Cosa Nostra News

Two reputed mobsters indicted last week with Vinny Asaro and John Gotti , grandson of the former Gambino crime family boss, allegedly robbed a Franklin Square jewelry store -- and attempted to rob two other jewelry stores in the same Long Island Nassau County town six years ago, the Feds revealed today. Your fearless blogger grew up in Elmont, a town adjacent to Franklin Square. SEE THE ASARO-GOTTI BONANNO CREW INDICTMENT The two alleged mob associates, Darren Elliot, 30, and Matthew (Mack) Hattley, 26, both of Queens, were arrested on robbery, attempted robbery and firearms offenses, among other charges and arraigned last week at Brooklyn federal court with seven other Bonanno crime family members and associates, including Gotti and Asaro.

Bonanno mobster Vincent Asaro's nephew, acting capo Ronald Giallanzo, was nabbed Tuesday along with nine other reputed Bonanno crime family members and associates. As reported last December,  Joseph Desimone, Anthony Pipitone and Giallanzo were arrested and charged with violating the terms of their federal release by attending the Bonanno holiday fest. They were denied bail. Giallanzo shown in October 2006 meeting with a Colombo crime family captain and associate. Those busted this week face a broad swath of criminal charges, some of which go back 20 years.  Specifically Giallanzo and the others were arraigned on racketeering, kidnapping, robbery, attempted murder and other charges in Brooklyn federal court.

"This is stupidity from down the line... I can't even identify two people in the indictment -- uh, uh, the Sea , Sigmund the Sea Monster. I'm not away 100 years. I'm only away seven years. Where do these creatures emerge from?" "All I know is one thing. I don't think I'll ever find myself in a position where I'll put my wedding money, 380 thous ... whatever it is, in the basement near a broken safe, with a bunch of old jewelry." The Scores case, arguably, revealed John J. Gotti at his rhetorical greatest. When Gotti is gone 100 years, people will still read his words. He's  witty, sardonic, ironic, self-deprecating. But: Is he playing for the (surveillance) camera, some might ask. Who can say for certain. He's very likely aware of the cameras trained on him -- the audio tape recording for posterity his words. (How do we know? We'll get to that.) Some might say he was simply being himself, John Gotti being John G...

"I'm not afraid of anyone. Only God."    --Israeli crime boss Ze'ev Rosenstein yesterday. Amid heavy security, the bosses of two of the most powerful crime families in Israel met in Tel Aviv District Court yesterday in what was slated to be witness testimony. Rosenstein Incarcerated Israeli crime boss Ze'ev Rosenstein, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for ecstasy distribution, was there to testify against Yitzhak Abergil, who allegedly attempted to murder Rosenstein "multiple times." Abergil is on trial for murder and global drug smuggling. Rosenstein took the stand Sunday morning and, in what's been termed a stunning twist, he abruptly refused to answer the prosecutor.

SLIGHTLY REVISED :  John Gotti 's grandson and namesake thought he was en route to an eight-year prison sentence at a correctional facility in upstate New York called Fishkill. Instead, he was ferried to Brooklyn Federal court and brought before a judge alongside reputed  Bonanno mobster Vincent Asaro, 82, and five alleged Bonanno associates to face a new indictment on arson and bank burglary charges. Michael Guidici at the Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan. Allegedly  he wasn't there to make a deposit. If everything is what it seems, this is could be a difficult case for the defendants as the Feds have a turncoat intimately involved. In addition, John Gotti's girlfriend allegedly was involved in the bank job though her status in the Fed's case is unclear. Apparently she hasn't been charged in the indictment. Fed's have in the past braced wives and girlfriends allegedly involved in criminal activity to pressure defendants to cop pleas, if not flip....

The following is excerpted from Michael Blutrich's memoir,  Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City, Was Extorted out of Millions by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Mafia Informants in FBI History . EARLY 1991  Mike Sergio invited me to dinner at his restaurant. I was tickled when I arrived because “Grampa” Al Lewis was dining with us that night, and he’d invited Fred Gwynne, the famous Herman Munster himself, for the meal. Just pleased to be a fly on the wall, I listened with interest to these veteran actors discussing their memories from and their roles in the 50s television hit Car 54 Where Are You?—along with Lewis’s plans for a Munster-esque Halloween reunion bash that would include Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster), but not Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster) because her ballooning weight was causing her to avoid public appearances.

The following items are independent news briefs dished up in no particular order. But first this brief note: Quite a few stories are in the "hopper" and will come out in due time. This week we expect to publish a dynamite excerpt direct from Michael Blutrich , former owner of Scores who copartnered with the Gambino crime family before flipping.   Michael Blutrich, who once owned Scores. Former Colombo capo -- or boss? If given a long enough timeline, we honestly believe Michael Franzese, former Colombo capo, could do pretty much anything he wanted to do. And that includes not only running for President of the United States but winning, too.

