queens owned by her ex-husband Carmine Agnello, a made member of the Gambino family who is awaiting trial in Cleveland, Ohio where he ran some scrap yards.  The store is currently being run by Victoria and her three sons, who were all reality stars in her show.

Agnello, now divorced from Victoria, is facing charges for his part in a stolen car ring.

The Gottis are not keeping a low profile, although that seems like the best thing to be doing in their situation. Last year a tape was played in the trial of Vincent Asaro, a Bonanno family capo.  Asaro was inside the auto parts store when one of the Gottis said hello to him.

To continue the life of crime with the Gotti name seems crazy.

Genovese Mobster Gets Away with Murder (and a Mole)

This week the NYPD dedicated a 45 foot boat (known as a launch) to Anthony J Venditti.

January 21, 1986, Detective Anthony J. Venditti was gunned down in front of a Queens diner as was his partner Detective Katherine Burke.  Detective Burke survived, but Detective Venditti died at the scene.

It is out of the ordinary that they were shot at all. They were part of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force with the FBI and they were assigned to follow Genovese mobster Federico Giovanelli aka Fritzy.  They had him under surveillance day and night using a brown two-tone 1977 Lincoln Town Car.  They wanted to catch him running his large gambling and shylock operation.  Fritzy spotted them.

That night they followed him to his club at 343 St. Nicholas Avenue in Queens. They watched him from Palmetto just under the train and by 8pm they figured he had spotted them. They left and went to a nearby diner so Det. Venditti could use the restroom and grab a cup of coffee.

Once in the diner parking, lot they noticed Fritzy had followed them to the diner.  Fritzy was parked behind their car. Det Venditti wanted to go into the diner anyway, aware of the fact that the mafia has a rule against harming law enforcement.  Det. Burke drove around the block and when she returned she saw Det. Venditti surrounded by three men.  Det. Venditti was holding a paper bag and his pistol was in an ankle holster.  Det. Burke jumped out of the car and yelled, “Tony, watch out! Police!  Freeze!”  She began to draw her pistol from her coat pocket when she was hit in the chest.  She was going down, but still fired five shots in the air.  Det. Venditti was shot twice in the face and twice in the back.

Fritzy was picked up within minutes, running from the diner, but he had no weapon on him.

Det. Burke later identified two Genovese associates Steven Maltese and Carmine Gaultiere as the men at the scene.

Det. Burke testified that Fritzy was the one who shot her.  Fritzy testified that he was being held up by two men in front of the diner and that they shot Det. Venditti.

A jury acquitted Carmine Gaultiere and hung on Fritzy and Maltese.

The Feds hit the men with Racketeering charges in 1989 and they were given 20 years for racketeering including murder and attempted murder but it was overturned on appeal.

Chin Gigante, who ran the Genovese family, was big on mafia rules. So why did he let these men live after shooting a police officer?  Did they believe he was going to rob them?  

Fritzy is a Genovese Capo, but his life has been one arrest after another.  Fritzy has a mole deep in the FBI where he is able to get information.  In the 1980’s he gave information to John Gotti’s friend Angelo Ruggerio that his basement was bugged.  They were being investigated for a massive heroin ring.  He also tipped off some New Jersey DeCavalcante mobsters that they were about to be indicted in 1999 but the FBI has never been able to figure out how he got the information.  How many investigations did he compromise over the years?

This is one of those miscarriage of justice cases where the bad guy seems to win.

Rest in peace Detective Anthony J Venditti.

Genovese Family Takes Another Hit

The Genovese Family has taken a few hits as of late. Considering it is the largest and the most intact family of the five New York families, I am sure they will not miss a step.  Last week the FBI along with the NYPD took down a crew that was associated with two inducted members of Genovese family.  A total of 18 people were taken down in a coordinated raid on May 12th.  

