Joe Bruno on the Mob – Alleged Bonanno Crime Family Member Not So “Wise Guy.”

This situation will certainly lead to a beef, one way or another.

Alleged Bonanno Crime Family member Mike “The Butcher” Virtuoso was arrested recently on extortion charges. But when the FBI raided his butcher shop, Graham Avenue Meats & Deli, in Williamsburg, they found a gold mine of information which was meticulously written down by Virtuoso.

Virtuoso kept the names and phone numbers of alleged organized crime figure in his Rolodex, and he didn’t even give them code names; he actually used their real names, including their street nicknames.

For instance, according to a report US Attorney Stephen Frank wrote to the presiding judge, “A slip of paper within one Rolodex contained the handwritten entry ‘Capo Lucchese’ and the names ‘Johnny Sideburns Cerello’ and ‘Glenn the Wheel” Guadagno. Both men are convicted felons associated with the Lucchese organized crime family, and John Cerrella, also known as ‘Johnny Sideburns,’ is a captain in that family. ”

According to the Feds, Virtuoso’s many Rolodex entries also included Anthony “Little Anthony” Pipitone, acting capo of the Bonanno family.

An anonymous source told The New York Post, “Putting all of that classified information into writing was an incredibly stupid thing for Virtuoso to do.’’

No spit, Sherlock.

Besides keeping the name of his pals in his Rolodex, Virtuoso also kept a ledger with notations; one for “groceries” and another for “cash,” with numerical amounts next to the names.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank also said in court papers, “The page appears consistent with Virtuoso’s practice … of separately recording the victim’s grocery tab and the cash loans the victim obtained from Virtuoso.”

Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom ordered Virtuoso held without bail because he is still on supervised release for a 2009 extortion conviction.

Maybe it’s just as well for Virtuoso to stay in the can. If Virtuoso hit the streets after his inexplicable actions, certain people whose names he used and abused in his Rolodex might want to discuss this situation with Virtuoso personally.

And that can never be a good thing.

The two article below can be seen at:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/the_meathead_mob_directory_M8DznOwDSB68kB34gY8pSK

and

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/the_mob/2011/07/06/2011-07-06_the_meat_of_feds_case_butchers_a_loanshark.html

Meathead’s mob directory spills secrets

By MITCHEL MADDUX

Last Updated: 2:14 AM, October 11, 2011

Posted: 2:01 AM, October 11, 2011
More Print

EXCLUSIVE

He gives new meaning to the term “organized crime.’’

A bumbling Bonanno bad guy bizarrely listed all of his contacts — from capos to consiglieres — in a Rolodex, The Post has learned.

Not-so-wiseguy Mike “The Butcher” Virtuoso recorded every one of the names, numbers, nicknames and even mob titles in a file so complete that the FBI agents who stumbled on it felt like they’d discovered a gold mine.

Putting all of that classified information into writing “was an incredibly stupid thing [for Virtuoso] to do,’’ a source told The Post.

The treasure trove was discovered in “The Butcher’s’’ butcher shop, Graham Avenue Meats & Deli, in Williamsburg.

The meticulously detailed “Rolodexes” and “address books” listed contact information for “members and associates of organized crime,” according to the feds.

He didn’t even bother to code or otherwise try to disguise his entries.

“For example, a slip of paper within one Rolodex contained the handwritten entry ‘Capo Lucchese’ and the names ‘Johnny Sideburns Cerello’ and ‘Glenn the Wheel Guadagno,’ ” Assistant US Attorney Stephen Frank wrote to a judge.

“Both men are convicted felons associated with the Lucchese organized crime family, and John Cerrella, also known as ‘Johnny Sideburns,’ is a captain in that family,” Frank wrote.

Now the feds plan to use the Rolodexes and address books to prove that Virtuoso is an ex-con with the kind of mobbed-up friends who make him a serious danger to the community.

They want Judge Sandra Townes to deny the butcher’s bail request and keep him jailed as he awaits trial on extortion charges for allegedly threatening several debtors. A bail hearing is scheduled for today.

Virtuoso’s phone lists comprise a “Who’s Who” of the sort of guys you don’t want to meet in a dark alley, the feds suggest.

