Bonanno crime family mobster Ronald Giallanzo was sentenced to one year and one day behind bars for violating the terms of his supervised release. Giallanzo was caught meeting people he wasn’t supposed to as per the terms of his prison release when he attended last years Bonanno family Christmas party. Convicted on racketeering and extortion charges back in 2007 the mobster had a strict “do not associate list” which he admitted to breaching. The Bonanno family Christmas party is somewhat of a mafia tradition, although this year’s gathering has caused problems for Giallanzo and other fellow mobsters.

“Mobsters meeting at Bonanno Family Christmas Party”

Attendance at last year’s party was mandatory according to the feds so mobsters could pay homage to new family acting boss Joseph Cammarano Jr.Fellow mobsters Joseph Desimone and Anthony Pipitone were also charged with violating the terms of their federal release by associating with known wiseguys while attending the party. The feds had the gathering under surveillance and collected evidence of the mobsters meeting and greeting other made men in the New York mafia. According to Assistant U.S. District Attorney Lindsay Gerdes Giallanzo was caught not only attending the mafia Christmas party at Bocelli’s restaurant on Staten Island but also three other prohibited meetings with members of the New York mob.

Giallanzo is the nephew of Bonanno family captain Vincent Asaro who was recently acquitted in the Lufthansa airport robbery case. Federal judge Nicholas Garaufis told the now 45-year-old mobster that he understands full well what goes on at the mob get-togethers like the Christmas party in question. The Judge told him “Doesn’t everyone have parties in December where they pass around envelopes of money?” he said sarcastically. “You think I just got off the boat from the South Sea islands and I don’t know what’s going on?” Prosecutors were seeking a two-year term for the violation, but defense attorney’s argued that the year and a day sentence the judge had just issued last year to fellow Bonnano family mobster John Palazzolo for a similar violation should be used again.

Joseph Denti Jr. a reputed New Jersey based Genovese crime family captain has been charged with fraud stemming from a $3 million dollar fraud and money laundering probe. Denti Jr followed his father Joe Denti Sr into the New York mafia but is known as a low-key wiseguy, unlike his once flashy old man. The New Jersey Attorney General’s office claims the NY mafia capo plotted with two accomplices, one of which was his former girlfriend Heidi Francavilla defraud multiple victims out of approx $350,000 dollars according to reports. Denti was arrested and then released on $50,000 bond according to the report.

“Joseph Denti Jr“

NJ Attorney General’s office claims the mob capo and Francavilla along with a third cohort attempted to con a Bergen County doctor into ponying up $250,000 in a fake health care industry venture. The trio claimed to have had an arrangement in place with a labor union to send members to a certain facility for various medical services and that the doctor would share equally in the medical fees. They claimed a management firm named Harbor Management, LLC owned by the third cohort would also be investing $250,000 in the venture, but the doctors, investment would be repaid first, but authorities claim the company and union deal were not real and the trio were nothing more than con artists.

Authorities claim the Genovese family capo was also part of a separate scheme along with Ralph Perricelli Jr in which they stole $100,000 from a couple in North Arlington. The duo claimed to own a blood-testing lab in which the couple would be investing in according to the charges Perricelli was just an employee of the company and Denti had no connection whatsoever. The money stolen in the scheme was shared by Denti, Perricelli, and Francavilla. Francavilla was charged with setting up shell companies used by the defendants to launder money back in September when she was arrested as part of the probe. Denti’s attorney claims the alleged charges are old fraud allegations first pressed against others months ago in which authorities are now trying to link his client to and they will contest all charges.

Nicholas Santora a reputed captain for former underboss in the Bonanno crime family had his bid for home confinement due to medical reasons denied according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The aging mobster is on trial along with fellow mobsters Vito Badamo, Anthony Santoro, and Ernest Aiello all busted back in 2013. The New York mafia crew led by Santora is facing charges of enterprise corruption, including illegal gambling, drug dealing, and loansharking. Santora’s lawyer requested bail and home confinement because of the now 73-year-old wiseguys poor health which the family claims is deteriorating.

“Nicholas Santora”

The alleged NY mafia capo has been in prison for approximately three years but has recently been relocated to Bellevue Hospital. According to court records, multiple medical experts testified as to the defendant’s condition, including a documented history of falls including recent events. But an expert for the prosecution who examined the aging Bonanno family mobster testified that he was aware, alert, and even engaging, showing no signs of concussion due to the falls. He recommended Santora stay housed at Bellevue Hospital as he showed no signs of psychiatric impairment or any other brain-related impairments.

