The body of Carmine Carini Jr. was recently found in an inlet near Mills Basin in Brooklyn the victim of a mafia style hit.

According to reports, he was stabbed and his skull was bashed in before his beaten and bloody body was wrapped in a tarp and attached to a five-pound bag of drywall compound. The 35-year-old is the son of Carmine Carini Sr. a known associate of the Gambino crime family according to authorities. The details remain a bit sketchy as the younger Carini’s ties to organized crime although he has been noted by some as a Lucchese crime family associate. The investigation is still ongoing and law enforcement hasn’t publicly linked the murder to the New York mafia although being fitted with “cement shoes” and “sleeping with the fishes” mob style certainly opens up that possibility.

“Carmine Carini Jr”

Carmine Sr. was convicted of a mafia linked shooting Brooklyn record store owner before dumping him out of a car back in 1983. His conviction was later vacated after two mob informants told prosecutors that he did not have a direct role in the murder. They informed authorities that Carmine’s cousins Vincent and Eddie Carini had actually carried out the hit. He was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter and was released from prison with time served. But in 2008 he was once again on the wrong side of the law getting charged with pistol-whipping the father of an aspiring teen rapper during a robbery in Staten Island for which he served a couple more months behind bars.

Following is his father’s criminal footsteps the younger Carini also had been arrested on multiple occasions according to police. His rap sheet included convictions for drugs, first-degree robbery, and various parole violations. He was sent to prison in 2003 after he and an accomplice robbed five different victims reportedly holding a machete to their necks before taking the cash. He was released from prison in 2009 but was sent back in 2011 and then again in 2014 for parole violations. He was released once again released from state prison in 2015 after maxing out his sentence.

The Carini family certainly has a history in Cosa Nostra and Carmine Jr. wouldn’t be the first to be the victim of mob violence. Both Vincent and Eddie Carini were murdered after botching a mob hit ordered by former Colombo family capo Joseph (Joe Waverly) Cacace. The duo was supposed to kill the son of an Administrative Law Judge named George Asronwald but ended up killing the old man by mistake. They were both found shot to death in stolen cars just a few months after the mishap. The American mafia has become less and less violent over the years in an effort to avoid unwanted attention from law enforcement although the modern day mafia is still extremely capable of murder when it suits their needs.

Genovese crime family captain Pasquale “Patsy” Parrello was sentenced to seven years behind bars on Thursday.

The 73-year-old mobster was busted last year along side dozens of other wiseguys in the fed labeled East Coast LCN Enterprise case. According to the feds, Parrello was a leader in the organized crime enterprise along with fellow Genovese family capo Eugene O’Nofrio and Philadelphia mafia boss Joey Merlino. Parrello was potentially facing up to 40 years behind bars before pleading guilty to various extortion charges earlier this year as part of a plea deal with the feds. Along with his sentence, Parrello was also instructed to pay a $15,000 fine and a $63,800 forfeiture according to reports.

“Pasquale Parrello”

The judge took a hard line with Patsy saying he should have thought beforehand about joining the mafia if he didn’t want to die behind bars. Judge Richard Sullivan went on to say “There’s a long history of capos who have died in prison,” before handing down the sentence. He noted Patsy’s previous stint in prison on racketeering charges saying “You must have understood this, you had 88 months to think about it before.” Dozens of friends and family sent letters to the court in support of Parrello calling him a kind, generous, and charitable man. But the Judge noted that the letters were nearly identical to those he’d read in connection with the mobsters last sentencing and they couldn’t be a get out of jail free card when they had been used before.

Defense attorney Mark DeMarco told the court “To his friends and family he is a kind, generous, and loving man, he sends meals to this WWII veteran, and also organized transportation for him to come to the restaurant,” in regards to Parrello. He also noted that his client counseled young people in the community he felt were moving in an unfavorable direction. DeMarco also mentioned Parrello’s intense Roman Catholicism and faith which was quickly shot down by Sullivan who said: “I don’t think Roman Catholicism takes a favorable view toward extortion.” DeMarco’s attempt to shine a positive light on his mobbed up client couldn’t overshadow the wiseguys long history in the New York mafia.

Prosecutors had a very different view of the Cosa Nostra capo noting that he instructed mob underlings to shake down debtors involved in his illegal gambling ring that had fallen behind on payments often suggesting the use of violence if needed. According to the feds, he was captured on a secret wiretap talking to a Lucchese family associate about a debtor who owed him thousands of dollars saying I want Buddy to choke him, choke him, actually choke the motherf–-er . . . and tell him, ‘Listen to me . . . Next time I’m not gonna stop choking . . . I’m gonna kill you.’” Prosecutors called Parrello a man of two faces who used multiple personas to remain beloved by some of the community while never taking no for an answer in his quest to collect debts.

Parrello told the court “First of all, I’d like to apologize for everything that transpired. I feel remorse for all the things I’ve done, and I’ve taken responsibility and am just trying to be a better person.”

Former New York mafia underboss and turncoat Sammy (The Bull) Gravano has been released from prison on Monday according to reports.

Gravano was convicted back in 2002 for dealing ecstasy and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. The 72-year-old mobster was originally due to be released in 2019 but got his sentence shaved down some for good behavior according to his lawyer Thomas Farinella. Sammy the bull was also sentenced to spend the rest of his life on supervised release after his release from the Arizona prison. Farinella stated he had to withhold specifics about Gravano’s future plans and whereabouts but said: “Right now, his plan is to soak up the experience he’s in right now, he’s focused re-acclimating into society and enjoying his freedom.”