The two main leaders were Robert De Bello aka Old Man and Steven Pastore.  Both are Genovese family soldiers.  The indictment claims they both answered to capo Petey “Red” DiChiara at a social club in downtown Manhattan.

They ran a sports book which took in more than $2k a day from at least 2008 until now.

Gambling brings in the cash without much punishment.  The problem is that most of these guys have to get involved in all sorts of other deals.

Robert DeBello somehow got pulled into a plot to murder an associate. Ryan Ellis decided to murder a person who is referred to as Victim-1 in the indictment, but has since been identified as Joseph Bonelli.  It all started over a beef in which Ellis got the short end. Salvatore Delligatti aka Fat Sal, a member of the DeBello crew, was working with some Crip gang members that were hired to do the hit.  They stalked Joseph Bonelli for two nights but were pulled over by the police and caught with pistols. I will bet that Robert DeBello had very little to do with this murder plot.  You do not get paid to do a hit in the mob and why hire outsiders to do work?  Robert DeBello is a low key soldier who declined a promotion in the family. He was last arrested in 2001 in a racketeering case and he ended up pleading guilty to one count of assault in aid of racketeering.

Steven Pastore was last arrested in 2005 with some New Jersey Genovese.  He was an associate then and he was just running a numbers game.

Those two brought in some more people – Luigi Romano, Bertrem Duke, Tyrone Mccullum, Marcus Grant, and Sharif Brown.

Law enforcement was watching.  This is a nice 24 page indictment that is heavy on history and explanation.  It seems a bit light on crimes.  

Four of the men face 20 years for racketeering conspiracy, which today is a catchall that is hard to beat. DeBello, Pastore, Ellis and Delligatti will have to beat that charge or plead it down.

Three of the men: Pastore, Ellis and Delligatti face life because of the enhanced weapons charges.

The Feds like to jack up the charges when guns are involved.  This is kind of funny because on the streets gangbangers are blasting people everyday but they rarely if ever bring these kinds of charges.  

It just seems as if everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing.  Running a bookmaking operation and bringing in cash and not worrying about some beef.  Then this would be a bookmaking arrest.  Instead, it's a racketeering murder for hire case.  

Bonanno Crime Family

The Feds and the NYPD are busy working terrorism cases and trying to slow down the flow of drugs from the cartels. This gives the battered Bonanno crime family time to rebuild.  

The Bonannos have come back a few times after they were written off as finished.  

Plagued by internal fights, they were kicked off the Mafia Commission in New York.  Then Joey Massino consolidated power and set the family on the right track.  They were proud of the fact that no made family member had flipped.  They closed their social clubs and made all kinds of rules to avoid detection.  The FBI was busy with others, and they grew in the shadows.   Joey became known as “the last godfather” because he was the only family boss free.  He even threatened death to anyone who said his name. It all came apart when his capos and his brother-in-law underboss turned.  He went through trial and was found guilty.  He then not only made a deal but also wore a wire on the acting boss Vinny Basciano while they were locked up.  Joey Massino became the first sitting boss to flip.  

The Bonannos have had a rough couple of years with boss after boss going away.  

It seems now they are in the process of rebuilding the family.  

The new street boss was once a teamster-working foreman who had a great job on sites checking driver’s union cards for local 282. He was pulling down a cool $100k a year when he was 25 years old.  The FBI spoke to the teamsters, and he was out.  

He was supposed to take care of a wayward Genovese associate who threatened a family member but failed to find him.   

Joseph Cammarano Jr. is the new underboss/street boss of the family while the boss Mikey “Nose” Mancuso is away.   He has moved to consolidate power.  He had a number of capo meetings that were closely watched by the Feds and the NYPD.

The largest meeting took place on a Sunday inside a Staten Island Barber shop.  All the movers and shakers in the family showed up.  They called it on a Sunday because they figured the FBI would not be working.  They even tried to run counter surveillance, but to no avail.  

