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Luchese Trio Go Down For Life For Gangland Hit In The Bronx

By Ed Scarpo
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Former acting Luchese boss Matthew (Matty) Madonna, 84; soldier Christopher Londonio, 45; and associate Terrence Caldwell, 61, were sentenced to life in prison on Monday, July 27, following their 2019 jury conviction for the Bronx murder of Michael Meldish, among other crimes.


Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the sentences, which were imposed by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, as per a media release.

Steven L. Crea, the Underboss of the Luchese Family, who also faces a life sentence, will be sentenced at a later date. According to Gang Land News, he will be sentenced next week. As per Gang Land the reason for the delay is that, at the time of the hearing, which was conducted remotely due to COVID-19 precautions, "no court appearance slots were available for inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center," where Crea is being held.

Crea's son, Luchese capo Steve Crea Jr., a 47-year-old New Rochelle resident…
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CONCLUSION of the Ravenite Transcript Series: "You wanna challenge the 'administration'? Well, we will meet the challenge!"

By Ed Scarpo
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Wiseguys know that anytime they chat, there's always a chance that their words could be memorialized forever on wiretaps—which is why they effortlessly speak in code and use copious nicknames and never spell things out entirely. (An ex-wiseguy who spent decades in the life told us recently that he has no idea what John Gotti and the other guys are talking about in our Ravenite Transcript Series. A direct quote: "I can't follow a word of what they're fcking saying!" [That quote caused some consternation -- we are now working on adding a final "cleanup" story to conclude this series...])


In one of the discussions below Gotti obsesses over loose lips and anoints himself the prime offender: “This [is] how we get in trouble—we talk.”

Minutes later, he notes what will happen to anyone who dares to oppose his regime...

This entry marks the conclusion of the Ravenite Transcript Series; our next transcript series will be: The Testimony of Salvatore (Sammy the Bul…
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The Ravenite Transcripts PART 10: "I’m not in the mood for clans ... for gangs ... for none a that stuff..."

By Ed Scarpo
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Just because we haven't posted as frequently as usual this past month doesn't mean we're slacking off: in fact, we've been busily researching a piece about former Bonanno powerhouse Carmine Galante that we hope to publish in the next week or so.


We were surprised to learn that, at one point, Gambino capo Danny Marino, for one, walked into that apartment above the Ravenite and joined in the wiretap discussions between boss John Gotti, underboss Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano, and consiglieri Frankie Locascio. In this meeting, Gotti and his appointed hierarchy discuss inducting new members into the Gambino Family, which is not a matter for levity, as Gotti clarifies for all those present. Gotti also notes that they will conduct the ritual with dignity and sobriety: “I’m not in the mood for the toys or games or kidding, no time … This is gonna be a Cosa Nostra till I die. Be it an hour from now or be it tonight or hundred years from now when I’m in jail. It’s gonna be…
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Fear City: Netflix Doc Highlights When Mafia Commission Ran New York

By Ed Scarpo
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Unless you've been lost on a deserted island the past week, you probably know that Netflix dropped a trailer for Fear City, the streaming platform's three-part docu-series on the New York Mafia that will premiere in a couple of days on July 22 (SEE TRAILER BELOW).

Fear City (a riff on New York's "Fun City" nickname—though Fun City itself was meant to be sarcastic) focuses on the Mafia Commission Case (aka, United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al, a 22-count Manhattan-based indictment that was handed down in February 1985), which was the Feds attempt to destroy the New York Mafia by taking out its "brain trust," in one fell swoop. (They were successful to an extent.)  Fear City is produced by RAW, the company behind Don’t F**K With Cats (an excellent documentary on Netlix right now: watch it immediately), and Brillstein Entertainment.
Fear City includes interviews with dozens of law enforcement officials and ex-Mafia associates (one of them is John Alite,…
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Genovese Wiseguy Frank Giovinco Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

By Ed Scarpo
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Frank Giovinco was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for extortion conspiracy and participating in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with the Genovese Crime Family’s control of two local chapters of a labor union.



Giovinco was convicted on December 3, 2019, following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who sentenced Giovinco .

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said in a media statement: “For years, Frank Giovinco, as a member of the Genovese Crime Family, instilled fear in victims and perpetrated kickback schemes to tighten the Family’s stranglehold over two labor unions. For committing these crimes, Giovinco will now spend four years in prison.”

Strauss recently replaced Geoffrey S. Berman, who United States Attorney General William Barr tried unsuccessfully to fire Friday night; President Trump then fired Berman on Saturday after it was agreed that Berman…
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Podcast Uses Life Experience To Dissuade Youths From Mob, Gangs

By Ed Scarpo
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UPDATED
The latest installment of the Johnny & Gene Show —the podcast with John Alite and Gene Borrello —features former Gambino associate Anthony Russo, aka Hootie, who was among the dozens of wiseguys and associates arrested on Mafia Takedown Day in 2011.


After sitting in a cell for months, Russo—a drug dealing associate aligned with a powerful Gambino capo, Alphonse Trucchio—was facing a mandatory minimum of 20 years behind bars if convicted of drug trafficking charges.

Russo, who was first charged with being a member of Trucchio’s crew in 2002, threw in the towel and began cooperating.

(As for Alphonse Trucchio, he was released from prison on February 21 of this year. Trucchio also was one of more than 100 mobsters busted in four states in January 2011 in the FBI's biggest Mafia takedown. He was once viewed as a rising star in the Gambino family. He pleaded guilty to racketeering, drug trafficking, extortion, assault, loansharking, and gambling in February 2012 and was sen…
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The Ravenite Transcripts PART 9: "Gambino Crime Family? This is the Shargel, Cutler, and Whattaya Call It Crime Family"

By Ed Scarpo
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In July 1991, Bruce Cutler—the flamboyant, forceful lawyer who "won" three dramatic court victories for John Gotti—was disqualified  from representing the Don of the Gambino family at the racketeering trial that resulted from the Ravenite transcripts.

Federal judge Judge I. Leo Glasser issued the ruling that disqualified Cutler—and other attorneys—from representing Gotti and his co-defendants at the racketeering trial slated to take place in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. In addition to Cutler, Gerald L. Shargel and John L. Pollock also were disqualified. (The lawyer is the "Pollock" mentioned in the transcript below; Gotti is not referring to The Pollack, aka Neil Dellacroce.)

The prosecution sought the disqualifications because the lawyers were discussed during the secretly taped conversations. Since the conversations were evidence, the attorneys themselves could be called to testify. Conflict of interest reasons got the lawyers disqualified.

This excerpt i…
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