Joseph Bruno's Blog, page 71

Joe Bruno on the Mob – 37 Reputed Gambino Crime Family Members Arrested

This just doesn't sound right. Usually when you lose a lot of money to a bookie, you're cut off from gambling, until you pay back what you owe.

But according to the article below in the Staten Island Advance, "'Once the bettors started losing, many were forced to keep pressing their luck – some loansharking victims were required to keep placing wagers on the numbers under the terms of their loans,' said authorities."

I've known dozens of people who bet on bad sports teams, and sometimes on three-legged horses. Once they got into a hole with the bookies, some of these people borrowed money from shylocks (loansharks), just to pay their bookies. But the word from both the bookies and shylocks, who were usually affiliated with the bookies, was always something like, "You can't bet any more with us until you get straightened out. And don't think you can bet with other bookies either, because we'll find out about it and we won't be too happy."

Never have I heard of any gambler who was encouraged to bet, or even worse, compelled to bet, when they were stuck deep into a gambling hole. It just doesn't make good business sense, either for the bookie, or for the shylock. The name of the game is to collect your vig; collect your money. Not force people so deeply in debt, that they might do something foolish, like going on the lam. Then the shylock's money is gone for good, and one source of his cash flow is completely stopped. Plus, it might give other people ideas that they could do the same thing and get away with it.

No, I don't buy it. Something was either lost in the translation, or the information provided to the Staten Island Advance by unnamed "authorities" is a stretch on the truth.

Sometimes law enforcement officials think if they throw enough spit on the wall, some of it will stick. I don't know if the 37 men arrested are guilty, or not guilty. But I did notice that the vast majority of them have names that end with vowels. It's like only Italian/Americans (Mafia) are involved in illegal gambling? Tell me the Jews, Albanians, Chinese, Dominicans, Jamaicans, and Russians don't gamble illegally with their own people, and I'll sell you the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Like I mentioned in other blogs before, Mafia busts make big headlines in the newspapers, and on TV. And in most cases, Mafia busts also advance the careers of those in law enforcement who are involved in the arrests and prosecution of alleged Mafia members, or associates.

You want proof of that? Just consider what's big on the tube. The Sopranos. Jersey Shore. Mafia Wives. You get the picture.

I'm still waiting for the day when I read something in the press about other ethnic groups besides Italians, 37 people – 126 people – whatever, having mass arrests perpetrated on their people for such crimes as gambling, or loansharking; hardly the most vicious, or harmful of crimes, no matter what NY City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says in the article below.

I'm also still waiting for Godot.

The article below can be read at:

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/...

Gambling bust nabs 14 Islanders in Gambino crime family-controlled ring

Published: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 6:19 AM Updated: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 7:42 AM

Associated PressAttorney General Eric Schneiderman By JOHN ANNESE and FRANK DONNELLY

Talk about predatory lending – authorities say they've busted a mob-run loansharking and gambling operation that forced its debtors to keep on betting the numbers as a condition of borrowing cash.

Yesterday, the state attorney general's office and the NYPD arrested 37 people – 14 of them from Staten Island – in connection with a Gambino crime family-controlled ring that brought in millions of dollars.

VIEW CHARTS OF THE ARRESTED (Courtesy Attorney General Schneiderman's office)

Authorities dubbed their investigation "Operation Flat Rate," and focused on three interconnected criminal enterprises – two illegal sports-gambling operations run through off-shore wire rooms, and a "policy operation" wherein people placed wagers on daily New York Lottery results, authorities allege.

The sports-betting operations generated millions of dollars' worth of wagers on college and professional sports, as well as horse races, said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The "policy" piece of the conspiracy brought in more than $40,000 a week, with bets placed on the New York Lottery's "Numbers" and "Win 4″ games in an illegal playing-the-numbers scheme, according to court papers.

And once the bettors started losing, many were forced to keep pressing their luck – some loansharking victims were required to keep placing wagers on the numbers under the terms of their loans, said authorities.

Officials said the arrests were based on wire taps, GPS tracking, bugs inside key locations and surveillance throughout the streets of the Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey. Some suspects conducted business on street corners in hopes of escaping detection, said authorities.

The ring used several websites for bettors to place wagers, while members of the conspiracy occasionally met on the Island – including, according to court papers, "in the vicinity of Angelina's Restaurant on Staten Island" on Sept. 11, 2010, and at Mike's Diner on Hylan Boulevard on July 28, 2010.

Authorities put several Islanders at the top of the three enterprises, including purported Gambino soldiers or "made men" Vincent Romano, 74, and James Outerie, 57, and purported Gambino associates or "non-made members" Louis Peteroy, 64; Frank Esposito, 56; Christopher Sorrentino, 53, and Nicolas Fulciniti, 41

Romano and Anthony Crapanzo, 49, of Barnegat, N.J., each took the helm of a sports bookmaking operation, while Louis Lombardo, 41, a reputed non-made Gambino member from Brooklyn, served as the bank for the policy arm of the ring, authorities allege.

Another Islander, Michelle Valente, 35, was charged with conspiracy in connection with the policy operation.

The other borough residents accused in the scheme are Steven Fusco, 51; Arthur Lento, 46; David Franzese, 32; Bernadette Impliazzo, 50; Joseph Casazza, 28; Mark Sini, 35; and Nicholas Disbrow, 30.

The suspects were rounded up yesterday in a series of early-morning raids and ushered into Brooklyn state Supreme Court for arraignment.