Its really hard when the FBI has sources in your crew.  It's a lot harder today because if 4 guys get together there is a good chance 1 or 2 has flipped and is giving intel to law enforcement.

He then called a Christmas party at Bocelli's Restaurant on Staten Island that lasted for 6 hours.

It cost him 3 capos who were still on Federal parole.  They were all picked up for associating with people on the non-association list.  A judge denied them bail.

So for now the former Naval Submariner can rest in his home on Long Island.  One thing he can be sure of - law enforcement is watching his every move!

The Cost of Corrupt Cops

Today there are so many stories in the news about bad guys in law enforcement. Some are true and some are not.  The truth is that there are bad people in every aspect of society.  

Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, formerly of the NYPD, are some of the worst I've ever read about.

They worked for the underboss of the Luchese family, Gaspipe Casso, in New York while they were employed by the NYPD.  These were two sworn officers. Veterans with experience, not rookies. They were both decorated officers with a lot of arrests.

Louis Eppolito came from a family that had deep roots in the mafia. Ralph Eppolito, his father, was a made soldier in the Gambino crime family. Two other family members, an uncle and cousin, were also made men in the Gambino family and were eventually murdered.

Stephan Caracappa joined the NYPD and they were soon working together. They did well in the 1970’s when there was not much oversight. In the 1980’s the NYPD went after Louis Eppolito when he was connected to future Pizza Connection principal Rosario Gambino aka Sal.  He was linked to law enforcement paperwork found in the possession of Rosario Gambino when they raided his home.  The NYPD wanted him to go quietly but he decided to fight and he was found not guilty in court.  He was not only given his job back, he was also promoted.

They did not know that he and partner Caracappa were on the payroll of the Lucchese family to the tune of $4000 a month. They were paid between $375k and $450k by the family for information and murder.  They actually carried out hits for the family, using their badges and police vehicles. They also kidnapped men and gave up the names of informants to the Luchese family.

These two men operated above the law for many years and they lived well.  One look at Eppolito and you can see he ate his extra cash.  When they retired they moved to Las Vegas and lived on the same street.  They were sure that they had gotten away with murder.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but justice had not forgotten about these two.

Burton Kaplan, a Lucchese-connected drug dealer, turned on them in prison after being locked up for many years, and gave them up. Then, Stephan Corso, a CPA who was caught stealing cash from his clients started wearing a wire and also caught them on tape.

The cost to the people of New York and the family of their victims is enormous.  

Barry Gibbs - not to be confused with one of the Bee Gee’s is the name of a man that served 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.  The media fails to mention him when they write about the Mafia Cops. Barry Gibbs was convicted of murdering a prostitute after a witness came forward that claimed to see him dump her body.  The lead law enforcement officer was Louie Eppolito.  The FBI found the murder file in his home when they arrested him in Las Vegas. They reopened the case and it turned out the witness was threatened and paid by Eppolito to lie.  Barry Gibbs was released and he was awarded 9.9 million dollars.

Last week the City of New York settled the last case with the victims of the Mafia Cops families.

The family of Nicholas Guido, who was gunned down in his car because he had the wrong name, settled for 5 million dollars.  The family of Luchese soldier Anthony Dilapi, who left the life and moved to Los Angeles, settled for $1.85 million. The family of John Heidel settled for $1.75 million. The family of Bobby Borriello, a Gambino soldier settled for $1.5 million. The family of James Bishop, an informant, settled for $1.75 million. The family of Gambino Capo Eddie Lino, killed on the Belt Parkway by the two cops settled for $1.5 million.

The last one was diamond dealer Israel Greenwald and his family received $5 million.

The cost is huge and the worst part is these two men still get their pensions.

The Brothers Hydell

People romanticize the Mafia in movies, but the truth is very far from the picture on the big screen.  

Betty Hydell, the sister-in-law of Gambino capo Daniel Marino, has plenty of reason to know that the real Mafia is not a bunch of good natured hoods cracking jokes and eating cannolis.  Betty lost two sons to two different crime families.

