Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mob Character Actor Tony Darrow Sentencing Verdict

Anthony Borgese, who goes by the stage name of · NY goodfella accused in unholy shakedown · Tony Darrow, has been a fixture in gangster films since his memorable role in the classic film Goodfellas.

In Goodfellas, Darrow portrayed lounge owner Sonny Bunz and in one of the film's most memorable scenes, Bunz was struck in the head with a bottle by Joe Pesci's character Tommy DeVito.While Goodfellas might have been the movie Darrow is most recognized for, he has appeared in several films such as, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, Small Time Crooks, Searching for Bobby D, Kill the Irishman and the soon to be released gangster film GOAT. Darrow also portrayed the character Larry Boy Barese on the hit HBO series The Sopranos
.
Borgese's legal troubles began after he admitted that he enlisted the help of some real life gangster friends to collect a debt. The vicim of the attack who apparantly owed $5,000 to a Borgese friend, suffered a broken jaw and ribs.

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

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

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

http://www.examiner.com/gangster-movies-in-national/mob-character-actor-tony-darrow-sentencing-verdict

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Bulgarian 'Killer' Testifies about PM Borisov's Mafia Ties

The defendant in Bulgaria's high-profile organized crime case code-namedBulgarian 'Killer' Testifies about PM Borisov's Mafia links. Balkans, bugarian mafia, The Mafia Other&


: Milcho Bonev, Sreten Josic, Bay Mile, SIC, Petar Stoyanov, Chieftain, Killers, Shumen, court, Yuri Galev, Murder, plot, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Yosif Yosifov, Pleven, US Embassy, Boyko, Borisov, Wikileaks, John, Beyrle, organized crime, Lukoil, Valentin, Zlatev, Regional Court, Dachi, Georgi Petkov, The Hook, Kamen Balbuzanov, Vasil Kostov, Ketsa, Konstantin Dimitrov, Kosyo Samokovetsa, Rumen Nikolov, Pashata Bulgaria, Organized Crime corruption

Monday, November 28, 2011

Police snap photos at Montreal mob boss's funeral

alleged Mafia boss,Salvatore Montagna New York's notorious Bonanno crime family, --Police took photos of funeral-goers as about 70 people attended the service for reputed Montreal mafia boss Salvatore Montagna on Monday

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Feds: Greig Lied About Bank Account, Wealth

whitey-bulger.../feds-greig-lied-about-bank

Federal prosecutors are opposing bail for Catherine Greig, the girlfriend of former
Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. ...

Greig has hidden funds, say Feds « Hollywood goodfella | Whitey

James “ Whitey '' Bulger and gal pal Catherine E. Greig. Shelly Murphy for Boston globe writes about Jimmy “whitey” Bulgers' gangster-groupie gal pal who was ...

Greig has hidden funds, say Feds « Hollywood goodfella


: Whitey Bulger News- Anna Bjornsdottir, a former beauty queen from Iceland, has been outed as the one who dropped the dime on Irish mobster Whitey Bulger and ...

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Beauty Queen Gave Up Whitey Bulger- Friends of ours

Anna Bjornsdottir, a former beauty queen from Iceland, has been outed as the one who dropped the dime on Irish mobster Whitey Bulger and his gal pal Catherine Greig after recognizing the fugitive couple as Charlie and Carol Gasko who cared for a stray cat in their -Friends of ours bitterqueen.typepad Boston Feds Sleeping with enemy again « Hollywood goodfella -Friends of ours Mar 31, 2011 – Antonio Borrelli « Hollywood goodfella. Page 1 of 13. Hollywood. Just another WordPress.com weblog. Skip navigation. • Los Angeles Mob bitterqueen.typepad

Bean Town Boos for Whitey Bulger costume « Hollywood goodfella

By Brendan Lynch–Dedham-based party supply retailer iParty is selling a particularly scary Halloween costume this year — a prison jumpsuit based on captured ...

Bean Town Boos for Whitey Bulger costume « Hollywood goodfella

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Boston Feds Sleeping with enemy again « Hollywood goodfella

Aug 17, 2011 – Sound familiar? It should. It's Whitey Bulger all over again. Except this time Mark Rossetti is Whitey Bulger.– It's Whitey Bulger all over again. Except this time Mark Rossetti is Whitey Bulger. And this isn't ancient history. ...

Monday, August 15, 2011

M.I.A.: Joe Pesci


By Brian Salisbury , Hollywood.com Staff


Often times this column requires a good amount of weekly research. There are plenty of actors/filmmakers who haven’t worked in a long time, but among those myriad names, it becomes necessary to weed out those who have been unable to work due to being regrettably deceased, and those for whom little desired is harbored to see them return to the limelight.



But this week’s subject serendipitously fell into my lap while I was channel surfing. Snickers has been running ads of late featuring everyone from Aretha Franklin to Rosanne Barr as representations of the manner in which people’s personalities change when they are hungry. The latest one insinuates that one gentleman gets rather angry when famished as represented by none other than Joe Pesci. Suddenly I found myself wondering, where the heck has that guy been?



Why We Love Him



The soft spot in our hearts for Joe Pesci was one violently carved with a dull blade and widened by a closed fist. Pesci established himself as one of the preeminent gangsters in cinema. It began with Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America and was absolutely solidified with 1990’s Goodfellas. If there is one director who truly understands the art of the gangster film, it’s Martin Scorsese, and Pesci proved to be the embodiment of the most unhinged, sociopathic tendencies that can be fostered by organized crime—the partnership was perfect.



The role actually netted Pesci an Academy Award. He would later collaborate with Scorsese again to portray the similarly homicidal Nicky Santoro in Casino. If nothing else, Santoro taught us that a ballpoint pen in the wrong hands is as dangerous as a loaded gun.



As much as we love Pesci the gangster, the man has demonstrated his chops as a comedian on more than one occasion. Even before he bashed in heads as Tommy Devito in Goodfellas, he made a splash as Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 2. Getz was a fast-talking, spastic con-man-turned-witness who proved to be a unique addition to the already stellar chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. As the franchise progressed through two more sequels, Pesci turned out to be as indelible to fans as anyone else in the series. Pesci also enjoyed great success as one of the bumbling Wet Bandits in 1990’s Home Alone; he and Daniel Stern would reprise these characters in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.







What Happened to Him?



