Cosa Nostra News

Rocco Sollecito was formerly part of Vito Rizzuto's inner circle. Montreal Mafia Rizzuto loyalist Rocco Sollecito, seen above, was killed last Friday in a daring daytime shooting near Montreal's Laval police headquarters. The suspected shooter, based on police evidence, was described as in his 30s and wearing black clothes . He apparently waited at a bus stop beside a stop sign. Around 8:30 am he fired several shots through the passenger-side window of Sollecito's white BMW SUV as it halted at the stop sign. Sollecito was alone in the SUV during the attack and was declared dead at the hospital.

A spokesperson for John A. Gotti responded with the following comment: "First, I keep telling you movie is on. It's on, Ed!! Second, this is only a snippet of something much bigger. Yes, (John A. Gotti) is describing their next book and project but this video is part of something much bigger. It involves the whole family.  Third, Witsec Mafia is not revenge against Alite, Gravano or Otto."   I've sought some elaboration on the third point, then I will revise the entire story accordingly. That said, please note the second paragraph... John A. Gotti is working on a new project, titled WITSEC Mafia  (the above video is at 1,319 YouTube views as of this posting) . The recently announced project follows the 2015 release of his book, Shadow of My Father , which is set to be made into a film starring John Travolta . The focus of WITSEC Mafia is to expose former mob turncoats who, Gotti alleges, are committing crimes following life in the Witness...

Michael Rizzi, a former NYPD officer who allegedly ran a massive prostitution operation that generated millions, was arrested yesterday morning at his home by Homeland Security agents. He was freed on bond and the NYPD promptly returned him to custody on a gun charge. Allegedly a stolen pistol was found in his residence. Rizzi is married to the daughter of Gambino crime family soldier Richard Juliano, whose older brother, Joseph "Sonny" Juliano, is a Brooklyn-based capo in the same family. Michael Rizzi....  Rizzi was a cop from 1992 to 2000, when his career ended due to a back injury. He collected a disability pension. The criminal complaint (PDF download) was filed in the Eastern District with U.S. District Court Judge Peggy Kuo on Friday. The Federal criminal case against Rizzi stems from allegations that he had taken over and continued to run an online escorting business previously run by Marc Schulman, a Staten Island resident arrested in 2014 who ple...

Joseph Galante, 49, a member of the Queens-based Giannini Crew, who assisted in the 1993 disposal of a murder victim, but then cooperated and wore a wire, was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this month for this "gruesome" crime. Galante caught some major luck as he had appartently decided flipping wasn't for him. He "resumed committing crimes and prosecutors tore up his cooperation agreement," the Daily News  reported . Galante, who faced 30 to life, got away with 10 years. Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis was well aware of "the extraordinary length of time he served as an informant and making secret recordings of mobsters from the Bonanno, Colombo and Genovese crime families."

Larry McShane covers the Mafia, among other things, for the New York Daily News ; he authored a book about Vincent "The Chin" Gigante  that is available now. Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante will be available on May 31. (McShane also had a hand in writing Ralph Natale's memoirs, as noted , which is due for release next year but is already available for preorder in the U.K. The title, Lost Lives and Forgotten Vows: The Ralph Natale Story , may change, as the book's publisher noted.) First biography of the Oddfather McShane's Gigante offering is a welcomed addition to Mafia-related nonfiction, and since it is the first book dedicated solely to The Chin, it fills a huge void as well. Previously, Selwyn Raab's Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires  included details of Gigante's reign as part of its overview of the New York Mafia. Gigante's daughter also has written ...

Drug traffickers have nice houses. This one belongs to a turncoat.... He's clearly tied to the street gangs and apparently the MCs. He also dealt with a Mafia-linked group. But the big question is, does he have any dirt on the Rizzuto bosses arrested last November ? The turncoat headed up a narcotics trafficking network until his arrest last November when 200 police officers hauled away 48 as part of Projects Magot and Mastiff . One major revelation of this investigation was that the Cosa Nostra, the Hells Angels and major street gangs allegedly worked together to control drug trafficking in Montreal. The groups shared the profits of their drug trafficking operation.

