Joseph Bruno's Blog, page 64

Joe Bruno on the Mob — The McFarland/Richardson Murder Case.

 

She was a famous New York City stage actress named Abby Sage. But after her ex-husband Daniel McFarland killed her lover, journalist Albert Richardson on November 25, 1869 at Richardson's place of work at the New York Tribune, it was Sage's lifestyle that was put on trail, not just McFarland.

Daniel McFarland was born in Ireland in 1820, but he emigrated to American with his parents when he was four-years-old. McFarland's parents died when he was 12, leaving him an orphan. Determined to make something of himself in America, McFarland worked at hard labor in a harness shop, saving his money so that he could attend college. By the time he was 17, McFarland had saved enough cash he was able to attend the distinguish Ivy League university – Dartmouth. At Dartmouth, McFarland studied law and did extremely well. Upon graduation, McFarland passed the bar exam, but instead of practicing law, McFarland took a position at Brandywine College, teaching elocution — the skill of clear and expressive speech.

In 1853, McFarland traveled to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he met a very beautiful 15-year-old girl named Abby Sage. Abby came from a poor but respectable family – her father was a weaver – but Abby was quite bright, and soon she became a teacher, as well as as a published writer. Four years after they had met, McFarland and Abey Sage married. She was just 19, and he was double her age.

Later Abby wrote in an affidavit concerning McFarland's murder trial, "At the time of our marriage, Mr. McFarland represented to me that he had a flourishing law practice, brilliant political prospects, and property worth $30,000, but while on our bridal tour he was forced to borrow money in New York to enable us to proceed to Madison, Wisc., which was decided upon as our future home. We had resided in this town but a short time when he confessed that he had no law practice of any consequence, and that he had devoted himself solely to land speculation, some of which had resulted disastrously."

In February 1858, the McFarlands moved to New York City. McFarland told Abby that in New York City, he had a better chance of selling $20,000 to $30,000 worth of property he owned in Wisconsin. However, McFarland sold nothing at first, and soon Abby had to pawn most of her jewelry to pay the rent. With the bills piling up and still no money coming in, McFarland figured it was better he went at it alone. As a result, McFarland sent Abby back to her father's home in New Hampshire. In late 1858, McFarland was finally able to sell some of his Wisconsin properties. Soon after, he brought Abby back to New York and they settled in a rented cottage in Brooklyn. There their first son Percy was born in 1860, and a second son Daniel was born in 1864.

McFarland's land-selling business went flat and he started drinking heavily. Abby later wrote, "At first Mr. McFarland professed for me the most extravagant and passionate devotion, but soon he began to drink heavily, and before we were married a year, his breath and body were steaming with vile liquor. I implored him to reform, but he cried out: 'My brain is on fire and liquor makes me sleep.'"

At the start of the Civil War, the McFarlands briefly returned to Madison, Wisconsin. Soon McFarland realized, under the right circumstances and with some training, his beautiful, young wife would be the better earner of the two. To implement his plan, the McFarlands traveled back to New York City in order to school Abby to become an actress.

In New York City, Abby tired her hand at dramatic readings, and she discovered she had a talent for the stage. One thing led to another, and soon Abby was acting in several plays and making the tidy sum of $25 a week. Abby's career advanced so quickly, soon she appeared opposite the great actor Edwin Booth in the Merchant of Venice (Edwin Booth was the older brother of John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot and killed Abraham Lincoln). Abby also supplement her income by writing several articles about children and nature. She even penned a book of poetry entitled Percy's Book of Rhymes after her son Percy.

Abby's artistic achievements allowed her to increase her circle of friends. She became fast pals with newspaper magnate Horace Greeley, his sister Mrs. John Cleveland, and New York Tribune publisher Samuel Sinclair and his wife.

However, his wife's successes did nothing to placate the wild nature of McFarland. He used his wife's new friends and their connection to get himself a political appointment. Abby later said, "Through the influence of Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune, I procured a position for him (McFarland) with one of the Provost marshals."

Soon McFarland became jealous of Abby's new friends, and his drinking increased exponentially. McFarland kept the money Abby made from her acting and writing, and spent it all on booze. McFarland started opening Abby's private mail, and if he didn't like what he read, he would threated to kill Abby and himself.

"By this time he had become a demon," Abby said. "He would rise in bed, tear the bed clothing into shreds and threaten to kill me. When he became exhausted, he would tearfully beg my pardon and go to sleep."

One time McFarland became so enraged, he struck Abby in the face, so hard, it caused her to stumble backwards. From that point on, their relationship changed dramatically.

"There was a look in his eyes that made him burst into a paroxysm of tears and to beg wildly that I should forgive him," Abby said. "But from that moment, I could never tell him that I loved him or forgave him, because it would not have been the truth."

In January 1867, the McFarlands moved into a boarding house at 72 Amity Street in New York City. Soon after, Albert Deane Richardson, who was in his mid-thirties at the time, moved into the same boarding house. Richardson was already known to Abby, since they had met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. Richardson had an orange-colored beard and hazel eyes, and was considered to be a very distinguished-looking individual of the highest character.

Richardson, born in Massachusetts, was one of the most famous reporters of his time. He was well known for his writings as a war correspondent for the New York Tribune during the Civil War, and he also spent time acting as a spy for the North. In 1862, Richardson was captured by the South at Vicksburg, and he spent a year and a half in two separate Confederate prisons. In December 1863, while imprisoned in Salisbury, North Carolina, Richardson and another war correspondent escaped from prison and traveled four hundred miles on foot, until they reached the Union Lines in Knoxville. At the time of his imprisonment, Richardson had a wife and four children. When he returned home, he discovered his wife and infant daughter had died. Richardson assumed the support and care for the three other children, which at the time of his death, were thirteen, ten and six.

Back at his desk at the New York Tribune, Richardson capitalized on his Civil War heroics by writing about his escape. The title of his newspaper article was "Out of the Jaws of Death and Out of the Mouth of Hell." It was considered one of the finest pieces of journalism that came out of Civil War era. Richardson expanded this article into a book, and combined with his other writings, Richardson had transformed himself from a war prisoner into a wealthy man. So much so, Richardson bought shares in the New York Tribune, making himself a minority owner of the newspaper.

At the time he moved into the same boarding house as the McFarlands, Richardson was now an editor/writer for the New York Tribune. (Editor's note: I was a sports columnist for the reincarnation of the New York Tribune in the 1980′s.) Richardson used his room at 72 Amity Street as an office, as well as a place to sleep. On his staff at 72 Amity Street, Richardson employed a stenographer, an artist, and a messenger boy to deliver his work to the New York Tribune offices downtown on Park Row.

On February 19, 1867, McFarland returned to the boarding house and his found his wife standing outside Richardson's door. Abby claimed Richardson and her were discussing one of his articles, but McFarland would have none of that.

Abby later wrote, "When we entered our apartment, my husband flew into a rage and insisted that an improper intimacy existed between Mr. Richardson and I."

McFarland immediately went on a three-day bender, where he again threatened Abby's life and said he would commit suicide. Finally on February 21, Abby left McFarland for good. She grabbed her two children, and took up residence with Mr. And Mrs. Samuel Sinclair.

At the Sinclairs, Abby summoned her father, who now lived in Massachusetts, and apprised him of the situation. It was agreed upon that McFarland should be invited to the Sinclair residence, and in the presence of the Sinclairs and her father, Abby told McFarland that their marriage was over.

That same evening Richardson called at the Sinclair residence. Richardson offered Abby his condolences and said he would do anything he could do to help her in her time of need. Then as he was leaving, Abby followed him out to the hallway.

With tears in her eyes she said: "You have been very kind to me. I cannot repay you."

Referring to Abby's two children, Richardson said, "How do you feel about facing the world with two babies?"

She answered, "It looks hard for a woman, but I am sure I can get on better without

that man than with him."

Before leaving, Richards told Abby, "I wish you to remember, that any responsibility you choose to give me in any possible future, I shall be glad to take."

Two days later, Richardson asked Abby to marry him, telling her that he wanted to give her his motherless children for her to care for as she would her own.

Abby later said, "It was absolutely impossible for me not to love him."

On the night of March 13, 1867, Richardson met Abby at the theater where she had just finished a performance. Just as they turned a corner, McFarland rushed up behind them and fired three shots; one of which pierced Richardson's thigh. It was a superficial wound and Richardson was not badly hurt. McFarland was arrested by the police, but due to some inexplicable courthouse dealings, McFarland somehow managed to escape jail time.

When it was obvious to McFarland that his wife was lost to him forever, he decided to sue to get custody of both their children. The courts came to a split decision, whereby Abby would get custody of Daniel, and McFarland — custody of Percy. In April 1868, Abby attempted to see her son Percy, but she was denied doing so by McFarland, who flew into a rage and threatened to hit her. At this point, Abby had no choice but to file for divorce.

In the state of New York, the only grounds for divorce was adultery. So in July of 1868, Abby decided to go to Indiana for her divorce, where the grounds for divorce was more extensive. Those grounds included drunkenness, extreme cruelty, and failure to support a wife. Abby stayed in Indiana for 16 months until her divorce from McFarland was final. Then Abby traveled to her family's home in Massachusetts, and Richardson met her there to spend Thanksgiving Day 1869 with her and her family.

On November 25, 1869, at 5:15 p.m., McFarland walked into the Park Row offices of the New York Tribune. He hid quietly in a corner for about 15 minutes until he saw Richardson enter though the side entrance on Spruce Street. While Richardson was reading his mail at the counter, McFarland rushed up to him and fired several shots. Richardson was hit three times, but he was still able to walk up two flights of stairs to the editorial office, where he flung himself on the couch, mortally wounded with a bullet in the chest. When the medics arrived, Richardson was carried across City Hall to the Astor House, and laid down on a bed in room 115.

At 10 p.m., McFarland was arrested in room 31 of the Westmoreland Hotel, on the corner of Seventeenth Street and Fourth Avenue. The arresting officer, Captain A. J. Allaire, told McFarland he was under arrested for the shooting of Richardson. At first, McFarland said he was innocent of the charges. Then he shockingly said, "It must have been me."

Captain Allaire took McFarland into custody and brought him to the Astor House, room 115. After Captain Allaire asked Richardson if the man in front of him had been his attacker, Richardson rose his head off the pillow weakly and said, "That is the man!'

Abby Sage was immediately summoned to New York City. As soon as she arrived, at Richardson's request, arrangements were made by Horace Greeley so that the Abby and Richardson could be married at Richardson's deathbed. The marriage ceremony was performed by by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and the Rev. O.B. Frothingham. Three days later on December 2, Richardson took his last breath, leaving Abby Richardson a widow.

Before McFarland's trial, his defense attorney John Graham told the New York press that Abby Sage's intentions towards Mr. Richardson were anything but honorable. Graham said, "This tender and touching marriage was a horrible and disgraceful ceremony to get the property of a dying man, and that tended to hasten his demise."

At first, Richardson's fellow New York City journalists defended the honor of Richardson, and they began delving into McFarland's life, trying to find anything that would discredit McFarland. The New York Tribune wrote that McFarland was in "the habit of opium eating to for the purpose of drowning his sorrows."

However, the New York Sun went on a campaign to discredit both Abby and Richardson. In an editorial entitled "A Public Outrage on Religion and Decency" The Sun accused Richardson of luring Abby away from her loving husband. The Sun even dredged up a quote from McFarland's brother who said, "Abby went reading just to get a chance to paint her face, pass for beauty, and get in with that free-love tribe at Sam Sinclair's."

What followed was a battle in the press where most of the New York City dailies opined that it was Richardson and Abby who were immoral, and that McFarland did the honorable thing in killing the man who had stolen his wife away from him.

McFarland's trial commenced on April 4, 1820. Since she knew her husband's defense lawyer was on a mission to disgrace and discredit her, Abby stood away from the trial. Yet Graham sought to secure sympathy from the jury towards his client by having McFarland's son Percy sitting next to him during the trial.