"These arrests cripple a network of criminal enterprises and the organized crime family they supported," Schneiderman said in a statement.

Said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, "Illegal gambling rings not only promote addiction and burden families with debt from usurious loans, but the proceeds from gambling and loansharking are used to fuel organized crime and support harmful criminal enterprises."

Nearly all the suspects were charged with enterprise corruption, which carries a maximum penalty of eight and a-third to 25 years, said authorities. Esposito and Sorrentino were also accused of extorting victims to collect weekly interest payments.

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Joe Bruno on the Mob – Three Hells Angels Charged With the Murder of a Key Witness

Two innocent men were allegedly killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

David Glasser had agreed to become a witness in the trial of Hells Angel gang member Adam Lee Hall, who was facing trial for kidnapping, extortion, witness intimidation and other charges. Hall was identified by the police as the sergeant at arms for the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels.

According to the police, Hall, along with fellow gang members David Chalue and Caius Veiovis, went to the Pittsfield, Mass. home of Glasser to kill him before he could testify against Hall. At Glasser's home at the time of the alleged three killers arrival were the unlucky duo of Edward Frampton (Glasser's roommate), and Robert Chadwell. Not wanting to leave any witnesses, the police say that Hall, Chalue and Veiovis killed Frampton and Chardwell, along with Glasser. The bodies of the three men were found buried in a shallow grave in Berkshire County. Police have also said that blood was found inside the cars driven by Chalue and Veiovis.

Velvois is a particularly scary looking individual. His police mug shot shows a "666″ tattoo (the Devil's Sign) on his forehead, horn implants under his scalp from his forehead to his nose, eyebrow and nose piercings (with a bull's horn coming out of each nostril), and a tattoo that runs from his earlobe to his nose.

All three gang members have pleaded innocent to the murders and are awaiting trial.

An interesting bit of information is that The Berkshire Eagle has reported that Hall, who was reportedly free on bail when the killings occurred, was so desperate to avoid going back into the can, he recently went to the FBI and offered to become an informant. According to the newspaper report, the Feds turned down Hall's offer, saying he was "uncontrollable and much too dangerous."

If this is true, and you can't always believe everything you read in the newspapers, I don't think Hall's pals, Chalue and Veiovis, are going to be too happy with their fellow gang member's actions.

The article below can be read at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/natio...

Hells Angel accused of murder lives up to his name with wild tattoos and horn implants

BY LARRY MCSHANE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A Hells Angels honcho and two other men – one with a Satanic "666″ tattooed on his forehead – were charged with killing a key witness in the biker's upcoming trial.

The trio, all behind bars Tuesday in Massachusetts with no bail, also killed two other men to cover up the slaying of witness David Glasser, 44, police said.

The dead man was slated to testify against motorcycle gang member Adam Lee Hall, 34, who was facing trial this month for kidnapping, extortion, witness intimidation and other charges.

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Hall was identified by authorities as the sergeant at arms for the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels.

Arrested with Hall were David Chalue, 44 and Caius Veiovis, 31. The latter's scary mugshot featured his "666″ tattoo, horn implants under his scalp, piercings in his nose and eyebrow and another tattoo stretching from his earlobe to his nose.

Police said that blood was found inside the cars driven by Chalue and Veiovis – who smirked at spectators inside the courtroom at his Monday arraignment.

Heavy security greeted the suspects when they arrived at Central Berkshire District Court.

All three men pleaded not guilty to the murders of Glasser, Edward Frampton, 58 and Robert Chadwell, 47. The three men disappeared on the weekend of Aug. 27-28 from a Pittsfield, Mass., home shared by Glasser and Frampton.

According to authorities, the accused killers came to the residence to abduct Glasser – and snatched up his two friends for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Autopsies were scheduled to determine how the victims were killed. Their bodies were found buried this weekend in Berkshire County.

Hall was reportedly free on bail when the killings occurred. The biker was so desperate to avoid going back to jail that he recently offered to become an FBI informant – only to have the feds reject him as "uncontrollable and much too dangerous," according to The Berkshire Eagle.

lmcshane@nydailynews.com

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Does the Arrest of Mark Rossetti Mean the New England Mafia is Dead?

If anyone thinks that the arrests of high ranking New England Mafia leaders, including FBI informant Mark Rossetti, means the Mafia is dead in that area, or in any area where mass arrests have been recently made, they also believe in the tooth fairy.

It's commonly accepted in the mob that when one person goes to jail, another person rises from the ashes to take their place. Mob guys feign concern that their pals are going to the can, probably for a very long time. But in truth, they're smiling on the inside, knowing that their position has just been bumped up to where they can garner more respect, and more importantly, make substantially more money.

The only problem is that sometimes the guy who is getting the promotion is not as quality a Mafioso as they guy he is replacing. But the opposite is also sometimes true. And believe me, there will never be a shortage of guys who want to get their button; kill to get their button. So in effect, the Mafia will never end, and any law enforcement person who says they are dying, is just spitting into the wind.

Sure, there are more mob rats coming out of the woodwork than ever before. And this is hurting the inner strength of the Mafia, where the vow of omerta was once sacrosanct. But the true smart mob guys keep their mouths shut, while the guys who wind up in the can, usually had a bad case of motor-mouth, or were, in some cases, just plain unlucky, or grossly incompetent.