“Sammy Gravano”

The former Gambino crime family underboss made headlines when he decided to become an FBI snitch and rat out his mafia pals. Gravano made a deal that got him off the hook for 19 murder charges in exchange for helping to take down dozens of mobsters including former boss John Gotti. Sammy originally tried to have about three years taken off of his sentence due to amendments in federal sentencing guidelines but was unsuccessful. His bid was denied by Brooklyn Federal Judge Allyne Ross because of the staggering severity of Gravano’s history in organized crime and beyond. She said he had already had an extremely lenient five-year sentence from his plea deal considering his crimes included multiple murders and murder conspiracies along with jury tampering.

Gravano was living in Phoenix in the witness protection program when he caught running a large-scale Ecstasy distribution business. It’s clear why he didn’t deserve to have years removed from his sentence and prosecutor wanted the full sentence to be enforced. There have been plenty of Cosa Nostra rats over the years but few have been as highly publicized as Gravano.

John Travolta takes on the role of infamous Gambino crime family boss John Gotti in the upcoming mafia movie about the life and death of the Dapper Don.

We get the first-hand look at Travolta playing the role in this newly released Gotti movie trailer. The crime biopic was directed by Kevin Connolly and also stars William DeMeo as Sammy Gravano, Kelly Preston as Victoria Gotti, and Leo Rossi as mobster Bobby Boriello. This new John Gotti movie project took some time to put together and hopes are that the finished project will meet viewers expectations. Those behind the movie including John (Junior) Gotti have said this movie tells the true story of the infamous New York Mafia boss.

Here is part of the description from the official storyline “The film will reveal the relationship of a father who lived and died by the mob code and a son who, while brought up to lead a life of crime, chose to leave that world behind and redeem himself and the Gotti name”. There is still no official release date for the film but now that a trailer has been released there should be more information to follow shortly. There certainly seems to still be plenty of interest in the Gotti name and The Life and Death of John Gotti story will definitely get its share of attention once released. We are looking forward to seeing it and also the reviews it will generate and if this is indeed one of the better 2017 mafia movies.

When the feds took down the so-called East Coast LCN Enterprise last August which led to charges against 46 defendants from multiple organized crime families it was touted at as a major strike against the mafia.

Among those charged were alleged Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino and Genovese crime family capos Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello and Eugene O’Nofrio. But things changed quickly when reports surfaced of an internal investigation into the potential mishandling of a federal witness and the evidence he collected. In an effort to avoid trial and the potential negative effect the internal investigation may have on their case prosecutors offered all 46 defendants sweet plea deals. Many of the alleged mobsters and associates agreed to the plea offers except Joey Merlino and three others who decided to take their chances at trial.

“Joey Merlino”

Prosecutors offered to drop the main charge of racketeering conspiracy against Merlino if he agreed to their plea offer allowing him to spend a lot less time behind bars then he would be facing if found guilty at trial. But Merlino who has never plead guilty at any time before refused to do so again and decided to take his chances in court. There have been plenty of twists and turns in this case and yet another has developed recently. The case against Merlino is largely based on evidence collected by Genovese family associate turned rat John (JR) Rubeo. According to sources familiar with the case, Rubio had been wearing a wire for approx five years recording hundreds of hours of conversations after flipping on his mafia pals. The dealings between the FBI and Rubeo during his time as an informant continue to cause problems for prosecutors according to a Ganglandnews report. The investigation included two FBI agents one of which has been cleared with the other being suspended and a still ongoing probe into an FBI supervisor.

“John Rubeo”

During a pre-trial conference last week Merlino defense attorney John Meringolo said “During the entire cooperation and consensual recordings he was on various narcotics, including OxyContin and Xanax,” in reference to Rubeo and wanted the government to let the defense know whether they were prescribed by doctors or obtained illegally. Rumors were also circulating of late that Rubeo may have had his bail revoked landing him behind bars. Meringolo asked the judge to compel prosecutors to preserve records of all phone calls and emails that Rubeo used to communicate with relatives and friends if his bail was in fact revoked due to his conduct revealed during the internal investigation. U.S. Attorney Jonathan Rebold declined to inform the judge as to Rubeo’s current status and argued that the government was not required to preserve any recordings even if Rubeo was behind bars.

The answers provided by Rebold did not sit well with Judge Sullivan and he informed him that if the witness was behind bars and recordings between now and the trial existed and they were allowed to be wiped or destroyed that he would allow the defense to inquire about that on cross-examination. He said he would certainly allow the defense to call a witness from the Bureau of Prisons to say what did and did not happen and that nothing was preserved. Sullivan stressed that “if tapes and emails of a cooperating witness existed and were not saved, the “fair thing” was to let jurors know “there was no attempt made to preserve any of the potential material” that the defense should have available during cross-examination”.

Judge Sullivan called some of this “impeachment material” that the government had an obligation to provide before a witness testified but he didn’t have the power to order them to furnish it earlier even though he preferred it so that the trial could move along smoothly. He said he would be very unhappy if he had to tell jurors to come back in a week because the defense needed time to review materials that are necessary for cross-examination. He went on to say “I can’t make you do it, but I can make you wish you had.” The feds record when it comes to Cosa Nostra cases of late is somewhat shaky and it seems like this case is nowhere near the lock it seemed to be last year. The trial is set to begin in January.

The Lucchese crime family was the target of a massive federal indictment back in may that included nineteen members and associates.

The Cosa Nostra families current hierarchy which consists of Street Boss Matthew Madonna, Underboss Steven Crea Sr., and Consigliere Joseph DiNapoli were among those charged. The members of the administration along with capos Dominic Truscello and John Castelucci and several alleged soldiers were charged with racketeering, murder, loan sharking, narcotics, and other offenses. Included in these charges is the 2013 mafia hit in the Bronx of former Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish. When these kinds of indictments against the mafia occur they are usually aided by the help of informants from inside of the crime families and it seems this one is no different. The Lucchese family is once again plagued by turncoats and according to reports many of them are relatives of wiseguys.