His many entries include Anthony “Little Anthony” Pipitone, acting capo of the Bonanno family, feds say.

There also is an entry for Pipitone’s brother, Vito, a Bonanno associate, and for “Vito Adamo,” which lists the phone number for Vito Badamo, a made member of the family, prosecutors say.

Among the numbers scrawled in the Rolodex are several for Angelo Speciale, who was convicted in Italy of group sexual assault and armed robbery, the feds say.

Virtuoso also dabbled in something akin to “Mafia scrapbooking,” the feds say.

FBI agents found newspaper clippings in his shop about cases involving a variety of mobsters, including articles on the conviction of Bonanno boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano and another about acting boss Sal “The Iron Worker” Montagna, prosecutors say.

Virtuoso’s lawyer maintains that his client has an “impeccable work history” and has never admitted being a mobster.

The feds disagree and plan to argue that these contacts demonstrate that Virtuoso is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the New York mob.

Virtuoso was more circumspect in his phone chats, talking to Speciale in Italian in one conversation recorded by the feds.

“I’m telling you, let’s not talk about these things,” Virtuoso said in the call. “When you come here, then we’ll talk about them. Understand?”

Bonanno mobster nabbed: FBI busts deli owner ‘Mike the Butcher’ Virtuoso on extortion charges

A Bonanno gangster who owns a Brooklyn butcher shop apparently had a hard time keeping the loin of beef separate from loanshark beefs.

The FBI busted Michael (Mike the Butcher) Virtuoso early Tuesday on extortion charges linked to his Graham Ave. Meats & Deli in Williamsburg – which has a sandwich called “The Godfather” on the menu.

Agents seized $24,000 in cash and a ledger book with notations – one for “groceries” and another for “cash,” with numerical amounts next to the names of victims, the federal complaint says.

“The page appears consistent with Virtuoso’s practice … of separately recording the victim’s grocery tab and the cash loans the victim obtained from Virtuoso,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank said in court papers.

Virtuoso also met with at least one victim in the walk-in freezer of the butcher shop to collect loanshark payments and threatened others in wiretapped calls.

Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom ordered Virtuoso held without bail because he is still on supervised release for a 2009 extortion conviction.

Virtuoso allegedly resumed collecting loanshark payments as soon as he was sprung from prison, including money from deadbeats who stopped paying while he was doing time.

jmarzulli@nydailynews.com

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Former Iceland Beauty Queen Blew the Whistle on Bulger

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

It started over a stray cat and it ended in the capture of America’s most wanted criminal – Whitey Bulger.

Anna Bjornsdottir, 57,A former Miss Iceland who appeared in an episode of the detective series “Remington Steele,” is the tipster who told the FBI where to find Winter Hill Mob boss Whitey Bulger, reported the Boston Globe. And Bjornsdottir collected the 2 millions bucks reward money to boot.

The blond bombshell and part time yoga instructor spends her summers in Iceland, but her winters in Santa Monica, California, where she struck up a friendship with Bulger’s moll Catherine Greig. Bjornsdottir knew Greig as Carol Gasko, and the two became friendly because they both fell in love with the same stray cat. Little did Bjornsdottir know that the biggest stray cat in the country was playing house with Carol, under the name Charlie Gasko.

When Bjornsdottir returned to Iceland, she saw a CNN report on TV about Bulger, which contained a picture of Greig. Bjornsdottir put two and two together, and came up with a cool two millions bucks.

Simple math at its best. We should all be so lucky.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/10/10/2011-10-10_whitey_bulger_tipster_revealed_former_miss_iceland_anna_bjornsdottir_led_feds_to.html

‘Whitey’ Bulger tipster revealed: Former Miss Iceland Anna Bjornsdottir led feds to Boston gangster

LOS ANGELES – A former Miss Iceland who appeared in an episode of the 1980s detective series “Remington Steele” is the mysterious tipster who brought down South Boston’s most notorious gangster.

Anna Bjornsdottir, 57, collected $2 million in reward money for leading federal authorities to James “Whitey” Bulger’s modest, black-curtained hideout in Santa Monica in June, The Boston Globe reported.