The line moves on. More arrests will be made. The FBI will claim more victories. But in the final analysis, businesses, legal and illegal, controlled by organized crime and the Mafia will never cease to exist.

The article below can be read at:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/u...

End of the mob?

Ranks of once-feared Mafia "decimated"

Updated: Sunday, 16 Oct 2011, 11:21 PM EDT

Published : Sunday, 16 Oct 2011, 11:21 PM EDT

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – As the sun set one fall night in 2009, a who's-who of the New England Mafia arrived at an East Boston funeral home.

It was a wake for the mother of purported mob captain Mark Rossetti, but authorities now say there was more at foot than mourning. At the wake, and a dinner at a nearby restaurant afterward, there was also business to be discussed.

According to a federal indictment unsealed last month, a high ranking Mafia figure and another Mafia member "…discussed among other things, the distribution of proceeds from the extortion of, Rhode Island strip clubs…."

It was a meeting secretly caught on video by FOX Undercover, but we weren't the only ones reporting on what happened.

The two Mafia figures, according to the indictment, were "known to the grand jury" which handed up the indictment, which likely means that at least one of these men testified about the meeting.

FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet asked Michael Sullivan, a former US Attorney for Massachusetts, about the indictment.

"It seems like there's a rat in the restaurant," Beaudet said.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a rat, but I suspect people sitting at that meeting are trying to narrow it down in terms of who is the source of the information that they have in the indictment," Sullivan replied.

"Clearly we weren't the only ones watching them that night," Beaudet said.

"It doesn't appear that way based on the indictment," Sullivan said.

That 2009 get-together included Peter Limone, whom authorities say was running the New England mob at the time, and Robert DeLuca, another alleged high-powered Mafioso from Providence, and other purported Mafia leaders, soldiers and associates. But in the two years since that meeting the ranks have been decimated by arrests and revelations of informants.

"Is the Mafia as we know it, over?" Beaudet asked Sullivan, who oversaw several organized crime investigations as the top federal prosecutor in the state.

"No, I can't say it's completely over. I think it's clearly been decimated and I think it's probably now being challenged by what's on the management side often referred to the Peter Principle, where people are being elevated within the organization because of the tremendous voids that have been created as a result of law enforcement activity," Sullivan said.

The latest indictment came last month from the US Attorney's office in Rhode Island. The indictment alleges that, starting around the time of the wake up until last month, a Mafia captain would travel from Rhode Island to Massachusetts "…to pay a portion of the money collected from the adult entertainment industry to the (New England Mafia) leadership."

Those charged in the latest case include Louis "Baby Shanks" Manocchio of Providence. Manocchio was the former boss of the New England Mafia until the power center shifted to Boston a few years ago, authorities say.

In addition to the latest indictment, state and federal authorities have charged many of the men they say ran the mob in New England, including Carmen "The Cheesman" DiNunzio, who's in federal prison. Limone pleaded no contest to running an organized crime gambling ring. Rossetti, the purported captain, and Darin Bufalino, another alleged Mafioso, are both locked up awaiting trial.

Rossetti is facing state charges alleging drug trafficking, gambling and extortion. As his case has proceeded, revelations have also surfaced that Rossetti was a long-time FBI informant who, while passing on information to the feds, was also allegedly committing serious, violent crimes.

"What happened to the code of silence?" Beaudet asked Sullivan.

"You wonder if it was ever really a true code of silence. It seems that as people began to get jammed up and they looked at these long sentences, in some instances, life sentences, they realized the person they're going to be most loyal to is themselves," Sullivan replied.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jeff Sallet said as much at a press conference last month about the Providence indictments.

"The criminal activity of the New England La Cosa Nostra has been severely disrupted. In simple terms, the Providence Organized Crime Task Force has shattered omerta, the New England (La Cosa Nostra's) code of silence," Sallet said.

He added, "We will use every capability and tool we have at our disposal to continue dismantling the New England La Cosa Nostra and thwart other groups from being entrenched in our communities."

The Massachusetts State Police declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing criminal case involving Rossetti. The FBI agreed to an interview but, after learning the State Police declined to talk, later cancelled that interview.

Sullivan suspects there are serious players still around, "But they're certainly on everybody's radar screen."

"I'm confident that they're constantly looking over their shoulders because they know there is no loyalty within the organization…when they've seen over a period of time some of the highest ranking members of their organization become cooperators with the government, they know that they can't trust anybody," Sullivan said.

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Joe Bruno on the Mob – Bernie Madoff's Daughter-in-Law Wants to Spit in His Face

If there ever was a true mobster, it was Bernie Madoff. Madoff will never again see the light of day outside a prison, but if he did, he daughter-in-law Stephanie Madoff-Mack would like nothing better than to spit in his face.

Madoff-Mack is the wife of Madoff's late son Mark Madoff, who committed suicide rather than live in the same world as his father. Despondent over the scandal his father caused, Mark Madoff hung himself in his So-Ho apartment on the second anniversary of his father's arrest. He left Madoff-Mack a widow and their two children orphans. Now Madoff-Mack is fighting back against her hated father-in- law by writing a book entitled "The End Of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life," which is the only book written on the Madoff swindle written by a relative.

On a book tour promoting her book, Madoff-Mack was asked by ABC what she would say to Madoff if she came face to face with him.

"I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband," Madoff-Mack said. "And I'd spit in his face. My husband Mark took his own life and regardless of what you feel about my father-in-law and his monstrous crimes, Mark's children are innocent victims and this is tragic for them."

