Cosa Nostra News

In the 1960s and 1970s, Anthony (Fat Andy) Ruggiano had one of the biggest crews in the Gambino family, and he wanted to keep it that way. Fat Andy, Fritzy Giovanelli, sitting Lenny DiMaria, far right in gray Sonny Franzese He had had around 70-75 guys in his crew, and out of all of them, Andy wanted to straighten out only one, Nicky Corozzo. Fat Andy "didn’t want to make anybody his equal at one point," said Anthony Junior. "He had a big crew with him and he liked it that way. He wound up being right." Andy and Anthony (Tony Lee) Guerrieri even got into an argument over Fat Andy's reluctance to make any of his guys. Tony Lee had wanted to put Anthony (Tony Pep) Trentacosta up to be straightened out with Nicky. Fat Andy prevailed, however, and they both decided that only Nicky would get made. Once Andy proposed Nicky, Nicky went out of his way to express his gratitude to Ruggiano. "After my father proposed Nicky, Nicky went to my father...

After a six-week jury trial, Matthew Madonna, Steven L. Crea, Christopher Londonio, and Terence Caldwell were convicted Friday of murder, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and other felonies. Fifteen other defendants previously pled guilty to related charges. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “The violent and disturbing acts of these four organized crime figures included the brutal murder of associate Michael Meldish . Fittingly, all four defendants have been found guilty of their heinous acts of fraud, extortion, and murder on the six-year anniversary of Meldish’s death. Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, we will continue our commitment to making organized crime a thing of a bygone era.” According to the evidence presented at trial, and other court documents : Until his arrest in this case, Madonna was the Acting Boss of the Luchese Family of La Cosa Nostra , one of the “Five Families” that constitute the Mafia in the New York City a...

A Philadelphia Mafia member who is based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was sentenced on Thursday to 12.5 years in prison for selling around half a pound of crystal methamphetamine. He also had staged a fake robbery of a New Jersey pawnshop to perpetrate an insurance fraud, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced. Salvatore (Sam) Piccolo, 68, of Atlantic City, a member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra organized crime family, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler earlier this year to distributing methamphetamine and one count of wire fraud. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence in Camden federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Piccolo distributed quantities of crystal methamphetamine to FBI undercover agents on three separate occasions between June 2017 and September 2017. On one occasion, he sold the undercover agent approximately four ounces of crystal methamphetamine in a restaurant parking lot in Sicklervill...

"I’d like find out what he says about John Alite. I just don't know what to think as there's so many contradictory opinions on him; it'd be nice hear his thoughts and input." This story focuses on Anthony Ruggiano Jr., John Alite, and John Junior....The next installment will address multiple comments.... Anthony Junior, back to us in middle, Junior, left, Skinny Dom, right. When John Alite played Little League, his coach was Albert Ruggiano, the younger brother of Anthony Junior, though the Ruggiano-Alite relationship went back another generation, Anthony Junior recently told us. Anthony Junior, 66, didn't pop up out of nowhere, actually. A longtime Gambino associate (he came close, so damn close to being made! ), he defected in 2006 and testified in several trials against mobsters including Gambino capo Dominick (Skinny Dom) Pizzonia and powerful Gambino boss Bartolomeo (Bobby Glasses) Vernace, and Gambino wiseguy Charles Carneglia. He also gave...

By Nick Christophers There are a few underworld characters that seldom receive the spotlight that they deserve for historical purposes. Author / Mob historian, Rick Porrello, sheds the light on one such mobster in his new book “ Bombs, Bullets, & Bribes The True Story of Notorious Jewish Mobster Alex Shondor Birns ”. Rick who runs the blog www.americanmafia.com is an expert on the landscape of the Cleveland mafia and all its elements. This is his fourth book the others being “The Rise & Fall of the Cleveland Mafia”, “Super Thief – A Master Burglar, the Mafia & the Biggest Bank Heist in NY History” and “To Kill the Irishman” (which was made into a major motion picture). The latter was a prerequisite to the recent novel since it gave us a glimpse of Shondor Birns. In the film “ To Kill the Irishman ” Chirstopher Walken played Birns perfectly. The film was actually the story of the tough Irish gangster Danny Greene who stood up to the mob and Birns. It is one of t...

What kind of gangster poses his elderly grandma with his dope? What kind of idiot is behind the camera?-- Gang Land News NOTE:  1.) We believe we have found a source who was close to Michael Meldish for a time and who knows all about the Meldish brothers and the Purple Gang... 2.) Anthony Ruggiano Jr. was off yesterday, and we may occasionally interrupt that ongoing series to cover other stories... A "shocking" photograph taken by turncoat witness Anthony Zoccolillo inspired the media to return to the Michael Meldish murder trial. (And we weren’t far behind.) Zoccolillo flipped and gave the FBI more than 4,000 photos he had snapped. He testified that there was “20 or so pounds” of marijuana in those bags. The woman in the picture is Luchese soldier Vinny Bruno's grandmother who,  according to Gang Land,  wrote a letter to the sentencing judge to advocate for a lighter sentence for Bruno. The photo was taken sometime before reputed Lucchese wiseguy Vinc...

"There are two more members that are talking,"   from Joe Valachi's autobiography, as quoted by journalist Jack Anderson in an  article published in 1963 . Fat Andy and Tony Lee. Before Anthony Ruggiano (Senior, aka Fat Andy) could get made in 1953, his name had to go around to the other New York families to solicit any possible objections. There were objections--two, actually--one of which required then-boss Albert Anastasia to win a sitdown with the Genovese family (or the then-Luciano family). As noted, Fat Andy and partner Tony Lee met Carmine (Charley Wagons) Fatico after they robbed his card game, but Fatico decided to hire them rather than kill them. For this, the previous story, and the rest in this series, we are using information provided to us by Anthony Ruggiano Jr.  In the next installment Anthony will address your comments... Profaci family member John Sonny Franzese put in a claim over Fat Andy, who, Franzese argued, belonged to him. A...

Anthony Ruggiano Jr. "was on the verge of becoming a soldier" in the Gambino family , said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian McCormick. Who’s the toughest guy you know? Well, we know a few tough guys... Relax. This isn’t going where you think... A hungover Fat Andy in 1980, when he and Tony Lee ran a gold store. Anthony here is about to turn 27. He was two weeks out of jail . Anthony Ruggiano was a Gambino family associate for many years. Too many, he'd tell you. He was supposed to get his button—then he was supposed to get it again, and then again. Was it Life that kept getting in the way? Fate? We wonder how best to describe it. Of course we could just say, the law certainly kept getting in the way. It kept arresting him. The State, the Feds, Kings and Queens County, they all nabbed him for things like policy and bookmaking (and murder). Just one of the daily hazards faced by guys who get out of bed in the morning, put their shoes on, and go out to rob pe...