In his opening argument, Graham implored the jury to understand the mental anguish his client had been forced to endure. Graham said, "So sensitive and tender was the defendant's mental organization that he was incapable of grappling with and bearing the deep sorrows and misfortune that awaited him. His speculations were disastrous and that the seeds of dissatisfaction first began to be sown."

Then Graham got to the main thrust of his defense, when he attacked the virtue and honor of Abby. "When she first met my client, she was but a poor factory girl. Yet on one occasion she told my client, 'All I need to make me an elegant lady and popular with the elite of New York is money.'"

Then Graham told the jury that the turning point in his client's life came on February 21, 1867, when McFarland arrived home at 3 p.m. and saw his wife exiting Richardson's room.

"This beautiful woman was completely corrupted," Graham said. "She had placed before her as temptations the honors of the stage and the society of great men. She was then too elegant and too popular for her humble lot, and the demon that placed her before all these temptations for which she must pay the price with her soul was Richardson"

Graham pointed out the the boiling point for his client had been reached one day when McFarland went to the office of the New York Tribune. There he was given a letter by an office boy that was addressed to "Mrs. McFarland." The boy had mistakenly thought the letter was addressed to "Mr. McFarland."

Graham told the jury, "My client opened the letter, peruses it and finds it is a love letter written by Richardson, who was in Boston, to Mrs. McFarland. In this letter, Richardson openly claims his intentions to marry this woman if she can obtain a divorce from Mr. McFarland."

During the trial, the prosecutors, led by former judge and then-congressman Noah Davis, concentrated on how McFarland, during his marriage, had mistreated his wife, and on occasions beat her. To back up these claims, the prosecution called in Abby's relatives and friends, including a man of great clout – Horace Greeley.

However, Greeley was no fan of the corrupt Democratic machine Tammany Hall, whom Greeley excoriated many times in his newspaper. As payback, Tammany Hall used their considerable influence, before and during the trial, to discredit Greeley, and Abby.

At his final summation to the jury which took two days, Graham tried to sway the jury into thinking his client was just the victim of unbearable consequences.

"The evidence proves the insanity under which the defendant was laboring at the time of the shooting," Graham said. "This was a condition of mind superinduced by the agony he endured at the thought of the loss of his home, his wife, and his children."

Grahams even went so far as to quote the Bible to discredit the dead Richardson. With tears in his eyes, Graham said, "Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he that doeth it destoyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance."

The jury bought Graham's incredible defense like a mark buys into a three-card-monte game. On May 10, it took them only one hour and fifty-five minutes to return a verdict of not-guilty on the grounds of insanity.

Although she was deeply despondent, after the trial, Abby Sage Richardson steadfastly remained in New York City. She became a successful author and playwright, and was well received in both the literary and social communities. She also edited and published a book of Richardson's unpublished work.

Abby also kept her promise to the dying Richardson that she would raise his three children as her own. She also raised her son Daniel, whose name was changed to Willie (not to be associated with his father Daniel McFarland). Abby's other son Percy left McFarland and returned to his mother. He changed his surname from McFarland to his mother's maiden name of Sage.

On December 5, 1900, Abby Sage Richardson died in Rome of pneumonia.

Daniel McFarland traveled out west in 1880. He was last heard from in Colorado, and there is no recorded account of his death. However, according to historian Edmund Pearson, "It did not take him long to drink himself to death."

Albert Richardson was buried in his home town of Franklin, Massachusetts. Prominently displayed in Franklin is a monument to Richardson's heroics in the Civil War. The inscription on the monument reads: "Many give thee thanks who never knew thy face, so, then, farewell, kind heart and true."

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Mark Mansa Pleads Guilty

 

Mark Mansa might have just made a decision that will allow him to spend less time behind bars than previously considered likely. If only he hadn't opened up his mouth at the wrong time.

Mansa recently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Although, this charge usually results in a prison term of five years, Mansa may have lucked out because of a provision whereby he can have his sentence reduced because he has no previous convictions. Mansa will have to pay $185,000 restitution to the courts, which he says he will raise through the sale of two of his properties.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo said in court to U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant that the provision Mansa is seeking requires that a defendant not be involved in a leadership role in a criminal enterprise, as authorities have alleged in Mansa's case during past court hearings.

"The government is prepared to discuss that issue during sentencing," Vizcarrondo said "The evidence could certainly suggest that. There is also another view that suggests equivalence among the co-conspirators."

The other co-conspirators include Richard Sciaccatano, a Florida resident with alleged ties to the Bonanno crime family, and Kevin Lubic, a New York resident with ties to the Hells Angels. Sciaccatano is anticipated to plead guilty to the same charges as Mansa, while Lubic is scheduled to go to trial early next year.

Mansa tried to interject some humor in the court proceedings, when after the judge admitted she didn't know anything about the case, except what was in the indictment.

"That's great!," Mansa said in court after the judge's comment. "I hope you don't read the papers."

"Oh, I read the papers," the judge said. She added by the time the case goes to the sentencing phase, she will know all she needs to know about Mansa.

Since the judge doesn't necessarily have to go along with any deal the prosecutors arrange with Mansa and his lawyers, maybe it would be a better idea for Mansa to let his lawyers do all the talking next time in court.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the article below at:

 http://www.newstimes.com/default/arti...

 

Mansa pleads guilty to federal drug charge

Dirk Perrefort, Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

 

At a glance Bethel resident Mark Mansa pleaded guilty Friday to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, although Mansa is seeking a "safety valve" provision that could reduce the sentence because he has no previous convictions. Mansa will also be required to pay $180,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for March 23.

 

HARTFORD — Mark Mansa admitted to decades of drug use and to selling large quantities of marijuana, as he entered a guilty plea in federal court on Friday.

 

Mansa, 47, who was indicted on federal drug charges in February, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana from 2007 to 2011.

 

The Bethel man, who authorities have alleged is the leader of a large-scale drug ring that included ties to the Bonanno crime family and the Hells Angels, entered the plea after accepting a deal from federal prosecutors that calls for a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $180,000.

 

The deal also includes a "safety valve" provision that would allow Mansa to be sentenced to less time in prison during his sentencing this spring because he doesn't have a previous conviction.

 

The government intends to seek a dismissal of the remaining charges against Mansa as part of the plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors.

 

Prosecutors had alleged in earlier court hearings that Mansa sold large quantities of steroids and included among his customers body builders and "high school-aged student athletes."

 

U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant asked Mansa during the hearing to describe his drug dealings.

 

Mansa said he conspired with other co-defendants named in a February indictment, plus other unnamed people, to sell large quantities of marijuana to people who then resold the drug.

 

"So you are a distributor. Is that a fair assessment?" Bryant asked Mansa during the hearing.

 

"Yes, your honor," he replied.

 

"And how did you know it was marijuana you were selling?" the judge continued.

 

"I've been smoking it since the ninth grade," he replied.

 

Mansa added that he sold quantities of about a pound each to people who would then resell it "to pay for their own use."

 

When asked if he was a drug addict, Mansa said he has been using drugs for more than 20 years, including marijuana, cocaine, an occasional painkiller and steroids.

 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo said during the hearing in court Friday that the evidence the government has against Mansa includes recorded telephone conversations, surveillance photos showing the Bethel man involved in drug transactions and audio recording made by cooperating witnesses who agreed to wear a wire when meeting with Mansa.

 

Bryant said part of the safety valve provision Mansa is seeking requires that a defendant not be involved in a leadership role in a criminal enterprise, as authorities have alleged in Mansa's case during past court hearings.

 

"The government is prepared to discuss that issue during sentencing," Vizcarrondo said in court. "The evidence could certainly suggest that. There is also another view that suggests equivalence among the co-conspirators."

 

Bryant, who said the court has yet to agree to the safety valve provision, noted the majority of her knowledge of the case is based on the stipulated agreement between Mansa and the government.

 

"That's great!," Mansa blurted out in court after the comment. "I hope you don't read the papers."

 

"Oh, I read the papers," the judge replied, adding that she will be well versed in the case by the time the sentencing rolls around.

 

Mansa called himself a lone wolf earlier in the court hearing when Bryant asked if the people that he sold marijuana to who further distributed the drugs were on his payroll.

 

"They were lone wolves much like myself," he said.

 

Bryant also asked Mansa how he expected to pay the $180,000 fine, which the government agreed to in exchange for relinquishing attempts to seize a house under construction that Mansa owns on Old Hawleyville Road in Bethel and a home on Empire Lane that was recently sold by his former wife.

 

The money from the sale remains in escrow until the case is resolved.

 

Mansa said he expects to receive $39,000 from the proceeds of the sale and will pay the rest from the money he makes selling the house on Old Hawleyville Road.

 

While Mansa said he is hoping to sell the house in the next few months for about $459,000, Bryant said that's unlikely given the current real estate market.

 

Vizcarrondo said he would agree to a short continuance of Mansa's sentencing if it were needed to allow that transaction to be completed.

 

Richard Sciaccatano, a Florida resident with alleged ties to the Bonanno crime family, was also slated to appear in court Friday to change his plea.

 

Sciaccatano, whose case was continued to Jan. 5, and Brookfield resident Glenn Wagner are among the four co-defendants named in the federal indictment.

 

Wagner is also slated to appear in court soon for a plea change, although no date for the hearing has been entered in the court's docket.

 

Kevin Lubic, a New York resident with ties to the Hells Angels who was also named in the indictment, is scheduled to go to trial early next year.

 

Mansa is expected to appear again in court for his sentencing March 23.

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Western New York Attorney General Schneiderman Blows His Own Horn

 

There's one thing attorney generals around America love doing is taking credit for making our find land safe from criminals, whether in fact they accomplished that task or not.

 

The latest D.A. to blow his own horn, (quite loudly, I might add) is Western New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. In a sweeping and windy year-end statement to the press, Schneiderman took credit for almost everything imaginable in that part of the state, with the possible except of creating Niagara Falls

 

In this statement Schneiderman said, "We've worked diligently this year to restore New Yorkers' faith in the public and private sectors, and I am proud of the progress we've made for the people of Western New York. From cracking down on corruption in government, to rooting out fraud against taxpayers, to protecting consumers from financial crimes, and keeping our streets safe, each day we've moved closer to fulfilling the goal of building the best public law firm in the country to serve and protect all New Yorkers."

 

And what good is doing good, if you don't create fancy names for your top-secret covert operations? Schneiderman took credit for, Operation Horse Trail, Operation Flatrate, Operation Shamrock, Operation Snowbird, Operation Beemer, Operation Pipeline, Operation Car Wars, Operation Bloodtrail, Operation Rockwell and Operation Re-Do. Surprisingly, Schneiderman didn't not take credit for Operation Hiroshima, which basically ended World War II.

 

If I were a might suspicious, I might be thinking that maybe Schneiderman is looking to further his career, by entering the world of politics, with his Operation Whatevers as his springboard to success.

 

Just what we need. Another windy politician.

 

 

 

You can view the article below at:

 

http://www.metrowny.com/policelog/706...

 

Attorney General releases year-end review for Western New York

Thursday December 29, 2011 | By:Source Staff

 

The Office of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued an end-of-the-year review detailing many of its accomplishments for Western New York in areas including public safety, economic justice, taxpayer protection, public integrity, civil rights and environmental protection.

 

"We've worked diligently this year to restore New Yorkers' faith in the public and private sectors, and I am proud of the progress we've made for the people of Western New York," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "From cracking down on corruption in government, to rooting out fraud against taxpayers, to protecting consumers from financial crimes, and keeping our streets safe, each day we've moved closer to fulfilling the goal of building the best public law firm in the country to serve and protect all New Yorkers."

 

The following are some of the actions Attorney General Schneiderman has taken since January:

 

Taxpayer Protection and Public Integrity

 

- Appointed public integrity officers to serve in each of the Attorney General's regional offices across the state, including Buffalo, to give taxpayers a place to go to report complaints of government corruption without fear of local politics influencing the outcome.

 

- Launched a unique and much-needed Taxpayer Protection Bureau – designed to go after corruption in state contracts, pension fund rip-offs, and large-scale tax cheats – as part of an aggressive plan to root out fraud and return money illegal stolen from New York taxpayers at no additional cost to the state.

