Cosa Nostra News

These candid photographs of former Gambino capo Roy DeMeo, who operated a massive stolen-car ring and ran a crew that specialized in doing hits for hire, as well as for fun, tell their own story.....

The photos were provided to me by a mob historian seeking to uncover Roy DeMeo's FBI files.

It was the crew's body disposal method -- dubbed the Gemini Method, after a bar Roy owned and used as his HQ -- that earned them the nickname "Murder Machine" from Jerry Capeci.

The FBI suspect the crew murdered between 150 and 200 people in the 1970s and early '80s -- at least.



These photos prove quite chilling to those knowledgeable about Roy, a man whom John Gotti himself feared. The tough gangster destined for mob infamy actually turned down Gambino boss Paul Castellano's request that he and his Bergin crew whack DeMeo.

"That guy has an army of killers," Gotti's brother, Gene, said on a wiretapped phonecall.


DeMeo and his crew often motored to upstate New…

From the National Post: 

This one is a week old, but those following Canada will be interested...
A man described as a bodyguard for the Montreal Mafia — who helped prepare an arsenal of heavy firepower during a deadly feud — has survived being shot in another attack in Montreal’s continuing underworld unrest.

Giuseppe Fetta, 33, was shot near his car by a gunman who approached on foot Monday morning. He was in hospital while police searched for the attacker. Mr. Fetta was considered part of the Mafia’s protection wing in 2006 by police who placed him near the bottom of the Rizzuto crime family’s hierarchy, part of a 26-man cell under the command of Francesco Arcadi.

Related
Mayor of St-Remi arrested on fraud charges amid Quebec corruption inquiry
‘Don Corleone’ figure who helped install Rizzuto family to top of Canadian Mafia released from U.S. prison
Mafia hit?: Montreal police probe death of man found riddled with bullets in SUV

Late on Christmas Eve in 2005, police watched him and thr…

This is an interesting story, as it offers insight into exactly whom Vito Rizzuto and his family have been fighting against since his return to Canada from a U.S. prison...

From Sun News:

TORONTO - A low-key mob war being waged in Quebec won't rattle this province because Ontario is the economic engine fuelling the battle, sources say.

Ontario is the source of most of the wealth for organized crime while the violence for the most part remains in Quebec.

The province, according to investigators and an organized crime expert, is bankrolling European operations, often targets of tough money laundering and asset seizure laws.

The war in Quebec intensified when chieftain Vito Rizzuto returned home in early October.

It's a battle that has pitted Rizzuto against an alliance of underworld figures who have also sided with a group of opponents, some of whom are based in Ontario.

It has been a war of precise hits on both sides, where key members have been assassinated and, along the way,…

From GangsterBB.NET Forums:


An informant wearing a wire helped the FBI catch a crew of New Yorkers with nicknames like "Augie," "Jimmy Boy" and "Charlie Tuna" as they attempted to steal and sell $1 million worth of cigarettes, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
The informant also helped nab an East Hanover man who allegedly sold the informant cocaine, according the U.S. Attorney's office.

Eight people — seven of them from New York, one whose residence isn't known — were charged in the alleged cigarette theft conspiracy. All face charges of conspiracy to commit cargo theft. Two — Augustine Guido and John Torlone — also face charges of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce. They could each face up to five years in prison and $250,000 per offense, if convicted.

Carmen T. Marticci, 37, of East Hanover, alone was charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He could be imprisoned for as muc…

From Complex:



23. Karen Gravano and Drita D'Avanzo (Mob Wives, VH1)
Drama is what Mob Wives thrives on, but the two-season-long feud between Karen and Drita went stale long before it was finally resolved this year. While we’ll admit it was good TV both times they came to physical blows, there’s only so much of watching the two of them complain about how much they hate the other on camera before the urge to change the channel to another rerun of Keeping Up With the Kardashians comes into the picture.

Both Karen and Drita had recently done things they should have been sorry for (namely, trying to kill each other in their fight), but the majority of the issues they were sparring over were decades old, kept alive by grudges that were never truly let go. Both of them could have decided to chill out long before they actually did. It would have saved a lot of hours that could have been put towards giving Big Ang more screen time.




