Joe Bruno on the Mob – Feds Say Mafia and Russian Mob Partners in Scam.
There’s a new use for the social network website Facebook, but it’s not very legal.
According to the Feds, members of the New York Mafia, specifically in the Bonanno and Gambino Crime families, have partnered with the Russian mob to entice young girls from Eastern Europe, then force them to work as dancers in New York strip clubs.
Twenty suspects, including seven alleged Mafia members, were arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court on charges ranging from “racketeering to visa fraud.” According to the Feds, these men put ads on Facebook, and on other media websites, enticing young women from Eastern Europe to come to the United States with phony offers of summer waitressing jobs, or other menial jobs. Before they flew to America, these women would have to apply for seasonal visas, allowing them to stay a maximum of six months in the United States.
When they arrived in America, they next thing they knew, these young women were working as pole dancing at various New York “flesh palaces” like Cheetahs in Manhattan, Perfection in Woodside, Queens, The Scene in Commack, L.I., and Gallagher’s 2000 and Rouge in Queens.
But like they say in the commercials, “But that’s not all!”
If they didn’t get enough applicants to work in their clubs, the suspects would then cruise the International airports, looking for girls who might work nicely too. The suspects also had ‘trained’ female co-conspirators come with them to the airport to make their jobs easier, since women trust other women more than they trust men.
“When they saw someone that would be a good draw for the club, they would approach them,” said Special Agent-in-Charge James Hayes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
You would think that there would be enough potential “pole dancers” right here in the United states, so why go to all the trouble to recruit from overseas?
“Based on what we’ve learned, they (Eastern European women) were particularly marketable,” Hayes said.
According to the charges, once the women were “trapped” in their jobs, they were forced to pay the mobsters $150 a day for housing, transportation, and the right to work.
Isn’t America great or what??
Now here’s the kicker.
Once the women were established in the clubs, in order to keep them in the United States after their summer work visas expired, the suspects would takeout ads in upstate New York newspapers looking for young men who were willing to marry the girls for $5,000 a pop. With the economy being as it is, and so many people out of work, not too many men would turn down the five thousand clams. Plus, there was a good chance, if they played their cards right, these young men would get to enjoy marital bliss, if only for one night (talk about a win-win situation). So that was a brilliant, even if a diabolical twist, to make sure the entire scheme worked, and work in perpetuum.
All 20 suspects pleaded guilty and were released on bail, including alleged Russian mobster Boris Yusupov, who the Feds say has his own plane.
I’d say the chances are pretty good, if things get too sticky, old Boris might “fly the coop,” so to speak.
No pun intended.
The articles below can be seen at:
The Mafia teamed up with the Russian mob to smuggle Eastern European beauties into New York to work as strippers — and even arranged sham marriages to keep them here, the feds say.
Twenty suspects, including seven reputed Gambino and Bonanno mobsters, were arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday on charges ranging from racketeering to visa fraud.
The schemers allegedly recruited women in Russia and neighboring countries through Facebook and newspaper ads to work the pole at flesh palaces like Cheetahs in Manhattan and Perfection in Woodside, Queens.
Visa rules barred them from adult entertainment, so the suspects arranged bogus offers for summer waitressing jobs and had the women apply for seasonal visas, prosecutors said.
They even sent recruiters to lurk around Kennedy Airport, looking for Eastern Europeans arriving here to work as camp counselors or nannies for the summer.
“When they saw someone that would be a good draw for the club, they would approach them,” said Special Agent-in-Charge James Hayes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In the most audacious part of the scheme, the mobsters sent female emissaries to upstate New York to find young, single men willing to marry ex-patriate ecdysiasts in exchange $5,000.
The nuptials secured green cards so the dancers could continue to work in the clubs.
Asked why the clubs needed to bring strippers from overseas, Hayes said, “Based on what we’ve learned, they were particularly marketable.’
Some of the women didn’t realize they would be giving lap dances when they signed up for visas. They had to fork over $150 a day for housing, transportation and the right to work, Hayes said.
At least nine clubs were involved in the case, including The Scene in Commack, L.I., and Gallagher’s 2000 and Rouge in Queens, officials said.
Workers answering phones at some clubs declined comment.
Cheetah’s scheduled a press conference for Thursday and said tapes of the dancers’ job interviews would be played.
“Dancers come and go at all kinds of clubs,” said Sean O’Shea, a lawyer for Gallagher’s, denying any mob influence.
The indictment says some clubs were effectively controlled by the mob, which extorted protection money and resolved disputes over where the dancers would work, court papers say.
Seven suspects were tagged as made men or associates, including reputed Gambino captain Alphonse Trucchio and alleged Bonanno captain Anthony (Perry Como) Frascone.
Trucchio was already under indictment in an unrelated case.
“He was chagrined to see his name at the top of an indictment with 19 other names he has no knowledge [of\] who they are,” said lawyer Gerard McMahon.
All the suspects pleaded not guilty and were released on bond, including Boris Yusupov, who has his own plane, according to prosecutors.
Shocking: New York Mafia and Russian mob lure young women from across the globe into strip business
The feds have revealed that a mafia working in the New York City in compliance with Russian mob is engaged in smuggling countless young beauties from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world. They further allege that suspects related to the network also arrange fraud and sham marriages for these helpless girls. The girls thus smuggled are sent to various strip clubs whereby they are forced to entertain people by stripping and dancing, semi naked.
On Wednesday, at least twenty suspects were arraigned in a Federal Manhattan Court, including seven numbers known mobsters from the reputed Gambino or Bonanno gangs. The suspects under custody face racketeering and visa fraud as well as several other charges, further informed the feds. Most of the women were recruited by the schemers in Russia as well as neighboring nations, using Facebook and also some media ads.
They were asked to contact should they wish to work the pole in the United States where, there are several flesh palaces such as Cheetahs that is located in Manhattan. Similarly, in Woodside (Queens), ‘Perfection’ is another good example where people find all kind of ‘entertainment.’ Since there were visa rules involved, the racketeers lured the women by bogus offers; they were offered jobs such as summer waitresses or other easy-earning jobs.
The prosecutors further revealed that several women thus ended up in these clubs after they managed to travel on seasonal visas on the basis of above mentioned job(s). Several poor women arriving at Kennedy Airport with dreams to find camp counselors or nanny jobs in the U.S. ended up trapped by the recruiters; sent to airports by the well-organized gangs, with purpose. In addition, the mobsters also had ‘trained’ female emissaries to make their job easy.
James Hayes the Special Agent-in-Charge (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) informed that these females targeted upstate New York’s youngsters. The used to offer them with an opportunity to marry any of the girls from the smuggled lot; however, in exchange $5,000. Many of those single young people would simply fall their pray since no one would refuse marrying lovely looking young beauties; in exchange of few thousands bucks.
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Joe Bruno on the Mob 
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