Cosa Nostra News

My friend introduced me to The Bocce Boys , the guys from Carfellas, and also this clip, which is hilarious -- as well as one of the more honest and astute analyses of "Mob Wives." From  YouTube :

Pappa Smurf was nickname of mobster who allegedly ran trash. From Waste & Recycling News : Mobsters were exerting control over a portion of the greater New York City trash industry for years, alleged federal authorities as they revealed dozens of arrests in busting up the racket. Charges against 32 people were unveiled in a case handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Westchester County (N.Y.) Police Department. Alleged members of three crime families of La Cosa Nostra, including alleged Mafiosos with nicknames such as "Papa Smurf," "Muzzy" and "Tony Lodi," are facing charges. Preet Bharara is U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and used particularly colorful language  [in the press release] to describe the impact of the mob on the trash business in certain areas. "As alleged, organized crime still wraps its tentacles around industries it has fed off for decades, but law enforcement continues to pry loose

Up in Montreal, two gangland hits less than three weeks apart offered confirmation for a jailed mobster that a certain Cosa Nostra boss had returned home and had commenced settling scores. The men killed were mobster Raynald Desjardins' associates; the returned Mafia boss was Vito Rizzuto. Desjardins betrayed Rizzuto in a bid for gangland supremacy, but also partly due to envy over Rizzuto's ability to avoid getting arrested by law enforcement. Desjardins' former brother-in-law and business partner, Gaetan Gosselin, was walking home last Tuesday night north of Montreal when one or more assailants opened fire, killing him. The ambush was reminiscent of the earlier Guiseppe Di Maulo hit; he also was a Desjardins brother-in-law -- and he'd been shot to death in his own driveway. Guiseppe "Joe" DiMaulo, not Joseph The Gosselin and Di Maulo murders (plus a few other slayings, including the Sal The Ironworker Montagna hit among other minor associates) h

  Mob Wives Chicago was cancelled for a variety of reasons, foremost among them the cast members' lack of credible ties to the mob -- or the Outfit, the name by which the organized crime entity is better known in the Windy City. Carla and soon-to-be-former husband. It could be argued that really only one Chicago mob wife, Nora, had legit ties -- primarily through her deceased former-hit man father. The bottom line: None of the other women were mob wives in that they were not married or otherwise related to bona fide members of the Outfit (which says a lot about the Outfit, and how seriously even its women honor old-world codes). With the case of "Mob Wives" New York, that was seemingly less of an issue among some of the women, many of whom have very real ties to the "honored society" via husbands and/or fathers -- and it seems to have had very real repercussions on a heavyweight mobster who at one time was consiglieri for the Bonanno family, J

Gambino associate Ferrante, arrested in the early 1990s. RealScreen.com  reports that the Discovery Network International will launch the television series "Inside the Gangsters’ Code" in February. The focus will not be on America's La Cosa Nostra, however, as the show will spotlight notorious crime rings located throughout the rest of the world. Further details regarding the show's day and time slot were not available at this time. Five 60-minute episodes are so far slated for release; each segment will follow ex-mafia associate Lou Ferrante as he exposes the inner workings of some of the world’s most notorious gangs in places such as El Salvador, the Philippines, New Mexico, Italy and Poland, with Ferrante explaining gang origins, developing networks of power, motivations and political sway. Ferrante appearing in TV host mode. "He will immerse himself in gang culture and live alongside prisoners, talk to guards, and meet top-level soldiers,&qu

Uncle Joe awaits verdict. After a couple of misfires, Philly jurors deliberating the fate of mob boss Uncle Joe Ligambi and six of his cohorts have been piled in the jury room for more than four weeks now. The restarts were caused by the judge having to replace two jurors with alternates. Then the jury had to restart its efforts -- and one of the first things it did was ask to see every single exhibit introduced during the 10-week trial. And of course the defense filed a motion for a mistrial, which was denied. So who is betting on a mistrial being declared? The latest report on the status of deliberations comes from  The York Daily Record , which notes that the "mob jury could work Super Bowl Sunday if the panel doesn't reach a verdict this week in the sports betting and loansharking case. "The jury has returned to court nearly every day to review portions of the FBI wiretaps made over the past decade. "U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno — perhaps nudging