“Steven Crea and Matthew Madonna”

So far there are at least three relatives of Lucchese family mobsters that have been cooperating with the feds over the past few years. Robert Spinelli the brother of reputed Lucchese soldier Michael (Baldy Mike) Spinelli began cooperating with the feds back in 2012 supplying the feds with secretly recorded conversations all the way up until this year. It was also reported that mob associate Joseph Foti the brother of another Lucchese wiseguy had been wearing a wire and recording conversations between his mafia pals before and after the Meldish hit took place. The latest rat to emerge is the son of Lucchese soldier James Pasqua Jr. who turned on his father and the organized crime family after he was busted for smuggling drugs into prison last year according to a recent Ganglandnews report.

It seems that Pasqua’s son was a snitch for the feds from behind bars using his father’s name to get close to Londonio and record conversations while they were both doing time in the Metropolitan Correctional Center. As the evidence continues to mount and the number of turncoats increases against the Lucchese family members heading to trial it seems like they are facing an uphill battle. While the feds have had mixed results of late when it comes to cases against the New York mafia this one would certainly be a big one to add to the win column. With the Lucchese families current official boss Vittorio (Vic) Amuso also behind bars, this indictment if it leads to extended prison sentences for the rest of the administration would be a major blow to a crime family that just recently seemed to be stabilizing itself.

Former Gambino crime family consigliere and underboss Frank (Frankie Loc) Locascio has failed to have his 1992 conviction overturned.

The 85-year-old mobster was arrested back in 1990 along with former Gambino family boss John Gotti and Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano and charged with racketeering. Gravano turned on his New York Mafia pals and became one of the most notorious rats in Cosa Nostra history. Both Gotti and Locascio were convicted of racketeering and conspiracy charges with the help of Gravano’s testimony and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Frankie Loc claimed he was innocent and has been searching for reasons to appeal ever since in an effort to regain his freedom.

“Frank Locascio”

In this latest appeal, Locascio’s lawyer Harlan Protass argued that Brooklyn Federal judge Leo Glasser who presided over the trial back in 1992 should have recused himself. He claims that Glasser should have revealed that his son was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Connecticut at the time of the trial because one of the racketeering charges Locascio was convicted on partially had to do with a Connecticut gambling operation according to NY Daily News report. Protass also noted that Glasser disqualified four defense lawyers from the case due to conflicts of interest. But court papers indicated that the defense had no specific evidence that Glasser’s son knew about the probes into the organized crime family or that he shared any information with his father in regards to the case.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors denounced the claims made by Locascio calling them a low blow. The Manhattan 2nd Circuit court agreed and said the argument for Glaser’s recusal would in no way establish Locasio’s innocence. Protass said they were once again disappointed in the result and that they were evaluating their appeal options.

Colombo crime family captain Dino Calabro decided to turn on his mafia pals and become a government informant after he was arrested in 2008.

The 59-year-old mobster helped the feds take down various members of the New York mafia testifying at the trials of former Colombo family leaders Thomas Gioeli and Joel Cacace. Calabro made his way through the ranks of the mafia becoming a violent captain in the Colombo family. He was facing a sentence of life in prison but a Federal District Court judge made note of his assistance as a witness that helped to take down numerous wiseguys before handing down the more lenient 11-year sentence.

“Dino Calabro (during his 2008 arrest)”

By his own account, he was responsible for the deaths of at least eight people including New York City police officer Ralph C. Dols. According to prosecutors, Dols was killed on orders from Cacace because the cop was planning to marry his ex-wife and he saw this as an embarrassment. Calabro testified that he was part of a mob crew that stalked Dols and executed him outside his home in Sheepshead Bay. He also admitted to killing a Colombo associate in 1991 and two more members the next year after a bloody civil war erupted within the organized crime family.

Calabro has been in the witness protection program for the last five years as he continued to help authorities in their fight against Cosa Nostra. Prosecutor James Gatta told the court that Mr. Calabro had helped the government essentially incapacitate the Colombo family. But some family members of his victims saw this as just another instance of the feds making a deal with the devil. Afte he was sentenced Deno apologized to the relatives of his victims and his own family renouncing his past. He said that he had been “intoxicated by the greed, power and notoriety” that went with the gangster life and now was “mortified by the criminal culture” in which he had chosen to invest his “life and identity.”

Members of a Springfield, Massachusetts based mafia crew controlled by the Genovese crime family are agreeing to plead guilty after being taken down by authorities.

According to the feds, Longmeadow resident Ralph Santaniello was the ringleader of the New York mafia controlled crew that also included Giovanni “Johnny Cal” Calabrese, Francesco “Frank” Depergola, Richard Valentini, and Gerald Daniele. They are accused of working with the NY Mafia family in various organized crime-related activities including loan sharking, extortion, and illegal gambling. Calabrese is the latest member of the Cosa Nostra crew to agree to a plea deal following previous agreements from his co-defendants Santaniello and Depergola. The terms of the plea deals for the three alleged mobsters have not yet been made public.

“Ralph Santaniello”

According to court records unsealed last year after being arrested four of five defendants conspired to shake down a local tow company owner for thousands of dollars back in 2013. According to authorities Santaniello and Calabrese threatened to cut off the head of Craig Morel the founder of C.J.’s Towing and bury his body in the backyard if he didn’t kick up to the mafia. Morel went to authorities and at the behest of the state police, he filmed and recorded a series of meeting between him and the defendants where he made payments totaling approx $20,000. Danielle the only man uncharged in that case was later accused of joining the other four defendants in shaking down a loansharking debtor.