Now Bernie Madoff did a lot of bad things to a lot of people, but he did provide his family, including his late son and his son's wife, with a life of luxury enjoyed by very few people on this earth. I find it virtually impossible to believe that Madoff's two sons, Mark and Andrew, his wife Ruth, and his brother Peter knew nothing about a Ponzi scheme Madoff had been running for as long as 20 years. They all worked in the same office with Bernie and they had to be either blind, or dumb, or both, not to realize what Bernie was doing. So Bernie gets caught, gets convicted, and is doing his time like a man. And his son Mark, obviously not as tough a man as his father, takes the coward's way out and takes his own life.

Sure, I feel sorry for Madoff-Mack and her two children, who are innocent victims of Bernie Madoff's schemes. (I'm assuming Madoff-Mack knew nothing about what Bernie was doing). However, I feel more sorry for the thousands of victims that Bernie took to the cleansers, in some cases, cleaning out their entire life savings. Some of those people committed suicide too. Others had their lives totally ruined. My sympathies lie completely with them. Not with the Madoffs.

Madoff-Mack probably needs the payday from writing the book to support her two children. So I don't begrudge her doing so.

But I don't see myself shelling out the shekels necessary to purchase this book. The less I hear about Bernie Madoff and his family, the better I feel.

The article below can be read at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_cr...

Bernie Madoff's daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff-Mack, blames Ponzi king for suicide of her husband

BY Corky Siemaszko

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, October 17th 2011, 1:02 PM

Bryan Smith for News

If Bernie Madoff ever comes face-to-face again with his daughter-in-law, he might want to make sure they are separated by protective glass.

Stephanie Madoff-Mack, in an upcoming ABC News interview, says she has nothing but contempt for the fallen Ponzi king.

"I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband," Madoff-Mack tells ABC News in an upcoming interview. "And I'd spit in his face."

Madoff-Mack also said, "My husband Mark took his own life and regardless of what you feel about my father-in-law and his monstrous crimes, Mark's children are innocent victims and this is tragic for them,"

The grieving widow has stayed mostly silent since Mark Madoff, the 46-year-old son the super swindler, hung himself last year in his SoHo condo on the second anniversary of his dad's arrest.

On the season premiere of "20/20″ this Friday, Madoff-Mack reveals to ABC anchor Chris Cuomo that Madoff wrote her from prison after the suicide – and talks about how she has been dealing with after effects of a scandal that made the name Madoff synonymous with greed.

Left to raise two kids on her own, Madoff-Mack is speaking out now in advance of the Oct. 20 release of her new autobiography, "The End Of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life." She is also scheduled to appear next Monday on "Good Morning America."

Her publisher, Blue Rider Press, is billing the book as the "first genuine account" of the Madoff scandal from a relative.

They have not revealed how much they paid Madoff-Mack to divulge her family's secrets.

Some of them are no doubt painful. In a statement after the suicide, Madoff-Mack hinted at the emotional pain her family endured.

"My husband Mark took his own life and regardless of what you feel about my father-in-law and his monstrous crimes, Mark's children are innocent victims and this is tragic for them," she said.

csiemaszko@nydailynews.com

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Joe Bruno on the Mob – Hells Angel Killed At Funeral For Jeffrey Pettigrew

In an extreme case of breaking protocol, Steve Tausan, 52, a Hells Angels biker, was shot to death at the funeral of Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, the head of the club's San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels. Pettigrew was allegedly killed by Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, a member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang during a fight between the two factions inside a Reno, Nevada casino on September 23. Tausan, a bail bondman who was nicknamed "Mr 187," had recently told the the San Jose Mercury News that he had received death threats after the murder of Pettigrew.

No one was arrested for the murder of Tausan, and the police said at the present time they have no suspects.

What was so unusual about Tausan's murder, is that the crowd at Pettigrew's funeral was teeming with police officers, looking for possible retributions for Pettigrew's murder. Still Tausan's murder was still accomplished with the police being none the wiser.

How could that possibly happen?

Where police officers in attendance at the funeral under the supervision of Inspector Clouseau? Or maybe Mister Magoo?

Mourners at Pettigrew's funeral were dumbfounded that a murder could take place at his funeral. Valerie Hoffman told the local NBC affiliate, "I've known Hells Angels and all the other groups for years and years and years, and there is a code of ethics. You never do anything at a funeral. I mean that is just completely abominable."

Be that as it may, as I predicted in a previous blog, groups like the Hells Angels never rat to the cops. They handle matters, like the death of Pettigrew, in house. And usually with great finality.

My guess is that we have not seen the end of this situation.

And it could get uglier by the minute.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/natio...

Hells Angels member, Steve Tausan, murdered while attending funeral of slain Hells Angels leader

BY Philip Caulfield

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, October 16th 2011, 2:46 PM

A member of the Santa Cruz chapter of the Hells Angels was shot and killed while he was attending a funeral for one of the biker gang's slain bosses on Saturday.

A California Hells Angels gang member was shot and killed while attending a funeral for one of the fearsome biker crew's leaders, who was slain in a casino shootout last month, police said.

Steve Tausan, 52, was gunned down at a San Jose cemetery at around 1 p.m. on Saturday as he and thousands of other Hells Angels members were grieving the death of Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, the head of the club's San Jose chapter, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

He died later at a hospital, police said.