From The Boston Globe : Massachusetts legislators and law enforcement officials are calling for an expansion of state wiretap law to allow police to secretly record more suspects who are targeted in murder investigations and other violent crimes. Under terms of a bill pending at the State House, authorities would still need a warrant to wiretap suspects, but the targets would not have to be members of a bona fide organized crime outfit, such as the Mafia, according to a summary of the legislation released on Sunday by the office of state Attorney General Martha Coakley. “Our current wiretap law has not been updated since 1968; it’s like asking our police to continue on horses and buggies after criminals began driving around in cars,” Coakley said in a statement. “This bill is a common-sense step forward to keep our communities safe from gun and street violence, human trafficking, and other violent crimes.” Coakley, along with police officials and lawmakers, is scheduled to brief

Drita has nearly half the vote, with only three days left... OK, nearly 300 readers have responded to our poll, "Who is Your Favorite Mob Wife?" We can't believe how far ahead Drita D'Avanzano is -- is she really that popular or do more of her fans tend to read this blog, is the question. But the facts are that 43% of respondents picked Drita; Big Ang is next popular, with 24%. The rest of the cast is stuck in the 5% to 7% bandwidth, which is plain ridiculous. No other mob wife even comes close to Drita in popularity??? Last time it was much more mixed up, but we know who the most hated mob wife was -- she stuck out about as much as Drita does for her popularity .

TG Graziano Jerry Capeci broke a big one this week, posting an article on his PPV website that reveals that the Bonanno family is so fed up with "Mob Wives," and all the attention that the "reality" TV show has brought to  La Cosa Nostra , that it has put TG Graziano, the one-time consiglieri (and father to Jenn and Renee Graziano), on the shelf, which means he has basically been stripped of all his mob duties. Hector Pagan's flipping -- a constant theme running through the show last season and the current one -- probably didn't help TG's cause, either, since Pagan was with TG. For all intents and purposes, it seems, TG is a "former gangster" now, and he can thank his daughters for this, according to the ganglandnews.com column. Let's see how they spin this one... Full story coming soon...

Tony Testa, recording artist. Lil Kim video shoot in Queens. Hip-Hop Wired reports that Lil Kim was in Queens this past weekend to shoot a video for a song called "Jay-Z." "Kim, whose played up her mafia persona for years by hanging with Mob Wives' Drita DaVanzo, surprised little by tapping Tony Testa and Mob Wives' Carla Facciolo in the video. Testa's Uncle, Joseph Carmine Testa, was convicted of being the head of the Gambino crime family."

Renee is "threatened" by Junior via a written letter so she can show how strong she is by how she deals with the issue. Well, so much for that. It looks like mob wives can't be bothered writing show recaps. Last week, VHI announced that each week a mob wife would recap the show , providing that wife's own particular spin on the analysis. Ramona Rizzo wrote the first recap, but we see that  Mob Wives – Episode 3 – VH1 Blog  was written by Elizabeth Black, who as far as is known is not a mob wife -- unless she is the surprise "other" new mob wife Jen Graziano announced many months ago, then said not another word about; this  "second" new mob wife also hasn't appeared on the show, either, so we may still be in for a late-breaking appearance by one of the Gotti ladies ... or not. Also, to stick our two cents in, we think once again Renee is blowing things way out of proportion. Junior is the one that's hunted -- he's the Virgil

We don't say we agree with this listing (especially the bit about the Ice Man, pictured below) but we thought readers would find it of interest. From Criminal-Justice-Major.net : Sometimes, even the Mafia needs a little extra assistance. When things get messy, the notorious criminal organization has an utterly ruthless and deranged clean-up crew of paid assassins on standby. Whether they need to violently send out a message, or subtly whack a rival with minimum repercussions, the Mob can turn to any number of cold-blooded career professionals. These contract killers are a law enforcement officer’s nightmare – and case studies for criminal justice experts. It’s an odd profession, killing for a living. Career prerequisites include ruthlessness, aggression, and an icy sense of emotional detachment. And if the cases that follow are anything to go by, some kind of psychological imbalance probably helps as well. The infamous killers on this list plied their trade with the kind

Uncle Joe is waiting for the not guilty verdict... The third time's the charm -- hopefully, if the trial of alleged mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six other alleged mobsters and associates is ever to reach its end. After two misfires, a federal jury is once again moving forward with its deliberations. In the two weeks since deliberations began, it has been rough sailing, with the removal of two jurors, one for being ill, the other for being acquainted with a witness in the trial. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges they took part in illegal gambling and loan sharking and other offenses.

Two Papa Smurfs: Which one is the gangster? The NYTimes.com offers an interesting little piece on mob nicknames, using as its starting point one of the latest -- and most unique -- to hit the media with the predawn bust of the waste-disposal racketeers: "One of them is believed by the authorities to be a mob associate who extorted owners of garbage-hauling companies in New York City suburbs. The other is believed to be at least 542 years old, very short and wise, with blue skin and a white beard. "One was arrested on Wednesday. The other stays close to his village, far from humans and laws and garbage-collection companies. "But they have the same name: Papa Smurf."