Depergola and Santaniello have also been charged in an indictment out of New York City in connection to the East Coast LCN Enterprise case. According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in a profit-sharing loansharking deal with Genovese family captain Eugene “Rooster” O’Nofrio in 2014. Both defendants have also agreed to plead guilty to the charges in that state as well. Santaniello has been behind bars since his 2016 arrest after being the only defendant denied bail. A judge refused to release Santaniello because he said he exhibited a casual brutality toward a victim along with his alleged leadership role in the crime faction. This latest version of the Springfield mafia is going to be behind bars for a while.

A coordinated Canadian-US investigation into drug trafficking including the fentanyl trade has led to the arrest of alleged members and associates of organized crime on both sides of the border.

The RCMP conducted early morning raids across Ontario arresting nine people and issued Canada-wide warrants for five others with ties to the Calabrian mafia also known as the Ndrangheta as part of a multi-year investigation. Authorities seized multiple kilograms of fentanyl, carfentanil, cocaine, and heroin along with other controlled substances and millions of illegal cigarettes. The FBI conducted a parallel but separate investigation targeting both the Gambino crime family and the Bonanno crime family of the New York mafia. The feds arrested four men they claim are associated with the Cosa Nostra families charging them with narcotics trafficking, loansharking and firearms charges.

“Domenico Paolo Violi and Giuseppe (Joe) Violi”

Among those arrested by the RCMP in Canada was Domenico Violi the son of Paolo Violi the former Calabrian boss of the Montreal mafia. Violi was the head of the Montreal crime family until he was murdered in 1978 by members of the Rizzuto crime family as they moved to take control of the Montreal underworld. An arrest warrant was also issued for Giuseppe Violi another one of Paolo’s sons. Two other alleged GTA mobsters being accused are grandsons of Giacomo Luppino of Hamilton. According to police Luppino was a founding member of a governing body of criminals in the Ndragheta called the Crimine. Canadian authorities said the operation began with a mobster that turned on his associates giving them an opportunity to infiltrate some higher level traditional organized crime members. They also added that they had a source that was respected by organized crime groups in both the U.S. and Canada.

Among those arrested by the Feds in New York were Bonanno family capo Damiano Zummo, Gambino family member Paul Semplice, and associates Salvatore Russo and Paul Ragusa. According to the feds during the investigation agents were able to obtain surveillance recordings of a 2015 induction ceremony in Canada in which Bonanno capo Zummo inducted a confidential informant into the crime family. Acting U.S. attorney in Brooklyn called the recordings “an extraordinary achievement for law enforcement and deals a significant blow to La Cosa Nostra.” If convicted Zummo, Ragusa and Russo could face life in prison while Semplice could be looking at up to 20 years behind bars.

Canadian authorities alleged the Violi brothers are well-established with “an international reach.” There have been alleged links esp when it comes to drug trafficking between the Ndrangheta in Canada and the NY mafia for years now. Many believe it was the Ndrangheta that backed a rebellion against the Rizzuto crime family led by Raynald Desjardins for control of the lucrative drug trade in Montreal and New York. According to the FBI, the Calabrian mafia was partnering with these members and associates of the Bonanno and Gambino families which were obvious choices considering their long-standing involvement in the international drug trade and their past links to the mafia in Canada. Michael McGarrity, special agent in charge of Criminal Division for the FBI’s New York Field Office said: ” these investigations revealed renewed Mafia links from New York to Buffalo and Toronto to Montreal and led to arrests of significant La Cosa Nostra figures”.

A new look into the inner workings of the Mafia is part of newly unsealed court documents associated with a recent international drug bust.

Investigations by the FBI in New York targeted alleged members and associates of the Bonanno crime family and Gambino crime family of the New York Mafia while a parallel RCMP investigation targeted members of the Ndrangheta in Canada exposing links between the criminal organizations. According to these court documents, the FBI was able to covertly record audio and video of an unnamed man believed to be a confidential informant being inducted into the Bonanno family during a 2015 ceremony in Canada. Acting Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Bridget Rohde said ““The recording of a secret induction ceremony is an extraordinary achievement for law enforcement, and deals a significant blow to La Cosa Nostra.”

One of the men present at the ceremony can be heard saying “The reason why we’re here is from this day forward, you’re gonna be an official member of the Bonanno family,” according to court documents. Reputed Bonanno family captain Damiano Zummo was cited as saying “From this guy, this guy, this guy, everybody approved it, so from this day forward, you’re a member of the Bonanno family. Congratulations.” The 44-year-old Cosa Nosa capo went on to say “You only answer to the Bonanno family.” He also introduced the man who was actually making the recording to a “friend of ours with the Bonanno s .”

Zummo has been charged with drug dealing, weapons possession, and loansharking and has been held without bail. He and one of his co-defendants suspected mob associate Paul Ragusa allegedly sold approx $40,000 of cocaine out of a Gelato shop in Manhattan. Ragusa was also captured on a separate recording offering to whack someone with an ice pick although has yet to be charged with anything relating to that statement. He is also being held without bail. These joint investigations into organized crime have shed more light on the ongoing connections between the mafia in Canada and New York. To get a mafia induction ceremony on video is certainly a new high for law enforcement and a new low for the mob!

Giovanni “John” Gambino a senior leader in the Gambino crime family of the New York Mafia has passed away.

He suffered from various health conditions and the exact cause of death is still uncertain. The 77-year-old mobster was born in Palermo, Sicily and became a made member of the Gambino family back in 1975. He would rise through the ranks of the mafia becoming a captain and the head of the Cosa Nostra families Sicilian faction known as the Cherry Hill Gambinos. His family was Sicilian Mafiosi who came to New York back in 1964 and were related to former boss Carlo Gambino. John along with his brothers Joseph Gambino and Rosario Gambino used their ties in Sicily to become prolific narcotics traffickers according to authorities.