22. Ramona Rizzo (Mob Wives, VH1)
We would have included Ram…

From Bensonhurst's News Blog:

Gary Fama, who held up the Capital One Bank last year has been found guilty of the crime.

Fama and his accomplice Jack Mannino, who has been dubbed the “7-second bandit” for his speedy heist jobs, met in prison and decided to rob the bank together on December 29th, according to the New York Daily News. Both men also have ties to the Gambino crime family.

The robbery went wrong after a dye pack exploded and their transmission blew out. They jumped out of the damaged getaway car and left behind Mannino’s wallet and cellphone.

After the FBI tracked him down, Mannino made a deal with the police to testify against Fama. He’s waiting on his sentence, according to a New York Post article.

Fama, an ex-con with previous firearm and drug convictions, now faces up to 17 years in prison on bank robbery and firearms charges.

We think the other new member of "Mob Wives" has been hiding in plain sight (see below YouTube clip); but first a "tease" from VH1.com about the kickoff episode of "Mob Wives" Season Three:

‘Mob Knives’
After a break in at her home, Renee fears that she and her son AJ are being targeted for being associated with a rat. While Drita and Karen have finally settled their differences, Drita now finds herself in the middle of a feud between Carla and and Renee that involves allegations of infidelity and drugs. As Ramona breaks some difficult news to her children, Big Ang is recovering from yet more cosmetic surgery and visited by a long-time friend, LOVE MAJEWSKI. Love, infamous for her past in the mob life, is back from Miami and ready to reconnect with the girls-- some of whom are not so happy she is back in town. Drita and Big Ang try to help settle the feud between Carla and Renee by bringing them together to talk things out over brunch but when the knives c…

From All About The Real Housewives:

Love Majewski will star in Mob Wives season 3 and recently slammed former RHONJ star Danielle Staub via twitter! VH1 quoted Love for saying, “You’re either gonna love me or hate me, there’s no in between.” That’s when a viewer responded and said, “that sounds like what Danielle said on Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

Danielle then got involved writing, “I’m flattered to be quoted! Thank you xoxoxo!”

LOL. I can’t contain myself right now. Love wasn’t having it and slammed Danielle responding, “Ain’t nobody quoted yo dusty ass and u was just hated period. #THIRSTY tryin to come on my TL [timeline] #Beat it!”

LOL still laughing. Oh Danielle the Delusional Staub! Do you think Love copied Danielle or is that just a normal saying?

Bodies are falling left and right in Montreal; here are the latest hits in Canada...
From the Montreal Gazette:

A masked gunman killed one man and seriously wounded another in a small café in St-Léonard Friday afternoon in what is believed to be a Mafia shooting.

Authorities responded to 911 calls of shots being fired at 2:20 p.m. at the Café Domenica-In, located at 7830 Provencher St. next to the Metropolitan Highway.

Police found one man inside the café suffering from cardiac arrest who had been shot in the head. The 37-year-old died two hours later in hospital. The other victim was found hiding at the nearby Montreal Choppers motorcycle store, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the neck. He is listed in stable condition.

La Presse reported Friday night the shooting victim was Domenico Facchina, who had a criminal record for two minor charges linked to marijuana and receiving stolen goods. Police could not confirm the information.

Café Domenica-In is not known to police, but the neig…

From WTXF FOX 29:

They won't be going home for Christmas, but several accused mobsters appear upbeat as their Philadelphia racketeering trial nears an end.

After two months of testimony from prosecution witnesses and two days from the defense, the trial's now on hold until January.

Seventy-3-year-old Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi is charged with running Philadelphia's La Cosa Nostra for the past decade. Six others are also charged in the racketeering case.

Ligambi's nephew, defendant George Borgesi, wished supporters a happy holiday as he left the courtroom to return to prison Wednesday. He even extended the greeting to prosecutors.

The trial resumes Jan. 3 with closing arguments.

Earlier Wednesday, one juror was removed amid concerns about media coverage of a potentially mob-linked slaying last week.

The victim's name had come up at trial.