The beautiful blonde yoga instructor splits her time between Iceland and a Santa Monica residence near the apartment where Bulger, 82, and his girlfriend Catherine Greig posed as a retired couple during their 16 years on the lam, The Globe said.

Bjornsdottir befriended the normally reclusive Greig over their shared love of local stray cat. She discovered Greig’s true identity when she visited Iceland this summer and saw a CNN report about the “most wanted” gangster charged with killing 19 people, The Globe reported.

She knew the fugitive couple as Charlie and Carol Gasko.

Bjornsdottir, who won the Miss Iceland crown in 1974 and was voted Miss Congeniality in a Miss Universe pageant, also appeared in a Noxzema commercial and two episodes of “Fantasy Island” under the name Anna Bjorn.

Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the 19 murders.

Authorities found the walls of his $863-per-month Santa Monica apartment stuffed with guns, knives and more than $800,000 in cash.

Greig has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Gotti Flick Allegedly Having Trouble Raising Cash

According to a Hollywood website, the new movie “Gotti: Three Generations” is having trouble raising money and it’s production may be pushed back, or even canceled completely. Shwobiz411.com has reported that work on the project has come to a halt and won’t resume until they can secure more financing.

A source told the website, “If producer Marc Fiore doesn’t come up with the money this week, and doesn’t show that more is coming, and that he’s really securing financing, it could all fall apart.”

However, conflicting reports have come from film spokesman Steve Honig, who also represents actress Lindsey Lohan, scheduled to be in the film, which stars John Travolta, Ben Foster, and Al Pacino. Honig said, “The movie is going forward.” Honig also said the reports in Shwobiz411.com are “factually inaccurate.”

The movie which is scheduled for a 2012 release, was supposed to start shooting in January 2012.

It’s hard to conceive a movie with such high-profile stars as Travolta and Pacino could have trouble raising revenue. And although the subject (John Gotti) has been done in several movies before,
“Gotti: Three Generations” is being told from the perspective of Gotti Jr. (he reportedly has even written the screenplay), and should offer a different angle on the man who was know as the “Teflon Don.”

However, the present economy being what it is, it’s not surprising to see a project, even a viable one, having cash flow problems.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see this movie.

Travolta and Pacino in the same flick?

Two legitimate New York-area Italians (Travolta is from nearby New Jersey; Pacino from the Bronx) in a film about one of the most famous mob figures of all time.

Fuhgeddaboudit!

Sign me up for a ticket.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/woes_for_gotti_bio_flick_KuuK189cSC9xxgoEyTRvFM

$$ woes for Gotti bio flick

By JOSH SAUL

Last Updated: 7:29 AM, October 8, 2011

Posted: 1:23 AM, October 8, 2011
More Print

The much-anticipated John Gotti biopic — which is supposed to star John Travolta, Al Pacino, and Lindsay Lohan — hasn’t been able to raise the money necessary to begin production, a Hollywood website reported yesterday.

Showbiz411.com said the production company “has been telling various players in this saga that ‘money is coming from overseas’ … but so far it hasn’t arrived.”

The spokesman for the mob flick said the film is moving forward but declined to comment on whether the company, Fiore Films, has enough money to actually start filming.

“The movie is going forward,” said film spokesman Steve Honig, who also represents Lohan.

He called the recent reports “factually inaccurate,” but would not comment on the film’s finances or whether filming would begin in January as previously planned.

This isn’t the biopic’s first bump. Joe Pesci, who won an Oscar for “Goodfellas,” sued Fiore Films for $3 million in July, claiming he was cut from the biopic after he gained 30 pounds to play the role of a stocky Gotti adviser.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – NYPD Cop Busted in Bar Assault

It really sucks when a cop goes bad, but according to the FBI, Admir Kacamakovic, a 31-year-old seven-year NYPD police officer has been a bad cop for a very long time.

FBI agents arrested Kacamakovic, while he was in uniform, for using his pepper spray on a man involved in a dispute outside a bar owned by the Kacamakovic’s cousin. The argument was supposedly over a parking spot outside the bar, and according to Federal prosecutors, Kacamakovic told the man that “no one f–ks with my cousin’s place.”

