Late Mob Boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante's Son Gets Two Years, $3.8M Forfeiture For Racketeering Conspiracy
The son of late Genovese boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Vincent Esposito copped to one count of racketeering on April 10 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn for conspiring to commit racketeering offenses with members and associates of the Genovese family. The agreed-upon sentencing range was 24 to 30 months in prison.
Chin's son was arrested in January 2018. He was living in Chin's $12 million Upper East Side townhouse. |
U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero handed down the 24-month sentence yesterday (Friday, July 19) at 9 a.m., imposing a term from the lower end of the range.
Cosa Nostra News has learned that the Fed's handed the judge a letter that highlighted what the FBI seized from the Esposito townhouse when Esposito was nabbed in January 2018: they found brass knuckles, a gun, a knife, and lotsa cash. (More on those "weapons," including a picture below.)
The letter read:
"JUDGMENT IN A CRIMINAL CASE as to Vincent Esposito (1), Pleaded guilty to Count(s) 1, Imprisonment for a total term of 24 Months. Supervised release for a term of Three Years. Count(s) 2 are dismissed on the motion of the US. The court makes the following recommendations to the Bureau of Prisons: The Court recommends that the Bureau of Prisons designate a facility that is able to provide proper treatment for Mr. Esposito's medical conditions or, alternatively, the facility in Otisville, NY. The defendant shall surrender to the United States Marshal for this district at 12:00am on 9/2/19. Special Assessment of $100 which is due immediately. Fine of $20,000. (Signed by Judge Victor Marrero on 7/19/19)(jw)."
The US Attorney's Office proffered that Esposito had extorted a union official and a financial adviser.
After the proceedings yesterday, Esposito and two apparent family members rebuffed the media at the courthouse elevator, then again on Mulberry Street. There's reportedly video of Esposito's close encounters with the media on Periscope here.
Esposito, 51, is the son of Gigante and his mistress Olympia Esposito. Vincent is the Chin's third child with Olympia #2. Gigante was devoted to two families with two women, both named Olympia. Some have hypothesized that the Chin deliberately made that happen so he was never at risk of inadvertently calling his wife, or mistress, by the wrong name.
Considering what the Fed's seemed to have on Vincent Esposito, this could have been much worse for him, we're thinking. The case involved confidential informant Vincent Fyfe, Chin's nephew, who wore a wire on "his uncle's mob pals" and "supplied key evidence that prosecutors used to indict Gigante's youngest son (Vincent Esposito) on labor racketeering charges," as revealed in an exclusive Gang Land News report.
In a media release, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “By his own admission, for more than a decade Vincent Esposito made millions with members of the Genovese Crime Family by extorting payments, demanding kickbacks, committing fraud, and instilling fear. Today Esposito has been sentenced to prison for racketeering conspiracy.”
According to the Indictment and statements made during public court proceedings:
For years, continuing until 2017, Esposito conspired with other members and associates of the Genovese family to commit a wide range of crimes to enrich themselves, including multiple acts of extortion, honest services fraud, and bribery. Among other things, Esposito directed the long-running extortion of a union official for annual tribute payments of more than over $10,000, and had a number of lower-ranking members of the enterprise collect money and convey threats to him on Esposito’s behalf.
Another extortion scheme involved the extortion of a different union official and a financial adviser for a cut of commissions made from union investments.
Esposito and four other reputed Genovese mobsters were arrested in January 2018 for racketeering, extortion, and other crimes allegedly stretching back to 2001.
Esposito was arrested with alleged capo Steven (Mad Dog) Arena, 61; Frank Giovinco, 51; Frank Cognetta, 43; and Vincent D’Acunto, Jr. The four "knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together to violate the racketeering laws of the United States." That's per the federal indictment filed in New York's Southern District Court. (Download the initial indictment as a PDF here.)
Said DiLeonardo, when asked to reflect on the items found in Esposito's townhouse:
"You never leave large sums of money in your house. You never leave guns in your house." Today, the feds have equipment that automatically detects cash; it's not very difficult for them to find a stash of green.
DiLeonardo was amazed that Vincent kept the guns, brass knuckles, and million in cash in his home, noting that in all his years on the street, he never kept anything like that in his own house. From early on in "the life," DiLeonardo made it known that he didn't keep anything in his house, which is why, he speculated, law enforcement never raided his house when they came to arrest him. They knew they'd find nothing because that was the word that went around.
The Feds fought to deny Esposito bail on the grounds that he is a "high-ranking and influential member of the Genovese Family who is willing to use threats of violence to further the enterprise, who has the ability to follow through on those threats, and who maintains a network of criminal associates willing to make threats on his behalf."
That was based on the nearly $4 million they found in his residence, as well as the weapons and lists of made members.
We noted that the weapons found in his home were difficult to take seriously: they resemble something you'd be in a souvenir shop hanging from a keychain.
According to the Indictment and statements made during public court proceedings:
For years, continuing until 2017, Esposito conspired with other members and associates of the Genovese family to commit a wide range of crimes to enrich themselves, including multiple acts of extortion, honest services fraud, and bribery. Among other things, Esposito directed the long-running extortion of a union official for annual tribute payments of more than over $10,000, and had a number of lower-ranking members of the enterprise collect money and convey threats to him on Esposito’s behalf.
Another extortion scheme involved the extortion of a different union official and a financial adviser for a cut of commissions made from union investments.
Esposito and four other reputed Genovese mobsters were arrested in January 2018 for racketeering, extortion, and other crimes allegedly stretching back to 2001.
Esposito was arrested with alleged capo Steven (Mad Dog) Arena, 61; Frank Giovinco, 51; Frank Cognetta, 43; and Vincent D’Acunto, Jr. The four "knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together to violate the racketeering laws of the United States." That's per the federal indictment filed in New York's Southern District Court. (Download the initial indictment as a PDF here.)
The deadly weapons the FBI seized from Chin's son. |
When arrested, Esposito was living in a $12 million E. 77th St. townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It was the same townhouse where his notorious father lived. Inside the tony residence the FBI found and seized $3.8 million in cash, two unlicensed guns, brass knuckles and two actual lists of made guys.
In an earlier blog post, we noted that one list consisted of New Jersey-based Genovese wiseguys who had died within the last 20 years; the other consisted of living members in the family's New Jersey crew.
How much space does a million in cash take up, we wondered. And while we hope to answer that question one day using personal experience, for now we note that former Gambino capo Michael (Mikie Scars) DiLeonardo, once told us that a $10,000 stash of cash comprised of only hundred-dollar bills would stack up at about an inch and a half.
Said DiLeonardo, when asked to reflect on the items found in Esposito's townhouse:
"You never leave large sums of money in your house. You never leave guns in your house." Today, the feds have equipment that automatically detects cash; it's not very difficult for them to find a stash of green.
DiLeonardo was amazed that Vincent kept the guns, brass knuckles, and million in cash in his home, noting that in all his years on the street, he never kept anything like that in his own house. From early on in "the life," DiLeonardo made it known that he didn't keep anything in his house, which is why, he speculated, law enforcement never raided his house when they came to arrest him. They knew they'd find nothing because that was the word that went around.
The Feds fought to deny Esposito bail on the grounds that he is a "high-ranking and influential member of the Genovese Family who is willing to use threats of violence to further the enterprise, who has the ability to follow through on those threats, and who maintains a network of criminal associates willing to make threats on his behalf."
That was based on the nearly $4 million they found in his residence, as well as the weapons and lists of made members.
We noted that the weapons found in his home were difficult to take seriously: they resemble something you'd be in a souvenir shop hanging from a keychain.
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