James Hydell took part in the attempted murder of Gaspipe Casso, who would end up living and later became the Lucchese family underboss.  James and a few Gambino guys had waited outside a Bensonhurst Brooklyn restaurant named the Blue Ox.  They shot him numerous times, and he lived.  Gaspipe heard through the grape vine who had tried to kill him, and he unleashed his corrupt cops, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, to bring James Hydell to him.  He planned to torture him to find out who else had been part of the attempted hit.  They went by his mother Betty Hydell’s house looking for him.  Years later she saw Eppolito on TV and she knew he was one of those looking for her son James before he disappeared.  James was kidnaped by the Mafia cops, thrown in their truck, and dropped off to Gaspipe in a parking lot.  Gaspipe took him and then tortured him for hours to find out who was with him on the attempted hit.    Then Gaspipe made him disappear so the family would never know what happened to him.

Legend has it that Betty hid some of Daniel Marino’s cash in a bank safety deposit. Frank Hydell, her other son, somehow stole it.  Betty had to give up her home to pay back the money her son had stolen.

I have been told that Frank Hydell was not like his brother, and had a big mouth.  He and some buddies were going to grab a score on 18th Ave Brooklyn from a night deposit at a bank.  Frank had a minivan that he had stolen from Long Island.  They were waiting in the minivan and that night it was cold.  They saw the man they were going to rob heading to the night deposit, but because of the cold, he ran instead of walking.  There was also an accident within sight on the corner, so there were a couple of cops close by and the guys called it off.  

The Gambinos began to suspect Frank, because a few times he should have been locked up for things but nothing happened.  A crew of bank robbers was taking down a score on 13th Ave Brooklyn and Frank drove his car. There was a snow storm that night and his car could not be moved.  The next morning he had to see his parole officer but nothing happened.

The Gambinos asked Marino, who was locked up at the time, if they could kill Frank.  He gave his blessing.

They used a Gambino associate named Eddie Boyle to murder Frank.  Frank’s own friend lured him to a Staten Island Stripclub where Boyle shot him in the back.

The Hydell brothers were no Saints. James was a bad guy who attempted to murder Gaspipe.  Frank was suspected of a murder, stole from his own uncle and was working with law enforcement.  In the end, they were murdered by their so-called friends.  

The Mafia is nothing funny or romantic, it is a deadly and serious criminal enterprise.

The Cherry King of Brooklyn

The owner of Dell’s Maraschino Cherries in Brooklyn, Arthur Mondella, was living a secret life.

Much like the fictional character on TV’s Breaking Bad, Walter White.  Arthur Mondella wasn't making Crystal Methamphetamine, he was growing marijuana underneath his Cherry Factory.  

The grow area was hidden behind a false shelf held by magnets in a part of the factory that employees did not have access to.  Once behind the shelves, there was a door and behind that three bags with about a 100 lbs of marijuana.  There was a hole in the floor which led to a secret 2500 ft space that was divided up into an office, a grow room with 120 lights and irrigation system, ventilation system and seeds for 60 different strains of Marijuana.

When police found the hidden drug rooms, they also found over a 100k in cash, a Rolls Royce, a Porsche and a Harley.  

The police had gotten a tip about five years ago that Arthur was growing marijuana in the factory, but they were unable to get any proof.  They didn't smell anything outside, but that was masked by the 400,000 cherries being processed daily.  The police brought a drug dog which alerted them to drugs in the factory, but that alone was not enough to get a warrant.  They wanted to test the exhaust from the factory but they couldn't do that without a warrant.   They closed the case at that time, and it remained closed until 2013 when they got a tip from a disgruntled employee that the factory was dumping the red syrup waste into the water way.  The locals had long complained that the factory was polluting their neighborhood.  The residents told investigators to just look around at the bees buzzing around the neighborhood.  They had drank so much of the syrup they had turned red.