A remarkable actor, an American gangster, and an Oscar winner, how could this guy possibly vanish from the spotlight? But somehow Pesci did seem to fade away. Right after Casino, Pesci made two comedies which both tanked commercially: 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag and Gone Fishin’. When Lethal Weapon enjoyed its fourth installment in 1998, it seemed that he was poised to bounce back. The movie was a smash hit that not only reunited all our old favorite cast members, but also added Chris Rock and martial artist Jet Li. But strangely, this would be the last anyone saw of Pesci for several years.



Where’s He Been?



In 2006, Pesci had a small part in The Good Shepherd; a film directed by his longtime friend and collaborator Robert DeNiro. This would mark the first time in nearly a decade that Pesci had appeared in a film. I am still a bit baffled as to where he went or what he was doing, but this resurgence again proved to be short-lived. It’s now been another five years and still we’ve not seen Pesci in a theatrically released movie. Was Pesci actually in the mafia? Had he turned informer for the FBI and been relocated through witness protection like Goodfellas’ Henry Hill? Probably not, but his disappearance is baffling.



What Now?



Though conflicting reports have surfaced regarding the character he will play, Pesci is set to appear in a biopic called Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father. The movie will, obviously, center on late mafia kingpin John Gotti and his relationship with his son. Rain Man director Barry Levinson is helming the project, and the cast already boasts Al Pacino, John Travolta, and Ben Cross. If this movie turns out to be Pesci’s glorious return to gangster cinema, I will be first in line to see it. But I also hope that Pesci makes a return to comedy because, despite his famous and chillingly brooding protest in Goodfellas, I do think he’s funny.


http://www.hollywood.com/news/Joe_Pesci_Career_and_Future/7829161









Sunday, July 31, 2011

Old ghosts come back to haunt Whitey Bulger « Hollywood goodfella

12 hours ago ... Among the multitudes of Whitey Bulger's alleged victims, Fred Weichel stands alone. Much like the skeletons pulled out of those unmarkedgraves in Dorchester and Quincy, Fred was buried almost 30 years ago - Old ghosts come back to haunt Whitey Bulger « Hollywood goodfella

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Gorgeous will rot in prison




Gorgeous will rot in prison. By MITCHEL MADDUX. Bye, bye, Vinny.

Former Bonanno Mafia boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano -- who dodged the death penalty for having a mob associate whacked -- was sentenced yesterday to spend the rest of his life in the SuperMax federal prison in Colorado.

FBI Paying Mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s Rent « Hollywood Goodfella

While mobster James “ Whitey ” Bulger sits in a Massachusetts jail, RadarOnline. com has exclusively learned that the FBI is paying the rent on the Santa Monica, California apartment where he hid out for the last 16 years. FBIPaying Mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger's Rent « Hollywood goodfella--Crime | Whitey Bulger News

Boston Feds Sleeping with enemy again « Hollywood goodfella. By Boston mobster arrested - August 17 2011 - No Comments. Sound familiar? It should. ...

FBI Paying Mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger's Rent « Hollywood goodfella
Boston mobster arrested - July 19 2011
While mobster James “ Whitey ” Bulger While mobster James “ Whitey ” Bulger sits in a Massachusetts jail, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned that the FBI is paying the rent on the Santa Monica, California apartment where he hid out for the last 16 years ...

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Whitey Bulger: Stone Cold Killer - Friends of Ours

Tonight at 8 pm CNN will air a one-hour documentary on Winter Hill mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger which will explore his life of crime in Boston, MA and his relationship with dirty agents at the FBI who provided him with protection in exchange for information on the Patriarca family.-Friends of Ours. Whitey Bulger: Stone Cold Killer – Friends of Ours;James Bulger

'Whitey' Bulger makeshift cash and gun safes Hollywood Goodfella

'Whitey' Bulger makeshift cash and gun safes « Hollywood goodfella |
POOR REFLECTION: The feds say fugitive mobster Whitey Bulger kept a cache of cash and weapons behind a mirror in his Santa Monica, Calif., apartment.
boston bulger business -ag Archives: friends of ours cosa nostra news. « Older posts · 'Whitey' Bulger makeshift cash and gun safes Hollywood Goodfella ...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Whitey Bulger's bio could bring in big bucks « Hollywood goodfella

If convicted, accused mass murderer James “ Whitey ” Bulger could make a killing selling his blood-soaked biography to a publishing house or Hollywood studio, experts say, thanks in part to state lawmakers, who for yearJames J. "Whitey" Bulger. As. www.trutv.com. James whitey bulger « Hollywood goodfella. jpg - 315x275. James whitey bulger. af11.wordpresss-Hollywood Goodfella-

Feds Bust Mike The Butcher - Friends of Ours

You might say he likes a little meat on the bone. The FBI arrested reputed Bonanno mobster Michael "Mike the Butcher" Virtuoso yesterday on The FBI arrested reputed Bonanno mobster.Friends of ours. Mike The Butcher


Originally posted here http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2011/07/feds-bust-mike-the-butcher.html

Friday, July 1, 2011

Mafia wives break omerta for Mob TV show

The ex-wives of eight notorious Mafia mobsters are to break the sinister crime syndicate's code of silence to tell all about life in the underworld for a new TV show.

The women, including the former partners of high-ranking members of the infamous Lucchese and Bonanno families in New York, lift the lid on gangster goings-on in interviews for the documentary I Married A Mobster.

The show, narrated by Oscar-nominated Goodfellas and The Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco, airs in the U.S. later this month.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Renee-graziano-hollywood-goodfella | Funny Images


renee-graziano-hollywood-goodfella. 'Mob Wives' Renee Graziano's Son AJ: 'I'm Never Joining The ... Hollywood Life ... Mob Wives star Renee Graziano 's son

Monday, May 23, 2011

Feds arrest Philadelphia reputed mob head Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi


The reputed boss of the Philadelphia mob, his alleged lieutenant and 11 others were hit with federal racketeering and gambling charges in an indictment unsealed Monday, a case that federal authorities said shows that organized crime

Hollywood Goodfella | Media Belajar Dan Berbagi

Five Families of New York City · Flare Network · For Members Only - The Story of the Mob's Secret Judge · NY Friends of Ours ·· NY goodfella friends of ours · frontline: drug wars | PBS ..Tentang Hollywood goodfella atau kata kunci yang berhubungan dengan Hollywood goodfella Ataupun info tentang Hollywood

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

"Rats": Why Juries Believe Them















Vinny "Gorgeous" Basciano has just been convicted of racketeering and murder in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York and faces the death penalty. His conviction was based in large part on the testimony of one of the most powerful and nefarious "rats" ever to get on a witness stand for the government -- the former boss of the Bonanno crime family Joseph "Big Joey" Massino. To be sure, Vinny "Gorgeous" unquestionably is among the worst society has to offer -- apart from his serial murders, he conspired to kill the presiding judge in his trial -- but is he any worse than "Big Joey"?