And to make matters worse, the FBI said that Kacamakovic had used his position as a police officer in the past to make unauthorized queries on the FBI’s national computer database in order to give information to his cousin, who was the target of a federal probe into narcotics trafficking, in addition to other crimes. This was discovered when Kacamakovic again used the federal data base to find information on the man whom he had pepper sprayed, after the man filed a complaint against Kacamakovic with the NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York City office said to the New York Post, “This officer repeatedly used his position to intimidate others, including beat-downs and violence, as well as accessing sensitive information that could have jeopardized undercover investigations, all for personal gain.”

If convicted of the two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts he is being charged with, Kacamakovic, who has been suspended from the NYPD without pay, faces up to 17 years in the slammer.

One question that begs to be asked is how Kacamakovic got away with using the FBI’s national computer database for so long, until he was caught doing so on such a trivial matter as the pepper spraying incident.

This brings back to mind when the crooked “Mafia Cop” Steven Carracappa (along with his partner Louis Eppolito) used this same database to find out information about organized crime informants, then relayed the information to Lucchese crime boss Anthony “Gaspipe” Caso. Caso subsequently had these informants killed.

I guess it’s impossible to weed out all the crooked cops in the NYPD (and make no mistake, they are only a small percentage of all NYPD police officers), but I’m sure there could be better safeguards put in place to make sure only a few privileged police officers can access the FBI’s national computer database.

Considering how this privilege has been abused in the past, it’s certainly the right thing to do.

The article below can be seen at:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nypd_cop_busted_for_using_peppr_ZESIfQ6FSbt3XuFeZvs6uJ

NYPD cop busted for using pepper spray during bar assault
By MITCHEL MADDUX
FBI agents arrested a New York City police officer this morning and charged him with civil rights violations for using his pepper spray on a man involved in a dispute at a bar owned by the officer’s cousin, officials said.
Admir Kacamakovic, a seven-year department veteran, was on duty and wearing his official NYPD uniform when he assaulted the bar patron, then handcuffed and illegally detained the man, who had been involved in a dispute over a parking spot in front of the cousin’s bar, officials said.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors say that Kacamakovic told the man that “no one f–ks with my cousin’s place.”

A second person was assaulted with pepper spray during the incident, officials said.

The feds also say that Kacamakovic, 31, used his official position to make unauthorized queries of the FBI’s national computer database in order to furnish the information to his cousin, who at the time was the focus of a federal probe into narcotics trafficking and other crimes, officials said.
Kacamakovic ran through the FBI’s computer system a name used on a Virginia driver’s license that undercover federal agents had furnished to the officer’s cousin, officials said.

The license was intended for associates of the cousin to be used for criminal purposes, officials say.

Eventually, the officer’s cousin was charged with narcotics trafficking by the feds.
Prosecutors also say that Kacamakovic, who is assigned to the NYPD’s 62nd Precinct in Brooklyn, used the FBI’s database to find information about the man involved in the parking dispute, after the man filed a complaint against the officer with the NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board and then a civil suit in state court.

“This officer repeatedly used his position to intimidate others, including beat-downs and violence, as well as accessing sensitive information that could have jeopardized undercover investigations, all for personal gain,” said Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York City office.

Kacamakovic is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Brooklyn federal court.
The officer has been charged with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts, and if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison, officials said.

Kacamakovic was suspended without pay.

“This prosecution demonstrates that the arbitrary and unjustified use of force and the abuse of trust by police officers who are sworn to uphold the law will not be tolerated, ” said Loretta Lynch, the United States Attorney for New York’s Eastern District.
mmaddux@nypost.com

Joe Bruno on the Mob – New Trail Date for Bulger’s Moll Catherine Greig

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

I can see the wheels turning in the minds of the Federal prosecutors concerning the trial of Catherine Greig, who, at the present time, is being charged with a single count of conspiracy for allegedly harboring Whitey Bulger, the fugitive rat/mobster, and helping him evade capture for more than 16 years. Her trial date has been moved back two weeks to May 7th to accommodate the schedule of her lawyer Kevin J. Reddington.