 

- Secured many major Medicaid fraud recoveries, including a record-setting settlement that required Young Adult Institute, the state's largest residential service provider, to pay $18 million in damages.

 

- Secured over 75 convictions of individuals who defrauded the Medicaid system in New York State, as well as in patient abuse and neglect cases.

 

- Initiated a unique effort to crackdown on waste and corruption in earmarks, contracts, and other government spending through cooperation with Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

 

- In the administration's first False Claims Act case, secured a $1.6 million settlement with a food service provider for illegally overcharging school districts and other education providers.

 

- Closed the "Helmsley Loophole" that let tax evaders off the hook. The Attorney General's program bill, which was drafted in collaboration with New York County District Attorney Vance and signed into law by Governor Cuomo, amends a law that prohibited the state from prosecuting income tax cheats who have been previously prosecuted in federal court for the "same criminal transactions" even if the crimes are distinct.

 

Keeping Streets Safe and Communities Strong

 

In 2011, Attorney General Schneiderman's Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) brought a number of prosecutions against gang members, major drug traffickers, and other members of organized crime. Prosecutions include:

 

- Operation Horse Trail: In the largest heroin bust in Buffalo history, 15 individuals were charged with running a heroin distribution network in which the traffickers moved their product from the Bronx and funneled it to Buffalo.

 

- Operation Shamrock: The Attorney General obtained an indictment against 10 individuals for operating a prescription drug and cocaine distribution ring on Buffalo city streets. The investigation focused on the sale and resale of prescription painkillers.

 

- Operation Snowbird: Announced the arrests of 28 individuals charged with conspiring in a massive drug distribution network that transported cocaine from Florida and New York City to be sold throughout Western New York. The Attorney General office's seized more than $2.7 million worth of cocaine and $700,000 in cash, and arrested the defendants in a series of raids.

 

- Operation Beemer: The Attorney General obtained an indictment against 23 individuals accused of operating a drug distribution network that sent cocaine through the United States Postal Service (USPS) from Puerto Rico to various locations in Erie and Niagara Counties for distribution in communities throughout Western New York.

 

- Operation Pipeline: 37 individuals were charged with participating in a major drug distribution network that was funneling cocaine from New York City, Georgia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania throughout the Capital Region and elsewhere in New York.

 

- Operation Bloodtrail: 41 members and associates of the violent "Bloods" street gang were charged in three separate indictments for operating a narcotics distribution ring that sold cocaine, heroin, marijuana and guns throughout the Capital Region and elsewhere in New York. During the investigation, law enforcement seized substantial quantities of controlled substances. In 2011, 11 defendants pled guilty and two were convicted after trial. Trial defendants were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences, well exceeding life terms: one received a total of 170 years; the other was sentenced to a total of 141 years. Additionally, 27 other defendants were sentenced, six are awaiting trial and two are awaiting sentencing.

 

- Operation Rockwell and Operation Re-Do: Announced charges against 38 individuals for their connection to two drug networks responsible for distributing cocaine throughout Central New York. The arrests and seizure of more than $200,000 in cocaine has helped to shut down a drug pipeline running from Georgia to New York City to Syracuse and Auburn for sale throughout the region.

 

- OCTF also investigated numerous narcotics networks operated in Cayuga, Monroe and other counties in the Syracuse area and over the course of the year brought indictments against more than 60 traffickers, seized numerous kilograms of controlled substances and seized more than $700,000 in cash.

 

- Operation Flatrate: The Attorney General obtained five separate indictments against 37 individuals on charges stemming from the operation of lucrative loan sharking and gambling activities closely controlled by the Gambino crime family.

 

- Operation Car Wars: The Attorney General obtained an indictment against 21 individuals in a takedown of an extensive automobile theft and resale ring that stole hundreds of cars worth more than $10 million.

 

In addition, Attorney General Schneiderman took action to keep New York's communities safer and stronger:

 

- In Buffalo, unveiled the "Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act" that would provide health care practitioners and pharmacists with centralized information to avoid over-prescribing, help shut down prescription drug trafficking, as well as identify and treat patients who seek to abuse prescription drugs.

 

- Conducted an undercover investigation and busted 10 gun sellers from across New York State who jeopardized the public's safety by violating the state's background check requirement for the sale of firearms at gun shows.

 

- Following the announcement of the undercover investigation, the Attorney General joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in introducing the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2011, a federal measure that will crack down on corrupt gun dealers and eliminate the steady flow of illegal guns into New York.

 

- Fought against the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which would force states like New York to abandon their own gun laws by allowing out-of-state visitors to carry concealed firearms based on their home state's less safe laws, rather than those of the state they are entering.

 

- Responded to the concerns of a Buffalo community by ordering the clean-up of Central Park Plaza, a once-thriving property that became a dangerous blight. As part of the agreement, the owners of the plaza, Samuel Kurz and Central Park Plaza LLC, are now barred from owning property in Buffalo.

 

-Won a major court victory in defense of New York's gun safety laws and upheld the constitutionality of the state's handgun licensing statute

 

Economic Justice and Consumer Protection

 

- Protected homeowners as a national leader by fighting for a fair 50-state mortgage settlement that holds banks accountable, brings meaningful relief to New Yorkers and gets the economy moving again.

 

-Filed a lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) for defrauding clients in foreign currency exchange transactions, seeking recovery of nearly $2 Billion.

 

- Released a resource guide for veterans and active duty military personnel with information related to educational and housing benefits, as well as consumer protections and other legal issues.

 

- Launched a comprehensive review on the rising cost of gasoline across New York State to compile data on prices being charged in these areas, and seek to determine the causes behind the recent increases where prices have soared to more than $4 per gallon. Attorney General Schneiderman took enforcement action against two downstate stations that gouged customers amidst Tropical Storm Irene.

 

- Protected constituents who would be economically harmed by the loss of the Buffalo Bills home games and the canceling of Jets and Giants training camps by investigating whether the National Football League lockout violated state antitrust laws.

 

- Launched a thorough review of AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, in Western New York and across the state, for potential anti-competitive impacts on consumers and businesses. The proposed merger would have created the nation's largest wireless company with a total of 130 million subscribers nationwide, opening the door to a near duopoly shared by the merged firm and Verizon. Most recently, Schneiderman joined the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit that led to the blocking of the acquisition.

 

- Took action against several Buffalo-area debt collectors who preyed on military personnel and vulnerable consumers. These included the conviction of a debt collector, the banning of an attorney from the debt collection business, and settlements with three other Buffalo-based debt collectors who threatened consumers, made false representations, and improperly called consumers at their places of employment.

 

- Filed felony charges against the owner of Maxx Auto Sales, a now defunct dealership that ripped off Western New Yorkers, as well as a civil lawsuit against the owner, and obtained an order freezing his assets. He is accused of taking more than $100,000 in payments from dozens of consumers for vehicles he never delivered.

 

- Stopped Master Motors of Buffalo, Inc. from unlawfully issuing their own loans to consumers when they were not licensed to do so by the New York State Banking Department. Master Motors has agreed to stop the practice and pay a $25,000 fine.

 

- Announced that hundreds of Buffalo-area consumers will receive refunds after being charged a $65 gasoline fee while purchasing a new car from Transitowne Hyundai of Williamsville, even though the dealer promised free gas with each purchase. Transitowne has agreed to pay over $80,000 in restitution and $5,000 in penalties and fines.

 

- Sued the owners of Extreme Snowplowing for taking thousands of dollars from Western New Yorkers for snow removal services and failing to plow their driveways.

 

- Secured a $90.8 million settlement with UBS for fraudulent and anticompetitive conduct in its municipal bond derivative transactions. Of that amount, $63.3 million will go to a multi-state restitution fund for governments and nonprofits that entered into municipal derivatives contracts with UBS between 2001 and 2004.

 

- Secured a $553 million multi-state settlement with seven major technology corporations alleged to have illegally conspired to artificially inflate prices for liquid crystal display (LCD) screens used in televisions, computer monitors, and laptops. New York State taxpayers may receive upwards of $11 million, in addition to restitution to compensate consumers affected by the scheme.

 

- Secured a $2.5 million dollar settlement with the pharmaceutical company Pharmacia Corporation for inflating the cost of drugs sold to state health programs.

 

- Secured a $1.3 million settlement with Bank of New York Mellon, in conjunction with the states of Texas and Florida, for manipulative trading of auction rate securities. A subsidiary of BNYM used an intermediary to submit bids that should have been barred as self-dealing transactions, artificially lowering the clearing prices of auctions and harming investors.

 

- Announced a joint initiative with the State Comptroller to ensure that New Yorkers receive unpaid life insurance benefits.

 

- Held statewide "office hours" in communities impacted by Hurricane Irene, assisting consumers with storm-related questions and concerns related to issues such as price gouging, insurance policies and delayed debt payments so that affected New Yorkers can get back on their feet.

 

- Reached a multi-million dollar agreement with Banco Espírito Santo S.A. (BES) to settle an investigation into the solicitation and sale by BES and its affiliates of securities to BES's U.S. customers without registering itself or any of its affiliates as securities broker-dealers or investment advisers, or any of their employees as salesmen, as required under New York's Martin Act.

 

- Secured $58.75 million in restitution from Wachovia Bank and Wells Fargo Bank as part of an ongoing national investigation of alleged anticompetitive and fraudulent conduct in the municipal bond derivatives industry.

 

- Secured a $1.8 million settlement with the retail chain Michaels Stores, Inc. for engaging in deceptive advertising practices by misleading consumers into thinking they were receiving steep discounts over a two year period. The company will change its advertising practices and contribute $1 million in art and craft supplies to public schools throughout New York State, in addition to $800,000 in civil penalties.

 

- Secured a $3.1 million settlement with the major pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, following allegations that it improperly marketed and promoted the antipsychotic drug Seroquel. The agreement is part of a record 37-state settlement totaling $68.5 million – the largest ever multi-state consumer protection-based pharmaceutical settlement.

 

- Secured a settlement that will refund $1.1 million to more than 5,000 New Yorkers across the state who were defrauded by a deceptive and harmful debt settlement company. Freedom Debt Relief misled debt-saddled consumers about the amount of money they would save and the services it would provide, while reaping large profits in up-front fees. The company will also pay $100,000 in penalties to the state.

 

- Called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enact rules that would prevent unauthorized third-party charges on telephone bills or 'cramming' – a fraud that a recent U.S. Senate report found costs consumers upwards of $2 billion per year. This action was in conjunction with a coalition of 16 other attorneys general.

 

Social Justice

 

Environmental Protection, Civil Rights, Health Care, Labor, Charities

 

- Led the fight for safety at Indian Point and other nuclear power facilities by challenging a decision by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that allowed the storage of high-level radioactive waste for at least 60 years after their closure without assessing the public and environmental impacts; calling on the NRC to include seismicity in the scope of review for the relicensing of Indian Point, and filing a petition to force Indian Point to comply with fire safety regulations.

 

- Sued the federal government for failing to commit to a full environmental review of the proposed regulations that would allow natural gas drilling – including the potentially harmful "hydrofracking" technique – in the Delaware River Basin which includes the New York City watershed.

 

- Cracked down on six website operators that illegally sold cigarettes to New York State residents, part of a disturbing trend that provides teens easy access to tobacco, and encourages a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenues.

 

- Secured an agreement with the former General Motors Corporation that will dedicate $154 million to the environmental cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites in New York.

 

- Took action to protect the air New Yorkers breathe by filing a lawsuit against Pennsylvania power plant Homer City Station that is emitting dangerous sulfur dioxide in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. The Office of the Attorney General is leading a coalition of attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Massachusetts, against efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives to remove critical environmental regulations that protect New York communities from toxic pollution; and is calling on the EPA to protect New York's air by implementing a proposed rule that would slash the amount of air pollution currently allowed to cross state lines.

 

- Created the Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization, a task force with members representing Western New York, charged with presenting a series of recommendations to the Attorney General to reduce the regulatory burdens and costs on nonprofits while strengthening nonprofit accountability.