In finding Basciano guilty, the jury obviously believed Massino. There were also secretly recorded conversations by Massino, but his testimony was critical. Is it surprising, even an insult to one's intelligence, that a jury would believe Massino? The reality, however, is that jurors typically accept the testimony of these reprobates, even though to believe such testimony would seem to defy common sense. Why in a million years should or would anyone with half a brain believe that a witness is telling the truth when he has admitted to a life of ruthless, horrendous, murderous conduct? Such conduct, most normal people would argue, should land him in Dante's innermost circle of the Inferno, rather than a champion witness for the government. Indeed, Massino's long criminal history probably should disqualify him from testifying entirely.

But rats commonly are among the most celebrated and accomplished trial witnesses. Rats are those treacherous stool pigeons and spies who turn on family and friends with scathing accounts of their ruthless criminality, and juries routinely accept their accounts as dramatic, entertaining, and believable. The rat usually makes for great courtroom theater. Prosecutors who produce and direct the performance are adept at using the rat for a broad array of investigations and prosecutions, but none is as celebrated and consequential as trials against the Mob. Prosecutors in arguing to the jury boldly and easily justify the use of such miscreants: "Sure, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we would ideally have wanted to place before you as witnesses for the prosecution members of the clergy, distinguished judges, respected ministers of government. But men and women of such high standing do not reside in society's sewers. When you need to navigate your way through the sewer of crime and search through the muck and the garbage, you need a rat."

Added to the Honor Roll of famous Big Time rats -- i.e., gangster Sammy "The Bull" Gravano and drug-kingpin Nicky Barnes -- is Big Joey Massino. Unquestionably the most prominent mob figure ever to testify for the government, Massino appeared to be enjoying his moment. Sixty-eight years old, a huge belly, and a droopy countenance, he probably resembled to some of the jurors their uncle. Courtroom observers watched almost in disbelief as the jury listened raptly as Massino recounted his less than distinguished personal resume -- teenage thefts and burglaries, then graduating to murders, lots of murders, and finally culminating in the notorious "Three Captains" hit, in which Massino orchestrated and participated in the executions of the three heads of his rival faction by ambushing and slaughtering them in a Brooklyn social club.

What is it about Massino, and the other rats, that incline juries to believe them? There is virtually no empirical and anecdotal evidence from which to try to draw conclusions, even tentative ones. Mock trial experiments with fake juries have tried to diagnose how jurors react to a wide array of witnesses, including eyewitnesses, alibi witnesses, experts, and police witnesses, but there is no scientific data on rats. From our own courtroom experiences and observations, several important points stand out. First, to be believable the rat must make a full confession to the jury of all his nefarious deeds. He cannot hide them, minimize them, or ask forgiveness. Thus, Massino recounted calmly, almost matter-of-factly, the enormity of his wrongdoing. Apparently to jurors, his "confession" to big-time sin had a quasi-religious quality. Indeed, jurors find it fascinating to hear a person expose in such excruciating detail his own ruthless and despicable behavior. People don't generally say such things about themselves that are so disserving of their character and humanity. Thus, regardless of a juror's moral qualms about the witness's character, there is usually a very good reason for the jury to believe his testimony to be truthful.

Moreover, the preparation and rehearsal of the rat's courtroom performance should not be minimized. Prosecutors, like stage and film directors, over days and weeks of trial preparation, are adept at contriving the dramatic personae for their witness. Massino's courtroom demeanor obviously was artfully staged; his unassuming persona was carefully crafted, and his use of mob jargon ("clip," "brokester," "hit," "boob") was obviously orchestrated by the prosecutors to amuse the jury, which it clearly did, and give an air of authenticity to the role. Massino's crime stories were vivid and realistic and impressed the jury. And lest one forget, these rehearsals were not limited to the prosecutor's own direct questions to his witness. The prosecutors spent many hours, even days and weeks, with their rat, in mimicking the anticipated cross-examination by the defense, and this feigned interrogation effectively prepared the rat for almost every conceivable attack by the defense.

Other prosecutorial tactics invite the jury to make a favorable assessment of the rat's credibility. Every rat makes a deal with the prosecutor, and enters into what is known as a "cooperation agreement." This agreement is like a contract. It stipulates that the rat agrees to testify fully and truthfully, and the prosecutor in turn agrees to consider the rat's cooperation with respect to the rat's punishment, and in his case to help Massino avoid the death penalty and maybe, someday, as Massino put it, "to see a light at the end of the tunnel." Sometimes the terms of the agreement are explicit, sometimes unspoken but tacit. The lawyer for the defendant may actually spend days cross-examining the rat on this deal, in the hope that the jury will conclude that the rat is lying to save his own skin.

But this endeavor by the defense lawyer is usually futile. The cooperation agreement misleadingly invites the jury to see it as the prosecutor's method to bring out the truth from the witness, with the unspoken message that the prosecutor knows what truth is, and through this agreement is assuring its revelation. Jurors thereby get the impression that the prosecutor is carefully monitoring the testimony of his rat to ensure that the jury gets only the truth. The prosecutor in this way effectively buttresses his witness's credibility by vouching for its accuracy, and in a trial featuring as the cast of characters the prosecutor, the rat, the defendant, and his mob lawyer, the prosecutor stands head and shoulders above everybody else for honesty, integrity, and the vindication of the law. And paradoxically, given the rat's association with the defendant, the more the defense lawyer attempts to paint the rat as the evil person he assuredly is, the more the jury sees the paint as staining the defendant as well, usually terminally.

But given the fact that the jury typically is willing to believe men such as Massino and his ilk, as the jury did here, what does this say about the criminal justice process when, unlike the defense lawyer's role, the prosecutor's most important duty is to dispense truth and do justice? How careful should prosecutors be in using rats to catch rats? Should prosecutors simply throw a rat on the witness stand in the hope the jury will believe him?