Big Trial : The case against Philadelphia mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six co-defendants appeared to be teetering on the brink of a mistrial Thursday as lawyers met behind closed doors with the judge for several hours to discuss the possible dismissal of up to three jurors who have been deliberating for more than a week in the high profile case. Lawyers were tight-lipped as they emerged from the session, held in the courtroom but behind locked doors. Jurors were released for the day shortly before 4 p.m. and were told to report to court Friday morning at the usual 8:30 a.m. starting time. But they were cautioned not to begin deliberations.

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Genovese associate Carmine 'Papa Smurf' Franco at yesterday's predawn arrests. And people keep insisting that the American Cosa Nostra is dead... Fort Lee, NJ Patch : A reputed Ramsey mobster known as "Papa Smurf" was charged Wednesday in a widespread federal sweep targeting a mob-run conspiracy to control the trash-hauling industry in New York and New Jersey. [ FBI press release on the bust] Borough resident Carmine Franco, a 77-year-old Genovese Crime Family associate who had two prior convictions in connection with organized crime in the trash removal industry, was allegedly the ring leader of a scheme to control crooked waste management companies, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Franco and a brother formerly owned the Sal Car transfer station in Hillsdale, which they later sold to Waste Management. Also arrested Wednesday was Teaneck resident Jonathan Greene, 47, who faces a charge of interstate transportation of stolen property in t

Former Outfit boss Frank Calabrese Sr. died in prison on Christmas day, his favorite holiday. From  ABC7 Chicago : Three weeks ago today, Chicago mob boss Frank Calabrese Sr. died in a North Carolina prison. Unlike the old days, there has been no lavish Outfit wake and funeral...and there won't be. Calabrese, known as "the Breeze" in mob circles, died of an apparent heart attack on Christmas day , said to be his favorite holiday. But the ruthless hitman who became a boss apparently wanted no tears shed over his passing. According to those familiar with Calabrese's final wishes, there was to be no wake or funeral. Once upon a time, the passing of a top Chicago hoodlum attracted hundreds of mourners -- in a command performance of public sadness and wailing -- surrounded by huge spreads of flowers and food. In the Outfit's heyday, a mobster such as Frank "the Breeze" Calabrese would have commanded such a final tribute. According to those f

The FBI and NYPD hauled out of bed and rounded up more than 30 mobsters connected to three of New York's five crime families in a predawn raid this morning, according to several published reports. NBC New York reports that the arrests are based on indictments charging extortion and other federal crimes related to the garbage-hauling business. The suspects were transported to the FBI office in Lower Manhattan for processing and are slated to be in federal court later today. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara "alleged in three interlocking indictments that the defendants, arrested in predawn raids in New York and New Jersey, controlled several garbage-hauling businesses in five suburban counties," according to NBC. FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George C. Venizelos said that "the indictments show the ongoing threat posed by mob families and their criminal associates. In addition to the violence that often accompanies their sc

Hoffa theories abound once again, it seems. I have a feeling they are going to find the guy eventually. Now that the generation of Mafiosi that whacked the former Teamsters boss are dying off someone is going to say something that is not bullshit... Detroit Free Press : A man the FBI believed was a Detroit mob underboss is the latest to claim he can solve the mystery behind the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. Tony Zerilli, 85, told WDIV-TV in Detroit that Hoffa, 62, was temporarily buried in a field in northern Oakland County, Mich., after he was kidnapped on the afternoon of July 30, 1975, from a restaurant parking lot in Oakland County. Hoffa's body has never been found and his disappearance sparked one of the 20th century's biggest mysteries. Zerilli, who denied during the interview that he was in the mob, said he was in jail at the time, but heard about the incident after he was released. He said he believes Hoffa's body is still buried 30 mil

VH1 is really recognizing the popularity of "Mob Wives" within the blogosphere, first offering us a weekly "best tweets" source and now even "the weekly show recap," but with a twist: every week, the  VH1 blog  will post a  recap of the show -- only it will be written by a mob wife, presumably a different one each week, in a game sort of like musical recaps... VH1 Blog : This season, the VH1 Blog is lucky enough to have the participation of the Mob Wives cast who will be commenting on every episode of the show. This week, Ramona Rizzo is taking to her keyboard to give us her opinions on episode two, and on the journey that she and all the other mob wives are taking -- on that rocky road called love. RAMONA RIZZO: We often forget that an ex-boyfriend or ex-husband are an ex for a reason…they are to be put in the past. I as well as so many other females have been caught up and put on an emotional roller coaster ride. In doing so, we often ge