The police decided to get the Department of Environmental Protection involved.  The DEP made some checks and found that there was more than enough evidence for a search warrant.

On February 24, 2015 a twenty-five person squad served the warrant on the red bricked cherry factory in Red Hook.  

Arthur Mondella was cooperative for five hours while they search the factory, until one of the investigators noticed a shelf that looked funny.  It stuck out, and once they looked at it closely they saw it was held in place by magnets.  Arthur excused himself to use the restroom. He went to his office where he told his sister to take care of his kids and wife before shooting himself in the head.

The pistol he used was carried in an ankle holster.  He had gotten a concealed carry permit after he sued the city in 1995, citing the fact that his Red Hook Brooklyn neighborhood had a criminal element.  He was afraid that he would be kidnapped like the Tuxedo King who was buried alive in 1993 along the Hudson Parkway.  

The police claim that he was set up for and was capable of growing 1200 plants in the space they found, and it is the biggest grow operation they have ever taken down.  Arthur had just had a multi-million dollar upgrade done on the factory. Dell’s is still one of the biggest Maraschino Cherry distributors in the world. They changed the formula to be more inline with what people wanted.  Dells had really big accounts like TGI Friday's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Red Lobster.  It was making money as a cherry factory, but it was not enough for the Cherry King.

The factory used a tremendous amount of electricity, so there was no noticeable spike to draw attention to the hidden drug headquarters.  The police also found two very large generators inside the factory.  

Arthur was also being sued by a food supplier supplier in California.  He had gotten produce from the supplier on February 3, 2015 but had failed to place the money in PACA Trust that is used by fruit and vegetable suppliers and buyers as payment.  He kept $106,120.00 that was supposed to go to the supplier.  Consider what the police found, 100k in cash and 100lbs of marijuana.  The marijuana, if sold in California, would fetch 3k a pound and I know New York prices are sky high for product that is not as good.

I was also told that he had some Organized Crime Connections, but at this time they did not know what role if any they played in the case.  Still, Dell’s Maraschino Cherries, a business in Red Hook, Brooklyn that was started at the turn of the last century, was now growing marijuana.  

This has all just been uncovered in the past few weeks, and time will tell as the story continues to unfold.

I am sure a loosely similar storyline will appear on a future Law and Order SVU episode.  Fiction writers couldn't dream up better material.

Mafia Cops

Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa are referred to as the Mafia Cops.  Louis Eppolito wrote a book named “Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob in 1992.”

That was very far from the truth because Louis Eppolito was worse than any made member of any family.  Street guys, knockaround guys, never pretend to be anything but what they are in life: criminals.  Most of them take the same route to becoming made members of a crime family.

Louis Eppolito came from a mafia family, his father was a Gambino soldier and his uncle and cousin were also Gambino men until they were murdered by Nino Gaggi and Roy Demeo.

Eppolito went to great lengths in his book to proclaim his innocence. Unfortunately it was all a lie and it was worse than the Internal Affairs of the NYPD could have imagined.

The March 9, 2005 indictment of Eppolito and Caracappa says it all.  At all times relevant Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were associates of the LCN.  It seems for years the two NYPD officers passed information to the Lucchese Family and they in turn passed it on to the other families.  They passed on information to the underboss of the Lucchese family Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso.  He would refer to them as his crystal ball and they would give him that edge.