But the defense has claimed that the New York mob captain suffers from an array of medical problems including blurred vision and dizziness which has led to multiple falls including a couple recently. A family doctor who submitted an earlier report claimed in his opinion Santora may have suffered a traumatic brain injury from these falls with each one worsening his condition. According to the report the falls continued to happen at the hospital and at one point Santora was found face down on the floor. But the judge didn’t bite on the defense’s claims and has ordered the mob captain to remain at the hospital as the mafia trail continues.

Anthony “Little Anthony” Pipitone a reputed captain in the Bonanno crime family was sentenced to two years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. He was one of three Bonanno family mobsters to get charged with parole violations for attending the mafia family Christmas party at a Staten Island restaurant. Members of the crime family gathered to celebrate and also pay tribute to new acting boss Joseph Cammarano Jr. Both Joseph Desimone and Ronald Giallanzo were also charged and sent back to prison along with Pipitone for the violation.

Now the mob captain is complaining about the sentence discrepancy as both Giallanzo and Desimone were only sentenced to a year and a day while Pipitone was sentenced to two years for the exact same charge. A Defense attorney for Pipitone James Kousouros claims his client is reformed and asked for resentencing and a chance to be heard. Brooklyn federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who sentenced all three of the New York mob members agreed to an April 18 resentencing sarcastically saying he wanted to hear more about the mobsters rehabilitation. A mobster having a beef with his prison sentence isn’t really mafia news or something new but perhaps Anthony Pipitone will catch a break.

The feds claim that cash made from mafia activities flowed up to Bonanno crime family captain Nicholas Santora as testimony continued in the Bonanno mob trial. In typical Cosa Nostra fashion proceeds from gambling and loan sharking among other crimes made its way through the Bonanno family hierarchy according to prosecutors. Santora is on trial along with fellow mobsters Anthony Santoro, Vito Badamo, and Ernest Aiello all busted back in 2013. The alleged mobsters were part of a mafia crew run by Santora according to the feds and are on trial for enterprise corruption charges which include drug dealing, illegal gambling, and loan sharking.

“Left to Right: Vito Badamo, Ernest Aiello, Anthony Santoro, Nicky Santora“

Detective Angelo Barone took the stand and testified that Badamo and Santoro collected the profits from their mob activities and kicked up to Santora. He said “The money goes up,” the detective testified. “Santoro collects the money, gives it to Badamo and a piece goes to Santora.” Prosecutors presented audio recordings, texts, and surveillance of Badamo and Santoro exchanging money and talking about gambling debts owed to them during various meetings. In one conversation the New York mafia duo talks about taking care of a problem before it got to “front street” which prosecutors claim meant they wanted it handled before Santora got involved.

Santora’s attorney Michael Alber didn’t agree with the prosecutors analysis of the evidence and questioned how they determined that cash was being kicked up to his client. He asked detective Barone if he ever seen anyone actually give Santora any money to which Barone answered no. Alber’s also noted that his client is not shown in any of the surveillance gathered by the feds and no reference was made to his client in the evidence collected from search warrants of the defendants homes. Badamo’s attorney also noted that no evidence of gambling activity was recovered during the search of his clients home and vehicle.

But prosecutors recorded Badamo talking to a Bonanno family associate named Dominick Siano about the raid. Saino says during the recording “Uncle Chap (nickname of Badamo), we got big problems,they got my computer, It shows I went onto the site (the alleged illegal Internet gambling site the Bonanno’s ran.) Badamo the asks “Who else was hit by the search warrants?” Prosecutors claim his reply proves he had knowledge of the illegal gambling site.

Gennaro “Jerry” Bruno has entered into a plea agreement with the feds pleading guilty to racketeering the 2002 murder of Martin Bosshart and conspiring to prevent grand jury testimony. Bruno a long-standing Gambino crime family associate served in a crew run by former consigliere Joseph “JoJo” Corozzo. He was a member of a violent gang known as the “young guns” before getting recruited into the New York mafia namely the powerful Gambino family of Cosa Nostra. According to the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 21 years in prison in May.