Pettigrew was shot and killed by an alleged member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang during a brawl between the two crews inside a Reno, Nev., casino on Sept. 23.

Vagos member Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez was charged with Pettigrew's murder, according to local reports.

Tausan, a bail bondsman who was nicknamed "Mr. 187," the California penal code for murder, had told the San Jose Mercury News that he had received death threats following Pettigrew's killing, that newspaper said.

No one was arrested in the shooting and police said they have no suspects.

Witnesses said they were shocked by the murder because Pettigrew's funeral was crawling with cops.

"I've known Hells Angels and all the other groups for years and years and years, and there is a code of ethics," witness Valerie Hoffman told the local NBC affiliate.

"You never do anything at a funeral. I mean that is just completely abominable."

In 1999, Tausan was tried for murder in the savage beating death of a customer at a west San Jose strip club two years earlier, according to local reports.

He and the club's manager were acquitted after a jury found they acted in self defense.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – City View Trolley Tours – Key West Florida

Joe Bruno on the Mob – City View Trolley Tours – Key West Florida

Okay, even a guy who writes about mob guys needs a break once in a while. So me and the wife took a four-day vacation to Key West, Florida for a little R&R before I go back to mob-busting again.

The quandary you face when going to Key West is what to see and how to see it. There are scores of attractions to see and great food to eat at dozens of restaurants. And every hotel, and even the Key West Express boat we took to Key West from Fort Myers, is pushing a Trolley Tour Bus that goes for 29 bucks for maybe an hour, or so, tour of downtown Key West.

So we decided not to decide on anything until we actually took a cab to downtown Key West from our Comfort Inn Hotel. Our cab driver Richie from Brooklyn (who moonlights as an excellent drummer for several Key West bands) dropped us off at stop number 5 on the City View Trolley Tour. We stepped up to the information counter and was greeted by a cheerful young lad named Marty. We asked Marty a few questions, which he answered effortlessly, and then Marty told us about the City View Trolley Tour.

The City View Trolley Tour makes eight stops in all, each stop having it's own great tourist must-sees in the area. And get this: you can get off the bus as many times time you want, get on as many times as you want, see the sights, and a bus stops every 15 minutes at all eight stops to pick you up again and continue on the tour. And if you want to take the tour again that day, no problem. Just get on the bus again at any of the eight stops. The City View Trolley Tour costs only $19 a person, and if you come back the following day, it's only 9 bucks a person.

The best part of the tour is the constant banter and boundless information the cheerful and always humorous bus driver regales you with over the bus loud speakers, as he tools around downtown Key West. It seems that every street on Key West has it's own story, and even the cemetery is filled with fun-stuff information. Like the one tombstone that says, "I told you I was sick." And another tombstone, where a weary wife put on her philandering husband's tombstone, "At least I know where you're sleeping tonight."

In the course of the two days we took riding the City View Trolley Tour, we must have seen everything two or three times, but never told in the same manner, by one of the tour buses dozen or so drivers. Of course tips are permitted, and believe me even a buck or two is greatly appreciated, and much deserved.

In addition, Marty gave us several discount tickets for various attractions, and bars and restaurants, including 2 for 1drink coupons (he gave us four) for the Conch Republic Seafood Company, which has the best sea food this side of heaven.

One place you must see in Key West is the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum ($12.50 per person). A nice lady gave us a grand tour of Hemingway's house, and besides all the great tales of Ernie, you get to see 44 of Hemingway's six-toed cats, which are all descendants of Hemingway's original six-toed cats. (Actually, the genes for six toes are present in all the cats, but only about a half of them actually have six toes.)

Other grand tour must-sees are: Harry Truman's Little White House, West Martello Tower, Southernmost Point (which is actually the Southernmost tip of the United States), all of Duval Street (which is like Key West's Broadway), Clinton Square Market, Higgs Beach, Pat Croce's Rum Barrell, Sloppy Joe's Bar (Sloppy Joe Russell was Hemingway's best friend in Key West), Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.

So remember this folks, if you plan on visiting Key West for the first time, or maybe you've been there before but wanted to see more of the attractions, stop at the City View Trolley Tour. The main office and stop number one is located at 105 Whitehead Street, right across the street from the Clinton Square Customs House. Or see Marty at stop number 5, where you can also buy tour tickets, Stop 5 is located one block from the Southernmost Point near the end of Duval Street (upper Duval Street.

As for me, I'm back home and have my head up the butts of the world's worst mobsters again. But I'm looking forward to going back to Key West as soon as possible. And of course, I'll take the City View Trolley Tour again. Maybe twice.

If Key West was good enough for Ernest Hemingway, it's certainly good enough for little old me.

PS – Did I mention Al Capone visited Key West frequently when he had his winter home in Miami Beach? I wonder where he buried all the bodies.

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Joe Bruno on the Mob – Mafia Corruption in Italy linked to 126 Hospital Deaths

When the Mafia and the 'Ndrangheta' start running hospitals in Italy, people die in droves. And, according to several respected Italian experts in the field, this is exactly what is happening right now.

According to a report by Leoluca Orlando, in the past two years, of the 276 suspicious hospital deaths in the entire country of Italy, 126 of them occurred either in Sicily, which is plagued by the Mafia, or in Calabria, where the organized crime group 'Ndrangheta' rules the roost.