 

- Launched the Religious Rights Initiative, a project of the OAG's Civil Rights Bureau that will address religious rights issues and enforce anti-discrimination laws. The Initiative will target faith-based discrimination and violations of religious rights through public education, outreach and law enforcement, including litigation.

 

- Released a fundraising report documenting how for-profit "telemarketers" pocket the bulk of contributions New Yorkers give to charities. According to Pennies for Charity, Where Your Money Goes: Telemarketing by Professional Fundraisers, in 2010, an average of just 36.9 cents of every charitable dollar raised by these professional telemarketing companies actually went to charity. He also issued a guide for consumers planning on making charitable contributions with important information to ensure that donations go where intended.

 

Joe Bruno – Movie "Goodfella" Anthony Borgese Sentenced to 6 Months House Arrest

Another Soprano actor makes headlines, but this time it has nothing to do with The Sopranos, and everything to do with the basic theme of The Sopranos.

 Actor Tony Darrow, real name Anthony Borgese, was recently sentenced to six months house arrest and 250 hours of community service, for his part in an extortion plot, straight out of the Sopranos. Rather than go to trial, Borgese, who played the character Larry Boy Barese on the hit HBO series The Sopranos, admitted before Judge Eric Vitaliano that he enlisted the help of some real life gangster friends to collect a debt for a "friend." Apparently this "friend" was owed $5,000, and the person who owed the money wound up with a broken jaw and some broken ribs.

 Must have been an accident.

 If Borgese had gone to trial, under sentencing guidelines, he was facing 41 months in prison. So you could say the actor/wannabe gangster got a sweetheart of a deal.

 Darrow, who has appeared in numerous films including Goodfellas (where he was hit in the head with a bottle by Joe Pesci's character— ouch!!), Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, Small Time Crooks, Searching for Bobby D, Kill the Irishman and the soon to be released gangster film GOAT, has already been making restitution. Since his arrest, Borgese has appeared in an anti-Mafia public service announcement, and has visited schools such as The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to warn students about the dangers of Mob life ( I guess he knows this both from a personal and artistic viewpoint).

 Some actors, especially those who attend the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, prepare for their movie parts in different ways. Robert DeNiro gained dozens of pounds for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in The Raging Bull. Marlon Brando hung around wiseguys and stuffed cotton into his mouth for his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather. I guess Borgese figured maybe he had to order someone break a few bones to get into his next role, Patsy Pirati, in The Goat.

 If Borgese was playing The Goat himself, as preparation for his part, Borgese probably would have banged his own head against the wall a few times.

 At least that would have knocked some sense into him.

 

 

 

You can view the article below at:

 

http://www.examiner.com/gangster-movi...

 

Mob Character Actor Tony Darrow Sentencing Verdict

 

 

 

Anthony Borgese, who goes by the stage name of Tony Darrow, has been a fixture in gangster films since his memorable role in the classic film Goodfellas. In Goodfellas, Darrow portrayed lounge owner Sonny Bunz and in one of the film's most memorable scenes, Bunz was struck in the head with a bottle by Joe Pesci's character Tommy DeVito. While Goodfellas might have been the movie Darrow is most recognized for, he has appeared in several films such as, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, Small Time Crooks, Searching for Bobby D, Kill the Irishman and the soon to be released gangster film GOAT. Darrow also portrayed the character Larry Boy Barese on the hit HBO series The Sopranos.

 

Borgese's legal troubles began after he admitted that he enlisted the help of some real life gangster friends to collect a debt. The victim of the attack who apparently owed $5,000 to a Borgese friend, suffered a broken jaw and ribs.

 

Since his arrest, Borgese has appeared in an anti-Mafia public service announcement and has visited schools such as The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to warn students about the dangers of Mob life and breaking the law.

 

Under Federal sentencing guidlines, Borgese could have faced 41 months in prison for orchestrating the Mob shakedown. Due to Borgese's past record for helping raise millions of dollars for several charities and his public service announcement, Judge Eric Vitaliano sentenced Borgese to six months Anthony Borgese, who goes by the stage name of Tony Darrow, has been a fixture in gangster films since his memorable role in the classic film Goodfellas. In Goodfellas, Darrow portrayed lounge owner Sonny Bunz and in one of the film's most memorable scenes, Bunz was struck in the head with a bottle by Joe Pesci's character Tommy DeVito.While Goodfellas might have been the movie Darrow is most recognized for, he has appeared in several films such as, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, Small Time Crooks, Searching for Bobby D, Kill the Irishman and the soon to be released gangster film GOAT. Darrow also portrayed the character Larry Boy Barese on the hit HBO series The Sopranos.

 

Borgese's legal troubles began after he admitted that he enlisted the help of some real life gangster friends to collect a debt. The vicim of the attack who apparantly owed $5,000 to a Borgese friend, suffered a broken jaw and ribs.

 

Since his arrest, Borgese has appeared in an anti-Mafia public service announcement and has visited schools such as The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to warn students about the dangers of Mob life and breaking the law.

 

Under Federal sentencing guidlines, Borgese could have faced 41 months in prison for orchestrating the Mob shakedown. Due to Borgese's past record for helping raise millions of dollars for several charities and his public service announcement, Judge Eric Vitaliano sentenced Borgese to six months house arrest and 250 hours of community service.

 

Recently Borgese was roasted at a celebrity Sopranos roast in NJ where partial proceeds were donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In attendence were several of Borgese's Sopranos castmates such as James Gandolfini, Tony Sirico, Vincent Pastore, Federico Castellucio and William DeMeo.

 

Borgese can be seen in the soon to be released film GOAT as Patsy Pirati.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Big Paul Castellano

Castellano, Paul

 

 

He was one of the most disliked mob bosses of all time, with a superiority complex second to none. However, if Paul Castellano had been street-smart like any Mafia boss should be, he might not have been executed so easily and so publicly.

Paul Castellano was born Constantino Paul Castellano on June 26, 1915, in Brooklyn, New York. Castellano did not like his given first name, so he insisted that everyone call him Paul instead. Castellano's parents were both born in Sicily, and his father was a butcher, with a little illegal numbers business on the side. Castellano's father was also a early member of the Mangano Crime Family, which was created by Salvatore Maranzano after the killing of Joe "The Boss" Masseria, and the ending of the Castellamarese War.

Castellano dropped out of the school after the eighth grade and went to work in both of his father's businesses. In 1934, when Castellano was only 19-years-old, Castellano and two of his buddies decided to commit an armed robbery of a local business. However, things went awry, and when the police arrived on the scene, his two friends escaped, but Big Paul, as he was called (Castellano was six-foot-three, and in his prime weighed over 275 pounds), was caught by the police. Castellano refused to rat on his colleagues and was hit with a three-month bit in the slammer. When he returned to the mean streets of Brooklyn, Castellano's reputation was enhanced by his refusal to cooperate with the police.

In 1937, at the age of 22, Castellano married his childhood sweetheart Nina Manno, who was the sister-in-law of Carlo Gambino. They eventually had three sons — Paul, Philip, Joseph, and a daughter Connie.

In 1940, Castellano was inducted as a made member of the Mangano Crime Family, the same crime family his first cousin Carlo Gambino was already a captain in. In fact, Castellano and Gambino were so close, Gambino even married Castellano's sister Catherine (marrying first cousins was not uncommon amongst the Sicilians). After Mangano was knocked off in 1951 by his underboss Albert Anastasia, Anastasia took control of the Mangano Family and changed the name to the Anastasia Family. Anastasia also bumped up Big Paul to the ranked of captain. In 1957, when Anastasia was killed by rival Vito Genovese, Gambino took over the Anastasia Family, changed the name to the Gambino Family, and inserted his cousin Paul Castellano as one of his right-hand men.

November 17, 1957, Genovese called for a huge summit of all the Mafia men in America to take place in Appalachian, New York, at the home of Mafia member Joseph Barbara. There were several items on Genovese's agenda, but the most important one was to declare himself "Capo Di Tutti Capi," or "Boss of All Bosses." However, the wily Gambino knew that the local state police would be tipped off to the meeting, so he stayed away, and instead sent his cousin Paul to take the heat. When the state police raided the Barbara residence, dozens of mobsters tried to escape by jumping out of windows and running through the woods in their expensive suits and patent leather shoes. But not Castellano. Big Paul surrendered without a fight, and was sentenced to a year in prison for refusing to tell the police the purpose of the meeting.

After his marriage to Nina, Paul prospered in the family meat businesses, and by the 1950′s, he owned several businesses, including Blue Ribbon Meats, Ranbar Packing Inc., and The Pride Wholesale Meat and Poultry Corporation. According to Jonathan Kwitney's book Vicious Circles, "The Castellanos owned many meat stores and distributorships in Brooklyn and in Manhattan. They had a long record of welching on debts; of suffering suspicious hijackings, which can lead to insurance claims; of selling goods that were later found to have been stolen off docks or trucks, and of cheating other firms by receiving the assets of companies about to go into bankruptcy proceedings."

Whereas Castellano gave the airs of a successful businessman, issuing a death warrant was certainly not beneath his character. Castellano once ordered the death of an underling, because the man had the audacity to say Castellano looked like chicken magnate Frank Purdue (Perdue was famous for his chicken-like face splashed across the screen in his TV commercials, where he pronounced, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken."). In the mid 70′s, Perdue was having trouble getting his chickens in the New York City weekly supermarket advertisement circulars. Someone whispered in Perdue's ear, and soon he signed a distribution deal with Dial Poultry, owned by two of Castellano's sons. From that point on, Perdue had no trouble advertising and selling his chickens in the New York market.

To show he would not allow anyone in his blood family to be abused in any way, Castellano's son-in-law Frank Amato disappeared from the face of the earth after Castellano discovered Amato was beating Castellano's pregnant daughter Connie, and cheating on her on the side. As a display of familial compassion, Castellano did wait for his daughter's divorce to become final before he gave the order to vaporize Amato.

Castellano, with the blessing of his cousin Carlo Gambino, was also heavy into the shylocking business. Unfortunately, in 1973, one of his street "lenders," Arthur "Fat Artie" Berardelli, free on bail while appealing convictions for fraud and selling counterfeit securities, was pinched by the Feds — again for fraud. The FBI, led by field agents James Kallstrom and Frank Frattolillio, put the screws to Berardelli and convinced him if he didn't cooperate with the feds, he would spend big time in prison. Berardelli, who was represented by a legal aid attorney, listen to his attorney's advice and became a stool-pigeon.

After giving the feds a list of those in charge of the loansharking enterprise he was involved with, Berardelli finally agreed to wear a wire. He did so while speaking with "Little Paul" Castellano, the younger cousin of Big Paul, and one of the chief loansharking operators who answered to Big Paul. Even though Little Paul was fluently versed in "mob-speak" (a mob dialect when you speak vaguely about everything, and constantly refer to items called "that thing"), it was obvious from the taped conversations that Beradelli had borrowed large amounts of money from Little Paul, and that Little Paul was to continue to receive his "vig payments," even after Beradelli went to prison. Little Paul also made in clear (in mob-speak) that his older cousin Big Paul was overseeing the entire operation.

In March 1975, Beradelli wore a wire while speaking with Big Paul Castellano. But Big Paul was a excellent in mob-speak himself, and even though everything that was captured on tape was consistent with the notion that Big Paul Castellano was indeed the big cheese in the loansharking operation, Big Paul said nothing on tape that could conclusively connect him to any wrong-doing – at least nothing the Feds could take Big Paul to court with.

Right about this time, Beradelli's wife found out that her husband was speaking to the feds. Beradelli's wife was a Gambino cousin (isn't everyone?), and she immediately berated her husband — calling him a "rat." This left Beradelli with no choice but to refuse to testify in court against any mob figures that may be indicted in the loansharking case.

Beradelli later said, "If I had gone against her, I would have lost her and the children forever."

As a result of his failure to see the deal though till the end, instead of getting no prison time, Berardelli was sentence to two years in prison on the original fraud charges. Because he did garner some very important information on the tapes he did make, the second fraud charges against Beradelli were dropped.