However, Federal prosecutor Jack Pirozzolo told the presiding judge that there is a possibility that he may file additional charges against the 60-year-old Greig, which could put her away for a lot longer than the possible five years she’s facing.

US District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock was concerned that if additional charges were fled against Greig, that it might force the movement of the trial to a later date. Pirozzolo told the judge that if a superseding indictment is filed, “we’re going to make sure we do it in an ample time.” He would not comment on the details of those charges or the possibility of a plea deal.

Now that is an interesting premise. Catherine Greig, to avoid facing almost the rest of her life in prison, rats on the King Rat himself.

What has she got to lose?

Bulger will never again see the light of day again outside the prison walls. And the government wants to know all the particulars of how Bulger was able to lam it for more than 16 years, undetected. And who may have helped him, besides Greig. And maybe, just maybe, Greig knows where Bulger has hidden the rest of the money he accumulated in a life of crime, alleged to be tens of millions of dollars. When the couple was arrested in Santa Monica, California, only $800,000 was found hidden in the walls of their condo. No one in their right mind believes that was all the money Bulger had left in this world.

I can’t wait to see how all this plays out. Will the 60-year old Greig agree to join Team America? Or will she stand by her man, with whom she played house with for more than 16 years on the run?

I bet Whitey Bulger is wondering the same thing.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/10/new-trial-date-set-for-whitey-bulger-girlfriend-catherine-greig/2g4zPDS7loNz4jCfj2pwwL/index.html

New trial date set for Whitey Bulger’s girlfriend, Catherine Greig

By Stephanie Ebbert , Globe Staff

A federal judge today agreed to postpone the trial of James J. “Whitey” Bulger’s girlfriend Catherine Greig more than a week due to a scheduling conflict of her attorney, Kevin J. Reddington.

US District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock agreed today to postpone the trial to May 7, after eliciting assurances from lawyers for both sides that they would be prepared at that time.

Greig currently faces a single charge of conspiracy for allegedly harboring Bulger, the fugitive mobster, and helping him evade capture for more than 16 years. But prosecutors have suggested that they may file additional charges against her and Woodlock wanted assurances that a superseding indictment would not interfere with the postponed trial date.

Federal prosecutor Jack Pirozzolo told the judge that if a superseding indictment is filed, “we’re going to make sure we do it in an ample time.” He would not comment on the details of those charges or the possibility of a plea deal.

Additional pretrial hearings are expected in coming weeks.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Federal Government Screws the Family of Whitey Bulger’s Murder Victims

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

There’s an old saying: “You can’t fight City Hall,” and what happened to the family of Whitey Bulger and Steve Flemmi’s murder victims certainly proves just that.

The family of Bulger’s murder victims, Debra Davis, Deborah Hussey, Louis Litif, Michael Donahue, and Brian Halloran, originally won a $6.4 million suit against the federal government, for basically looking the other way while Bulger and his partner Flemmi committed numerous crimes, including murder, while both men were informants for the FBI. But now, a federal appeals court is overturning the judgment, because the suit were not filed on time under the statute of limitations.

Plain ridiculous!

There is no doubt that Flemmi and Bulger were involved in these murders. In fact, as part of his deal to cooperate with the government, Flemmi has already admitted that he and Bulger killed Davis and Hussy, both former girlfriends of Flemmi.

These murders were committed in the early 1980’s, and it did not become public that Bulger and Flemmi were FBI informants until the late 1990’s. Boston Globe writer Peter Gelzinis is absolutely correct in the article below. How could the families of the victims know of Bulger and Flemmi’s involvement in the death of their loved ones, if the FBI was hiding the fact from the general public, and from local Massachusetts law enforcement, that Bulger and Flemmi were top echelon FBI rats, with special privileges.

So now a federal judge has ruled, on a minor technicality (statute of limitations), that the federal government, his employer, does not have to pay the $6.4 million judgment to the families of the victims.

This is not only ridiculous, this is an outrage!

