Cosa Nostra News

The boss of the Genovese crime family’s Springfield crew, Eugene "Rooster" Onofrio, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison earlier this month , referenced an unknown part of the story of the Genovese crime family's control of the West Mass, city. Eugene "Rooster" Onofrio Onofrio, during a 2014 recorded call, referred to himself as "the skipper" of Springfield -- meaning the crew's capo.  Springfield "was given to him" he added, though he never named by who. It is likely that he took over the crew sometime after 2011, when former Springfield chief Arthur Nigro -- who ran Springfield from the Bronx and had also been a Genovese family acting boss -- was sent away to prison for murder. Nigro had given the nod for Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno to be removed from his position running the Genovese family's Springfield crew (as well as life on this earth). In 2011, Nigro and enforcers Fotios "Freddy" Geas, of West Spr...

Manhattan prosecutors reportedly angered a judge yesterday by allowing Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino to plead to a gambling charge. Skinny Joey Merlino an d wife, Deborah  at Manhattan Federal Court for racketeering trial on Jan. 31, 2018. They essentially abandoned a years-long effort to convict him of racketeering, health care fraud, loan-sharking, and other counts. And the judge isn't happy about it, as he made clear yesterday, April 27, 2018. In February, Merlino beat the raps when a jury deadlocked, leading to a mistrial. Since then, Manhattan federal prosecutors decided against trying the alleged Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss again . Judge Richard Sullivan showed his animosity by asking prosecutors why they allowed him to plea to a charge that carries a two-year maximum sentence. "In my experience prosecutors will try the case again. What makes this case exceptional?" Sullivan asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Nicholas. ...

Alleged Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino won what mob experts describe as the biggest victory yet in his dark, checkered career in crime when the judge declared a mistrial in his federal racketeering case in Manhattan. Merlino and wife Deborah —a Korean-American. Jurors sent U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan no less than five notes detailing how hopelessly deadlocked they were after deliberating for around four days. In the end, they couldn't decide whether the Feds had proved whether Merlino was guilty of running both an illegal gambling ring and an $11.3 million health care racket (from which “boss” Merlino allegedly got a $100,000 cut). On Tuesday the judge made the call: mistrial. Almost as interesting to us was that big-time Philadelphia wiseguys attended the three-week trial. Supposedly, George (Georgie Boy) Borgesi and former acting boss Joseph (Uncle Joe) Ligambi were there to support Skinny Joey. Will the Feds retry him...

The biggest bombshell in   Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino's federal racketeering trial in Manhattan arguably had nothing to do with any of the crimes listed in the indictment . We love gossip, especially gossip about extramarital affairs. Skinny Joey with wife Deborah Consider that the main charge facing Merlino is his alleged involvement "in a scheme targeting providers of health insurance by causing, and causing others to cause, corrupt doctors to issue unnecessary and excessive prescriptions for expensive compound cream that were then billed to the Victim Insurers." Who really cares about poor victimized insurance companies?  USA Today recently profiled some of the most-reviled companies in the United States, and wouldn't you know: "Few industries are as widely detested as the insurance industry." (FYI, "American consumers appear to especially dislike health insurance giant Cigna.") Genovese turncoat John (JR) Rubeo...

When, precisely, did the FBI's New York Field Office realize that it was screwed? We refer here to the seemingly immense East Coast LCN Enterprise case , the investigation that resulted in last August's indictment of 46 mobsters, including mobsters from four of New York's five Mafia families and the alleged boss of the Philadelphia mob (who lives in Florida). George Borgesi with his hot younger wife. (N OTE: Reputed Philadelphia boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino is the only alleged "East Coast LCN crime syndicate" member from the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra.) The answer to that question may shed light on a possible alternative reason for why the Fed's in New York were reluctant to share information with offices in Philadelphia and Florida. The word has been that New York's Southern District was too greedy and didn't want to share the credit on what certainly appeared to be a large, sprawling Mafia case. Unless, of course, the Feds knew that said c...

Most defendants charged in the East Coast LCN Enterprise indictment were offered extra-sweet plea deals last Tuesday thanks to revelations about a whacky turncoat and alleged criminality of one of the FBI's mob squads. Skinny Joey: "You want me to pay how much? I'd rather go to jail...." Indicted last August were 46 alleged members and associates of four of New York's Five Families, and the alleged boss of the Philadelphia crime family in Florida. (John Gotti's grandson was busted on the same day ; who'd have believed of the two busts, Gotti's would ultimately be the more consequential.) Around 10 of the defendants apparently voiced intent to reject the offer. Additionally, the two "bosses" with the biggest reasons to cop deals are supposedly still mulling the prospect of going to trial.

The biggest crook in the so-called East Coast LCN Enterprise case just may have been turncoat John (J.R.) Rubeo Jr. In the end, he stole the Feds' case. Now they've had to drop the most serious charges in the indictment and are on bent knee  begging defendants to cop to plea deals. JR Rubeo Rubeo wore a wire against many defendants in the case, including the two alleged highest-ranking ones, Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello and Joseph Merlino. Rubeo was a Genovese crime family associate who became a cooperating witness because he had major legal problems of his own and wanted to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.