Despite Massino's horrific past and his probable motives to "cooperate" with the authorities in giving testimony (although he testified that such motives did not include his own desire to avoid the death penalty), it is our experience that the overwhelming majority of prosecutors offer "rat" testimony only if they actually believe it themselves. In many respects, jurors, even though they are lay persons, arrive at their decisions on witness credibility in the same way that prosecutors do -- they bring to their decisions their ordinary life experiences, common sense, and good judgment. Decisions that we make every day require us to use our skill sets in accepting or rejecting the word of persons who represent to us certain facts, or vouch for things, and ask us to rely on their word. Juries do it the same way.

We are long past the day when the law imposed the paternalistic rite of disqualifying certain witness as "incompetent" to testify, for example, for having a criminal record. The majesty of the jury system is that it affords the defendant's peers, meaning jurors -- euphemistically the "man in the street" -- the task of deciding if a witness is telling the truth. Jurors most likely believe "rats" when most other people would believe them, although one has to swallow hard in doing so. And maybe that's the way it should be.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-cohen/rats-why-juries-believe-t_b_862752.html

Monday, May 16, 2011

Vinny Gorgeous Basciano guilty of mob murder
















The jury of seven men and five women will return Monday to decide whether Basciano should die by lethal injection or get life in prison for ordering the murder of mob associate Randolph Pizzolo.

Basciano turned his chair to face Judge Nicholas Garaufis, not the jury forewoman, as she read the verdict on the fourth day of deliberations in Brooklyn Federal Court.

He showed no reaction and later stood as the jury filed out of the courtroom, took a deep breath and sighed.

I think we're all disappointed," defense lawyer Richard Jasper said outside court.

Basciano, 51, is already serving a life sentence for the shotgun murder of Bronx junkie Frank Santoro in 2001.

The flamboyant gangster was buried under the weight of testimony from six cooperating witnesses, including another former Bonanno boss, Joseph Massino, the highest-ranking New York gangster to sing for the government.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Taryn Merkl and Stephen Frank told jurors Basciano's big mouth proved he was a murderer.

Basciano - who was in jail when Pizzolo was executed Nov. 30, 2004, on a deserted street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - told Massino in a taped jailhouse conversation he gave the order to kill Pizzolo.

"His own words are on tape telling you the murder was his idea, he selected the hit team and explaining why it had to be done," Frank said in closing arguments.

Pizzolo had committed numerous mob indiscretions and the hit was meant to send a "wakeup call" to the rest of the Bonanno crime family, already reeling from the defections of several high-ranking gangsters.

"Even though justice has been served, there isn't anything that can or will replace the lifetime sentence of emotional void my family and I serve, without my dad," Pizzolo's daughter Connie told the Daily News.

"If capital punishment is what is next for Vinny, then my

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/05/16/2011-05-16_mob_boss_vincent_vinny_gorgeous_basciano_found_guilty_of_murder.html

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Mob Boss Ordered Son Whacked On Mother's Day


The FBI is again pursuing the 2004 disappearance of Genovese boss Dominick Cirillo's son, Nicholas, after ex-Bonanno boss Joseph Massino testified that Cirillo ordered his drug-addicted son killed...on Mother's Day, of all days! One source said Nicholas was high on crack during a fight just before his disappearance: "There was concern the kid [Nicholas] was out of control and he was going to cause problems for the [Genovese] family."

Nicholas disappeared on Mother's Day 2004, two weeks after getting into an altercation with Bonanno family associates Vincent Jr. Basciano and Dominick Cicale in the Bronx. His body was never found, and now it's believed that "Quiet Dom" ordered him killed after a tape implicating him was played during Joseph Massino's trial. According to the News:

That came from Dom," Bonanno acting boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basicano Sr. told Massino in a secretly taped 2005 jailhouse chat.
"Did we have anything to do with that?" asked Massino, waving his hand like it was a gun.

"Absolutely not," Basciano replied.


It's thought that the altercation in the Bronx led to the hit, given that attacking a "made man" carries the penalty of death. Cirillo is on supervised release for a racketeering conviction, and when daughter Ann Marie Caggiano was asked about the possible hit, she replied, "I really don't want to talk about that

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Women of Mafia Families TV series « Hollywood goodfella


Mafia Turncoat Sammy “The Bull” Gravano.

So much for family secrets. Several women related to men serving time for mob-related crimes are now.

“I think we’re brave,” said Karen Gravano, one of the stars of the new VH1 series “Mob Wives.” “I think there’s so much out there about the mob and it’s so glorified. I just thought it was time to bring people behind closed doors and see what the families go through.”

Friday, April 15, 2011

Elderly Mob Associate Charged Again


Nicole Melia, a reputed associate of the Gambino crime family, faces 20 years in prison on a loan-sharking charge

The mob life could land a 78-year-old man in prison for the second time.

Prosecutors in Bridgeport say Nicola Melia, a reputed associate of the Gambino crime family, made high-interest "street loans" in Fairfield County and threatened violence if the debts were not paid.

His arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

In 2005, Melia was sentenced to 33 months in prison for what was considered a minor role in a loan shark operation. He and 18 other mob members and associates were accused of racketeering, extortion and illegal gambling.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Joseph 'Big Joey' Massino recordings reveal delusions of grandeur