The cases were not filled in time because of the FBI’s negligence, and the FBI’s malfeasance. Remember, FBI agent John Connelly is already doing big time in the can for basically giving Bulger and Flemmi information about who was becoming a rat, and other morsels of knowledge very important to the two murderers.

In light of recent gaffes by the federal government, including Attorney General Eric Holder’s flip-fopping over what he knew about the gunning running operation “Fast and Furious,” and when he knew about it, the public trust in our government’s integrity is diminishing by the day.

This incomprehensible overturning by a federal judge of the $6.4 million judgment against the federal government to the families of Bulger and Flemmi’s victims is just another indication of why, in certain instances, our government may be operating in a manner that is not favorable to the well being of the American people.

Very sad indeed.

The article below can be seen at:

http://bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1371073

Bulger victims’ families forced to fight for justice

By Peter Gelzinis

Wednesday, October 5, 2011 – Added 6 hours ago

Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi won’t be in the Moakley Courthouse tomorrow. Neither will Catherine Greig, the woman who played house with Whitey during his 16 fugitive years.

Only the lawyers for the estates of Debra Davis, Deborah Hussey and Louis Litif, alongside a handful of loved ones, will gather before a panel of federal appeals judges.

These judges will allow lawyers for the Justice Department 20 minutes to say why the families of three victims who were strangled, shot and stabbed after allegedly crossing paths with a pair of gangsters — who moonlighted as FBI informants — do not deserve the millions already awarded to them by two federal judges.

Meanwhile, lawyers arguing on behalf of Davis, Hussey and Litif will have to divide their 20 minutes as best they can.

As part of his plea deal with the government, Flemmi has already described in gory detail how he served up his two young lovers, Davis and Hussey, to Bulger, who allegedly then proceeded to squeeze the life out of both young women.

Whitey’s former henchman and surrogate son, Kevin Weeks, has published the story of how Litif was targeted for extinction after word got out that the former Southie bookie and bar owner was planning to spill his guts to John Connolly, the same G-man who was protecting Whitey.

Several months back, this same appeals court overturned the $6.4 million the late U.S. District Court Judge Reginald Lindsay awarded to the widow and two sons of Michael Donahue, who perished in a hail of machine gun fire after agreeing to give a ride to a friend, Brian Halloran.

The judges ruled the Donahues were too late in filing their suit. Somehow, this family should have realized earlier that the FBI was just as sinister as Whitey and Stevie. Begging the question: How were they supposed to know what most cops didn’t know?

Consider the pretzel logic for a moment: At the age of 82, Whitey Bulger may never stand trial for 19 murders that have no statute of limitations attached to them.

And yet the families of those victims, who dare to sue the same federal government that sheltered Whitey as a “top echelon” informant, has the legitimacy of their claims beaten back by the fig leaf of a “time limit.”

Where is the fairness … to say nothing of justice?

Back in January 2004, the feds filed a forfeiture order against Flemmi for “approximately $10,000,000 in United States currency,” and that was not counting various commercial properties.

We know the feds are looking for at least twice that sum from Bulger’s hidden stash.

So how can they go into court with a straight face and clean hands and continue to chisel all the lives ruined by two gangsters the FBI took to bed?

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – More Allegations Against NY City Fireman Anthony Ciliento

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

We must remember, allegations by federal prosecutors are just that – allegations. In America, every man is innocent until proven guilty.

However, it doesn’t look good for New York City Fireman Anthony Ciliento, as Brooklyn federal prosecutors have released to the press a litany of criminal acts they say Ciliento committed. According the the article below in the NY Post, Ciliento was the “right hand man” to Bonanno Crime Family soldier Anthony Seccaficco. Ciliento also allegedly “assaulted a man outside a bar with a lead pipe,” and in a Bronx bar he “put a gun to the head of one individual in the bar.” The federal prosecutors also claim that Ciliento planned to rob an illegal gambling club. And the main allegation against Ciliento is that he was involved in “drug trafficking” for the Bonnano Crime Family.

And after reading all these allegations, all I can think of is, like in the old Wendy’s commercial, “Where’s the Beef!?”

