FBI Ordered to Name Agent Tied to Mob Corruption

Lin Devecchio
Courthouse News Service: The FBI must give a terminally ill mafia expert the name of a special agent allegedly involved in agency corruption, and other related information, a federal judge ruled.

Forensic analyst Angela Clemente sued the FBI on July 21, 2008, alleging that Special Agent Lindley Devecchio and others helped cover up murders and other violent crimes committed by agency informants, like Colombo family capo Gregory Scarpa.

Clemente has spent the last decade researching the FBI's relationship with Scarpa, aka "The Grim Reaper" or "The Mad Hatter," who served as an FBI informant since 1961.

Devecchio was charged with aiding and abetting four murders in 2006, but the judge dismissed the case after finding that Scarpa's former mistress lacked witness credibility.



After Clemente requested an unredacted copy of the FBI's file on Scarpa under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman directed the agency to supplement its Vaughn index of about 192 sample documents.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein deemed the FBI's search adequate in 2012 but directed the agency to reprocess the 1,153 pages.

Meanwhile another Washington, D.C-based federal judge heard Clemente's request to expedite a 2011 FOIA request she made for records pertaining to Scarpa.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan noted earlier this year that Clemente is running against the clock for the information because doctors tell her she is unlikely to receive a life-saving liver transplant on time.

Clemente did not receive any files until June 2013, and although the FBI first said it had 1,420 responsive pages, it later identified about 30,000 additional documents.

Hogan's January decision granted Clemente's request for the FBI to increase its customary FOIA release rate of 500 pages per month to 5,000 per month, in light of her ill health and the public importance of her research.

Rothstein, the judge on the 2008 case, granted the FBI partial summary judgment Monday.

"Here, plaintiff raises the same arguments that this court has thrice addressed and rejected; the court declines to address those arguments yet again," Rothstein wrote.

Citing findings by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, the first judge on the case, Rothstein said that the content of some records supports "the FBI's assertion that they were created for law enforcement purposes," and thus exempt from disclosure.

The FBI must supplement its Vaughn index, however, to clarify its attempt to ascertain the life status of those whose information it redacted from the responsive documents, the ruling states.

"While this court finds that these individuals have a substantial privacy interest here, such an interest may be diminished if the individuals are deceased," Rothstein wrote. "The court is unable to appropriately balance the privacy interest at stake against the public interest in disclosure until this court knows the life status of the affected individuals."

The FBI must disclose "names of an FBI support employee and a third party who are still living and continue to maintain a privacy interest," the judge ruled.

"Given the facts of this particular FOIA request - namely that plaintiff implicates FBI agents in wrongdoing and that the document in question dates back to 1965 - this court finds that the public's interest in disclosure outweighs the FBI agent's privacy interest," Rothstein wrote.

The FBI has 30 days to supplement its affidavit, according to the ruling.

Comments

  1. I guess that's what happens when the LAW jumps in bed with the DEVIL.

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  2. no-no...that was your mother that accepts in the rear--and she takes paypal...anything- JERKOFF anytime.....

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  3. Devecchio and Connolly should both be locked up

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  4. How else can the fbi make cases if it wasn't for informants?

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  5. Ms.Angela Clemente, I sure pray you get well real soon. The fbi surely messed with the wrong person in Angela.If anyone can unmask this runaway government establishment for what it truly is, Ms.Clemente will.

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  6. Years after Gravano made his deal and wound up back in the slammer it came out that there was a murder that he was involved in other than the 19 that he committed and told the FBI about. It was a murder of a NJ cop (not that I'm a big fan of cops. I can't stand them!) I'm pretty sure the FBI was aware of this murder and Gravano told them about it, but how would a participant in a cop killing look on the stand against Gotti? Prosecutors will do anything to win a case. They're no different than the defense. The problem is the law favors the prosecution much like the law in divorce cases favors women.

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  7. That's the murder "solved" by Richard Kuklinski. I know Capeci labeled it as bullshit, but I don't know. The Ice Man was a bit more accurate than I've given him credit for. Also the cop, Pete Calabro, was dirty and I believe under indictment. Then Kuklinski died... anyway, Old School, I think the feds "forgave" Sammy's sins, plural. Because now we have to reconsider Casso's case. He originally flipped and told stories of drug dealing with Sammy -- as well as tales of corrupt, murderous NYPD detectives -- and I believe that was the pretext for kicking Casso out of WitSec. They wanted Gotti THAT badly... Casso was on the money it would seem. Gotti in the rough and tumble days onward made his money off drugs, was always surrounded by drug dealers, Sammy was a greedy though quite affluent earner. You think he'd balk at the major cash flow stemming from the drug business? Sammy probably joined Gotti and moved against Paul in the first place so he could deal. I am into deep speculation, I admit. But Sammy looked before he leapt, and he was who he was, before he flipped! And why is Sammy in prison now? Here endeth the sermon.