The Bonnanos think they’re the Corleone family, but not even Mario Puzo could have made up these clowns. Based on recordings former boss-turned-rat Joseph "Big Joey" Massino made of his successor Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano while wearing a wire, the "Godfather" character he and his crew most resemble is not Vito or Michael. It’s Fredo. "[Anthony] Ace Aiello is like a Luca Brasi," Basciano said, comparing the Bonnano associate to the Corleone’s loyal hitman, on one of the recordings played in Brooklyn Federal court today. He’s your Luca Brasi," Basciano said. After playing the recording, prosecutors asked Massino – the first mob boss to spill his guts on the stand – if he was familiar with "The Godfather" movies. "Yes, I am," he replied. Asked to describe the significance of a Luca Brasi?" Massino exlained, "if they sent him out to kill someone, he’d do it." The Bonnanos do apparently share the Corleone’s flair for the dramatic. "Did your wife get the money, by the way," Basciano asks on the recording. "I sent your wife money." Massino replied that she did in fact receive the $50,000 tribute, which was stuffed inside a bottle of Dom Perignon. "A bottle of Dom Perignon. $50,000. It came from Vinny," Massino explained on the stand. Prosecutors played the recordings Massino made in prison as he and Basciano stood six inches apart in adjacent exercise cages to prove that Basciano was behind the murder of associate Randy Pizzolo, for which he faces the death penalty. "Randy — you OK’d it?" Massino asked Basciano. "I gave the order," Basciano replies. "Randy was a f—-ing jerkoff." Massiano then pushed him further. "Did it warrant the clip?" Basciano explained that Pizzolo went to meet a made man while carrying a pistol – a major Cosa Nostra no-no. "Randy went into Villa Sonoma. He went with a gun, he got drunk and he says he’s the only one capable of killing anybody — in this family He says he was an ex-SEAL," Basciano said. Rather than just shun him from the family, Basciano said he had him whacked to set an example. "He’s a a f——ing dangerous kid, who don’t listen. He’s just an annoying kid," Basciano said. "These guys were out there doing whatever the f—- they want," he added, referring to the behavior of other Bonnano members. "I thought this kid would be a good wake up call for everybody." Massino, who turned informant in 2005 to avoid the death penalty after getting convicted of seven murders and facing charges on an eighth, complained that Basciano didn’t clear the hit with him first, "Why didn’ you ask me?" Massino asked. "It was already in the works, bo," Basciano said. "This kid though...this kid deserved it. This kid was a f—-ing thorn. He didn’t listen to no f——ing body." Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mob_boss_confirms_hit_while_wearing_aCKVAsMuK1eCNxWf8j6YIP#ixzz1JTG5HT6z

Mafia turncoat: Joseph Massino, ex-Bonnano boss, testifies against fellow mobster Vinny Gorgeous







Mafia turncoat: Joseph Massino, ex-Bonnano boss, testifies against fellow mobster Vinny Gorgeous. So much for Omerta. Highest ranking Mafia Rat Fingers “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano for murder. Ex-Bonnano heavyweight Joseph Massino made Mafia history Tuesday, becoming the first crime boss to take the stand as he testified against his successor. As mob legends turned in their graves, Massino fingered Vincent [/Vinny Gorgeous\] Basciano in the killing of a crime family associate. Asked if there was anyone in the room who was a fellow member of his crime family, the turncoat boss pointed directly at Basciano. “That man in the gray suit sitting there,” he said. Massino then described how he secretly taped Basciano in prison talking about killing mob associate Randolph Pizzolo in 2004. “He told me that he had him killed,” Massino explained to the jury. “He said he was a scumbag, a rat, a troublemaker, a bad kid.” Taking the stand in Brooklyn Federal Court, Massino wore a blue, two-toned warm-up jacket, zipped-up halfway to reveal a white undershirt and bowling ball sized gut underneath. The 68-year-old Massino, who has been jailed since 2004 in eight gangland murders, said he had been a member of the Bonnano family for 33 years. When asked what his last title was, Massino replied, “I was the boss – official boss.” “Was anyone above you?” assistant U.S. Attorney Taryn Merkl asked. “Nobody,” Massino replied. Massino described what he did for the crime organization as, “murders, responsible for the family, make captains, break captains.” Massino became the highest-ranking Mafia rat when he agreed to cooperate to avoid the death penalty in the slaying of a Bonnano capo. This is the second trial for Basciano on charges of killing Randolph. In 2007, a mistrial was declared in the murder case because of a hung jury, although Basciano was convicted of racketeering charges. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Out-of-jail mobster 'Vinny Gorgeous' enjoys 'slow go' in court

Out-of-jail mobster 'Vinny Gorgeous' enjoys 'slow go' in court
Jury selection continues at a snail's pace in the capital-murder mob trial of reputed Bonanno boss Vincent Basciano -- and the well-dressed wiseguy known as "Vinny Gorgeous" seems to relish every moment. A month into the painstaking and often tortuous process at Brooklyn federal court, only 59 prospects have been chosen. That's out of a pool of 1,000, nearly twice as many as most high-profile Mafia trials, court experts said. But, animated and smiling, Basciano confers with his legal eagles -- George Goltzer, Richard Jasper and Ying Stafford -- occasionally and discretely whispering in their ears. And why not? Every day the selection process drags on is another day away from his solitary confinement in prison. With all the intensity of a coach sending in plays to the quarterback, he'll often grab a pen, jot messages on Post-it notes and then pass them to various members of his legal team. And all the while, he looks sharper than anyone else at the defense table -- or anywhere else in the courthouse. His suit, shirt and tie match with fashion-conscious precision. And he brings his own expertise, as former owner of the "Hello Gorgeous" beauty salon in The Bronx -- where he earned his mob tag -- to his gelled, combed-back 'do. When the daily proceedings begin, Basciano settles back into the best seat in the house for often gripping entertainment, like the time a bemused Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who often poses hypothetical questions, was interrupted by a prospective juror who proposed a hypothetical of his own. "If I planned to kill my wife . . . ," the man began before the judge cut him off. "Let's leave your wife out of it," Garaufis advised. His trial was scheduled to begin today, but opening arguments now appear to be at least a week away. Before being interviewed by the judge, candidates for the Basciano jury first must complete a 60-plus-page questionnaire that asks about a wide range of issues, including their views on crime, the Mafia and capital punishment. The identities of the jurors are kept secret as a precaution against potential tampering. Eventually, the serious business of justice will begin. Basciano is standing trial on charges that while in prison he ordered the rub-out of mob associate Randolph Pizzolo, who was killed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 2004. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/it_all_goodfella_8DypfQLOZyKhPH4fFDg4XL#ixzz1IhSo98vR

Thursday, March 31, 2011

'Gangster Squad' Gets Green Light With Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling










By Eric Sundermann , Hollywood.com Staff Thursday, March 31, 2011 Hey, ... Casino and Goodfellas which, if my uncle has anything to say about Hey, look at that -- another mob movie is headed our way. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. just green lit Gangster Squad, a crime drama written by Will Beall and to-be-directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland).

Thursday, March 24, 2011

100-plus ex-FBI agents want review of Boston colleague's mob convictions; it may be his last chance


MIAMI - More than 100 former FBI agents, including the one whose undercover work inspired the movie "Donnie Brasco," are fighting for the release of a colleague convicted of corruption and of helping Boston's Irish-American mob murder a South Florida gambling executive.

It's a long shot, and maybe the last shot, for 70-year-old John Connolly, who will spend the rest of his life in prison, barring a successful appeal.