These crimes are all alleged to have taken place before Ciliento became a fireman. Yet in this era of horrible murders being committed by organized crime groups of all nationalities (There is a veritable mass slaughter going on involving Mexican drugs gangs), all the federal prosecutors can come up with against a NYPD fireman are two charges of assault with a deadly weapon, and intent to commit a crime that was never actually carried out. The drug trafficking accusation is a serious crime for sure, but where’s the evidence?

And as I pointed out in a previous blog, the only proof the federal prosecutors apparently have that Ciliento committed these crimes is the testimony of three rat finks, looking to cut a deal for themselves for their past crimes. It’s quite possible, and it’s happened before, that men facing long time in jail will give up someone who they think federal prosecutors will salivate over. A New York City fireman with alleged connections to the Bonnano Crime Family certainly fits that description.

I have no clue if Anthony Ciliento is guilty or not of all the allegations. But like all people who are charged with a crime, Ciliento deserves his day in court. Anything is possible. I’ve seen cases like this end with a plea bargain to avoid a long jail sentence. I’ve seen guilty verdicts, and I have also seen a jury find defendants “not guilty” because of the bad character of the witnesses against them.

Let’s see how this all plays out before we rush to judgment.

The article below can be view at the following link:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bravest_was_bonanno_goon_feds_NA3MAcc29Uu012PYALFiYO

Bravest was a Bonanno goon: feds

By MITCHEL MADDUX

Last Updated: 4:57 AM, October 5, 2011

Posted: 2:19 AM, October 5, 2011

He traded a lead pipe and gun for a hook and ladder.

New York City firefighter Anthony Ciliento — who’s facing drug trafficking charges — handled a variety of enforcer duties for the Bonanno crime family before becoming one of the city’s Bravest, authorities charged yesterday.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors unveiled new revelations about what they said was Ciliento’s secret life, charging that before joining the FDNY he “committed a litany of crimes on behalf of the Bonanno family.’’

Ciliento served as an associate and the “right-hand man” to Bonanno soldier Anthony Seccaficco, and on one occasion “assaulted a man outside a bar with a lead pipe,” Assistant US Attorney Nicole Argentieri wrote in court papers.

In another incident, Ciliento went to a bar in The Bronx and “put a gun to the head of one individual in the bar,” telling workers that the new lounge should not have opened without first having paid tribute money to the Bonannos, Argentieri wrote.

Among the crimes that Ciliento allegedly planned to commit as a mobster was a gunpoint robbery of an illegal gambling club, according to prosecutors.

He’s in custody, awaiting charges that he acted as the “muscle guy” for a cocaine delivery ring that operated in South Brooklyn.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – No Bail For Reputed Mafia Leader Edward Lato in Rhode Island Extortion Case

 

Things are not looking good for Edward Lato, the alleged capo of the New England mafia’s Rhode Island family.

It seems that Lato has such a long criminal records, his own attorney Mark L. Smith has given up hope for getting bail for Lato, while Lato is awaiting trial for allegedly extorting the Cadillac Lounge, a Rhode Island strip club.

“You don’t try to fight the battles you can’t win,’’ Smith said, after Lato was denied bail by Magistrate Judge David L. Martin.

Smith told reporters that Lato’s 1999 federal conviction for extortion and racketeering conspiracy made it too difficult to make a case for bail.

Judge Martin based his ruling on the fact that Lato has a criminal record that includes 18 convictions, 8 of them felonies. Plus the fact that Lato has engaged in criminal activities in the past while under government supervision.

I don’t want to sound soft on crime, which I’m not. But in some instances, men awaiting trial for much more serious crimes have been awarded bail. Does the judge really believe the 64-year-old Lato is such a flight risk, that he doesn’t deserve any bail at all? Lato could have been put on something like home detention, while wearing a monitoring device strapped to his angle. Other restriction could have been imposed too.

But no bail at all? Seems a little harsh to me

I don’t know, but it seems every time the word “mafia” is mentioned in any criminal case, the person involved doesn’t seem to be afforded the same rights as criminals of other nationalities.

Or maybe I’m just paranoid.