According to Corrado De Rosa, author of the Mafia exposé "The Doctors of the Camorra," "Healthcare in the south has serious problems because politicians don't know how to administer it properly and because of the collusion with the Mafia. This makes the financial situation even worse and the health services cut the quality of the care they give because they haven't got enough money."

With the Mafia and the 'Ndrangheta' effectively stealing the money from the hospitals in the areas in which they control, literally millions of dollars that were supposed to have gone into the heath care system, have entirely disappeared. As a result, the people admitted to those hospital have received inadequate heath care. The case that made the most noise in the Calabrian newspapers was that of 16-year-old Eva Ruscio, who died at a Calabrian hospital only two days she had a routine tonsil operation.

The Guardia di Finanza, the police group connected to Italy's finance ministry, concluded in a report: "Ndrangheta hadn't simply infiltrated the Vibo Valentia Hospital; rather, they effectively ran it."

And we Americans think we have health care problems in our country?

One thing for sure, if you plan on visiting Italy on vacation, make sure you don't get sick in either Calabria, or in Sicily. If you do, you might get sent home in a pine box.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wor...

Mafia corruption linked to 126 hospital deaths

By Michael Day in Milan

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

The deadly price hospital patients pay for the rampant corruption and mob activity in southern Italy's health system has been highlighted by a parliamentary report suggesting nearly half of the country's unnecessary deaths occur in two Mafia-dominated regions.

There were 126 suspicious hospital deaths in Sicily and Calabria, out of a total of 276 nationwide in the two years from April 2009, according to the review led by MP Leoluca Orlando.

Both Sicily and Calabria are plagued by Mafia corruption. Experts have warned for years that their hospitals have been offering dangerously substandard care as mobsters cream off money. The Mafia is thought to make millions by ensuring big contracts go to companies they run or own – often in exchange for poor quality goods or services, or sometimes nothing at all.

Mr Orlando said investigations would continue into suspicious deaths in hospitals. "Ascertaining the truth is a moral obligation we owe to the victim and his or her family, and also to the citizens who continue to put their trust in the public heath system," he said.

Corrado De Rosa, author of the Mafia exposé The Doctors of the Camorra, said: "Healthcare in the south has serious problems because politicians don't know how to administer it properly and because of the collusion with the Mafia.

"This makes the financial situation even worse and the health services cut the quality of the care they give because they haven't got enough money."

But Sicily's regional health spokesman, Massimo Russo, attacked the report, because, he said, not all of the cases had yet been confirmed as deaths resulting from medical negligence. "This is highly improper because it creates a climate of distrust that encourage patients to lose faith."

In 2007, the governor of Calabria, Agazio Loiero, closed wards and declared a "state of emergency" in his region's health system, and called on state intervention to combat corruption.

His intervention followed a series of suspicious deaths in Calabrian hospitals, including several at the Vibo Valentia Hospital. One case that hit the headlines was that of 16-year-old Eva Ruscio, who died at hospital only two days after a routine tonsil operation.

Mafia expert, Francesco Grignetti, wrote at the time in La Stampa newspaper: "The thing that plagued Eva has a precise name: 'Ndrangheta' (the feared Calabrian crime syndicate)."

A report into the health system's missing millions by the Guardia di Finanza, the police attached to Italy's finance ministry, concluded: "Ndrangheta hadn't simply infiltrated the Vibo Valentia Hospital; rather, they effectively ran it."

Govenor Loiero also said that lazy, inept doctors were, in part, to blame.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Spanish Police Arrest 39 Member of the "Chinese Mafia"

For the umpteenth time, the Mafia is from Sicily. Therefore there is no such thing as the "Chinese Mafia." Just Chinese criminals. Or Chinese tongs. Or Chinese organized crime. Take your pick.

But be that as it may, police in Barcelona, Spain have arrested 39 members of a Chinese "organized crime ring" (not Mafia), and released 30 Chinese girls who were allegedly forced into prostitution. Recently, the Chinese gangsters have cornered the market on prostitution in the Eixample district of Barcelona by the use of forced prostitution and by charging cheaper rates than the competition. The Chinese gangsters also forced these young girls to work in unsanitary conditions, and made them work, in what the police call "marathon session," with as many as eight johns in a row for eight consecutive hours. The police also closed 17 brothels in the Barcelona area.

Besides prostitution, these Chinese gangs are also being accused of "document forgery."

Joaquim Frances, of the Catalan police organized crime unit, said at a news conference in Barcelona, "In addition to prostitution, the gang also was involved human trafficking. Barcelona was the hub used to later send these people to the United States, Australia and Canada. So for a time, they were kept against their will in Barcelona or nearby until they were provided with documents in order to travel to these countries."

For generations, the Italian Mafia has gotten most of the play in the press. Yet it is the Chinese gangs that are one of the most brutal and ruthless in the world. I just wish the press, including the well- respected CNN news service, would stop calling every ethic group's organized crime group the Mafia.

It's not factual, and quite frankly, it's starting to annoy me.

The following article can be seen at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/05/wor...

Spanish police arrest suspected Chinese mafia members

By Al Goodman, CNN

October 5, 2011 — Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Chinese mafia cornered the prostitution market with lower rates, officials say

Some suspects are still being sought, authorities say

Forced prostitution is a large element of modern-day slavery in Spain

Madrid (CNN) — Police in Barcelona have arrested 39 members of a suspected Chinese mafia and freed 30 young Chinese women whom they allegedly forced into prostitution, a senior officer of the Catalan regional police told CNN Wednesday.