On June 30, 1975, nine people were indicted on loansharking by the government. These men included Big Paul Castellano, Little Paul Castellano, and another cousin Joseph Castellano. Before the trial began, Little Paul Castellano pleaded guilty. Because he was a relatively small fish in a big pond, Little Paul only got four months in the slammer and a $5,000 fine. The government tried to force Berardelli to testify at the trial, which included their intended target – the Big Fish himself — Big Paul Castellano, but Berardelli refused. Judge Bartels then ordered Berardelli to testify, gicving him immunity from prosecution. Berardelli still refused, and as a result of Berardelli's non-cooperation, all the defendants walked scot-free, including Big Paul Castellano. Judge Bartels then threw the book at Berardelli, sentencing him to five years in prison for contempt-of-court.

By 1975, Carlo Gambino was obviously very ill from a severe heart condition. If Gambino died, the favorite on the streets to take over the Gambino Family was Aniello Dellacroce, a hardened criminal and Gambino's second-in-command. Dellacroce was a respected man, who had allegedly taken part in several "pieces of work," or murders, and according to Mafia rules, was, in fact, supposed to be promoted to boss instead of Castellano. Dellacroce had the backing of all the major Gambino street crews, including Carmine Fatico's men at the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Queens.

However, Gambino wanted to keep things in the family, and to the consternation of many, he anointed Paul Castellano to be his successor as the head of the Gambino Family. As a result, there was outrage from the street soldiers, who saw Castellano as nothing more than a greedy snob, who thought he was stratospherically above the common street soldiers who were kicking up all the money to the bosses up top. Whereas most captains demanded 10% of the street soldier's take, Castellano wanted 15% of any scheme his men were involved with.

Things came to a head, when on October 15, 1976, Carlo Gambino finally died and Castellano was officially inducted as the Gambino boss. Street men, like tough John Gotti, bristled at the choice, and were hardly placated when Dellacroce, as a consolation prize, was given control of all of the lucrative Manhattan Gambino street rackets. Dellacroce, an old school Mafioso, who went by the credo that a bosses' word should never be challenged, was he only person who was keeping his crew from a devastating and bloody mutiny against Castellano and his allies.

Whereby Gambino had lived in an inconspicuous house in Brooklyn, Castellano build himself a mansion on trendy Todt Hill in Staten Island. Todt Hill, which meant in Dutch "Death Hill," was the highest track of land in the entire borough of Staten Island. The 17-room house was build with stone and stucco, and was painted entirely white, with two white columns majestically standing out front, looking suspiciously like the White House in Washington, D.C (The Gambino street crews snidely referred to Castellano's home as "The White House."). The house was completely surrounded by tall wrought-iron fences, and armed with the most sophisticated of burglar alarms. If this wasn't enough to discourage intruders, Castellano had ferocious Dobermans patrolling inside the perimeter, viciously leaping at the fences if anyone, including the mailman, came near the house.

In late 1978, Castellano further infuriated the men who were loyal to Dellacroce when he set up a meeting between himself, his top captains, and the two boss members of the violent Irish "Westies" gang from Manhattan's Hells Kitchen: Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone. The intermediary who arranged the meeting was Roy Demeo, the most proficient killer under the flag of Gambino captain Anthony "Nino" Gaggi.

The meeting took place at Tommaso's, a Bay Ridge eatery frequented by a veritable who's-who of the mob. When Coonan and Featherstone were escorted by Demeo into the private back room of Tommaso's, they could hardly believe their eyes. Seated at a horseshoe-shaped table were Gaggi, Carmine Lambardozzi, Joseph N. Gallo, Anniello Dellacroce, and Funzi Tieri. Seated at the head of the table was the sire of the Staten Island "White House": Big Paul Castellano himself.

At this point, Coonan and Featherstone thought they had a very big problem, and were going to leave the restaurant in some sort of a body bag. It seem that just a few weeks earlier, Coonan had taken part in the murder of Castellano's top bookie/shylock Ruby Stein. Coonan had owned Stein $70,000 in gambling debts, and Coonan figured it made more economic sense to kill Stein rather than pay Stein. So that he did, in a Hell's Kitchen bar, along with a few of his accomplices, all of whom Coonan made shoot Stein, as a sign of solidarity, after Stein was already dead. After the deed was done, they cut Stein up into little pieces and deposited Stein's body parts in several garbage bags in the waters near Ward's Island. The only problem was, Coonan forgot to slit open Stein's torso to let out all the gases, and Stein's torso was soon found floating in the waters near Rockaway Beach in Queens.

After Castellano made a few inquiries, he found out the last man Stein had been seen with alive was Jimmy Coonan.

In addition, there was the slight problem of Ruby Stein's little black book, which contained the names and the exact figures of the money out on the streets owed to Stein, and thereby owed to Castellano and his captains. Coonan had taken that book off Stein's dead body, but at this particular time he didn't know exactly what to do with the black book, since if he commenced making collections, Castellano would have known for sure who killed his very valuable asset – Ruby Stein.

According to T.J. English's book – The Westies, Coonan, as a sign of good will, presented Castellano with a box of the finest Cuban cigars. After Castellano passed the box around the table so his captains could seen the value of the present, the men began eating with a vengeance. First the salads, then the dishes of seafood with pasta, then some of the best lasagna known to man. After the last morsel had been devoured, and the men were waiting for their espresso with Sambuca, Tieri whispered something into Castellano's ear. Big Paul cleared his throat, then said directly to Coonan, "Jimmy," then he hesitated and said, "You don't mind if I call you Jimmy?"

Coonan had a huge frog in his throat. "No, of course not."

Castellano then went into a dissertation as to why Ruby Stein was such a valuable member of his organization, and why his death was such a terrible blow to all the men seated at this table. Then Castellano looked right into Coonan's eyes and said, "Jimmy, did you or any of your people have anything to do with this terrible thing; this murder of our good friend Ruby Stein?"

Coonan tried to look sincere. "No," he quickly said. "We didn't have nuthin' to do with that."

"Are you sure?" Castellano said.

"Yes sir, without a doubt."

Castellano then got to the meat of the conversation. He asked Coonan if he knew the whereabouts of Stein's little black book.

Coonan said, "I don't even know what youse are talking about."

Castellano raised his voice just a bit. He said, "That book has millions of dollars worth of loans in it; shylock loans. There are people here who need that book."

Coonan shrugged, "Wish I could help you, Mr. Castellano. But I don't know nuthin' about Ruby's death, or no black book."

Coonan then heard from Castellano's lips what he had dreamed about for years. "Alright Jimmy this is our position. From now on, you boys are going to be with us. Which means you got to stop acting like cowboys; like wild men. If anybody is to be removed, you have to clear it with us. Capisch? Everything goes through Nino or Roy. You have our permission to use our family name in your business dealings on the West Side. But whatever moneys you make, you will cut us in 10 percent."

After dinner, Castellano and his crew took Coonan and Featherstone to the nearby Vets and Friends Social Club. There Castellano told them the real reason he wanted their alliance. "If you are ever called to Brooklyn, you come, no questions asked," Castellano told them.

Coonan and Featherstone correctly understood this to mean that them and their Irish crew from Hell's Kitchen would be a secret hit-squad for Castellano, especially when non-Italian shooters were needed. Again, this did not go over so well with Dellacroce, who was old-school enough to know that Italian Mafiosi do not associate themselves with the Irish criminals, whom they felt were overly violent and not trustworthy. The man Dellacroce was grooming for further advancement in his crew, John Gotti, did not like this Irish liaison too much either.

In 1979, 35-year-old Columbian Gloria Olarte went to work for the Castellanos as a housemaid. At the time Paul Castellano was 64-years-old, and his wife Nina — a very attractive 60-years-old. But that didn't stop Paul Castellano from having a roving eye. Soon he started an affair with Olarte right under his wife's eyes, and also in front of his daughter Connie, who was living nearby. Whenever his wife and Connie went out shopping, Castellano made sure they had enough cash to spend, so that they wouldn't return home anytime soon.

At first, Castellano's advances where just petting and simple kissing, and soon Olarte began to wonder why Big Paul had not consummated their relationship. It seemed that at the time Olarte made her way into the Castellano household, due to a diabetes condition, Castellano had not had an erection in four years. That problem was taken care of when Castellano has "the operation": a penile implant that would make him able to have intercourse with his young housemaid.

His affections for Olarte were obvious to the crew members who visited Castellano for business meetings, and were also obvious to his wife. Gambino family members began talking amongst themselves about Castellano behind his back; about how he was disgracing his wife, by prancing his young housemaid in front of them at their "White House" meetings.

The FBI had been wanting to plant a bug in Castellano's house for many years. Through conversations they overhead from bugs planted in other mob hangouts, the FBI had ascertained that when men came to visit Castellano to discuss family business, these meeting always took place in a little dining nook in the kitchen. There is some dispute as to whether Olarte herself, realizing that Castellano's affections for her were waning, told the FBI where to plant the bug or not. But on March 17, 1983, while Castellano was on a Florida vacation with Olarte and his trusted aide Tommy Billoti, the FBI decided the time was ripe to plant the bug. The only problem was, Castellano's wife was still on the premises.

When Nina Castellano finally left the house at around 5pm that afternoon, a team of FBI agents disguised as gardeners, sanitation workers, and telephone installers went to work. The "gardeners" drugged the Dobermans who were standing guard inside the fence, by throwing drugs-infested steaks over the fence for the dogs to consume. Then FBI "techies" disabled the burglar alarm, allowing three more "techies" to pick the door locks, then enter the Castellano residence. Two Sanitation trucks blocked the entrance to the street, and the FBI agents in the trucks disguised as sanitation workers were under orders to stop Nina Castellano, by any means necessary, from returning to the house until the bug was planted and the FBI agents safely out of the house.

Once inside the house, the agents went directly to the kitchen nook. By the table sat a chrome lamp near Castellano's high backed chair, which he always sat in during mob meetings. The agents removed the base of the lamp, and replaced it with an identical base that contained a microphone, and a power pack. They placed the lamp back in is original position and quickly exited the house. Their stay inside the Castellano resident lasted only 12 ½ minutes. Once safely outside, the outside FBI "techies" re-activated the burglar alarm, so that when she returned to her home, Nina Castellano would be none the wiser.

These bugs became a treasure trove of information for the FBI. The FBI was, under law, supposed to stop listening when the conversations being recorded involved inane personal matters. But that was not always the case.

Within a few days, they heard Castellano boasting to one of his associates, "No one comes to Staten Island unless I say so."

For many years, the FBI suspected that the Gambino Crime Family had their greedy tentacles deep into labor racketeering, especially in the construction business. Castellano confirmed this fact when he was recorded saying to one of his captains, "Our job is to run the unions."

However, the most incriminating conversation was recorded when Castellano was at a sit-down with his chauffeur and right-hand man Tommy Bilotti, and Gambino "collection agent" Alphonse "Funzi" Mosca. Gloria Olarte could be heard hovering in the background, certainly listening, and sometimes interjecting innocent remarks into the conversation. According to the book Mafia Dynasty, by John H. Davis, the conversation went like this:

 

Castellano: He gotta pay. And he gotta be clued in. Over two, forget about it. He sits out. That's club. Under a deuce, we talk. Maybe he gets some. But he pays the two points. First. None of this "you'll have it in a few days" bullshit.

Mosca: You want I should talk to the fat guy? (Genovese Family Boss Fat Tony Salerno)

Castellano: Talk to the fucking president for all I care. Just get me my money.

Bilotti: I don't see where this fuckin' guy should get nothing. We set it up. We did all the work.

Castellano: If you're calling the fat guy, call the Chin (Salerno's underboss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante).

Gloria: Mister Tommy. You finish all the cookies?

Mosca: So he takes it for six-million-nine. Cody says take it for six-seven-fifty. Something like that. Plus some jobs.

Castellano: Twelve men. Fifteen days.

Bilotti: Yeah, twelve. Fifteen.

Castellano: And the money comes up thirty percent. We do things on our own. We gotta think of our own. Tell it to the fat guy. Tell Chin.

Mosca: It might get a little raw.

Castellano: It does, it does. What are they going to do, sue me?