The two NYPD officers then took part in 8 murders for the Lucchese family including the murder of Nicholas Guido.  Nicholas Guido was a hard working 26 year old telephone installer who was very proud of his new car on Christmas day 1986.  He was showing it off to his uncle when a three man hit team gunned him down on his Brooklyn street.  The problem was, it was the wrong Nicholas Guido!  The two Mafia Cops had kidnapped a Gambino associate named James Hydell because he had taken part in a failed hit on Gaspipe Casso. Gaspipe tortured Hydell until he gave up the name of those who had taken part in his shooting. Once Gaspipe learned Nicky Guido took part in his shooting he contacted his man Burton Kaplan a huge weed dealer and go between to the Mafia Cops.  Eppolito and Caracappa gave him a picture of Nicky Guido and a Brooklyn address near Court Street.  The three man hit team Frank Listerino, Georgie Zappola and Joseph Testa drove by and saw a man in a red car they thought was Nicky Guido.  They wrote down the plate number and again the Mafia Cops ran it and this time the name matched.  They were waiting outside on Christmas day when he came outside and they ambushed him. He was an innocent man and those two degenerate cops who were sworn to protect the public caused his death.  

They would retire from the NYPD but that never stopped them.  They gave up information about Sammy The Bull Gravano so the Gambinos could kill him.  

The good thing is just last week a Federal Judge ruled that the City of New York can be sued for the two criminals actions.  The NYPD had a chance in 1984 when they caught Louis Eppolito passing information to Rosario “Sal” Gambino.  Sal Gambino was deeply involved in the Pizza Connection Heroin ring.  The FBI had found copies of sensitive documents in Sal’s dresser when they raided his home. They were NYPD Intelligence files and it was determined that they were copied at the 62nd Precinct in Brooklyn and they had Louis Eppolitos fingerprints on them. The NYPD cleared him of charges despite compelling evidence that he was guilty.  It was then that Eppolito started working for the Lucchese Family and over the years he and his partner would be paid over $375,000 in cash.  They sold their souls.

Joe Isgro & Chinese Mafia Stories: Update

It is funny what stories the mainstream media will pick up and what they won't.  I have written about Shrimp Boy the Dragonhead of Chee Kung Tong and California State Senator Leeland Yee.  This past week they have been charged in a superseding indictment with even more felony counts but the media chooses not to give it much coverage. The new indictment raises the charge count from 50 to 228 against the same people. Shrimp Boy, Leeland Yee and Keith Jackson are among those now charged with racketeering in the indictment. Chinese Triads may not be as sexy as Mexican Cartels or Gangs, but they are much more dangerous.  The Chee Kung Tong is hundreds of years old with more members worldwide and much more diverse when it comes to criminal activity. It has become clear that Shrimp Boy had worked with Leeland Yee to advance his Criminal Enterprise.  The Tong was involved in illegal gambling, drug distribution and selling contraband cigarettes.  They used many
ways to launder the proceeds of the enterprise because the cash that was rolling in was staggering.  Leeland, along with Keith Jackson, used his various campaigns to solicit bribes.  He even wanted to shake down the NFL by using his influence with the California Athletic Commission to change rules regarding out-of-state athletes.  He also sought to extort cash from MMA Promotions that wished to operate in California. The worst thing that he conspired to (along with Keith Jackson and a dentist) was to sell weapons from an arms dealer to FBI sources.


I am sure that as this unfolds we will find out much more about how deep this conspiracy goes.  They will take some plea deal down the road and this will all be forgotten, but this is the future.  China is taking on a bigger role around the world as an economic power and this means many more Triad member's around the world.

On Thursday the Joe Isgro story hit the news, and sure enough, he was arrested for taking part in a Gambino family bookmaking ring that had an 8 year run starting in 2005. Part of the charges stem from gambling rings using a Bookmaking software program that keeps track of bets, bettors, games, odds and who owes what. The Arizona software company had licensed it out for a fee and when he was arrested for promoting gambling he agreed to cooperate.  He later changed his mind and decided to fight it.  The NYPD had already gone through the company records and they knew who the players were.  Joe had been inducted into the family by John Gotti Jr, but he now has a new Capo in the family.


The whole arrest for gambling is kind of weak.  Most people who get caught pay a small fine.  If you stop to think about it, people bet on all kinds of sporting events.  Even Obama spoke about his brackets during March Madness.  All professional sports use odds, otherwise everyone would stop watch before the end of games if their team was losing.  Monday night football is popular so bettors can make up for a weekend of losses.