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  8. I'd add a couple more names to the list!

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  9. Ed, why are the pics removed?

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  10. I'm retired law enforcement and of German and English heritage , My ancestors sacked and burned the Roman Empire 3000 years ago , and my generation of lawman did the same to the Italian cancer , I remember as a little boy the filthy animals from Italy who came to the country my father had fought to keep free . They came here and began to steal before they put they're luggage down . I bounced a stick off crack head Reynolds head on more than one occasion and that sawed off guinea bastard galino . I'm still around you little WOPS still have that size 12 foot to stick up your backside . Glad to see you all got what was coming to you care of the Devil and America . That's my America not your American dream . You dirty greasers will never be part of my America . Your all filthy Dego cowards and every day more men like me graduate from the academies waiting to bounce some wood off your heads and put the Italian bracelets on both your wrists . Come and get some more you guinea filth bags. Your Favorite Flatfoot from BK South . Ed Schoeffler .

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  11. Hi Ed, interesting comment. I'm Italian/German too..... I'd really be interested in chatting with you about the old days, if you're interested. You can email me at eddie2843@gmail.com.... I'd really, really appreciate it.

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  12. I was in a bind. I couldn't really research and write a s more original story here for reasons I hope to make clear one day. At heart I am a story teller, this was just a chance to write a mob story, without contributing anything new to the already known facts...

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  13. Ed, I just watched a few episodes of "Inside the American mob" and still found this article very interesting. Wasn't a movie made about The Bath Ave boys. I swear I remember watching one on this subject, but can't find it.
    BTW
    I love your articles, I am now a huge fan of yours.

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  14. Thanks, Tex! I have family down in Texas --lotta family! I don't think there was a movie made about them. You may have seen a made for TV movie about Gus Farace that was made in the 1990s, but believe it or not there are few films made about the New York Mafia.

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  15. Sometimes? Just once. When else?

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  16. Or did they use Spero as their golden ticket. I spoke with a guy close to Tommy Karate and the dude had never known this crew existed. WTF does that mean????

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  17. They both used eavh other but in the end it cost spero the most if im correct

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  18. You're an embarrassment to the job. If I heard u speak like this in front of me I would of cracked my wood over your head

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  19. This is a small blog: how am I rubbing this in faces?

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  20. It's time to stop cutting deals with these people and letting them off the hook for the murders, assaults, and other crimes.

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  21. I grew up in Bensonhurst on 85th street and 20th avenue. I went to St. Finbar's Elementary on Bath Avenue until 8th grade. That was the recruitment and enlistment route as you crew up in the neighborhood. That is all TRUE. I remember the Old Guy, Johnny B, Tommy Ren, Joey, AM, Mikey, G, Brass, and the whole crew. The story is only covering like 5% of the information and is missing a bunch of people. I hear and see a lot on this forum where a lot of it is true. Some of the truth stretched and some stuff that seems to be hear say. This all came crumbling down because of uncle RICO that put everyone away and started the flipping.
    The neighborhood was already fireworks because of Colombo's. You grow up in a neighborhood and its all you know. You can differentiate good and bad and you certainly know that you don't put peoples names in your mouth if you don't have any business talking about them. This was an unfortunate mess and this half written documentary of friends, turned gangsters, turned on each other, turned cooperators. It's treacherous and immoral on so many levels.
    As Scott said, this a piece of neighborhood history. These things happened and still do.

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  22. You're happy that most of these guys are deceased ? You mutt ! I was incarcerated with Anthony Gonzale, he's a good guy.

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  23. How do you know this information? You shouldn't pin a Murder on someone unless you have evidence. If this is true why don't you let the police know about it??

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  24. Are you saying one of the murders included John Pollio?

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  25. Because he plead guilty to it. George conti plead out to 7 murders, he got a deal of a life time. John pollio murder was one of them, we dont just accuse people of shit. We get facts first. Go to the court house and pay for the transcripts of his plea deal. He is a rat too. Anyone who admits there guilt is a rat.

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  26. "INNOCENT SOUL?" That's a laugh. He broke in someone's house & stole drugs from their home & had the nerve to try & sell it in the very same neighborhood he stole it from! "INNOCENT SOUL?" OOOOKKK

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