 

The FBI was able to decipher exactly what this conversation meant. The subject of discussion was the construction of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper. Castellano was instructing his men to approach Salerno and Gigante to make sure Castellano got his proper cut of the money being skimmed off the top, and to confirm the number and duration of the no-show jobs his men would get.

The bug in the Castellano residence lasted 4 ½ months. During this time Castellano was heard discussing how he was controlling the construction business, the meat packing business, and the labor unions; specifically the Teamsters, the painters union, and various unions related to the restaurant business. Castellano let the feds know he was also involved in the pornography business, as well as stock frauds, and insurance frauds.

These tapes decisively revealed to the feds that there were two factions within the Gambino Family, each of which had no use for the other. Castellano had the support of Bilotti and his cousin Tommy Gambino, who controlled the garment center in Manhattan. While the other faction was led by Dellacroce, and Dellacroce's "favorite son" — John Gotti.

One of Gotti's underling was Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero, a rotund, boisterous man who got his nickname because he couldn't stop talking; on the phone, or in places that were most likely bugged by the FBI. When Ruggiero was arrested in a big heroin deal, Castellano was incensed that any of his men would dare to sell "babania," which was forbidden in the Gambino Family, and supposedly all thoughout the American Mafia. Castellano immediately called Gotti on the carpet and reamed Gotti a new one, saying, "Listen Johnny, you got to prove you weren't involved."

Gotti knew that this meant if Ruggiero was indeed guilty of selling dope, and if Gotti knew about Ruggiero's involvement, it was a death sentence for both men.

Soon, Castellano discovered from lawyers involved in the case that Ruggiero had been caught on secret recordings bragging about several drug deals. Castellano demanded that Ruggiero turn over the tapes to him, and when Ruggiero refused, Castellano (on tape) went berserk, threatening to do bad things to both Ruggiero and Gotti. This is when the FBI decided to lower the boom on "Big Paul."

On March 25, 1985, FBI agents Andris Kurins and Joseph O'Brien made a trip to the Castellano's "White House," and told Castellano his was being arrested on RICO charges (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). Castellano seemed quite confused when he heard the charges, because he fully didn't understand the implications of RICO.

Under the RICO Act, a person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any two of 35 crimes—27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes—within a 10-year period, can be charged with racketeering. The RICO Act "allows for the leaders of a crime syndicate (family) to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them to do, closing a perceived loophole that allowed someone who told a man to, for example, commit murder, to be exempt from the trial because they did not actually do it." Those found guilty under the RICO Act can be fined up to $25,000 and sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count.

So Castellano, at the moment of his arrest, oblivious to the fact that his house had been bugged for more than four months, did not realize the scope of the indictment he was about to face. According to Kurins and O'Brien, Castellano first heard of the taped conversations recorded in his house on the federal car radio, while the two feds were transporting Castellano from the "White House" to the "Big House." After hearing the news on the radio, Castellano told the two feds he suddenly felt ill, and would they please stop the car at a drug store to buy him some Tums, and a candy bar for his diabetes, which was suddenly making his head swim.

However, Castellano was not the only mob bigwig arrested that day. Under the direction of Rudolph Giuliani, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the cuffs were being put on Castellano, they were simultaneously being put on Gambino underboss Aniello Dellacroce, Fat Tony Salerno, the head of the Genovese Crime family, Lucchese boss Tony "Ducks" Corallo, Columbo boss Carmine Persico, and Rusty Rastelli, the acting boss of the Bonanno Crime Family. Giuliani went so far as to arrest eighty-two-year-old Bonanno Family patriarch Joseph Bonanno in his home in Tuscon, Arizona. It seemed that Giuliani was astounded and overjoyed after reading Bonanno's recent autobiography "Man of Honor,"where Bonanno admitted things about the "Sacred Society" that no made man ever dared utter.

In addition to the RICO charges, Giuliani hit Castellano with an additional 51 charges stemming from the murders and stolen car ring perpetrated by Roy Demeo's crew. (Rumors were that before Castellano was arrested on RICO charges, he heard from his law enforcement moles about the impending Demeo-related indictments. Feeling that Demeo, facing life in prison, was not the type of man to do his time quietly, Castellano ordered the murder of his most proficient murderer. Demeo's own crew did the honors; stuffing his frozen body into the trunk of a car for the police to find.)

Though an FBI informant close to Johny Gotti (code name Wahoo – later discovered to be longtime Gotti pal Willie Boy Johnson)), the feds found out that Castellano, because of the internal strife in the Gambino Family, was planning to whack Gotti and his entire crew. Gotti, cognizant of this sober fact, started tomake plans to do away with Castellano first. The only person that was stopping Gotti from doing what he wanted to do was Gotti's boss Dellacroce, again an old-schooler, who would never sanction a hit on his own boss. This obstacle was removed on December 2, 1985, when Dellacroce finally succumbed to the ravages of cancer.

With the coast now clear for Gotti, Gotti sought permission from the other mob bosses to whack Castellano, before Castellano whacked him. Vincent "The Chin" Gigante issued a firm no to Gotti, but the other mob bosses, not liking Castellano too much, shrugged their shoulder and basically said, "Do what you got to do."

On December 16, 1985, after finishing a 2:30 p.m. appointment in Manhattan with his lawyer James LaRosa, Castellano decided to kill a little time Christmas shopping with his chauffeur Tommy Bilotti, before they went to their 5 p.m. appointment at Sparks Steakhouse at 210 East Forty-Fifth Street. At Sparks, Castellano and Bilotti were supposed to meet with Gotti and three other men. A table for six had already been reserved for 5 p.m. under the name "Mr. Boll."

According to several published reports, what Castellano didn't know was that Gotti had no plans to show up inside Sparks Steakhouse, but was in fact at this time in the passengers seat of a Mercedes driven by Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano. Gravano parked the car at the corner of Forty-Sixth Street and Third Avenue, where he and Gotti had one eye trained on the entrance to Sparks, and the other eye trained on Third Avenue, waiting for Castellano's black Lincoln to make its appearance. On the street surrounding Sparks were anywhere from eight to ten of Gotti's men, armed with guns and walkie-talkies, ready to take action.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., with Castellano now fashionably late, Castellano's Lincoln made the turn from Third Avenue onto Forty-Sixth Street, and parked in front of Sparks. As soon as Bilotti exited the driver's side, he was met by a hail of bullets, allegedly fired by Gotti henchman Tony "Roach" Rampino, rendering Bilotti quite dead. As Castellano was exiting on the passenger side, he turned toward the street to see what all the commotion was about. Before Castellano knew what was happening, another Gotti shooter, allegedly John Carneglia, pumped six bullets into Big Paul, thus ending the reign of Paul Castellano as the head of the Gambino Crime Family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Judge Gives Mobster a Break

 

Sometimes judges unjustly throw the book at an alleged Mafia defendant. This case doesn't seem to be one of those times.

 

Alleged Gambino crime family associate Frank Roccaforte has been incarcerated in his 31 years on earth a sum total of three times. At the sentencing of his last conviction for assault, drug dealing and illegal bookmaking, Roccaforte begged Judge Richard Berman for leniency, saying "he planed on becoming a law-abiding citizen, marrying his girlfriend, and starting a family when he gets out of prison."

 

Even Roccaforte's mother Joyce pleaded for leniency for her son, saying that Roccaforte wasn't entirely responsible for his past actions because his late father enticed him into a life of crime.

 

Be that as it may, Roccaforte was facing 57 months in prison, but the judge only sentenced him to 46 months, telling Roccaforte, "You're getting close to real trouble, and this is the opportunity to turn your life around."

 

Hey, 11 months off is 11 months off, and if Roccaforte is sincere about his lifestyle change, he certainly deserves the sentence reduction.

 

Only time will tell.

 

 

The article below can be seen at:

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mo...

 

Mobster's prison 'break'

 

By LIZ SADLER

 

Last Updated: 3:25 AM, December 14, 2011

 

Posted: 3:19 AM, December 14, 2011

More Print

 

Lucky he's a family guy!

 

A federal judge gave a mobster a break yesterday after the goon said he plans on starting a very different kind of "family."

 

Frank Roccaforte, a three-time loser and associate of the Gambino crime family, had pleaded for leniency from Judge Richard Berman, saying he plans on becoming a law-abiding citizen, marrying his girlfriend and starting a family when he gets out of the big house.

 

Roccaforte, 31, who was swept up in a massive Mafia crackdown earlier this year, was facing up to 57 months in the slammer after pleading guilty to assault, drug dealing and illegal bookmaking.

 

 

Roccaforte's mother, Joyce, also pleaded for leniency from the judge, blaming her late husband for leading Frank into a life of crime.

 

The judge sentenced Roccaforte to 46 months, warning him this is his last shot at redemption.

 

"You're getting close to real trouble, and this is the opportunity to turn your life around," the judge said. Roccaforte flashed a big smile at his mom after the judge read the sentence.

 

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mo...

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Rizzuto Pal Charged With Murder of Salvatore Montagna

 

 

 

Unless I am missing something here, Raynald Desjardins, the man accused of first-degree the murder of Salvatore Montagna, the reputed head of the Bonnano Crime Family, is not Italian. So how could he be vying for the title of head of the Mafia in Montreal?

 

 

 

Desjardins, who has multiple schlerosis, was arrested for Montagna's murder, along with Vittorio Mirarchi, 34, and Felice Racaniello, 27, and Jack Arthur Simpson, 69. Calogero Milioto, 40, and Pietro (Peter) Magistrale, 59 were also arrested in connection with this case, not on a murder charge, but rather on "weapons-related charges."

 

 

 

Desjardins is a close friend of jailed Vito Rizzuto, the man reputed to have led the Mafia in Montreal until he was extradited to the U.S. in 2006. Rizzuto is currently serving a 10-year prison term there. So if Desjardins was indeed involved in the murder of Montagna, maybe he was acting in the interest of someone else. Rizzuto is a possibility, but who knows what goes on behind closed Mafia doors?

 

 

 

Or maybe Desjardins was just acting in retaliation, because the Canadian police have told the courts that "the plot to kill Montagna began on Sept. 16, the same day someone tried to kill Desjardins in Laval. Desjardins survived the attempt on his life, when a gunman opened fire on two vehicles he and his bodyguard were seated in."

 

 

 

Either way, the problem of who is in charge of organized crime in Canada is far from being solved.

 

 

 

Stay tuned for further developments.

 

 

 

 

 

The link for the article below is at:

 

 

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/...

 

 

 

Rizzuto lieutenant charged with murder of Mafiaso Salvatore Montagna

 

 

 

Postmedia News Dec 21, 2011 – 9:54 PM ET

 

RADIO-CANADA

 

 

 

RADIO-CANADA

 

 

 

 

 

By Paul Cherry

 

 

 

JOLIETTE, Que. — Raynald Desjardins appeared remarkably calm for someone facing a first-degree murder charge for the slaying of a former New York mob boss.

 

 

 

The 58-year-old joked with his lawyer, Jonathan Meunier, as he was about to appear before Quebec Court Judge Michel Duceppe at the Joliette courthouse Wednesday morning. Desjardins's first court appearance lasted only a few minutes, but security at the courthouse was unusually high.

 

 

 

Many members of a Surete du Quebec tactical squad, dressed in plainclothes, were visible outside the courtroom as well as inside. It's not every day someone is charged with killing a mobster like Salvatore Montagna, a man who was alleged to be the head of the Bonanno crime family in New York when he was deported to Canada, his birthplace, in 2009, after U.S. authorities realized he wasn't an American citizen.

 

 

 

Duceppe set Jan. 4 as the next court date in the murder case and dealt with a request from Desjardins that he be supplied with a medical device that helps him breathe when he sleeps. Desjardins also said he requires four different types of prescribed medication.

 

Related

 

 

 

The career criminal's health problems were also an issue while he was serving 10 years of a 15-year prison term, from 1993 to 2004, for conspiring with the Hells Angels to smuggle more than 5,000 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. He was denied parole several times while serving that sentence, but was granted special escorted leaves to treat his multiple sclerosis.