The former G-men, who provided documents relating to the case to The Associated Press, say Connolly was prosecuted for essentially doing what his Justice Department superiors wanted: to secretly use mob bosses James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi as informants against Italian-American gangsters in New England.

The retired agents have filed two petitions with Attorney General Eric Holder demanding appointment of a special counsel to investigate Connolly's prosecution, raising a grab-bag of claims spanning many years, some of which have been previously rejected by courts and aired in congressional hearings. They include allegations of questionable tactics by prosecutors, evidence that a key witness lied during Connolly's 2002 federal corruption trial and contentions there was a rigged result in his 2008 Florida murder case.

"I've never seen them go after a gangster like they have John," said former agent Joseph Pistone, whose infiltration of New York's Bonanno and Colombo crime families as "Donnie Brasco" in the late 1970s was made into the 1997 film starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

"He was dedicated as an FBI agent. He got all kinds of commendations. All of a sudden he goes wrong? That's kind of hard to believe."

Connolly's own saga also made its way to the big screen: It formed the blueprint for the 2006 Academy Award-winning film "The Departed."

Prosecutors say Connolly permitted Flemmi and Bulger, who ran the notorious Winter Hill Gang, to commit crimes, accepted tens of thousands of dollars and other favors from them, tipped them about a pending indictment and, most seriously, passed them sensitive information about snitches in gang ranks that led to several murders. Connolly was convicted of racketeering and obstruction of justice and handed a 10-year federal prison sentence.

In Miami, Connolly was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1982 killing by a mob hit man of John Callahan, the gang-connected president of World Jai-Alai. Connolly did not have any direct role in the slaying, but was accused of tipping Flemmi and Bulger that Callahan was likely to finger them in another slaying.

So far, the Justice Department has refused to act on the ex-agents' complaints, citing Connolly's ongoing appeals of his Florida murder conviction. The ex-agents are pressing Holder to act, particularly with Connolly staring at an additional 40-year prison sentence in the Florida case that would begin as soon as his federal term ends in June.

"I feel John was wrongfully convicted," said William Reagan, a retired agent from San Francisco who posed as a long-haired radical inside the Weather Underground for eight years in the 1960s and '70s. "I don't think it amounted to a malicious prosecution. I simply think he was screwed over."

Prosecutors say Connolly is grasping at straws.

"Connolly had his trial. He got convicted. They attacked it with new evidence, and they lost that one, too," said Michael Von Zamft, an assistant state attorney in Miami who helped prosecute Connolly in the Florida case. "The concept that he is this innocent guy is just ridiculous."

Connolly, in one of several exclusive interviews with The Associated Press from a North Carolina federal prison, said his ex-FBI allies are probably his only hope.

"I'm fighting for my life here," Connolly said. "If it weren't for these ex-agents ...

"Guys who knew me know I never did any of this. I did my job."

Connolly and his allies contend he was singled out as a rogue agent responsible for mishandling Bulger and Flemmi to shield senior federal prosecutors from blame. Bulger disappeared in 1995 shortly after he and Flemmi were indicted on racketeering charges and has been on the FBI's 10 most wanted list for years.

Connolly insists he was made the fall guy because he wouldn't falsely testify that other agents were taking bribes or feeding information to the Winter Hill Gang.

"They wanted me to lie for them. I wouldn't do that," Connolly said. "The whole thing is absurd."

The former agents have no smoking gun, nothing that irrefutably proves Connolly's innocence. They provided documents about a lying witness in his first trial, government suppression of evidence and trial tactics that they say raise questions about his guilt.

The agents contend that Miami prosecutors used an improper legal maneuver to overcome a four-year statute of limitations that existed in 1982 for second-degree murder.

They persuaded a jury to discard the statute of limitations because Connolly was almost certainly armed — the presence of a firearm is a waiver to the statute — when he tipped the mobsters about Callahan's FBI cooperation. Connolly's attorneys contend the law requires that Connolly had to possess the actual murder weapon, which was impossible because he was 1,500 miles away at the time.

Connolly, however, lost his appeal in the murder case March 2; his attorney is asking for a rehearing. Absent a legal turnabout, chances are Connolly will have to report to a Florida prison after his federal term ends June 28.

Another central claim by the ex-agents is that a former New England mob boss, Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, lied repeatedly during Connolly's 2002 corruption trial about Salemme's involvement in several murders. That alleged perjury became known to prosecutors in 2003, when Flemmi began cooperating and described participating with Salemme in some of the killings, but Connolly's attorneys weren't aware of it until just before his 2008 trial on the Florida murder.

During his testimony, Salemme flatly denied participating in at least four killings, such as the 1968 strangulation of crime associate Thomas Timmins in Salemme's home in Sharon, Mass.

"I have no idea ... I don't even know that he's dead," Salemme testified.

To the ex-FBI agents supporting Connolly, the suppression of the Flemmi statement is a clear violation of Connolly's rights. They also say the Justice Department should immediately renew investigations of the murders linked to Salemme, which have never been solved. Flemmi told authorities where some of the bodies are buried, but no one has attempted to exhume them.

The agents also say that the Flemmi evidence would have strengthened one of Connolly's appeals, which were based partly on a statement from a Philadelphia mobster who became friendly with Salemme in prison.

That mobster, Roger Vella, told the FBI in 2004 that Salemme bragged about how he lied to frame Connolly. Vella is identified as "CS," short for confidential source, in the FBI document.

"Salemme told the CS that he had 'spun' the prosecutors, outslicked them, and that he had been doing this for 50 years," the report says. "Salemme said he and his family had suffered for years and now it's Connolly's turn."

Prosecutors disclosed Vella's statement under seal to a federal judge and to Connolly's defense team, which used it to argue for a new trial.

A federal appeals court ruled against Connolly in 2007, and its decision suggests that Flemmi's testimony might not have swayed it. The court said the Vella evidence about Salemme's perjury wasn't enough to warrant a second trial, because it didn't go to the heart of the case against Connolly.

The fact that prosecutors held on to Flemmi's testimony for years before sharing it with Connolly's attorneys might not help him win his freedom, either.

Prosecutors are required before and during a trial to disclose to the defense any evidence that might exonerate a defendant. But after a trial, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that requirement is not so stringent, former Miami U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey said.

"If they weren't aware of the information during the time of the trial, they would not be required to disclose it post trial," said Coffey, who has no connection to Connolly's case and is now in private practice. "There are a number of cases where courts have said if you look at all the other evidence, you can't find a reasonable probability that this would have been a game-changing play."