“Gennaro Bruno”

According to the feds, Bruno participated in various crimes on behalf of the New York mob family, including drug trafficking, extortion, and murder. Bosshart was an associate of Bruno’s and helped in a Gambino family controlled marijuana scheme which moved high-potency product from Canada to New York. Court filings claim that Bosshart tried to exclude a Bruno co-conspirator from the marijuana business leading Bruno to plot his murder with other members of the Gambino family. The victim was lured to a Queens, NY location by Bruno and shot in the back of the head.

The feds say the defendant the conspired with others linked to the NY mafia to obstruct a grand jury investigation into the murder. He eluded justice for years all the time continuing his participation in other mafia crimes and activities on behalf of the Gambino family. He even used his standing with the mafia to extract extortion payments from a Queens based waste carting company before he was arrested in Las Vegas in 2014.

Joseph DeSimone a reputed Bonanno crime family captain is headed back to prison after being sentenced to two years for violating his supervised release. The 82-year-old New York mafia capo just finished up a 12 year prison term a few months ago for his role in a mob hit. The feds caught DeSimone attending two different high-level mafia meetings which held on Sundays in both Queens and Staten Island. According to the feds, the mob meetings were centered around an attempt to rebuild the Cosa Nostra family under new street boss Joseph Cammarano Jr.

“Joseph DeSimone”

A U.S. Probation officer called the attending of these meetings by the mobster the most egregious association violation involving organized crime in years. But DeSimone’s lawyer told the Brooklyn Federal Court that his client is done with the mafia, although Judge Nicholas Garaufis wasn’t convinced. The judge said the 82-year-old wiseguy should be enjoying his retirement and playing with his grandchildren instead of going to NY mafia meetings. The judge said this sentence will give the elder mobster time to reflect on how he might enjoy these things as most men don’t live to be 82 and should relish the idea of retiring to be with family.

The Bonanno family has seen multiple capo’s headed back to prison over last few months for violations of their supervised release as the crime family tries to stabilize and rebuild its ranks.

Daniel Pagano, an alleged captain in the Genovese crime family was quick to agree to a plea deal last year just a few months after being indicted in a racketeering case which included gambling, extortion, and loan sharking charges. According to reports, his decision was an especially easy one considering his attorney Murray Richman somehow negotiated a plea deal with the feds with suggested prison terms that were 14-18 months lower than they should have been. Pagano was sentenced to only two years in prison per the terms of this plea deal. This screw up by the feds may end up benefiting not only Pagano but also Genovese family underling and co-defendant Michael “Mikey P” Palazzolo according to a ganglandnews report.

“Michael Palazzolo“

Sentencing was delayed for the New York mafia underling because his recommended sentencing terms of his plea deal were calculated to be between 41 to 51 months which is what Pagano should have faced. But the deal Richman reached with federal prosecutors for Pagano which contained sentencing guidelines of only 27-33 months has left a major discrepancy between the two deals. Palazzolo’s defense attorneys are arguing that their client deserves a lesser sentence than his New York mob captain received. The Judge noted the differences in sentencing guidelines and acknowledged that Pagano’s numbers were wrong and then postponed the mobsters sentencing until next week.

Prosecutors acknowledged that Pagano was a captain in the NY mafia and Palazzolo was an underling, but argue that his propensity for violence called for a lengthier sentence. According to prosecutors, there was no evidence linking Pagano to violence in connection with his mob crimes, but Palazzolo used threats and showed the willingness to act violently in multiple extortion attempts during the three year long Cosa Nostra family probe. But there is a sentencing statute that calls for judges ”to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct.”

The judge directed the defense and prosecutors to address the discrepancies between the two plea deals and asked if they believed it should alter the determination of Mikey P’s prison term in light of the previously mentioned statute. Defense attorney’s for Palazzolo are sure to renew their request for their client to receive a lesser sentence than Pagano received at the next hearing. This may cause prosecutors to lessen the respective sentencing guidelines for the mafia underling.

The Bonanno crime family trial has come to an end and the fate of the alleged mobsters is now in the hands of the jury. The New York mafia crew was busted back in 2013 leading to an enterprise corruption case against Nicholas Santora, Anthony “Skinny” Santoro, Vito Badamo, and Ernest Aiello. According to court records, the enterprise corruption charge included illegal gambling, drug dealing, and loan sharking. The jury began deliberations last Wednesday and has yet to reach a verdict as they explore the different elements of the various charges.