 

 

 

At the time of his conviction, Desjardins was a close associate of Vito Rizzuto, the man reputed to have led the Mafia in Montreal until he was extradited to the U.S. in 2006. Rizzuto is currently serving a 10-year prison term there.

 

 

 

Appearing with Desjardins in court Wednesday were Vittorio Mirarchi, 34, and Felice Racaniello, 27. A fourth man, Jack Arthur Simpson, 69, will appear at a later date, prosecutor Eric Cote told Duceppe.

 

 

 

Simpson owns the house on Ile Vaudry, an island just east of Montreal, where Montagna, 40, was killed on Nov. 24. Simpson was arrested for an alleged parole violation days after Montagna was killed. He is serving a 28-year sentence for trafficking more than 300 kilograms of cocaine in California.

 

 

 

All four men are charged with the first-degree murder of Montagna and with conspiring to kill the man police believe was aggressively seeking to take control of the Mafia in Montreal.

 

 

 

Cote informed Duceppe that the conspiracy charge in the indictment will be modified to allege that the plot to kill Montagna began on Sept. 16, the same day someone tried to kill Desjardins in Laval. Desjardins survived the attempt on his life, when a gunman opened fire on two vehicles he and his bodyguard were seated in.

 

 

 

Modifying the conspiracy charge is a clear indication investigators believe Desjardins and Montagna were at war in September even though the two men are believed to have tried to achieve a consensus over the summer about who should assume control over the Mafia in Montreal. The crime organization was left without a leader after a major RCMP investigation and the November 2010 murder of Vito Rizzuto's father, Nicolo.

 

 

 

Cote had no comment about the case after the accused appeared before Duceppe. Meunier, a former prosecutor, and the other defence lawyers also had nothing to say.

 

 

 

Two other men who were arrested Tuesday in the Surete du Quebec investigation into Montagna's murder were also brought to the Joliette courthouse Wednesday morning. The two men — Calogero Milioto, 40, and Pietro (Peter) Magistrale, 59 — were not charged with murder, but they face a long list of weapons-related charges. The firearms were seized while the provincial police force carried out 16 search warrants on Tuesday. Magistrale is charged with storing at least three loaded 9-mm pistols at an undisclosed location in Laval, Que.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Italian Mobsters Girlfriend Turns Rat

 

This may be one reason that women are never inducted into the Mafia. They can't take the heat.

 

In a devastating display of betrayal, Monica Vitale, the "goumada" of Sicilian mob boss Gaspare Parisi, turned cheese-eater and spilled the beans on all of Parisi's illegal activities. The only reason given for her betrayal was that "she could no longer stand his life of crime."

 

After Vitale ran to the law, the Sicilian police went on a 15-month surveillance caper on the gangsters, – where they used listening devices and hidden cameras. As a result, 28 Italian mobsters were arrested, including Parisi, who now must have more than a little bit of Sicilian omelette splashed across his face.

 

Sicilian authorities released the statement, "'This was a very successful operation against Mafia activity in the city and led to 28 people being arrested. It came at the end of 15 months of surveillance and much of the information came from Monica Vitale. She (Vitale) has told everything she knows to a team of detectives and prosecutors and now as a result she is under police protection, as she is a key witness."

 

Some of the other little tidbits that Vitale told the police included:

 

She was used to collect extortion payments from designer boutiques in Palermo.
She overheard a murder being discussed by mobsters during her time with Parisi……. And
Former MP Enzo Fragala was beaten to death in Palermo in February 2010 on the orders of boss Tommasso Di Giovanni after he failed to show respect to the wife of another mobster who had been arrested.

 

The Sicilian Mafia was always supposed to be more astute and more careful than the American Mafia. But I can't imagine an American Mafioso who would get his girlfriend so intimately involved in his activities that she would have enough information to put him away for a very long time.

 

Hell, Tony Soprano never even told his wife Carmela he had a ton of cash hidden in their backyard.

 

Carmela found that stash all on her own.

 

 

 

You can view the article below at:

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...

 

Hell hath no fury: 28 Italian mobsters arrested after Mafia boss's girlfriend turns police informer

 

By Nick Pisa

 

 

 

Italian police today arrested 28 Mafia mobsters after the girlfriend of a Godfather turned informer.

 

Monica Vitale, the partner of boss Gaspare Parisi, spilt the beans on the activities of her lover and his associates because she could no longer stand his life of crime and is now in hiding with round-the-clock protection.

 

With Monica's priceless information officers carried out a 15-month surveillance operation on the gangsters – using listening devices and hidden cameras – finally moving in to make the arrests early this morning in a massive dawn swoop codenamed Pedro.

 

The men were held in a series of raids in Palermo, Sicily, the Mafia's island stronghold – and during the operation it also emerged that one arrested mobster, Calogero Lo Presti, had been extorting money from a TV crew who were making a crime series on the Mafia.

 

Lo Presti and his associates had managed to infiltrate the set of popular TV show Squadra Antimafia (Anti-Mafia Squad), which revolves around a group of brave police officers fighting corruption and organised crime in Palermo.

'She has told everything she knows to a team of detectives and prosecutors and now as a result she is under police protection, as she is a key witness'

 

 

He had managed to secure lucrative contracts with the show for catering and transport and he was recorded boasting to one friend: 'If they carry on paying and using the services we provide they will have no problems on the set.'

 

Video footage released by police in Palermo showed armed officers climbing over fences to launch raids on the villas and houses of those arrested, and in other footage those held were seen having a series of meetings to discuss criminal activity.

 

Miss Vitale, who told police she was used to collect extortion payments from designer boutiques in Palermo, also revealed that she had overheard a murder being discussed by mobsters during her time with Parisi.

 

She told police how lawyer and former MP Enzo Fragala was beaten to death in Palermo in February 2010 on the orders of boss Tommasso Di Giovanni after he 'failed to show respect to the wife of another mobster who had been arrested'.

 

Di Giovanni was among the 28 people held in the police operation. One mobster suffered a fractured leg as he tried to escape police capture by jumping from a staircase. He was under armed guard in hospital.

 

A police spokesman in Palermo said: 'This was a very successful operation against Mafia activity in the city and led to 28 people being arrested. It came at the end of 15 months of surveillance and much of the information came from Monica Vitale.

 

'She has told everything she knows to a team of detectives and prosecutors and now as a result she is under police protection, as she is a key witness.'

 

He added that those arrested had been held on charges of Mafia association, extortion, drug trafficking and robbery.

 

Police named the staircase-jumping Mafia boss as Nicola Milano.

 

Father-and-son mobsters Giovanni and Fabrizio Toscano tried to escape in their pyjamas from a police night raid but were caught.

 

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Hell's Angels and Mafia Allegedly Colluded in Drug Deals

 

This is a case of who you want to believe and who you don't want to believe.

 

According to the Federal government, four men colluded to sell vast amounts of marijuana and steroids in Danbury, New Milford and Wilton, Connecticut, and they were protected by the police departments in all three cities. The Feds also said that the three men involved had ties both to the Bonanno Crime Family and to the Hells Angels.

 

The alleged ringleader of the gang was Mark Mansa, and it was he, the Feds allege, that during a five-year investigation, used his connections with the local police departments to find out that the Feds were closely monitoring his activities. Also indicted in this case is Mansa's longtime friend Glenn Wagner, alleged Bonnano crime family associate Richard Sciacchetano, of Stuart, Fla., and Kevin Lubic, of North Salem, N.Y., an alleged member of the Hell's Angels.

 

The Feds say that Mansa was responsible for bringing more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana into Connecticut, which would be worth between $3 million and $7 million based on local street-value estimates.

 

"Evidence obtained in the case shows that Mansa, with others, is responsible for the flow of a very significant amount of anabolic steroids and marijuana into the state," Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo said during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.

 

However Mansa and Wagner are saying that the Feds are exaggerating the amounts of pot they sold because the Feds want to portray Mansa and Wagner as big-time drug dealers, which would "enhance their (the Feds) chances of seizing homes and other property under federal asset forfeiture laws."

 

"I never sold hundreds of pounds of pot," Wagner said. "Law enforcement lied because they want to use the (forfeiture) money to buy the latest equipment for their investigations."

 

Danbury Police Chief Al Baker said Wagner's claim was a total fabrication. "Our goal is not to enhance our budget through forfeiture, but to arrest drug dealers and remove them from the streets," Baker said.

 

Apparently in 2010, the Feds turned a friend of Mansa, named Steven C. Johnson, also known as "Weirdo Steve" and "Steve the Chemist," after Johnson had been arrested by state and local police on a charge of manufacturing Ecstasy. Johnson agreed to wear a wire on Mansa and several others involved in the drug dealings, in return for a reduced jail sentence.

 

Because of the tapes made by Johnson, Mansa, Wagner and Sciacchetano are expected to enter guilty pleas to reduced charges. Lubic has pleaded not guilty, and is expect to go to trial in March.

 

There's one thing for sure: if you ever decide to go into the drug business, never get involved with anyone named "Weirdo Steve " or "Steve the Chemist."

 

If you do, only bad things could happen.

 

 

 

To view the article below, go to the following link:

 

http://www.newstimes.com/default/arti...

 

Questions remain in alleged steroid ring

 

 

 

A Bethel man was charged with running large-scale steroid and marijuana distribution rings in Greater Danbury. A federal prosecutor said the operations were protected by local police and the customers included "high school-age student athletes."

 

Federal authorities alleged that the criminal enterprise included ties to both the Bonanno crime family and the Hells Angels.

 

Nine months after his arrest, the case of accused ringleader Mark Mansa and several of his co-defendants' cases are each moving toward a resolution, but questions over the most explosive allegations — police corruption and high school steroid use — remain unanswered.

 

Clouds linger over police departments in Danbury, New Milford and Wilton after a federal prosecutor claimed that the five-year investigation was thwarted by Mansa's contacts within the departments who warned him that he was under scrutiny.

 

Despite repeated requests from the chiefs of the three police departments to get information about the investigation, federal officials have not elaborated.

 

At the same time, numerous school administrators, coaches and counselors insist they've seen no signs that their athletes used steroids, either currently or in the previous seven years when prosecutors say Mansa was selling steroids.

 

Most recently, some of the defendants arrested as a result of the combined Danbury police, Connecticut State Police and federal Drug Enforcement Administration investigation told The News-Times the drug rings were never as extensive as law enforcement officials claimed.

 

The defendants also claim that the majority of the cases are based on the words of cooperating witnesses who lied to save their own skins.

 

"A lot of the allegations aren't true," Mansa claimed during a brief phone interview with The News-Times last week.

 

His attorney, Peter Schaffer, said during a court hearing in March that "the level of conspiracy is spelled out in much less detail than many other complaints I've seen in drug cases."

 

Mansa's longtime friend and co-defendant, Glenn Wagner, of Brookfield, was more specific when he spoke with The News-Times early last week.

 

Wagner said investigators exaggerated the amount of marijuana they claim he sold.

 

The reason for that, Wagner alleges, was to portray him as a big-time drug dealer, which would enhance their chances of seizing homes and other property under federal asset forfeiture laws.

 

"I never sold hundreds of pounds of pot," Wagner said while standing in front of his Brookfield home. "(Law enforcement) lied because they want to use the (forfeiture) money to buy the latest equipment for their investigations."

 

Danbury Police Chief Al Baker dismissed those allegations Friday and said Wagner's claim couldn't be further from the truth.

 

"Our goal is not to enhance our budget through forfeiture, but to arrest drug dealers and remove them from the streets," Baker said.

 

The major players

 

Danbury police said Mansa's name first surfaced during another drug case in 2005, but information police developed indicated he might have been selling pot as far back as the early 1990s, according to court documents.

 

Exactly when Mansa got involved with steroids is unclear, but earlier this year, his ex-wife, Susan, told authorities Mansa "blew up" in size about eight years ago. Investigators claim the steroids distribution ring dates to about 2004.

 

By the time authorities were able to infiltrate the alleged ring in 2010, they claim Mansa was selling at least 70 bottles of steroids a month for up to $90 each.