The Justice Department declined to comment on the Connolly case beyond its terse written responses to the ex-FBI agents' two petitions. The two main federal prosecutors — John Durham and Fred Wyshak — also declined to comment.

Von Zamft said the Salemme perjury evidence wasn't an issue in the Florida case because he wasn't part of that trial.

Salemme was prosecuted for lying about one of the murders and pleaded guilty in 2008 to obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to five years in prison, given credit for time served and is believed to be in the federal witness protection program. Salemme denied committing that murder in his 2008 plea agreement and only admitted he had falsely told the FBI that someone else might have been responsible.

Among the other players in this decades-long saga, Flemmi is serving a life prison sentence. Wyshak is still a Boston federal prosecutor and Durham, whose base is Connecticut, was chosen recently by President Barack Obama's administration to investigate whether harsh CIA interrogation methods amounted to crimes.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Casey Szaflarski poker king

Hollywood Goodfella Chicago Outfit Video poker king target of federal investigation. Casey Szaflarski allegedly runs a multimillion-dollar video poker business for the Chicago mob Casey Szaflarski allegedly runs a multimillion-dollar video poker business for the Chicago mob. But he's the first to tell you he has

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Irish mob legend Danny Greene

“Irish mob legend Danny Greene it follows Greene's tough rise from the streets to crooked union boss, mob enforcer and finally gang boss who took on New York's Gambino crime syndicate. Greene's criminal circle included local gangster John Nardi (Vincent D'http://www.cleveland.com/moviebuff/index.ssf/2011/03/danny_greene_legendary_clevela.html

Four Indicted in $1.9 Million Embezzlement Scheme from Wakefield Business

Reputed New England mob capo Mark Rossetti--The scheme is allegedly part of a larger operation with ties to Mark Rosetti, an East Boston resident and reputed mafia capo. According to law enforcement officials, Rosetti and his associates were involved in robberies, drug trafficking, ...
A Massachusetts grand jury has returned indictments against four men on charges that they were all involved in a conspiracy to steal money from a Wakefield employment firm in order to allegedly pay off gaming and loan sharking debts, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office.
Joseph Giallanella, 62, of North Andover; Michael Petrillo, 56, of Peabody; Charles Davis, 44, of Salem, N.H.; and Charles Toomajian, 53, of Malden were all indicted for their separate roles in

'Mob Talk' looks at John Veasey, a mobster-turned-government witness.


Philadelphia Daily News By George Anastasia Inquirer Staff Writer It's been a rough few months for reputed Philly mob enforcer John Veasey-Marty Angelina First back in
'Mob Talk' looks at John Veasey, a mobster-turned-government witness.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/070209_john_veasey_mob_talk

Kenny Gallo's friends of ours :Genovese Family Is Coming Apart

For decades the Genovese family has evaded significant disruption to its rackets by keeping its troops together. The Women of Mafia Families TV series « Hollywood goodfella. Today in History for March 27th · South American drug cartel Trafficking in Motown suberb · Racketeering rap doesn't faze "Little Rico" Ponzo · Widow of Staten Island Gambino mob victim blasts book deal for daughter of Sammy "Bull" .The Women of Mafia Families TV series « Hollywood goodfella Kenny Kenji fiato Gallo fiato Kenny Gallo ,Ken gallo, boston mob, crime syndicates, DOJ, Edward Brian Halloran, fbi, fbi informant, friends_of _ours, gangsters, Hollywood celebrities, hollywood goodfella, irish american mobster's, italian american mobsters, James “Whitey” Bulger, John “Zip” Connolly, Johnny Martorano., la cosa nostra, Mafia, mafia organized crime, Michael Laurano, mob, mob bookie, mob murder, mob rat, mobsters, organized crime”, Patriarca crime family, Rat Pack", ratfellas, Richard "Richie " Castucci, Rodney Dangerfield., Sammy Davis Jr, Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi., underworld figures, winter hill gang, winter hill mob, wiseguys. Anthony "the Animal" Fiato, anthony "tony rome" Fiato, Anthony kenny gallo Fiato, boston mob, crime syndicates, DOJ, Edward Brian Halloran, fbi, fbi informant, friends_of _ours, gangsters, Hollywood celebrities, hollywood goodfella, irish american mobster's, italian american mobsters, James “Whitey” Bulger, John “Zip” Connolly, Johnny Martorano., la cosa nostra, Mafia, mafia organized crime, Michael Laurano, mob, mob bookie, mob murder, mob rat, mobsters, organized crime”, Patriarca crime family, Rat Pack", ratfellas, Richard "Richie " Castucci, Rodney Dangerfield., Sammy Davis Jr, Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi., underworld figures, winter hill gang, winter hill mob, wiseguys
Ken gallo, Kenny Kenji Gallo,kenny gallo ,titles from Hollywood as "Goodfellas" and "Caddyshack" american mafia Anthony Arillotta Big Al Big Al Bruno Bonanno Crime Family Bonanno Family Bonanno family boss Colombo Crime Family Colombo Family Family Boss Gambino Crime Family Gambino Family genovese crime family Genovese Family John Gotti Joseph "Big Joey" Massino Joseph Massino la cosa nostra Life Sentence mafia mafia 2011 Mafia Boss Mafia Families mafia news mafia today mob Mob Boss Mobster Mobsters Murder Trial Nbsp new england mafia new york mafia organized crime Patriarca Crime Family Plea Deal Randolph Pizzolo the mafia the mafia today Vincent Basciano vincent basciano trial Vincent Vinny Gorgeous Basciano Vinny Gorgeous Basciano,Hollywood as "Goodfellas" and "Caddyshack",Hollywood as "Goodfellas" and "Caddyshack",Hollywood as "Goodfellas" and "Caddyshack",
Hollywood as "Goodfellas" and "Caddyshack",Adolfo Big Al Bruno american mafia Big Al Bonanno Crime Family Bonanno Family Bonanno family boss Colombo Crime Family Colombo Family Extortion Family Boss Feds Gambino Crime Family Gambino Family genovese crime family Genovese Family Joe Massino John Gotti Joseph "Big Joey" Massino Joseph Massino la cosa nostra Life Sentence mafia mafia 2011 Mafia Boss Mafia Families mafia news mafia today Metropolitan Detention Center mob Mob Boss Mobster Mobsters Nbsp new england mafia new york mafia organized crime Plea Deal Randolph Pizzolo Randy Pizzolo the mafia the mafia today Vincent Basciano vincent basciano trial Vincent Vinny Gorgeous Basciano Vinny Gorgeous Basciano


Mobsters Hollywood Goodfella Chicago Mexican drug kingpin
CHICAGO – The alleged leader of a major Mexican drug cartel has pled not guilty in a Chicago courtroom, to trafficking millions of dollars worth of heroin ...