“John Gambino”

The Gambinos formed a transatlantic drug operation with a consortium of heroin traffickers from the Sicilian Mafia including the Inzerillo clan despite the mob families ban on drug dealing. Former Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone was assigned back in 1980 to investigate heroin trafficking and he estimated the Inzerillo-Gambino-Spatola network was smuggling more than $600 million worth of heroin into the United States per year by the late 1970s. By the 1980s the heroin network had become a target for authorities both in Italy and the United States. The arrest of an Italian banker who handled the lucrative proceeds from the drug operation for the mafia lead to an indictment of the Inzerillo-Spatola-Gambino network.

John was convicted of heroin trafficking in Palermo and sentenced to six and a half years behind bars in 1980. But he would remain a free man after the United States refused to agree with the Italians request for extradition. Charges were filed against the Gambino brothers in relation to a New Jersey drug case in 1984 which resulted in Rosario being convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison but John and Joe were acquitted. But the Italian and US law enforcement continued their crackdown on the Gambino-Inzerillo network with Operation Iron Tower in 1988. Prosecutors charged over 200 defendants from the U.S. and Italy with drug trafficking charges including Joe Gambino. John was able to escape charges but was noted in a court affidavit as the current leader of the Brooklyn based Sicilian faction of the Gambino family.

In the next few years, the Joe and John faced various indictments in the U.S. because of their ties to organized crime and drug trafficking. The feds with the help of mafia turncoats Sammy Gravano from the NY mafia and Francesco Marino Mannoia from the Italian mafia charged the brothers with narcotics and racketeering violations. After a failed attempt to flee the country while out on bail both Joe and John agreed to plead guilty to racketeering charges stemming from activity which had taken place between 1975 and 1992 and were both sent to prison. John was released from prison in 2005 after surviving a stroke, heart attacks, and open-heart surgery. He would become a member of a Gambino family ruling panel in 2008 along with fellow wiseguys Daniel Marino and Bartolomeo Vernace after the feds decapitated the families hierarchy with Operation Old Bridge.

A new leadership group which includes his nephew Francesco “Frank” Calì has taken control but he continued to be a highly respected senior member of the family although it was unclear how involved he actually was of late due to his health problems.

Bonanno crime family capo Vincent Asaro could be facing up to 15 years in prison if a judge sides with federal prosecutors.

The 82-year-old mobster plead guilty to arson in June admitting to ordering the torching of a car that belonged to a motorist that had cut him off back in 2012. According to court documents Asaro allegedly tasked a Bonanno family associate with the job and he, in turn, brought in John J. Gotti and another man both who are also believed to be New York mafia associates to help. Gotti is the grandson of the late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti and has already plead guilty to being the getaway driver. The arson charge carries a five to six-year sentence according to federal guidelines but the defense believes Vincent should be sentenced to time served.

“Vincent Asaro”

But prosecutors want the judge to weigh Asaro’s previous conduct and criminal history into his current sentence. He was acquitted of racketeering charges that included his alleged role in the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist just two years ago. Prosecutors also noted his recent behavior while behind bars awaiting trial which included alleged talk of killing a prosecutor and boasting about getting away with the Lufthansa caper. Court documents filed last week said “Asaro has lived a literal life of crime and, for most of his life, evaded punishment” according to a NYdailynews report. Prosecutors also said, “Asaro has participated in racketeering, murder, robbery, extortion, loansharking, gambling and other illegal conduct, he has served less than eight years in jail.”

Asaro will have approximately two years deducted from whatever sentence Judge Allyne Ross hands down because of his time in jail awaiting trial for the Lufthansa case. An extended sentence anywhere in the neighborhood of 15 years could mean life behind bars for the aging Cosa Nostra mobster.

Two alleged associates of the New York mafia based Genovese crime family have plead guilty to extortion-related charges in Massachusetts.

Francesco “Frank” Depergola and Gerald Daniele were part of the Springfield crew of the Genovese family according to the feds and both have pleaded guilty to making extortionate loans to debtors while Depergola also plead guilty to extortion and conspiracy. Their pleas come just a month after co-defendants Ralph Santaniello and Giovanni “Johnny Cal” Calabrese agreed to plea deals. The members of the mafia crew were arrested along with 46 other suspects during a massive mafia sweep back in 2016. According to prosecutors, the 50-year-old Santaniello was the leader of the organized crime crew and reported directly to high ranking members of the NY mafia.

“Frank Depergola during August 2016 arrest”

According to the indictment, the mob crew was part of a syndicate the feds labeled as the East Coast La Cosa Nostra Enterprise that operated in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Florida. The various defendants in the case were accused of extortion, loansharking, drug dealing, money laundering, casino-style gambling, sports gambling, credit card fraud and health care fraud. According to the indictment, the Springfield crew were involved in various criminal activities including extorting legitimate and illegitimate businesses and used implied threats of violence and their connections to the mafia to instill fear in their victims. The East Coast LCN Enterprise bust snared some high ranking mobsters including Joseph Merlino the alleged boss of the Philly mafia and Genovese family capos Pasquale “Patsy” Parrello and Eugene O’Nofrio.

Santaniello and Calabrese are scheduled to be sentenced in January while Depergola and Daniele will have to wait until March.

The upcoming racketeering trial of alleged Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino and Genovese crime family capo Eugene (Rooster) Onofrio got a little more interesting with the feds set to add another mafia rat into the fold.