More from Philly.com:

The judge presiding over the racketeering trial of reputed mob boss Joseph Ligambi and six assoc…

Get More: Mob Wives (Season 3), Mob Wives 3
Renee Graziano on her favorite and least favorite things about being on Mob Wives – VH1 Blog

From the Toronto Sun:

MONTREAL - Bullets continued to fly in Montreal's escalating Mob war as Rizzuto bodyguard Giuseppe Fetta was shot several times in the city's north end on Monday.

Fetta, a convicted gangster, was shot in the chest and legs by a gunman who fled the scene. The condition of the 33-year-old wasn't clear as of Monday afternoon.

He's the latest victim of a series of shootings that have dogged Rizzuto crime family members who have been marked for death.

Fetta is a longtime Rizzuto associate and was one of dozens of Mafiosi rounded up during Project Coliseum, a massive 2006 police raid that also netted family patriarch Nick Rizzuto Sr.

Fetta was seen loading and unloading high-calibre weapons in a garage not far from where he was shot on Monday. He was released on parole in 2008.

The shooting victim is believed to have been working as a bodyguard for Fransesco Arcadi, who took over the Rizzuto family on a temporary basis while family boss Vito Rizzuto was…

From AllAboutTRH EXCLUSIVE:


Earlier today, it was reported that Mob Wives star Renee Graziano called Carla Facciolo mean, uneducated, and ignorant. Renee confirmed that the two go at it on Season 3′s Mob Wives and said she absolutely despises Carla!

Carla is now responding to Renee Graziano EXCLUSIVELY to AllAboutTRH saying, “Renee is a clown . She wants to say I’m mean. Maybe everyone should know the real Renee . She did nothing but bash everyone’s family’s fathers husbands boyfriend and god knows who else. If anyone is mean dumb and ignorant its her! How the hell can she say she was hurt by me when her own husband betrayed her and ratted on her own father! That’s mean!”

Carla continues, “As for me and Renee’s friendship it seems everyone has it twisted. Me and Renee were friends as teenagers. We never hung out after that! We know each other but she was never my BFF . She really needs to stop saying we were friends for 20 years cause that definitely is not the truth.”

Renee also clai…

Turns out the DEA has flipped another Staten Island drug dealing mobster with connections to “Mob Wives,” albeit much less strong than in the case of Hector Pagan, Renee Graziano’s ex-husband who flipped while he was a regular character on the show. So reports Jerry Capeci’s Ganglandnews.com column today.

Following in the footsteps of Pagan – who wore a wire on Renee’s father and several Bonanno mobsters, including boss Vincent “Vinny TV” Badalamenti – is Frank “Frankie Steel” Pontillo.

As Pagan was an unsavory witness due to his role as triggerman in a robbery/slaying in 2010, the mobsters he flipped on got off with “relatively sweet plea deals,” as Capeci writes.

The 350-pound 42-year-old Pontillo was nailed selling 5 kilos, and has so far helped the DEA in two cases.

As for Pontillo’s connections to “Mob Wives,” in one case, he bought drugs off of Anthony Cracchiolo, who appeared on Big Ang, getting him busted, as we reported here.

In a second link to the show, Pontillo bought …

George Anastasia posted a great article today about the Philly mob hit in which the soldier who did the killing all but waved a banner over his head declaring his guilt. But there are deeper implications here: the hit took place right in the middle of a major trial focused on the Philly mob bosses. Talk about irony: The defense has been hammering at the point that there is no violence in any of the charges against "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his cohorts, as well as the fact that the don himself runs a kinder, gentler mob -- at least compared to preceding bosses Joe Merlino and Nicodemo Scarfo.

I bet there is a certain soldier being charged with first-degree murder with whom Uncle Joe would like to personally have a "sit down."

From the Big Trial: "Mob soldier Anthony Nicodemo has been charged with first-degree murder in a gangland shooting that one police investigator called the "dumbest" mob hit he has ever seen.

A former federal prosecutor agreed, calli…

Police in South Philly are investigating what could be the mob-sanctioned shooting murder of a 50-year-old man, which occurred hours after prosecutors rested their case in the trial of reputed Mafia boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi.