Source : http://jrrusso.blogspot.com/2010/02/hollywood-goodfella-chicago-mexican.html

Hollywood Goodfella Chicago Al Capone lived here Hollywood
(CHICAGO) (WLS) — Al Capone and Chicago. Chicago and Al Capone. It’s an image the city has been fighting for years. But now a sign proudly proclaims that ...

Source : http://af11.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/hollywood-goodfella-chicago-al-capone-lived-here/

Mobsters Tommy De Simone goodfella Mobsters
Thomas Anthony "Two-Gun Tommy" DeSimone (May 24, 1950 – January 14, 1979) was an Italian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family.Thomas ...

Source : http://jrrusso.blogspot.com/2009/03/tommy-de-simone-goodfella.htm

However, in a stunning moment which may become a turning point in mob history, flipped capo Anthony "Bingy" Arillotta yesterday testified in a Manhattan federal courthouse at the . http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2011/03/genovese-family-is-coming-ap
art.html

Monday, March 14, 2011

Reputed North Jersey mobster Stephen "Beach" Depiro ordered released on bail


Reputed North Jersey mobster Stephen 'Beach' Depiro a family man of contradictions the highly lucrative rackets along the North Jersey waterfron for the Genovese crime family

Sunday, March 13, 2011

"Cadillac Frank" Salemme


Francis P. Salemme [Salemone], also known as "Cadillac Frank" and "Julian Daniel Selig" (born August 18, 1933), is a Boston, Massachusetts mobster who became a hitman and eventually the boss of the Patriarca crime family of New England before turning government witness.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Hollywood Goodfella: Mafia hitman ties Berlusconi to cosa nosta bombings


– A jailed Mafia hitman linked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to the Cosa Nostra on Friday Crime He said that Graviano, who with his brother Giuseppe Graviano ran

Friends of Ours Colombo

Friends of Ours: Colombo
Joe Colombo was shot by Jerome Johnson, a black mobster wannabe, who was attempting to become involved with the porn rackets through his friend Gambino .
http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/colombo/

Monday, March 7, 2011

Gangsters flip on '92 mob 'killer' Neil Messina

Mob Killer Testimony from two flipped mobsters has led to charges in a 20-year-old murder case, newly filed court papers reveal.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn accuse Bonanno crime-family associate Neil Messina of killing a man in a failed August 1992 home-invasion robbery

One of the government witnesses is Nicky Lanza, who was Messina's accomplice in the crime, according to defense lawyer Gerald McMahon.

Lanza is a reputed former Bonanno associate who has been a cooperating government witness since his house was firebombed several years ago, McMahon said.

Investigators probing the murder also tried to catch Messina discussing his recollection of the crime by sending another government informant to talk to him, McMahon wrote.

Peter Tagliavia, a Colombo-family associate, wore a wire and taped Messina saying he had done some "bad thingInvestigators probing the murder also tried to catch Messina discussing his recollection of the crime by sending another government informant to talk to him, McMahon wrote.

Peter Tagliavia, a Colombo-family associate, wore a wire and taped Messina saying he had done some "bad things" in the past with Lanza, according to court documents and a source.

McMahon argues that the evidence provided by both informants is weak and should not be used to keep Messina from getting bail while awaiting trial on racketeering and murder charges. The feds want to keep him behind bars.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Bronx man behind 'Godfather'-inspired move to intimidate star witness aquitted of murdering bouncer


A Bronx man who orchestrated a "Godfather"-inspired witness-intimidation campaign was acquitted of murder Thursday.

Daniel Carbuccia - who plotted to steal a scene from the iconic mob movie to terrify a star witness out of testifying - was cleared in the Jan. 2004 murder of bordello bouncer Robert Quintana, 25.

Carbuccia's two alleged accomplices, Carlos Santos and Robert Rivera, were also acquitted.

"It's disgraceful that a movie gangster's plan worked for these fools," said Quintana's pal David Hernandez, 33. "I can't believe the jury knew Carbuccia tried to silence a witness and still voted not guilty."

Jurors in the six-month trial heard tapes of Carbuccia calling friends from Rikers Island, urging them to pack the courtroom to scare the prosecution's key witness.

In one call, Carbuccia and his uncle agree to mimic Michael Corleone's plan to intimidate a mob rat by inviting his brother to the proceedings.

The death threats didn't stop the the real-life witness from eventually testifying against Carbuccia and his pals.

Jurors said the men were no real-life Corleones.

"We looked at all the evidence and there were some doubts," one juror said.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

mafia jailbird says Meredith Kercher was killed by his brother, not Amanda Knox


Foxy Knoxy” was framed.

That’s the tune an Italian mobster Luciano Aviello,a jailbird is singing, claiming his Mafia organized crime figure brother brutally murdered a female British college student, not American Amanda Knox.

Luciano Aviello, who is currently serving a 17-year sentence for his mafia ties, told Knox’s lawyers his brother Antonio slaughtered Meredith Kercher and asked him to hide the bloody knife and Kercher’s keys, the Daily Mail reports.

Aviello said his brother showed up to his house wearing a bloodstained jacket the night of the murder saying he broke into a house and killed a woman. He then asked Aviello to hide the knife.

“I had everything under a little wall behind my house and covered it with soil and stones. I am happy to stand up in court and confirm all this and wrote to the court several times to tell them but was never questioned,” he said.

Aviello claims he wrote to the court three times to give his testimony, but was ignored.

Last year, an Italian court convicted Knox and her then-boyfriend her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. She got 26 years, he got 25 years. A third man, Rudy Guede, was also convicted.

Aviello swears all three are innocent. However, Antonio is nowhere to be found.

In 2007, Kercher’s half-naked body was found, her throat slit in the bedroom of the house she shared with Knox in Perugia.

Aviello, who is from Naples, said he and his brother were living in Perugia the year Kercher was killed. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/09/2010-06-09_amanda_knox_is_innocent_jailed_italian_mobster_says_his_brother_killed_meredith_.html
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