“Left to Right: Vito Badamo, Ernest Aiello, Anthony Santoro, Nicky Santora“

According to reports the panel of jurors had multiple questions and asked to have the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness who was allegedly involved in a loansharking operation read back to them. They also asked to hear multiple calls recorded by law enforcement regarding union and insurance deals related to the loansharking element of the case. The video that allegedly shows an undercover officer involved in a money transfer was also reviewed. The panel was unable to reach an immediate verdict and further deliberations have now been adjourned until May 2.

According to prosecutors, the 73-year-old Santora was the alleged ringleader of the Cosa Nostra crew and holds the rank of captain in the Bonanno family once serving as the mafia families underboss. They claim he was personally in charge of the crews internet gambling and drug operations and the other three defendants were mob underlings.

Michael “Mikey P” Palazzolo an alleged member of the Genovese crime family cashed in on a government screw-up and will serve only 30 months in prison for racketeering. The sentence is 11 months less than the minimum sentencing guidelines recommended in his plea agreement. Prosecutors made a mistake last year in calculating the sentencing guidelines for Genovese family captain and co-defendant Daniel Pagano and were forced to pay for it leading to a lesser term for Palazzolo. Pagano was sentenced to only 27 months behind bars as part of his plea deal, which prosecutors later admitted was in error in favor of the NY Mafia leader.

“Michael Palazzolo”

Palazzolo’s attorney argued that his client who prosecutors admitted was a New York mafia underling deserved at worse a comparable sentence to his mob superior. His plea deal called for a sentence of 41-51 months and prosecutors maintained that Mikey P’s sentence should remain the same regardless of the error because his propensity for violence which was evident during their lengthy probe into the Cosa Nostra family. But federal judge Ronnie Abrams disagreed with prosecutors noting a sentencing statute that calls for judges ”to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct.”

Mikey P was heard on tape recorded conversations flaunting this propensity for violence and Abrams did take that into consideration sentencing him to 3 months more than his mafia superior Pagano. Both mobsters will also have to serve three years of strict supervised release upon completion of their sentences.

Carmine “Junior” Persico the ailing boss of the Colombo crime family continues his fight for early release from prison. The now 83-year-old New York mafia boss has served the last 31 years in prison but still owes the government 34 years of his 100-year sentence. He is the only living defendant from the infamous Commission case against the NY mafia still behind bars. But now time is of the essence for the aging mobster who claims he is suffering from various ailments as his health continues to deteriorate. According to reports he needs a wheelchair to get around because of emphysema and his eyesight is failing along with the use of his arms.

“Carmine Persico”

A request was made last summer stating that long concealed FBI documents now recovered by his defense team through the Freedom of Information Act prove that he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. The defense claims that Persico’s sentence was illegally enhanced based on allegations they can now prove were not true. That request is still pending, but Persico is now pressing the issue filing new motions and adding more newly discovered documents that allege government wrongdoings against him by the FBI according to a report by Ganglandnews. Persico’s attorney Anthony DiPietro has requested a status conference be called by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Kevin Duffy.

“Carmine Persico while in Prison”

Although DiPietro stated in his new motion that a status conference could be a moot point if the judge agrees that Persico has already demonstrated a basis for sentence relief based upon the already submitted documentary evidence from last year’s filing. The defense attorney claims he is ready to add even more documents to the file if needed exposing even more troubling issues with the case against his client and claims the submitted evidence to date demonstrates his client’s innocence. Among other things, these newly submitted documents according to the defense establishes that Persico had not yet become the boss of the New York mob family in the 1970’s.

DiPietro wrote that since Persico was not yet a mafia boss, he could not have been a member of the Mafia Commission during the time frame charged in the indictment and he could not have conspired with other Commission members on the 1979 murder of mafia boss Carmine Galante. These newly discovered documents also call into question “illegal and unethical service contracts” that the feds had with cooperating witnesses that played a crucial role in Persico’s conviction. One witness testified that Junior Persico admitted to taking part in a vote to kill Galante with other NY mob bosses and that Carmine had taken over as boss of the Colombo family after Joe Colombo was mortally wounded in 1971.

These newly discovered reports prove that the feds knew both of those things were false at the time of the Commission case according to DiPietro. Among the documents filed were numerous FBI reports that identified others as acting bosses of the Colombo family during the 1970’s and one which state that Carmine had become boss of the Colombo family in November of 1980. DiPietro wrote “The importance of affording Mr. Persico a just and timely review of his motion cannot be overstated,” due to his ongoing health concerns. DiPietro also noted the release of former Lucchese family consigliere Christopher (Christy Tick) Furnari in 2014 after spending 28 years of his 100-year sentence from the Commission case.