Anthony Nicodemo, 41, a reputed mob soldier, was under questioning by police, who are also moving to obtain a search warrant for his home.

According to Philly.com, a woman from the neighborhood heard five gunshots around 3 p.m., which is about when Gino DiPietro was repeatedly shot in the back while entering his truck in what looks like an ambush. He died of his wounds.
"He was in out and out trouble. He'd been in jail for drugs," a neighbor of the murdered man told the newspaper about DiPietro.

Nicodemo pleaded guilty in 2009 to helping operate a bookmaking ring inside Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel Casino.

Since mid-October, Ligambi and several of his high-level associates have been on trial for a host of nonviolent charges, in…

The Spec.com and other newspapers are reporting what is likely the latest slaying in the mob war between Vito Rizzuto and those with whom he is fighting for control of the Montreal Mafia.

Former Rizzuto ally Emilio Cordileone was slain this past weekend.

The EdmontonJournal.com reports that the killing is "the latest manifestation of the power struggle being waged in Montreal’s underworld, experts said. And there’s likely more bloodshed to come.

"Montreal is like a powder keg right now. And there is a sense that the violence is no longer one-sided," Mafia expert Antonio Nicaso said in an interview on Sunday." Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the end of it."

Cordileone's body was found "riddled with bullets and slumped in a white Range Rover SUV about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday... Cordileone had no criminal record. However, his name came up numerous times during Operation Colisée, the RCMP probe into organized crime," the Journal reported

"Th…

Love Majewski is one of the two new cast members of "Mob Wives."

This was confirmed by VH1 today; no word yet on the identity of the second wife.

We originally identified Love as the new mob wife in an Oct. 9 blog post, which we yanked down in the face of sharp denials from two members of "Mob Wives."

Love was featured in "I Married a Mobster," and is known for once dating club king/Bonanno associate Chris Paciello a couple of decades back, which was part of the focus of Love's episode, called "Love Hurts."

As Investigation Discovery notes: "Through Staten Island mob daughters like herself, Love Majewski meets Chris Paciello, a member of the Bonanno crime family, as well as Ray Merolle's "The Untouchables," the car-theft operation that inspired [the film] "Gone in 60 Seconds." When Chris grows abusive, Love asks for Ray's protection, becoming at once his personal property and accomplice to theft. Chris moves …

The interview is audio only; no video!

"English" Shaun, on his website, Jon's Jail Journal (by Shaun Attwood), is running a multi-part interview with a hit man for the Mexican Mafia named Frank.

[Editor's Note: While this site focuses on the Italian Mafia, and I can't stand how the word "mafia" has been bastardized for usage as a generic handle for any crime group, I have to say that: a.) this interview is interesting, b.) Shaun is a friend of mine whom I have known for years (he even included me in the acknowledgement section of his book Hard Time), and c.) it's my blog, I can do whatever I want!]

From the National Legal and Policy Center:

The Genovese crime family has a well-earned reputation as the most feared of New York City's five Mafia organizations. An FBI bust this spring may weaken that standing. Local unions are hoping so. On April 18, an 18-count indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging 11 arrestees with racketeering, embezzlement, extortion and other offenses. At least eight are Genovese soldiers or associates, including capo Conrad Ianniello, nephew of recently-deceased onetime acting boss Matthew Ianniello. U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, Eastern District of New York, stated: "This indictment is the most recent chapter in this office's continued fight against organized crime's efforts to infiltrate unions and businesses operating in New York City." All defendants, save for one, have pleaded not guilty. Her spokesman told NLPC this week that all other cases are still pending.

New York's La Cosa Nostra families in recent ye…

George Anastasia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's resident mob expert/reporter for 38 years,  has left the newspaper to blog about Philly courtroom drama for BigTrial.net, a new blog launched by prominent Philly attorney Jim Beasley, Jr.