The  VH1 Blog  is offering fans of "Mob Wives" the opportunity to see the latest fiery tweets between cast members, apparently welding the social media site even more deeply into the reality show. "This week, the ladies get to talking about the relationship between Love and Carla, which will soon come to light on the series, and get in a few hilarious side comments about their own personal dramas, too. Read the best tweets of the night right here ," the blog proudly declares. The show, now formally linked to all the Twitter antics, is starting to remind me of wrestling, and we all know how realistic wrestling is. In fact the feud between Carla and Renee was so sudden and inexplicable, one can't help but feel that the show may not be as "reality-based" as we'd thought. And what was with wasting the first 10 minutes of episode two on having us watch Renee tell Ramona and Karen what we already saw with our own eyes last week? Was it supposed t

The New York Post is reporting that "a rogues’-gallery alliance among the Canadian Mafia, outlaw bikers and a Mexican drug cartel supplied New York City with nearly a billion dollars in marijuana," according to authorities and new court documents. Running the group was French Canadian drug kingpin Jimmy “Cosmo” Cournoyer, who was done in following a five-year probe by the DEA and police from Laval, Quebec, where Cournoyer once lived, according to the Post. Cournoyer is now awaiting trial in Brooklyn federal court. He was described as the man behind a  “vast international drug-trafficking enterprise that has been in existence for more than a decade,’’ prosecutor Steven Tiscione wrote in recent court papers, as reported by the Post. The newspaper identified reputed Bonanno crime-family associate John “Big Man” Venizelos as "one of Cournoyer’s biggest customers in New York City..."  Venizelos is currently out on bail in the case, the Post reports. Venizelos li

CelebrityNetWorth.com, founded in October 2009 in Los Angeles, claims it has grown into "one of the most popular and influential celebrity finance outlets on the Internet." "Whether you're looking for the latest net worth and salary of your favorite celebrity or you want to stay up to date on all the most expensive products and gizmos in the world, Celebritynetworth has you covered," the site declares. Drita D'Avanzo is up there but Big Ang is the wealthiest of all... All its figures and articles are thoroughly researched, scrutinized and fact checked by writers and financial analysts, the site notes, adding that the figures are acquired from publicly available information, including salaries, real estate holdings, divorces, record sales, royalties and endorsements. The estimated net worths come from a formula that takes out taxes, manager’s fees, agents’ fees, and lifestyle. So, of course, we immediately checked out what the low-down was,

From  NYTimes.com (AP) : Tony Lip, an actor known for playing mobsters on “ The Sopranos ” and in many feature films, died last Friday in Teaneck, N.J. He was 82. Family members told The Record of Woodland Park that Mr. Lip, whose real name was Frank Anthony Vallelonga and who lived in Paramus, died at a hospital in Teaneck after several years of failing health. Mr. Lip was best known for playing the mob kingpin Carmine Lupertazzi in several episodes of “The Sopranos,” the HBO series about the personal and professional life of a troubled mob boss played by James Gandolfini. He made his movie debut in an uncredited role as a wedding guest in “The Godfather” and also appeared in “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull,” “Donnie Brasco” and other films. In the 1960s, before becoming an actor, he worked at the Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan, where among the celebrities he met were the kind of gangsters he would later portray. Trivia Born Frank Anthony Vallelonga, Tony Lip's sons a

Who is your favorite member of "Mob Wives?" Vote in our poll -- you can't miss it; it's on the top of this blog's right hand column. Only one-day old, the poll says Drita is so far the clear winner, with Renee, Carla and Big Ang pretty much lumped together for second place. But there is still a ways to go -- 15 days, to be exact. 

A  NYPOST.com   EXCLUSIVE  : A Gambino crime-family associate who beat charges of knifing the owner of popular Brooklyn pizza joint Lucali almost two years ago was again busted for wielding a blade — this time during a bar brawl, The Post has learned. Ex-con Battista “Benny” Geritano, 40, allegedly stabbed Nunzio Fusco, 26, twice in the gut and once in the shoulder as the two fought inside Bay Ridge lounge Nouveau during the early-morning hours of Dec. 23. Geritano — here leaving Brooklyn federal court yesterday — was previously accused of carving up dough-tosser Mark Iacono in Carroll Gardens, on April 15, 2011, over a reputed love triangle. The case was dropped when both refused to cooperate with authorities.                                              Paul Martinka Geritano’s recent trouble began when Fusco accidentally bumped into him around 2 a.m. while walking through the Third Avenue hot spot with his girlfriend, sources added. Fusco apologized and headed to the b

Ray Merolle Update on Ray Merolle: After escaping conviction for stealing cars by cooperating, he is currently serving the last couple years of a seven-year sentence in Arizona, as the following SILive.com article, from 2008, relates. The article also notes that the Merolle car-theft ring was a family affair -- literally, in that it consisted of members of Ray's family. Also, the crew got the nickname the "Untouchables" from itself; meaning they referred to themselves as the Untouchables. There is no mention of the film "Gone in Sixty Seconds," but who knows, maybe the gang made that up by itself, too.