Bonanno crime family soldier turned rat Joseph Barone Jr filed suit against the feds for scheming to throw him in jail even though they knew he was innocent. The New York mafia soldier became an informant back in 1992 after the mafia murder of his father, Joseph Sr. a member of the Genovese crime family. Barone Jr spent 18 years as a rat feeding the feds tons of information, including exposing a mob plot to kill a Brooklyn Judge until he was arrested as part of a murder plot in 2009. He was thrown into solitary confinement while in a federal prison only to be acquitted of all charges in 2010. According to Barone, the FBI orchestrated his imprisonment as punishment.

“Joseph Barone Jr”

Barone claims that once his value as an informant ran out and he refused to wear a wire his FBI handlers turned on him. He filed a malicious prosecution suit against his FBI handlers and the U.S. Government six years ago, which was recently greenlighted by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Lewis Kaplan. Barone also known as “JB” also claimed in the lawsuit that the feds leaked his status as a Cosa Nostra informant along with charging him with crimes they knew he did not commit. Judge Kaplan wrote as part of his 11-page ruling that “Plaintiff alleges the defendants … deliberately and maliciously arrested and prosecuted him for serious felonies despite knowing his innocence,” Kaplan went on to say “The court cannot now say that a jury could not reasonably find the United States liable … if these allegations were proven at trial.”

Barone made a statement from an undisclosed location he moved to after his acquittal saying he was ready for trial and things were now going to move quickly and seemed delighted his long legal battle was finally moving ahead. The U.S. Attorney’s office had no immediate response to the decision and the FBI declined to comment on the ruling.

After a three month trial and over a week of deliberation in the three-year-long case against alleged Bonanno crime family mobsters, the case ends in a mistrial. Nicholas Santora, Anthony “Skinny” Santoro, Ernest Aiello, and Vito Badamo were accused of enterprise corruption which included drug trafficking, loansharking, and illegal gambling according to authorities. Santora was the ringleader of the nine-man New York mafia crew that was busted back in 2013 according to prosecutors. The defendants have been incarcerated for the last three years and are expected to request bail while prosecutors decide whether or not they will retry the case.

“Vito Badamo, Anthony “Skinny” Santoro, Ernest Aiello and Nicholas Santora (seated from left to right)”

A defense request for a mistrial was granted by Supreme Court Justice Mark Dwyer after juror #9 told the court he could not go on. According to the juror his opinions were not being considered by the rest of the jury as he felt they were only worried about getting a guilty verdict. He told the court “They’re not listening to me. I can no longer sit there and listen to them anymore. I want to make sure what I render is just, not just because we don’t want to be here anymore or we’ve been here for three months.”

Before this shocking development occurred juror #1 had been dismissed from the jury after the panel voiced concerns over his ability to hear any of the wiretap evidence played during the deliberations. The judge brought in each juror separately and asked about juror #1 and several expressed their concerns about his ability to hear the evidence. But juror # 9 said, “He was able to hear just fine, he just kept getting attacked and they didn’t like his responses.” When asked whether or not he understood all of the evidence juror #1 said yes. Once juror #1 was dismissed juror #9 asked to speak to the court.

Juror #9 then informed the court that he was “pissed” and claimed he and juror #1 were ganged up on because they disagreed with the rest of the jury. He said “We were in the minority on this, we’ve been getting attacked on stupid things because we don’t see eye to eye. It’s not guilty until proven innocent, it’s innocent until proven guilty.” Supreme Court Judge Mark Dwyer has no choice but to declare a mistrial after these internal problems were brought to light. The prosecution can now either retry the mafia case, make plea deals with the defendants, or dismiss the charges.

A conference call has been scheduled for Wednesday to determine the course of action but prosecutors indicated they intend to retry the case against the Bonanno family suspects. Manhattan District Attorney’s office director of communications said “The inability of one juror to continue deliberating is not a reflection on the overall strength of the case,” and they intended to notify the court of their intentions for a retrial. This is yet another misstep by prosecutors of late in trials against the Cosa Nostra families of the NY mafia.