The arrests occurred earlier this week after a long investigation. It was the biggest strike to date against Chinese-run mafias involved in forced prostitution in the northeast region of Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, said the senior officer, Xavier Cortes, head of the Catalan police unit that fights human trafficking.

In recent years, the Chinese crime syndicate had crowded out others from the prostitution market in the fashionable Eixample district of Barcelona by using forced prostitution and charging below-market rates, Cortes said.

The women were forced to work in unsanitary conditions and in marathon sessions, seeing eight clients in a row for an hour each, he said.

After initial arraignments, a judge ordered 33 of the suspects to remain in prison. Six others were released but remain under investigation, and must check in regularly with authorities, Cortes said.

Police are searching for six additional suspects, Cortes said. A total of 17 brothels were dismantled.

The 30 women were initially placed in special assistance centers run by a non-governmental organization, but some have now left to live with friends in Barcelona, he said.

The suspected Chinese mafia also was involved in document forgery, said Joaquim Frances, of the Catalan police organized crime unit, at a news conference Wednesday in Barcelona.

"In addition to prostitution, the gang also was involved human trafficking," Frances said. "Barcelona was the hub used to later send these people to the United States, Australia and Canada. So for a time, they were kept against their will in Barcelona or nearby until they were provided with documents in order to travel to these countries."

In numerous raids, the police seized forged passports from many countries — what Cortes called "perfect and very dangerous false documents" — as well as the machinery to make them.

The Chinese mafia also was involved in drug trafficking, and police seized some weapons in the raids, Cortes added.

The Catalan police broke up a forced-labor scheme involving Chinese clothing sweatshops in 2009, freeing several hundred victims and arresting more than 100 suspects.

But across the nation, police and non-governmental organizations say the biggest problem of modern-day slavery in Spain is forced prostitution, involving not just Chinese women, but also women from Latin America, North Africa and Eastern Europe.

Last year, Spanish police broke up a ring that tricked Brazilian men into coming to Spain and then forced them to work as male prostitutes.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Alleged Bonanno Crime Family Member Not So "Wise Guy."

This situation will certainly lead to a beef, one way or another.

Alleged Bonanno Crime Family member Mike "The Butcher" Virtuoso was arrested recently on extortion charges. But when the FBI raided his butcher shop, Graham Avenue Meats & Deli, in Williamsburg, they found a gold mine of information which was meticulously written down by Virtuoso.

Virtuoso kept the names and phone numbers of alleged organized crime figure in his Rolodex, and he didn't even give them code names; he actually used their real names, including their street nicknames.

For instance, according to a report US Attorney Stephen Frank wrote to the presiding judge, "A slip of paper within one Rolodex contained the handwritten entry 'Capo Lucchese' and the names 'Johnny Sideburns Cerello' and 'Glenn the Wheel" Guadagno. Both men are convicted felons associated with the Lucchese organized crime family, and John Cerrella, also known as 'Johnny Sideburns,' is a captain in that family. "

According to the Feds, Virtuoso's many Rolodex entries also included Anthony "Little Anthony" Pipitone, acting capo of the Bonanno family.

An anonymous source told The New York Post, "Putting all of that classified information into writing was an incredibly stupid thing for Virtuoso to do.''

No spit, Sherlock.

Besides keeping the name of his pals in his Rolodex, Virtuoso also kept a ledger with notations; one for "groceries" and another for "cash," with numerical amounts next to the names.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank also said in court papers, "The page appears consistent with Virtuoso's practice … of separately recording the victim's grocery tab and the cash loans the victim obtained from Virtuoso."

Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom ordered Virtuoso held without bail because he is still on supervised release for a 2009 extortion conviction.

Maybe it's just as well for Virtuoso to stay in the can. If Virtuoso hit the streets after his inexplicable actions, certain people whose names he used and abused in his Rolodex might want to discuss this situation with Virtuoso personally.

And that can never be a good thing.

The two article below can be seen at:

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

and

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_cr...

Meathead's mob directory spills secrets

By MITCHEL MADDUX

Last Updated: 2:14 AM, October 11, 2011

Posted: 2:01 AM, October 11, 2011

More Print

EXCLUSIVE

He gives new meaning to the term "organized crime.''

A bumbling Bonanno bad guy bizarrely listed all of his contacts — from capos to consiglieres — in a Rolodex, The Post has learned.

Not-so-wiseguy Mike "The Butcher" Virtuoso recorded every one of the names, numbers, nicknames and even mob titles in a file so complete that the FBI agents who stumbled on it felt like they'd discovered a gold mine.

Putting all of that classified information into writing "was an incredibly stupid thing [for Virtuoso] to do,'' a source told The Post.

The treasure trove was discovered in "The Butcher's'' butcher shop, Graham Avenue Meats & Deli, in Williamsburg.

The meticulously detailed "Rolodexes" and "address books" listed contact information for "members and associates of organized crime," according to the feds.

He didn't even bother to code or otherwise try to disguise his entries.

"For example, a slip of paper within one Rolodex contained the handwritten entry 'Capo Lucchese' and the names 'Johnny Sideburns Cerello' and 'Glenn the Wheel Guadagno,' " Assistant US Attorney Stephen Frank wrote to a judge.

"Both men are convicted felons associated with the Lucchese organized crime family, and John Cerrella, also known as 'Johnny Sideburns,' is a captain in that family," Frank wrote.