We took an excerpt, below, from a Q&A that Five Families of New York City did with Anastasia; this segment involves the Ligambi trial in Philly:

This is the Philly mob’s biggest trial since Joey Merlino went down. Is it an exciting trial to cover?
I’ve covered a lot of these, and it is not as dramatic, partly because there are no murders. There’s no hit man turned government informant. This trial is really a picture of the mob in 2012. It’s a shadow of what it used to be. It’s all about greed and money and holding onto power, even though you don’t have as much power as you used to… I guess it’s always been about greed and money, but the money is a lot less today. If you want excitement, you’ve gotta go the 8th floor [of the courthouse]. That’s wher…

President Barack Obama last year issued an Executive Order that authorizes the Treasury Department to designate certain crime rings as "transnational groups" in order to freeze their U.S. assets and ban American citizens and companies from conducting business with them.

This order has already been used against some foreign crime rings, with some speculating that the American Mafia -- the Gambino crime family, in particular -- could be next.

The Free Republic noted that the Gambino crime family could finally be undone due to the fact that it is allegedly strengthening its ties to Sicily.

Under President Obama's Executive Order 13581, issued on July 24, 2011, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, several transnational crime groups have been put on the Treasury Department’s blacklist already, including the Yakuza from Japan, the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia in Italy, Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas and Central America’s Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13.

The Fr…

Jennifer Graziano, as widely reported, has confirmed that both Miami and Philadelphia would get their own extensions of Mob Wives... or could, if VHI decides to expand the franchise.

So name your poison -- Philly, Miami or neither... Where is VHI's franchise going to expand into next... Please vote in our latest poll...

National Geographic aired a documentary that purported to take viewers inside the world of underground gambling.

The hourlong episode focused on Mikey Tatts, who claims to run his own game -- and while trying to eke out a living from his entrepreneurship, constantly sought to upgrade his players' venues, as well as add to his regular roster more and better players.

The drag in Mikey's sails: "Cops wanna bust me and gangsters wanna rob me..." He adds, "It's not like the old days," meaning back when cops took payoffs or just looked the other way, considering gambling a harmless vice.

But as we see, it's not so harmless when you are a gambling addict and can't win, so you keep borrowing more cash from a loan shark, who usually is a mobster or related to some other crime ring.




It's historically been held that the "small" traditional street crimes -- underground gambling, escort services and loansharking, which are thought of as basical…

From, Salon.com:

BOARDWALK EMPIRE BEGINS in Atlantic City on January 16, 1920, the evening before the implementation of the Eighteenth Amendment. Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the Treasurer of Atlantic County, stands before a crowded meeting of the Women’s Temperance League. He is every bit the model politician, first paying tribute to the branch’s chairwoman and then recounting his impoverished childhood, ravaged by his father’s alcoholism. The crowd hangs off his every word, the camera panning over their tearful faces as they gasp and look on in sympathy and admiration. Nucky delicately takes his leave — not before offering support for women’s suffrage — with an assertion that, “Prohibition means progress.”

Outside the meeting, Nucky’s driver and understudy Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) marvels at the harrowing tales divulged on stage. Nucky shakes his head with a wry smile as he climbs into his Rolls Royce. “The first rule of politics,” he reminds Jimmy, “is to never let t…

Reputed Colombo consigliere Thomas Farese, charged with money laundering, and Genovese capo Anthony Romanello (left), charged with extortion, walked out of the courthouse after the juries returned not-guilty verdicts.

FOLLOW-UP COMING

From Chicago Sun-Times:

“Mob Wives Chicago” has been whacked.

The Midwest spin-off of the New York original will not a see second season, a VH1 spokesman confirmed.

“It’s just sad; it had so much potential,” said one of the “wives,” Pia Rizza, daughter of crooked Chicago cop Vince Rizza, a bookie and drug dealer who turned government witness.

“I guess I have to go back to work,” said the single mom, whose gig on the cable series led to an endorsement deal with Cold Steel Vodka. “Where that’s going to go I have no idea because I don’t have the show.”

“Mob Wives Chicago” debuted in June and ended its 11-episode run in August. It followed the finger-pointing, hair-pulling, name-calling exploits of five local women whose ties to organized crime are tenuous compared to the Staten Island cast.

Last season on New York’s “Mob Wives,” the ex-husband of star Renee Graziano, whose sister Jennifer Graziano produces the franchise, wore a wire that helped send Graziano’s father back to prison.