Bonanno crime family mobster turned rat Joseph Galante Jr. has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for his role in a New York mob murder. Galante was part of the violent Queens-based mafia crew known as the Giannini Crew. In 1991, he helped get rid of the body of Thomas Sanjane a cocaine rip-off victim that had his throat cut. He hoped the service he provided Team America after flipping against his New York mafia pals would be enough to get him a pass.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shreve Ariail said “The defendant committed one of the most heinous crimes you can conceive of committing,” when addresses Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis. But the judge noted the extraordinary length of time Galante served the feds as an informant and the fact that he secured recordings of mobsters from several of New York’s Cosa Nostra families. It was because of that service that he was given a break and sentenced to only 10 years, even though he was facing 30 years to life under the sentencing guidelines.

Galante addressed the court saying “I want to apologize to the victim’s family. It’s haunted me for the last 25 years.”

A multi-year investigation by the feds targeting the Genovese crime family has led charges against 18 individuals. Among those charged in the unsealed superseding indictment were Genovese family soldiers Steven Pastore and Robert DeBello and mafia associates Salvatore Delligatti and Ryan Ellis. The investigation targeted racketeering activities by members and associates of the New York Mafia family. Charges include racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, extortion conspiracy, and illegal gambling among others.

According to the press release that accompanied the indictment DeBello in his capacity of a Genovese family soldier “reported directly to a Genovese Family captain, often at a social club in lower Manhattan from at least in or about 2008 until 2016.” The defendants alleged to be soldiers and associates of the Cosa Nostra family conspired to participate in the criminal affairs of the Genovese family through a pattern of racketeering activities according to the indictment.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said “With today’s charges, we strike an important blow against the Genovese Crime Family. Whether you are an old school made member of the mob or a young street criminal looking to join it, the message today is clear: the life of a mobster is a dead-end street that ends nowhere good.” NYPD Commissioner Bratton William J. Bratton said: “The mafia may be diminished, but it’s not dead, and it requires our continued vigilance.” The FBI , NYPD, and Nassau County Police said they remain committed to working together to continue to dismantle organized crime enterprises like the mafia.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez said: “The crimes of extortion for so-called ‘protection,’ illegal gambling businesses, and conspiracy to commit murder are woven into the history of organized crime families, but so are the federal racketeering charges that wise guys face after committing those criminal activities.” Other defendants charged include other defendants charged are the following: Luigi Romano, Bertram Duke, Tryone McCullum, Marcus Grant, Sharif Brown, Luigi Caminiti, Scott Jacobson, Frank Celso, Joseph Tedesco, Michael Vigorito, Mick Sokol, Spyro Antonakopoulos, Michael Karnbach and Jonathan DeSimone.

According to reports, 17 of those charged are in custody including 13 which were arrested earlier today. The press release containing more detailed information about the indictment cand be found here.

John A. Gotti also known to many as Junior Gotti is working on a new book project that exposes the alleged shortfalls of WITSEC (United States Federal Witness Protection Program) according to a new video. This new book will focus on various deals the feds made and offered to mafia members over the years and the inner workings of the witness protection program according to Gotti. The former boss of the Gambino crime family of the New York Mafia says he hopes this new book not only exposes the alleged wrongs involved with the program and the feds use of it but that it leads to a senate hearing or something similar.

“John A. Gotti”

Here is the recently released video from Gotti where he explains the project’s main focus and gives some insights into some of the possible content. Gotti who previously wrote “Shadow of my Father” a self-published e-book about his father and late Gambino family boss John Gotti is working with Richie Stratton on this new project. There have been mentions of not only the book but also a documentary. Seems like it has the potential to be an interesting read and a solid addition to the collection of mafia books.

A new probe by the State Commission of Investigations in New Jersey claims the cities recycling industry remains tainted by organized crime. The investigators claim the new probe has uncovered sections of the waste disposal profession “that have been subverted into an underground economy that profits from the improper disposal of contaminated soil and construction debris,” according to a philly.com report. These organized crime elements are making a lot of money through the illegal dumping of contaminated materials near homes and waterways with the aid of what the commission calls illegal “dirt brokers”.

According to reports possible links to Cosa Nostra families in New York and the Philadelphia mafia has been discovered. The Bonanno crime family and the Lucchese crime family of the New York mafia have both been linked to individuals and companies believed to be profiting from this illegal dumping taking advantage of weaknesses in New Jersey’s regulation of the recycling industry. A commission exposed the role of organized crime in the solid-waste industry in New Jersey just five years ago and this investigation is believed to be a spin-off of that 2011 report.