From the HuffingtonPost.com : The FBI paid mob informants more than $500,000 and overlooked their crimes to try to bolster a racketeering case that's "been on life support" for years, a defense lawyer argued Monday. The FBI has little to show for its 13-year investigation into La Cosa Nostra under reputed boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi, veteran mob lawyer Edwin Jacobs Jr. told a jury in closing arguments. Federal prosecutors believe the 73-year-old Ligambi has quietly run the Philadelphia mob since his flashy, younger predecessor, Joseph "Joey" Merlino, went to prison in 1999. "Things changed in 1999. They just don't want to admit it. This indictment ... has no guns, no knives, no explosives, no beatings, no killings," Jacobs said. "You got nothing but some gambling talk and a couple of angry conversations." Prosecutors accuse Ligambi of running a cash enterprise centered on loansharking, sports betting and illegal

The ladies are coming back... REVISED, SOMEWHAT: Covering "Mob Wives" can be a major headache, but I have to admit, stories I have written about it are among the most popular on this site. Of my top 10 posts, eight have to do with the reality show about those fiery ladies on Staten Island. From my data, I believe that readers want to know more about the "real" goings on of these women, not just recaps of shows and fluff stories about how great the cast members are. An hour-long Biography episode on each mob wife would do very well, I would wager. [MafiaLife Chris responds to comments  regarding Renee and Mob Candy -- check out:  Renee Graziano Launches Own Mob Candy Brand ] I admit it: I am on Drita's team -- but that doesn't protect her... I have tried to practice journalism on this blog, which has proven difficult because, unlike in my professional world, my calls and emails are generally not returned. (There is a handful of helpful

Back for season three. The debut episode of season three of "Mob Wives" didn't waste any time, diving right into a major story line that will probably continue gaining steam throughout the entire season. Renee's wheels are turning. THE "A" STORY LINE FOR TONIGHT: Right off the bat Carla and Renee were shaping up to take each other on. I am not sure how this battle got started -- there is what happens on the show, and there is what happens in real life, some of which apparently played out on Twitter in this case. In fact the social media platform was mentioned prominently on this episode. Would that make this a case of reality imitating life, imitating reality? Somehow we think Carla nailed down the absurdity of Renee mentioning Twitter on the show when she yelled: "LET'S TALK ABOUT TWITTER, RENEE! LET'S TALK ABOUT TWITTER!!"  It was like she was saying, how pathetic are you to bring up Twitter on the show -- and Carla is

When not creating content for this blog, I am working my butt off doing freelance work and sending out resumes. I need a full-time job, and it seems impossible to get one. I have been dodging this financial crisis since it started, and in my view it hasn't ended. So I have resorted to this: impugning on my blog readership. If anyone out there is looking to fill any writing/editing positions, please contact me; I can show you my professional portfolio, which has nothing to do with the mob (I operate this blog under a pseudonym). I am primarily a writer/editor of business and human interest stories, and have strong experience. I am very open to venturing outside of journalism and into marketing communications or public relations. Please contact me at evlieb83@verizon.net if you have any leads for me. I'd truly appreciate it.

Still no word on who the other new Mob Wife is... Toni Marie Ricci was the number-one contender for the slot, I thought, but I have begun to suspect that maybe she's been a red herring, and that Jennifer Graziano is going to wow us with someone totally out of left field... Then I saw a bizarre mention on the Mob Wives Wikipedia page under the subhead Supporting Cast: "Victoria Gotti - Vanessa's older cousin, also daughter of the notorious mobster John Gotti, who visits Vanessa from time to time and gives her advice and a shoulder to lean on." This seems to imply that Vanessa Gotti is the other new Mob Wife, and that Victoria will be on the show. However, there is no previous mention of Vanessa on the page -- it seems she should have been mentioned in a first reference. Perhaps the Wikipedia author identified the new cast member, but was  later told to take the name out, which the author did -- but maybe forgetting to delete the subsequent reference to Vanessa????