SOURCE Liborio "Pancho" Cuntrera -- having returned from his Italian vacation -- is due to appear at the Montreal courthouse this afternoon, The Montreal Gazette just reported . Cuntrera, 47, of Laval, faces three charges related to Project Clemenza, an investigation into cocaine trafficking and smuggling. Cuntrera was in Italy when the RCMP was conducting arrests. "Pancho" was arrested yesterday, while in the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. He was taken directly into custody the moment he stepped off the plan. His first court appearance is this afternoon (Monday, May 6, 2016.) Cuntrera was one of the six men who sat on the Montreal Mafia's ruling panel, which also included Leonardo Rizzuto and Stefano Sollecito, both arrested last November .

Rizzuto loyalist Marco Pizzi, 46, of Montreal North, was ar rested in the latest coordinated Montreal takedown. Last November, Montreal law enforcement busted up an alleged " unholy" alliance comprised of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Hells Angels and a number of street gangs. They followed that up with another raid, snagging 15 people following a probe into drug-smuggling. The focus was on a key member of the Montreal Mafia, Liborio "Pancho" Cuntrera of the Cuntrera-Caruana clan, in which most members are linked by blood. The Italian press dubbed them the "The Rothschilds of the Mafia." (The Rothschild family business of financiers is considered the wealthiest in modern world history.) The Cuntrera-Caruana clan were a major component of the Cosa Nostra's 1980s-1990s drug trafficking operations, playing a major role in laundering illicit cash proceeds.

Salvatore Delligatti  Members and associates of the Genovese crime family have been arrested and face an eight-count racketeering indictment that includes murder conspiracy, attempted murder, extortion conspiracy, illegal gambling and firearm charges, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said. The FBI, Nassau County Police and NYPD conducted a multi-year probe (with some alleged crimes dating back to 2008) that resulted in the case against 18 people, 17 of whom are currently in jail following the “coordinated take-down,” according to officials. Those charged include alleged Genovese soldiers Robert DeBello (aka “Old Man,” “Bobby” and “Grandpa”), 74, of Whitestone, and Steven Pastore, 56, of Staten Island, and associates Ryan Ellis (“Joseph Princi,” “Baldy,” “Lazy Eye” and “Zeus”) , 34, of Bayside, and Salvatore Delligatti (“Jay” and “Fat Sal”) , 40, of Oakland Gardens.

Nick Christophers wrote this as an advocate of "Nicky Slick." After researching the case, he wants to expose the truth. Nicky Slick, far left, Johnny Gabs, far right. The Philadelphia mob was in upheaval for many years following the murder of then-boss Angelo Bruno. Before a shotgun ended Bruno, he ran the city's underworld in relative calm for over 20 years. Bruno resorted to violence, or its threat, if absolutely necessary. But he tried to avoid the attention of the authorities at all costs. One of his famous sayings was "make money not headlines!"  Nicknamed the "Docile Don" due to his emphasis on negotiating versus bloodshed, Angelo Bruno also sat on the powerful Mafia Commission and was tight with New York's most powerful boss, Carlo Gambino. Everything came crashing down for Angelo in part due to his ban on drug dealing. Many of the young turks saw the immense profits in drugs, even Bruno's own underboss, Phil...

The nearly three-month-long enterprise corruption trial of Nicholas "Nicky Mouth" Santora and three other Bonanno mobsters in Manhattan's State Supreme Court ended in a mistrial. So ordered Supreme Court Justice Mark Dwyer -- after one juror needed to be replaced and a second declared he couldn't continue. After eight days debating the case (and three years since the defendants were arrested) jurors couldn't reach a verdict regarding gambling, prescription drugs and loansharking charges. The alleged crimes supposedly occurred between March 2010 and February 2012. Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, said there will be a retrial. The New York Times quoted her saying: “The inability of one juror to continue deliberating is not a reflection on the overall strength of the case.”

Kenji in Sweden.... Social media is a fantastic way to cultivate sources. I've made quite a few by simply contacting them with a private message. (I'm always privately -- and silently -- thrilled when some of them, especially journalists, say, " yeah, I've heard of you .") Anyway, I met Kenji Gallo via Facebook (I'd read his book Breakshot , which I highly recommend.) We've spoken many times and I occasionally link to his blog posts .  He knows his stuff; I know that for a fact. And he has firsthand experience. Kenji was a mobster, an associate of the ultra-violent Colombo crime family . He's half-Asian. That mixing of ethnicities, an Asian guy in the Italian Mafia, is the kind of setup that makes for a good film.