According to a new report from Ganglandnews, the feds plan to have former Bonanno crime family capo Peter (Pug) Lovaglio take the stand and testify against both mobsters. Lovaglio will team up with mob snitch John (J.R.) Rubeo who taped multiple conversations with various gangster associated with the East Coast La Cosa Nostra Enterprise case. According to court documents, Lovaglio began cooperating with the feds about a year ago and had dealt with both defendants before he began cooperating. He is not implicated in any crimes against the defendants but will testify as to their standing in the so-called East Coast LCN Enterprise and interactions he had with them before he was busted.

“Joey Merlino”

The feds busted over 40 alleged Cosa Nostra mobsters and associates last year that was supposedly part of this East coast group they claim has been operating since 2010. They claimed that Joey Merlino, Eugene Onofrio, and fellow Genovese family capo Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello were the leaders of this organized crime enterprise. Problems with the case including an internal FBI probe into the handling of Rubeo and evidence he collected caused the feds to drop the main charge of racketeering against many of the defendants in exchange for taking favorable plea deals. Every one of the defendants has agreed to deals except for Joey and Rooster who decided to take the feds and their troubled case to trial. Both defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy in the original indictment and then with separate crimes in a revised six-count indictment. Merlino was charged with health care fraud and illegal gambling while Onofrio was charged with loansharking, illegal gambling, and bootlegging cigarettes.

Lovaglio was hit with assault charges from an incident two years ago after smashing a cocktail glass into the eye of a Sushi bar owner in Staten Island. He was convicted and is currently doing an eight-year stretch behind bars although may be looking to ease that sentence with his recent cooperation. It seems like he has been supplying the feds with information on plenty of other mobsters beyond Merlino and Onofrio so this may not be the last time we see him take the witness stand. Prosecutors said “Lovaglio provided information in a detailed and clear manner on a wide range of topics” and that “has allowed this Office to initiate several significant investigations and to obtain material information on existing investigative targets” and “made consensual recordings of, and proactively interacted with and gathered information from, individuals whom this Office believes to be violent.” So other New York mafia members and associates may be a bit on edge as to what other information he may be supplying the feds with that they could use in upcoming cases.

In a case that has been filled with plenty of twists and turns one of the more interesting developments is the feds deciding not to use an undercover agent that served as Onofrio’s driver for two years. He was brought into the fold by Rubeo and was able to record several conversations that included both Onofrio and Merlino and was not part of the FBI probe. Both Lovaglio and Rubeo come with plenty of baggage which prosecutors have filed motions to try and avoid having to disclose at trial. It seems like Lovaglio may be used to simply identify Merlino and Onofrio as mafia leaders more so than incriminating them in actual crimes. This case is expected to begin in January and will probably last several weeks with both Joey and Rooster facing extended prison sentences if convicted. More information on the upcoming trail from previous articles can be found here and here.

Members and associates of the Gambino crime family and the Bonanno crime family on Long Island were the targets of the latest New York mafia bust.

A new 13-count indictment was unveiled by federal prosecutors charging six members and associates of the Gambino family and one member of the Bonanno family with various charges including racketeering conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and illegal gambling. According to the feds, this criminal activity took place in both Long Island and Brooklyn between January of 2014 until December of 2017. Among the Cosa Nostra mobsters busted were John (Johnny Boy) Ambrosio an alleged acting Gambino family capo and Frank (Frankie Boy) Salerno an alleged Bonanno family soldier. It is also alleged that Thomas Anzaone, Alessandro (Sandro) Damelio, Joseph Durso, Anthony Rodolico and Anthony Saladino are associates of the Gambino family as reported by the NYdailynews.

“John Ambrosio”

According to prosecutors, Ambrosio was captured on tape telling someone “you can play right here” and “save gas money,” in reference to an illegal casino the Long Island mobsters were running.  They also claim several of the suspected wiseguys were involved in distributing various kind of illegal drugs including cocaine. According to authorities Saladino and Salerno sold wholesale quantities of cocaine to undercover officers. The FBI’s Assistant Director-in-Charge said, “The arrests, in this case, prove organized crime families haven’t gone away, and continue to plague our communities with their general disregard for anything other than their own greed.” The joint organized crime operation is yet another example of the NY mafia families finding ways to work together to earn.

The suspected Long Island mobsters were set to be arraigned in federal court in Central Islip by United States Magistrate Judge Gary Brown.

Bonanno crime family mobster Vincent Asaro has been sentenced to eight years behind bars for ordering mafia underlings to set a car on fire.

The 82-year-old wiseguy was upset after a motorist in Queen cut him off in traffic back in 2012 leading him to seek retribution. Asaro admitted to his role in the attack and pleaded guilty to arson back in June and was sentenced to far more time than what federal guidelines set out as punishment. Prosecutors urged Judge Allyne R. Ross to consider Asaro’s previous conduct and his life in organized crime when determining his sentence. He had just been acquitted back in 2015 in connection with the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist.

“Vincent Asaro”

According to prosecutors, Asaro has held various positions in the Bonanno family of the New York Mafia over the years and though he is alleged to have engaged in various crimes including murder he had largely managed to avoid being punished. Judge Ross told the court that in deciding on the eight-year term she had given weight to the crimes Asaro was acquitted of in the Lufthansa case that she also presided over. She noted that even though he was acquitted she was firmly convinced that the government had proven its case against him. Asaro’s lawyer Elizabeth Macedonio argued that her client should not receive a lengthy prison term partially based on charges that a jury has already decided were less than verifiable.