The NY Daily News reports that two Mafia informants were recently kicked off their respective trials, indicating perhaps the spark of a trend that law enforcement officials certainly would not be fond of. Many a trial has been won through the use of informants. Or at least that has been the case...

Bonanno associate Joseph Galante Jr., who was supposed to be "the star witness" in the extortion trial of reputed Genovese captain Anthony "Rom" Romanello was thrown off the case.

Another would-be star witness, Reynold Maragni, was to take the stand against two fellow mobsters -- Colombo consigliore Thomas Farese and associate Pat Truglia -- charged with money laundering.

"But after two previous appearances on the witness stand ended in disastrous verdicts for the government [the Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli and Francis (BF) Guerra Colombo trials, both of whom were acquitted of murder], prosecutors apparently decided to cut their losses and call an end to …

A press release, issued by Karen's PR firm, seems to indicate Karen will no longer be on the show "Mob Wives," which has about 2 million loyal viewers, according to the release.

Since the third season has already been filming, it would mean Karen would leave the show probably at this season's climax, although we can't say for certain as the press release is rather vague, not spelling out specifically what this announcement means for Karen's fans.

"Karen's future is not focused on the life of being a mob daughter," the release says. "She has transcended the life of a mobster’s daughter. Karen has recently had private meetings with production companies who are trying to court her to fund her next television and film productions."

We tweeted Jennifer Graziano as well as Karen and her publicist for comment and will include any responses we get.

Read the below -- what do you think??? 

BROOKLYN, NY -- Star of VH1 television show, New York Mob Wi…

Domenic Casillo -- who has executive produced such shows as "Naked Stages" and "G String Divas" for HBO, in addition to directing and producing Carmen Electra's "Naked Women's Wrestling League" PPV special and more than 125 Playboy films for Playboy TV through Nitro Productions -- has directed and produced "Zodiac Nights," an R-rated "lush but tasteful" erotic dramatic web series that highlights the sexual tendencies of each of the 12 signs of the Zodiac.
Also attached to this project is another familiar name to readers of this blog -- former mobster/published author Sonny Girard, who developed the scripts for the series.

"Zodiac Nights" is being launched through web-based funding platform Kickstarter and already has three backers; those interested have a chance to get in on the ground floor, as they say.

Kickstarter helps to fund "everything from films, games and music, to art, design and technology. Since [its]…

The NY Daily News reports: "It’s ironic that the accused serial killer came from a Brooklyn neighborhood known for mob killings."

The serial killer in question is from Bensonhurst and is named Sal Perrone, aka the "Son of Sal" murderer.
“If people [read: made guys] knew this lone-wolf wacko was out there whacking people he would have been stopped,” an old Bensonhurst street guy says in the story. “But this Perrone was an empty-suit nobody, a mouse that you knew just by his neighborhood face. You didn’t think he could kill time, never mind three people in cold blood.”

The story goes out of its way to separate Sal from mobsters; after all Bensonhurst historically has been ground zero for wiseguys. But nobody who knows would've had any confusion about these murders, or whether the mob or a lone nut committed them. 
"He wasn’t a ‘connected’ guy. Just a guy you’d see in the pork store or the bakery on 18th Ave," another neighborhood guy says in the story.…

From the VillageVoice.com:


Here's some free advice: if you need some quick cash, a loan from a Gambino crime family associate is one of the worst ways to go about getting it. And if being indebted to the mafia isn't enough to scare you off, this might: in at least two cases, a Gambino gangster has teamed up with a Hells Angels crony to get someone to pay up . And when Hells Angels and mobsters ask you to pay up, it's rarely a polite suggestion -- in this case it involved brass-knuckles, a gun, and a baseball bat.

Three men -- each with ties to violent gangs, including the Hells Angels and the Gambino crime family -- have been indicted on extortion charges for allegedly threatening a Queens man on multiple occasions after he didn't pay back a $50,000 loan to the gangsters' satisfaction.

According to court documents obtained by the Voice, James Ferrara, a Gambino associate, Daniel Hanley, a member of the Westies street gang, and Peter Kanakis, a member of the Demon K…