The scheme has led to this contaminated material being dumped throughout the state over the last few years according to the investigation. A hearing was held by the commission into these weaknesses in New Jersey’s regulation of the recycling industry that have allowed these criminal elements including the mob to thrive as part of its investigation. Commission spokeswoman Kathy Hennessy Riley said the most recent investigation has already uncovered illegal dumping that caused “serious environmental damage and endangered public health.” and the fact-finding process is still ongoing.

According to prosecutors, six men have been busted for their roles in an illegal internet gambling operation tied to the New York mafia. The Lucchese crime family controlled operation involved hundreds of bettors and raked in over $13 million dollars from September 2015 until March of this year. The alleged ringleader Eugene Castelle is a reputed member of the Lucchese family and once served as both a captain and the Cosa Nostra families acting underboss. The indictment includes charges of enterprise corruption, promoting gambling, and money laundering among others.

“Eugene “Boopsie” Castelle“

Castelle now 56 was indicted along with other Lucchese family mobsters back in 2000 on racketeering charges and did an 88-month prison stretch before being released in 2008. Prosecutors said the mobster was back in business and received payment from the mafia run gambling operation for his leadership and protection from rivals. Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said, “We’ve now shut down this illegal enterprise that was controlled by organized crime and will fully prosecute those who have been indicted.”

Also busted was Anthony Grecco the operations alleged master agent who managed activities including a website (www.stakestake.com) in Costa Rica. According to prosecutors, bettors either used their own unique username and password on the website to place wagers or called the company’s toll-free number. The 37 count indictment also included four other defendants who acted as “sheetholders” handling administrative duties for account holders and collecting a percentage of lost wagers.

Bail was set between $25,000 and $250,000 for the defendants by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun and they face up to 25 years behind bars if convicted.

Vincent “Vinny TV” Badalamenti the former acting street boss of the Bonanno crime family is free at last after completing his three-year post-prison supervised release. Badalamenti was demoted by the New York mafia family after being caught up in a fed sting involving mob rat Hector Pagan. Six mobsters were caught on tape recorded conversation by Pagan including his ex-father-in-law and Bonanno family capo Anthony Graziano. Vinny TV somehow coped a sweet plea deal and was sentenced to only 18 months behind bars but it came along with the three year stretch of supervised release.

“Vincent Badalamenti“

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Brooklyn mobster who suffered a heart attack just days before completing his release restrictions as reported by ganglandnews. But as he hit the streets recently free to return to some of his old mafia haunts he was doing well following surgery to insert two stents according to the report. Vinny was seen visiting the legendary Bonanno family hangout the Banner Social Club which has been the scene of multiple Bonanno family parties and was even raided by feds back in 2009. He inherited ownership of the club from former NY mafia soldier John Faraci but was unable to visit until now as it was on his restricted list.

It’s unclear as to how active Vinny TV is within the Cosa Nostra family today but now he is officially able to roam freely and conduct business it may not take long to find out.

Anthony “Little Anthony” Pipitone a captain in the Bonanno crime family of the New York mafia is headed back to the slammer after a judge decided his sentence was fair.

He was previously sentenced to two years in prison for violating the conditions of his probation that prohibited him from hanging out with his fellow mobsters but challenged the sentencing decision. The NY mafia capo was busted attending a Bonanno family Christmas Party and having two other meetings with mafia members over a nine month period. Pipitone served 46 months in prison for a 2004 knife attack on some kids he mistakenly fingered for some broken windows on his Napa & Sonoma steakhouse in Queens.

Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis blasted the wiseguy for what he called brazen disregard of court orders. He said the mafia captain claimed he was done with his mobster lifestyle after his last conviction and then turned around and abused the court’s trust. The judge said, “The defendant has not given any indication to me that he is willing to extricate himself from the Bonanno family.” It seemed like a long shot that the New York mob captain would have left the mob life he is so deeply rooted in.

Pipitone was just one of multiple Bonanno family members headed back to prison for parole violations relating to mandatory attendance to last Decembers Christmas Party. He challenged the length of his sentence as two of his fellow captains were only sentenced to a year and a day each for the same offense. Members of the NY Mafia family attended the party to pay tribute to the newly installed acting boss Joseph Cammarano Jr.