Macedonio said in earlier court papers that the case against her client smacked of vengeful blindness by prosecutors who had failed to get a conviction against Asaro back in 2015. He reacted to the sentence with disgust grumbling “I don’t care what happens to me at this point” then looking at the judge and saying “What you sentenced me to is a death sentence anyway.” The judge said, “she had no illusion that prison will result in Asaro’s rehabilitation or bring an end to his “lifelong career as a member of the Mafia” and that he remained dangerous to the public. Vincent who once held the rank of captain in the Cosa Nostra family had seemingly lost a vast majority of his influence over the last few years.

We start off the new year with our annual look at the current leaders of the active Mafia families from across the country.

The American Mafia also known as Cosa Nostra still generates millions of dollars a year in profits from a combination of new and old school rackets finding ways to adapt and survive. About The Mafia covered many aspects of mafia news last year including indictments, administration changes, deaths natural and otherwise, and much more. We have heard plenty of stories over the years about the demise of the mob but it remains resilient and even though its growth or lack thereof can be debated it’s certainly far from dead.

The mafia today may not have the power and influence it did in its heyday but it remains a viable force when it comes to organized crime. Using various sources we have compiled a list of the current mafia leaders including mafia bosses and other members of the families administrations heading into 2018. Understanding that these list which is pieced together from a wide range of information including street sources and law enforcement are not an exact science we try to be as accurate as possible. Here are the 2018 Mafia Family Leaders and for a more in-depth look into these families check out our mafia family charts section. You can also keep up with all the current news and information by bookmarking our site or following us on social media!

GAMBINO CRIME FAMILY (NEW YORK)

Boss: Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali/Domenico “Italian Dom” Cefalu
Underboss: Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali (?)
Consigliere: Lorenzo Mannino (?)

LUCCHESE CRIME FAMILY (NEW YORK)

Boss: Vittorio “Vic” Amuso
Underboss: Matthew Madonna/Steven Crea
Consigliere: Joseph DiNapoli/Joseph “Joe C.” Caridi (?)

GENOVESE CRIME FAMILY (NEW YORK)

Boss: Liborio “Barney” Bellomo
Underboss/Street Boss: “Unknown”
Consigliere: Peter “Petey Red” DiChiara

COLOMBO CRIME FAMILY (NEW YORK)

Boss: Carmine “Junior/The Snake” Persico
Street Boss: Andrew “Andy Mush” Russo
Underboss: Benjamin “The Little Guy” Castellazo
Acting Underboss: Dominick “Donnie Shacks” Montemarano (?)
Consigliere: “Unknown”
Acting Consigliere: Thomas “Tom Mix/Mr. T” Farese

BONANNO CRIME FAMILY (NEW YORK)

Boss: Michael “The Nose” Mancuso
Acting Boss: Joseph Cammarano Jr.
Consigliere: Anthony “Fat Tony” Rabito

PHILADELPHIA MAFIA FAMILY

Boss: Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino
Acting Boss/Street Boss: Steve Mazzone/Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi
Underboss: Steve Mazzone/John “Johnny Chang” Ciancaglini (?)
Consigliere: Joseph “Chickie” Ciangcaglini

DETROIT MAFIA FAMILY

Boss: Jack “Jackie the Kid” Giacalone
Underboss: Anthony (Chicago Tony) La Piana
Consigliere: Anthony (Tony Pal) Palazzolo
Street Boss: Peter (Specs) Tocco

NEW JERSEY MAFIA FAMILY (DeCAVALCANTE FAMILY)

Boss: Charles Majuri (?)
UnderBoss: “Unknown”
Consiglieri: Frank Nigro

NEW ENGLAND MAFIA FAMILY (PATRIARCA FAMILY)

Boss/Acting Boss: Carmen (The Cheeseman) DiNunzio
UnderBoss: Matthew Guglielmetti
Consiglieri: Joseph (Joe the Bishop) Achille

CHICAGO MAFIA FAMILY (CHICAGO OUTFIT)

Acting Boss/Boss: Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis
Underboss: Salvatore “Sammy Cards” Cataudella
Street Boss: Albert Vena
Consigliere: Marco D’Amico

BUFFALO MAFIA FAMILY

Boss: Frank BiFulco (?)
Underboss: Joe Violi (?)
Consigliere: Victor Sansanese (?)

KANSAS CITY MAFIA FAMILY

Boss: John “Johnny Joe” Sciortino
UnderBoss: Peter “Las Vegas Pete” Simone
Consigliere: Frank DeLuna (?)

CLEVELAND MAFIA FAMILY

Boss: Russell “RJ” Papalardo
Underboss: “Unknown”
Consigliere: “Unknown”

Of the 46 alleged mobsters and associates in last years, East Coast LCN Enterprise case only alleged Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino and New York Mafia captain Eugene “Rooster” Onofrio are going to trial.

The feds originally called the case a major blow to organized crime taking down an enterprise that combined members of various mafia families that had been in operation since 2010. But the case has been hampered by various problems including an internal investigation into the mishandling of a key witness believed to be John Rubeo and evidence he collected that includes tons of secretly recorded conversations leading to the disciplinary actions against two FBI agents. These developments rattled the feds leading prosecutors to offer some pretty sweet plea deals void of some of the more serious charges which all but the two aforementioned have accepted.

“Joseph Merlino”

The flamboyant Joey Merlino who is free on a $5 million dollar bond declined the feds offer to make a deal deciding to take his chances in court. The 55-year-old mobster has been able to dodge some legal bullets in the past including multiple murder charges although he hasn’t been completely bulletproof getting convicted on racketeering charges in 2001 leading to a 14-year sentence. Merlino has been charged with various crimes including racketeering conspiracy, health care fraud, and illegal gambling in the current case which could put him behind bars for more than 20 years if convicted. Merlino’s defense team tried to get the trial moved from New York to Philadelphia which could potentially be a more favorable atmosphere. In the City of Brotherly Love Joey is a more of a known commodity and somewhat of a celebrity gangster as head of the Philly mafia leading potential jurors to either be afraid of him or have a potentially positive opinion of him instead of New York where he is probably seen as just another criminal.