The United States Attorney for New York's Southern District, Preet Bharara, the most powerful prosecutor in the country, was fired by the Trump administration after he refused to resign on Friday. Bharara  tweeted the news  on Saturday, March 11th: The Trump administration, in one fell swoop, wiped out all remaining Obama administration prosecutors at the Justice Department. A total of 46 holdover United States attorneys, including Bharara, was asked to resign immediately.   Gone... just... like... that....

Bartolomeo (Bobby Glasses) Vernace, the Gambino mobster convicted of participating in the 1981 murders of John D’Angese and Richard Godkin -- reputedly over a spilled drink and in full view of dozens of patrons of the Shamrock Bar in Woodhaven, Queens -- died on March 2, 2017, notes the BOP site . Vernace, 67, was at Allenwood Penitentiary when he died of natural causes. The Feds convicted Vernace for a 1981 double homicide in Queens. On April 17, 2013, after a five-week trial, with the Hon. Sandra L. Townes presiding, Vernace was found guilty of a racketeering conspiracy that spanned from 1978 through to 2011, when Bobby Glasses was arrested. At the time he'd been a member of the Gambino crime family's ruling panel. (He was actually arrested on Mafia Takedown Day.)

We publish this as per the request of a dear friend.... The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), representing more than 13,000 active and former FBI Special Agents, marked the 10th anniversary of former FBI Agent Robert Levinson’s disappearance and called on the Trump Administration and the international community to increase efforts to gain his release. Former FBI agent Barry Levinson. "It’s time to bring Bob home to his family,” said FBIAA President Tom O’Connor. “FBIAA urges the Trump Administration and the international community to press Iran for information on his disappearance. We are encouraged by the recent statement by a White House National Security spokesperson that Bob’s case is a priority and that the U.S. will never cease in its efforts to bring Bob home. We ask anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to come forward to help reunite Bob with his loved ones.”

UPDATED : Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say they've got the goods to nail Luchese crime family leaders for racketeering crimes as well as the murder of former Purple Gang boss Michael Meldish. Meldish, 62, was shot to death in 2013 while seated in his car. Alleged shooter Terence Caldwell was sitting in the passenger seat when he fired one bullet into the right side of Meldish's head at close range. Matty Madonna is in prison. Based on evidence, including DNA and surveillance footage, alleged getaway driver Christopher Londonio, who'd tailed Meldish's dark blue Lincoln Town Car to the scene of the hit, in the Bronx's Throgs Neck section on Ellsworth Ave., then drove off with Caldwell in his Hyundai. Today, Gang Land News  reported , as per sources: Prosecutors will ask the grand jury to indict (Matthew "Matty") Madonna, 81, for ordering the Meldish rubout that defendants Christopher Londonio and Terrence Caldwell allegedly carried out on...

 In 2014, The Mafia and Trevor McDonald told the stories of several former members of the American Mafia. Trevor McDonald interviewed these men, who once lived in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area -- and had since scattered to various locations around the country following their departure from "the life." Sal Romano, left, Michael DiLeonardo, at a wedding filmed as part of the ITV show Mafia Women and Trevor McDonald. This year's followup, Mafia Women and Trevor McDonald, aired on February 16 and February 23 in the U.K. It never aired in the U.S. but is available online. You can view it here. Using the same format as the 2014 show -- two hourlong episodes -- the aim of this sequel was to offer a detailed look at the lives of women who married mobsters -- or had them for fathers and brothers. Still, some former mobsters also appeared on the show, and many of them have never before spoken publicly. Among the new faces is ToniMarie Ricci, form...

Netflix has expanded beyond its original business model as a rental service of prerecorded entertainment. In addition to offering DVDs and streaming services for rent, it also has crossed over to the production side of the entertainment industry, producing and distributing its own television shows, documentaries and feature films, in addition to acquiring such programs from production companies. The Irishman: director, left, and  some of the best actors working in films today. Late last month, IndieWire broke the news that Netflix had nabbed the rights to Martin Scorsese ’s long-gestating gangster epic, The Irishman , the acclaimed director's ninth outing with Robert DeNiro. Also starring: Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, and Bobby Cannavale (who turned out a stellar performance as Boardwalk Empire's desperately needed villian, Gyp Rosetti .)

Northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region is widely known for its medieval cities and seaside resorts. It also has the distinction of being the birthplace of some of the world's premier delicacies, including Prosciutto di Parma , Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Balsamic Vinegar . And, up until a few years ago, it was one of the few places in Italy  not typically known to have a Mafia presence. Nicola Femia was arrested for running a gambling racket. Historically, Italy's various organized crime groups tended to keep away from Emilia-Romagna, either by chance or by design. That was then.

UPDATED : A Staten Island man who died at Rikers Island last November under what his family considers questionable circumstances is the son of a powerful chief of the Luchese crime family's Brooklyn faction. John Castelle aka John Castellucci. "He uses two different names. That's his son on the right, Eugene Sonny Castelle." Rikers, New York City's main jail complex, sits on a 413.17-acre island on the East River (between Queens and the Bronx). The jailhouse is one of the world's largest institutions in both the correctional and mental health sectors. Originally only one-fourth its present size, it was artificially expanded via the use of (perhaps fittingly, in this case) ash for landfill. Inmates made up the labor force.