 

During the same period, prosecutors allege the marijuana ring included Wagner, Kevin Lubic, of North Salem, N.Y., and Glenn Wagner, and was responsible for bringing "significant quantities" of marijuana into the area.

 

A federal prosecutor said in court earlier this year that investigators estimate that from January 2010 until his arrest in February, Mansa was responsible for bringing more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana into Connecticut, which would be worth between $3 million and $7 million based on local street-value estimates.

 

"Evidence obtained in the case shows that Mansa, with others, is responsible for the flow of a very significant amount of anabolic steroids and marijuana into the state," Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo said during a March 1 hearing in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.

 

Attorneys for all three co-defendants previously said their clients had no involvement in the steroids operation, a claim supported by court documents made public so far and reiterated by Wagner last week.

 

"I never had anything to do with steroids," he said. "Mark has used steroids for years. That was his thing."

 

OLD FRIENDS

 

The relationship between Mansa, Wagner and Lubic dates back to when they were teenagers in the Mahopac, N.Y., area, Wagner said, adding that Sciacchetano, who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the time, was their marijuana connection.

 

Authorities allege that Sciacchetano, who has a previous drug trafficking conviction for moving "more than 54,000 pounds of marijuana," according to a federal prosecutor, has ties with the Bonanno crime family.

 

Vizcarrondo said Sciacchetano was "the primary, although not the exclusive" marijuana source for Mansa and his co-defendants in the case.

 

Lubic, who authorities say is a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, continued to socialize with Mansa and Wagner after the latter two moved to Connecticut, where Mansa went into business and Wagner became a national sales manager for a medical supply company.

 

Mansa appeared to settle into suburban life, heading a company that sold outdoor furniture and working for a credit card processing firm. He also became involved in local youth sports organizations.

 

Wagner said his sales job, which he eventually gave up after developing a blood-clotting disorder and several other serious medical problems, and not marijuana sales, provided the income he used to buy the two houses the government is trying to seize.

 

Lubic was arrested on a federal marijuana trafficking charge in New York state in 2000, and was released from prison in 2007 after serving a 77-month sentence.

 

It was after Lubic's release from prison that federal prosecutors say the alleged marijuana ring got up and running.

 

Neither Mansa nor Lubic showed any legitimate income in the four years prior to their arrests, investigators said. But Mansa still managed to purchase property on Old Hawleyville Road in Bethel last year for $95,000. He also allegedly bragged to a cooperating witness that he had $280,000 to build a home on the site.

 

The government is attempting to seize that home as well as another home on Empire Lane in Bethel that Mansa purchased with his wife, now his ex-wife, in 1995.

 

Cooperating witnesses, wiretaps

 

Although Danbury police, state police and the DEA had been looking into Mansa for years, efforts to infiltrate his operation were unsuccessful because he was "extremely law enforcement sensitive," a federal prosecutor said.

 

It wasn't until March 2010 when police, using a cooperating witness who'd known Mansa for five years, finally managed to get inside the alleged steroids ring, court records show.

 

Three times, the cooperating witness bought steroids from Mansa, officials said, allowing investigators to get a court warrant to tap his cellphone.

 

On July 30, 2010, the informant told investigators he had arranged to purchase more steroids and Mansa would be picking them up from his source in Danbury.

 

Investigators followed Mansa to an apartment on Lake Avenue in Danbury, where he allegedly purchased the drugs from a man police knew well: Steven C. Johnson.

 

At the time, Johnson — also known as "Weirdo Steve" and "Steve the Chemist" — had already been in trouble with the law.

 

Just about a year earlier, Johnson had been busted by state and local police on a charge of manufacturing Ecstasy in an apartment on Jeannette Street.

 

Johnson was arrested again in September 2010 when he was observed mailing a package that was later proven to contain steroids, court documents state.

 

It was after that arrest that Johnson agreed to become an informant.

 

Court documents identify Johnson as a cooperating witness, and for several months, he wore a wire during meetings with Mansa and others the government sought to arrest in order to enlist their cooperation in the steroids investigation.

 

In exchange, Johnson's state charges were transferred to federal court, where his case remains pending.

 

But the federal court file has been sealed, and no further information — beyond the charges and the fact Johnson is free on $50,000 bond — is available to the public.

 

Several attempts to contact Johnson last week were unsuccessful.

 

building bodies and a case

 

"People knew he was bad news," local body builder P.J. Braun told The News-Times during a brief interview in front of his home in Danbury.

 

Braun said it was his encounter with Johnson in September 2010 that led to his arrest by Danbury Special Investigations Division detectives in March.

 

Johnson told police he had been selling steroids to Braun since 2004, according to the body builder's arrest warrant affidavit. Johnson also told police that Braun would occasionally purchase enough steroids to re-sell to others, a claim Braun denies.

 

Braun was never charged with selling steroids, but he was charged with illegal possession of a prescription painkiller. He was later admitted into a 10-hour drug education program and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, after which the criminal case would be dismissed.

 

Braun, who said he's been friends with Mansa since meeting him at a local gym, said investigators tried to get him to turn on Mansa.

 

"They questioned me about Mark for over an hour," Braun told The News-Times last week. "They said, `We need you to help us prove he is as big as we think he is.' I didn't know anything."

 

Braun also said he didn't believe Mansa sold steroids to high school students.

 

"Obviously, he was doing some pretty crazy stuff," Braun said. "But the last thing he would be doing would be nickel-and-diming kids in high school."

 

Despite claims that authorities exaggerated the amount of drugs Mansa's operations was responsible for selling, statements allegedly made by the defendants in various court documents cast doubt on their own credibility.

 

Even though Wagner denied moving large quantities of marijuana, he allegedly told the police that he had been receiving 20 to 30 pounds a month from Sciacchetano and others for the past three years, according to government forfeiture applications for his two homes.

 

In the same document, a DEA agent quotes Wagner as saying that Mansa was getting 20 to 50 pounds of pot each month.

 

While denying ownership of the marijuana seized from his houses in February, saying he was just holding it for Sciacchetano, police said Wagner told them he still owed the Florida man $50,000 for the drugs.

 

On Wednesday, a federal magistrate ordered Wagner back to jail after he violated conditions of his probation. He's scheduled to appear in court Tuesday to change his plea to guilty.

 

Mansa and Sciacchetano also have court dates, tentatively set for the end of this month, to enter guilty pleas.

 

At this point only Lubic has shown no indication of changing his plea. His case is scheduled for trial in March.

 

Source: newstimes.com

 

 

 

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Four Arrests in the Murder of Sal Montagna

It seems like the police have been very busy in Montreal arresting Mafia members in the murder of Salvatore "Sal the Iron Worker" Montagna. But in a bit of a twist, the police are alleging that Canadian Hell's Angels members were also involved in Montagna's murder.

 

Four men were arrested in Montreal for the murder of Montagna. They are: Raynald Desjardins, 59, Vittorio Mirarchi, 34, and Felice Racaniello, 27, all from the Montreal metropolitan area. Two other people were arrested, but their names have not been released by the police, pending their formal arraignment. Desjardins, Mirarchi, and Racaniello have all been charged by a Canadian magistrate with first degree murder, as was Jack Simpson, 69, who owned the house where Montagna was shot last month.

 

Inspector Michel Forget, assistant director of criminal investigations and intelligence for the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police agency, told the New York Post, "Mr. Montagna was an important figure in coming back to Canadian soil, and namely, got into bad terms with other factions of organized crime. The organization that we dismantled today was linked to traditional organized crime groups, but also to motorcycle gangs."

 

Apparently Montagna was lured to the house with the ruse of discussing the future leadership of Montreal's mob, which has been weakened in recent years by arrests and assassinations. After Montagna was shot several times, he managed to escape and jump into a frigid river. Despite his mortal wounds, Montagna was able to swim to the other side, where he perished in a pile of snow.

 

The Canadian police, along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Montreal city police, and two suburban police agencies in metro Montreal, have executed 16 search warrants in the Montreal area, and more arrest are expected.

 

No matter how many mob men are arrested, in Canada, or anywhere else, someone always emerges from the shadows to take control of an organized crime gang. It's been this way for centuries and it's not about to change any time soon.

 

 

 

You can read the article below at:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ca...

 

Canadian cops cuff & charge four with murdering Bonanno boss

 

By MITCHEL MADDUX

 

Last Updated: 4:53 PM, December 20, 2011

 

Posted: 3:46 PM, December 20, 2011

More Print

 

In a massive action targeting organized crime groups, Canadian police today arrested four men and charged them with murdering the former street boss of New York's Bonanno crime family.

 

Salvatore "Sal the Iron Worker" Montagna collapsed in a pool of blood outside Montreal late last month after making a bid to lead Quebec's La Cosa Nostra crime family, officials said.

 

Those arrested today included senior figures in the Montreal Mafia – as well as those with links to the Hells Angels, the outlaw biker gang that is heavily involved in organized crime and drug trafficking in Quebec, sources told The Post.

Sun Media / Splash News

A man reported to be Salvatore Montagna, a former reputed New York mafia boss, lies on the ground after being shot Thursday Nov 24, 2011 near the Assomption River in Charlemagne near Montreal.

 

Montagna's return to Canada – following his deportation several years ago from New York – sent tremors throughout Quebec's organized crime world, as the mobster began to lobby to head Montreal's La Cosa Nostra family, officials said.

 

"Mr. Montagna was an important figure in coming back to Canadian soil, and namely, got into to bad terms with other factions of organized crime," Inspector Michel Forget, assistant director of criminal investigations and intelligence for the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police agency, told The Post.

 

More than 200 officers fanned out across Quebec early today, and with the help of tactical units, arrested six people.

 

""The organization that we dismantled today was linked to traditional organized crime groups, but also to motorcycle gangs," Forget told The Post.

 

Among those charged with Montagna's murder were Raynald Desjardins, 59, Vittorio Mirarchi, 34, and Felice Racaniello, 27, all from the Montreal metropolitan area, officials said.

 

"Mr. Desjardins is a very important organized crime figure" in Quebec, Forget told The Post.

 

The three men have been charged by a Canadian magistrate with first degree murder – as was Jack Simpson, 69, who owned the house where Montagna was attacked last month.

 

Simpson has been in custody for the past three weeks, following his arrest in Ontario on parole violation charges, officials said.

 

He was convicted in a California state court on drug trafficking charges stemming from plan to transport large quantities of narcotics from southern California to New York City, according to official records.

 

Several years ago, Simpson was allowed by California prison authorities to serve out his sentence in a Canadian penal institution and was later paroled there, records show.

 

The four men charged today with Montagna's murder face a sentence of 25 years to life if convicted, officials said.

 

Two others also were arrested today for allegedly playing a support role in Montagna's death, but police said they will not release their names until they are formally charged by a magistrate.

 

Prior to his death, Montagna reportedly had been engaged in discussions over the future leadership of Montreal's mob, which has been weakened in recent years by arrests and assassinations.

 

On the morning of on Nov. 24, witnesses heard gunshots as Montagna left the house owned by Simpson in a working class suburb outside Montreal, officials said.

 

Police believed he then jumped into a frigid river and swam to the opposite bank, before dying in a bed of snow.

 

Investigators believed a confrontation took place at the house, but have not released details about the killing.

 

"We think something happened – a struggle, a fight – something happened there," Sgt. Benoit Richard of the Sûreté du Québec, the told The Post last month.

 

Days later, Simpson was arrested in Ottawa by a tactical team from the Ontario Provincial Police, but the arrest stemmed from a parole violation..

 

Montagna, who was born in Canada but spent much of his life in Sicily and in the US, ascended to the top of the Bonannos at a time when the New York crime family's ranks were being gutted by Brooklyn federal prosecutors.

 

He was just 35-years-old when he succeeded boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, but was deported by US authorities in 2009 after a criminal conviction.

 

Today's sweep – uncharacteristcally large by Canadian standards – involved officers from the Quebec provincial police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Montreal city police, and two suburban police agencies in metro Montreal, officials said.

 

Officers – some heavily armed – served more than 16 search warrants in the early morning raid.

 

mmaddux@nypost.com