There was plenty of debate as to whether or not the feds really wanted to take this case all the way to trial considering the problems that have developed. But they have not backed down and have even made moves to potentially strengthen their case by bringing in NY mafia rat Peter Lovaglio a former capo in the Bonanno crime family to testify against the defendants. Lovaglio was not implicated in any of the crimes in this case but the feds claim he had interactions with both mobsters before he was busted. It seems like prosecutors may put him on the stand to testify about the defendant’s standings within Cosa Nostra. It wasn’t a surprise to most when Joey turned down his plea offer and decided to go to trial because it’s part of his personality and he doesn’t mind taking the gamble and certainly won’t shy away from the media attention it brings. He has survived multiple attempts on his life over the years and has denied any claims that he is involved in the mafia and has been quoted as saying he flat out refuses to plead guilty to any charges.

Both Merlino and Onofrio were set to tried at the same time but a judge recently ruled to postpone Onofrio’s trial indefinitely because of medical issues. So Skinny Joey will be the center of attention when he walks into the federal court in Manhattan in a couple of weeks with the feds once again trying to put him away. It’s no secret that ever since he was released from prison back in 2011 after finishing up his previous 14-year stretch that he was still on the feds radar and they would like nothing more than to have the flashy American Mafia boss become a guest of the government once again. You can find more information on the upcoming Joey Merlino trial and some of the evidence the feds have against him in some of our previous articles here and here.

As we begin to make our way into the new year we take a look at the status of the New York Mafia families and which of them is currently the strongest.

The American Mafia also known as Cosa Nostra remains a viable criminal enterprise with the five families of New York leading the way. The mob’s overall power and influence has diminished over the years but the reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated especially in the Big Apple where the most powerful mafia families remain. Even as the traditional values of the mafia fade away like the once sacred code of silence known as Omerta it continues to find a way to adapt and survive. Before we get into more of the mafia news 2018 we take a look at which of the NY Mafia families is currently the strongest heading into the new year.

Over the past few years, the feds have shifted a lot of its focus and resources away from organized crime and into the fight against terrorism. This has seemingly allowed at least some of the five families to begin to restabilize and strengthen their ranks to an extent. These reports have sparked an interesting debate as to which family has benefited the most from these developments and which is currently leading the way in Gotham. With new hierarchies and 2018 mafia leaders in place, it is clear that some of these organizations have more momentum going into 2018 than others. So let’s take a short look at the current status of each family and you can take the poll at the end and decide which of them you think is the strongest today.

Genovese Crime Family: It was reported back in 2016 that Liborio Bellomo was the new boss and he continues to lead the way although the rest of the hierarchy remains a topic of debate. The Genovese family is probably still the largest of the NY Mob families in terms of numbers although its unclear as to whether or not that still makes them the strongest. While they continue to find a way to avoid the turncoat problems some of the other families are dealing with they did have some bumps in the road over the last year. The families Springfield crew was taken down by the feds and a couple of the families captains Pasquale Parrello and Eugene O’Nofrio were snared in the ongoing East Coast LCN Enterprise case. With an established boss in place over the last few years and the lack of any major hits to its hierarchy last year it’s still pretty easy to make a case for them at the top.

Gambino Crime Family: Many believe the Gambino family is now the most powerful family in NY although it remains a topic of debate as to who is in control. Some speculate that rising star Frank Cali has taken the reigns from the aging Dom Cefalu but regardless of who’s actually the current boss the Gambino’s are clearly gaining in power. Behind Cali and Cefalu they have strong Sicilian ties and have one of the more dominate Zip factions in NY. In 2017 the feds exposed links between them and the Ndrangheta in Canada showing that their international ties could be expanding. They continue to take an old-school approach to things which aided them in 2017 as their hierarchy was able to avoid any legal setbacks and the family as a whole took very few hits. It seems clear that a case can now be made for the Gambino family!

Lucchese Crime Family: It seemed like the Lucchese family was once again on the rise behind their veteran filled hierarchy which included Steven Crea, Matthew Madonna, and Joseph DiNapoli. But the family has seemingly taken a big step back after a rough 2017 which included a massive bust by the feds leading to indictments against nineteen mobsters and associates including the current leadership. The families ongoing rat problem played a large role in the current case which includes racketeering and murder charges that could completely decimate the current hierarchy. The progress they have made could be wiped out in 2018 and the organization as a whole could now be heading in different direction.

Bonanno Crime Family: It’s pretty clear that the Bonanno family is not on the rise as they remain one of more dysfunctional of the five families. Acting boss Joseph Cammarano Jr. is in control of the families day to day operations while official boss Michael Mancuso remains a guest of the government. The Bonanno’s probably take the prize for one of the worse blunders of 2017 allowing the feds to secretly record both audio and video of a Mafia induction ceremony. The add salt to the wound the man being inducted into the Bonanno family is believed to have been a confidential informant. So coming off a less than banner year it seems obvious that the family has plenty of work to do as we head in 2018.

Colombo Crime Family: The smallest of the five families had a fairly quiet 2017 but may be one of the more interesting families heading into 2018. Many believe the family may be getting closer and closer to the end of an era as the Persico family continues to slowly lose its grip. Longtime boss Carmine Persico saw another of his sons Michael Persico sent to prison last year decreasing the number on the streets of those still loyal to him. The family has been stuck in the past for far too long and its ability to remain as a viable organization may depend on its ability to finally break free from the Persico regime. There is already plenty of debate as to the families existing structure and whether or not there is enough talent remaining within the family to competently rebuild its ranks.

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