Now the feds plan to use the Rolodexes and address books to prove that Virtuoso is an ex-con with the kind of mobbed-up friends who make him a serious danger to the community.

They want Judge Sandra Townes to deny the butcher's bail request and keep him jailed as he awaits trial on extortion charges for allegedly threatening several debtors. A bail hearing is scheduled for today.

Virtuoso's phone lists comprise a "Who's Who" of the sort of guys you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the feds suggest.

His many entries include Anthony "Little Anthony" Pipitone, acting capo of the Bonanno family, feds say.

There also is an entry for Pipitone's brother, Vito, a Bonanno associate, and for "Vito Adamo," which lists the phone number for Vito Badamo, a made member of the family, prosecutors say.

Among the numbers scrawled in the Rolodex are several for Angelo Speciale, who was convicted in Italy of group sexual assault and armed robbery, the feds say.

Virtuoso also dabbled in something akin to "Mafia scrapbooking," the feds say.

FBI agents found newspaper clippings in his shop about cases involving a variety of mobsters, including articles on the conviction of Bonanno boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano and another about acting boss Sal "The Iron Worker" Montagna, prosecutors say.

Virtuoso's lawyer maintains that his client has an "impeccable work history" and has never admitted being a mobster.

The feds disagree and plan to argue that these contacts demonstrate that Virtuoso is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the New York mob.

Virtuoso was more circumspect in his phone chats, talking to Speciale in Italian in one conversation recorded by the feds.

"I'm telling you, let's not talk about these things," Virtuoso said in the call. "When you come here, then we'll talk about them. Understand?"

Bonanno mobster nabbed: FBI busts deli owner 'Mike the Butcher' Virtuoso on extortion charges

A Bonanno gangster who owns a Brooklyn butcher shop apparently had a hard time keeping the loin of beef separate from loanshark beefs.

The FBI busted Michael (Mike the Butcher) Virtuoso early Tuesday on extortion charges linked to his Graham Ave. Meats & Deli in Williamsburg – which has a sandwich called "The Godfather" on the menu.

Agents seized $24,000 in cash and a ledger book with notations – one for "groceries" and another for "cash," with numerical amounts next to the names of victims, the federal complaint says.

"The page appears consistent with Virtuoso's practice … of separately recording the victim's grocery tab and the cash loans the victim obtained from Virtuoso," Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank said in court papers.

Virtuoso also met with at least one victim in the walk-in freezer of the butcher shop to collect loanshark payments and threatened others in wiretapped calls.

Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom ordered Virtuoso held without bail because he is still on supervised release for a 2009 extortion conviction.

Virtuoso allegedly resumed collecting loanshark payments as soon as he was sprung from prison, including money from deadbeats who stopped paying while he was doing time.

jmarzulli@nydailynews.com

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Joe Bruno on the Mob – Former Iceland Beauty Queen Blew the Whistle on Bulger

It started over a stray cat and it ended in the capture of America's most wanted criminal – Whitey Bulger.

Anna Bjornsdottir, 57,A former Miss Iceland who appeared in an episode of the detective series "Remington Steele," is the tipster who told the FBI where to find Winter Hill Mob boss Whitey Bulger, reported the Boston Globe. And Bjornsdottir collected the 2 millions bucks reward money to boot.

The blond bombshell and part time yoga instructor spends her summers in Iceland, but her winters in Santa Monica, California, where she struck up a friendship with Bulger's moll Catherine Greig. Bjornsdottir knew Greig as Carol Gasko, and the two became friendly because they both fell in love with the same stray cat. Little did Bjornsdottir know that the biggest stray cat in the country was playing house with Carol, under the name Charlie Gasko.

When Bjornsdottir returned to Iceland, she saw a CNN report on TV about Bulger, which contained a picture of Greig. Bjornsdottir put two and two together, and came up with a cool two millions bucks.

Simple math at its best. We should all be so lucky.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/natio...

'Whitey' Bulger tipster revealed: Former Miss Iceland Anna Bjornsdottir led feds to Boston gangster

LOS ANGELES – A former Miss Iceland who appeared in an episode of the 1980s detective series "Remington Steele" is the mysterious tipster who brought down South Boston's most notorious gangster.

Anna Bjornsdottir, 57, collected $2 million in reward money for leading federal authorities to James "Whitey" Bulger's modest, black-curtained hideout in Santa Monica in June, The Boston Globe reported.

The beautiful blonde yoga instructor splits her time between Iceland and a Santa Monica residence near the apartment where Bulger, 82, and his girlfriend Catherine Greig posed as a retired couple during their 16 years on the lam, The Globe said.

Bjornsdottir befriended the normally reclusive Greig over their shared love of local stray cat. She discovered Greig's true identity when she visited Iceland this summer and saw a CNN report about the "most wanted" gangster charged with killing 19 people, The Globe reported.

She knew the fugitive couple as Charlie and Carol Gasko.

Bjornsdottir, who won the Miss Iceland crown in 1974 and was voted Miss Congeniality in a Miss Universe pageant, also appeared in a Noxzema commercial and two episodes of "Fantasy Island" under the name Anna Bjorn.

Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the 19 murders.

Authorities found the walls of his $863-per-month Santa Monica apartment stuffed with guns, knives and more than $800,000 in cash.

Greig has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge.

ndillon@nydailynews.com

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