"Skinny" Santoro After days of deliberations--including a week-long break--the four Bonanno crime family mobsters on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court must be dreadfully tired, as well as filled with pins and needles. It's not that bad, however. Apparently, Anthony "Skinny" Santoro is providing some much-needed comic relief, intended or not. The jury last week asked the judge for advice on how to avoid a hung jury. Apparently, they requested help settling disputes. Justice Mark Dwyer practically begged on bent knee that they continue to deliberate. He pointedly reminded them of their duty as jurors. "I'm bound by law to hold you for a reasonable time to reach a verdict. I know this is a complex count you're considering." Dwyer also noted that, considering how complicated the case is, they hadn't been deliberating all that long at all.

"Jerry" Bruno Reputed Gambino associate Gennaro "Jerry" Bruno, 43, who pleaded guilty last month to the January 2002 fatal shooting of Martin Bosshart, was sentenced Friday to 21 years in prison as per the plea agreement . He declined to comment at the sentencing in Brooklyn Federal Court. Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Kristin Mace noted in court papers that Bruno had "personally shot Bosshart execution style at close range," firing one bullet to the back of his head.

Happy 50th, Frank! It's an understatement to say that Frank Smith went through difficult times. He served prison time for a drug-related crime that the world knows he had nothing to do with. But later he copped to crimes -- which I am not going to detail here.

Joseph Barone informed for 18 years but wouldn't wear a wire. A federal judge green-lighted the filing of a lawsuit against the FBI by a former Bonanno crime family soldier who informed on his criminal cohorts for 18 years. (And he is a former Bonanno, though some reports mistakenly refer to him as a former Genovese mobster. I double-checked this with one of the Daily News's bylined authors, Larry McShane, also the author of  " Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante  ." I am going to be posting a story based on an interview with Larry.) The ex-soldier, Joseph Barone Jr., previously exposed a Mafia plot to murder a Brooklyn federal court judge, the Daily News reported . He alleges the FBI deliberately leaked his informant status.

Peter Martinez “owed a lot of money,” REVISE NO. 2 He was identified; the cause of death was not (though one report suggested he may have been choked before his feet were dipped into the concrete). And it looks like it may have been a gangland hit, but one that possibly involved street gangs rather than the Mafia (though the two are known to have worked together in the past.) Peter Martinez, 28, reportedly was a member of a G Stone Crips crew, supposedly the same one that jailed rap star Bobby Shmurda belongs to.*  Martinez was found with his hands tied behind his back and his feet buried in cement, the proverbial cement shoes, after he washed up on shore near Brooklyn's Oriental Blvd. wrapped in a black plastic big. This past Monday, at about 10:30 a.m., a passing Kingsborough Community College student spotted the body in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood. He alerted authorities. Martinez had a long arrest record that details 31 arrests. Also, he “owed a l...

A body wearing cement shoes washed up onto the Manhattan Beach shoreline in Brooklyn on Monday morning. The victim, with the arms tied behind the back, had been wrapped in black plastic bags and then  his feet were buried in concrete. The body was found on Monday morning along a Brooklyn beach, according to news reports . This is not the picture of the man found. The body's description comes straight from the mouth of the Brooklyn Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. DNA News reported that the victim has been "tentatively" identified via fingerprints and tattoos, law enforcement sources said. His identity is being withheld pending family notification, the report added. Also the victim was killed recently as he survived a shooting earlier this year, sources said. Also, the man had a criminal history for fraud and narcotics, sources said. It was reported that the victim has a "substantial" tattoo of the Virgin Mary holding a rose, Boyce said ...

Genovese capo, charged again..... REVISED, UPDATED, EXPANDED They are accused of running a multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise described as "a smorgasbord of mob schemes" from October 2007 through to April 2016, according to the acting state Attorney General. The indictment, an updated version of two-year-old charges, includes members and associates of a New Jersey-based Genovese crew operated under capo Charles "Chuckie" Tuzzo, 82, of Bayside, Queens, and soldier Vito Alberti, 57, of Morristown, who reported to the New York bosses. Also additional members and associates were involved in these crimes but are not named in the indictment. And we read all about it in 2014. All that is new is the addition of more people -- raising the total number of the indicted from 11 to 14. Basically the updated version of the indictment includes an additional defendant charged in connection with drug-money laundering; also the wives of three of the defendants were ...