I am no Joe Isgro fan, the guy is loud and a bragger but this is a waste. A lot of States have "Numbers"  Aka Lottery and OTB-Off Track Betting and yet they never seem to make a profit?  Here in California they were supposed to pay for the schools and yet every year the Politico's keep come back to us for more taxes for the kids.


I do see Law Enforcement's point because Bookmaking is the bread and butter of the Mafia.  The Gambling enables them to work in many rackets including Joe Isgro's Shylocking.  Even the Genovese have taken hits lately for bookmaking.  Last week in New Jersey a couple of them plead guilty to running a gambling ring.

Joe Isgro plead not guilty, posted a $250,000 bond and was released.

I'll keep you posted on both of these stories.

Casella's Restaurant

1987 was a good year for John Gotti.   He was boss of the Gambino Family and he had been acquitted in a high profile case.  He knew that he was on someone's hit list but he thought it was for the killing of his boss Paul Castellano. He did not know that he had really pissed off the Genovese Family, and not just because Chin Gigante was mad about the Castellano murder.  John Gotti had moved in on the rackets that the Philadelphia Family had run until their family was decimated and their boss Nicky Scarfo was put away for life.  This really made the Genovese in New Jersey mad and the number three man in the family, Louis "Bobby" Manna wanted John Gotti and his brother Gene Gotti dead.  Bobby Mana was the Consigliere of the family and he ran the New Jersey faction of the family from Casella's restaurant in Hoboken. What Bobby did not know is that the FBI had a wire inside Casella's and they picked up these words "Wear a disguise, its an open place."  "A Big Hit John Gotti."  The plan was to shoot John Gotti on the corner when he did a walk talk from his Bergin Hunt and Fish Social Club in Queens. They then planned on gunning down his brother Gene who was on trial for running a Heroin ring. The FBI warned John Gotti and the hit never went down.

The wire at Casella's also picked up the planning of another hit.  This time the target was Irwin Schiff, a 350lb millionaire conman who had crossed Bobby Manna.  Irwin had shylock loans on the street and he had also failed to give back cash that belonged to the Genovese Family. It was believed he was laundering money for the family and had skimmed a lot off the top.  On August 8, 1987, Irwin Schiff was having dinner at Bravo Sergio on the Upper East side of Manhattan with a friend's wife when a gunman walked in the rear door and fired two 38cal slugs into his head and then calmly walked out. The NYPD was at a loss as to why or who killed Irwin and very few of the 20 witnesses came forward with any information. The FBI had a wire up in Casella's in Hoboken and they had picked up some talk. On August 5th the FBI had picked up "You want him hit," and "we will do him good at night." They referred to him as CC because he ran Consolidated Construction and one of the guys who partnered with him was a man named Domenico "Dom" RaBuffo.  Dom knew what was going on but that was to come later. The FBI wire picked up the Mobsters in Casella's talking about the hit two days after the hit on August 10th and it was damming.  They would all go on trial and Bobby Mana would get 80 years!

Dom Rabuffo would become a government protected witness and disappear after the trial.   Dom would move on to Florida where he did not get out of his life of crime.  Dom was convicted just last week of stealing 49.5 million in an elaborate mortgage fraud. Dom and his former wife Mae used two straw holding companies to gain control of a purported housing development in Cashiers, North Carolina that they called Hampton Springs. They then recruited straw buyers to apply for loans on parcels and then construction loans. They used an accountant to forge paperwork to inflate the straw buyers on paper. They had a guy in the mortgage company that helped push the fraudulent loans through banks. These
banks would include Bank Of America, Suntrust, Wachovia and Regions. 33 million dollars of this money was for construction loans and they created a number of shell companies that they funneled this cash through. It all blew up and they now face some major time.

All this fraud began in a small Italian restaurant in Hoboken.