But then again, to paraphrase what Mel Gibson said in “Conspiracy Theory,” “You’re not paranoid if someone is really out to get you.”

The article below can be seen at the following link.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/09/30/alleged_ri_mob_member_denied_bail/

No bail for reputed Mafia leader in Rhode Island extortion
Edward Lato, 64, has 18 convictions
By Laura Crimaldi
Associated Press / September 30, 2011

PROVIDENCE – A federal judge ordered the alleged capo of the New England mafia’s Rhode Island crew held without bail yesterday after his defense lawyer said that making a case for freedom would be futile at this point.

“You don’t try to fight the battles you can’t win,’’ Mark L. Smith said after his client, Edward Lato, 64, was ordered held until his strip club extortion case goes to trial.

Lato is accused of trying to extort the Cadillac Lounge and Desire even after alleged former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks’’ Manocchio, 83, was arrested in January on charges that he spent decades shaking down strip clubs in the Providence area for $2 million in “protection’’ payments. Lato denies the charges.

Manocchio has pleaded not guilty and is also jailed while awaiting trial.

Mob associate Thomas Iafrate, 70, who was arrested in January with Manocchio, pleaded guilty in July to racketeering conspiracy and awaits sentencing next month.

Smith told reporters that Lato’s 1999 federal conviction for extortion and racketeering conspiracy made it too difficult to make a case for bail.

Lato and federal codefendant Alfred “Chippy’’ Scivola, 70, are also accused in state court of participating in an illegal sports betting ring.

Federal prosecutors say that Scivola is a “made’’ member of the mob. He was scheduled to appear in US District Court in Providence yesterday.

Magistrate Judge David L. Martin said he based the detention decision about Lato on the weight of the evidence; the incriminating statements prosecutors attribute to him; his criminal record, including 18 convictions, among them eight felonies; and his history of engaging in criminal activity while under government supervision.

Martin also cited accusations that Lato was fixated on getting Providence-area strip clubs to resume extortion payments after Manocchio was locked up.

“We better get that back,’’ Lato is quoted in an indictment as saying about the Cadillac Lounge. “I don’t . . . know how we are going to get that back.’’

Lato is also accused of crossing into Massachusetts to meet with high-level Mafia members in violation of a state court bail order prohibiting him from leaving Rhode Island.

Federal prosecutors also say he participated in a plot to extort $25,000 from an unidentified debtor.

Lato, Scivola, and two alleged mob associates – Raymond “Scarface’’ Jenkins, 47, and Albino “Albi’’ Folcarelli, 53 – were arrested last week. They are being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls.

Jenkins and Folcarelli are charged in an alleged extortion scheme on an unidentified debtor. They deny the charges.

Federal prosecutors wrote in a motion for Lato’s detention that an unidentified mob member cooperated with the investigation. They say the evidence includes recordings from wiretaps and surveillance.

Richard Bonafiglia, 57, and Theodore Cardillo, 67, both mob associates, were indicted earlier this year in the case and have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say Bonafiglia and Cardillo kept Manocchio informed of goings-on at the Cadillac Lounge, where they worked as a bouncer and manager, respectively.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Revenge Likely in the Killing of Jonathan Bacon

 

The police in the regions in and around Kelowna, British Columbia are in a state of emergency due to recent gangs-related murders.

Police in that area have received solid intelligence that they will be retaliations for the August 14th shooting murder of Red Scorpion gangster Jonathan Bacon. In the same shooting incident, full-patch Hells Angel Larry Amero was seriously injured, Independent Soldier James Riach was also seriously injured, and the niece of the Haney Hells Angel president was paralyzed after being shot in the neck.

Supt. Tom McCluskie, who heads the Gang Task Force, said it is “no longer a question of if retaliation will occur, but when.”

McCluskie also said as many as 65 police officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Surrey Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Vancouver, Abbotsford and Delta areas will be working 24/7 to try to prevent more violence which might involve innocent bystanders.

“What happened in Kelowna can clearly happen again at any time in any place,’ McCluskie said. “A lot of these guys are opportunist. They have got people out hunting all the time – looking for rival gang members. And given the tension right now, that is something we want to get in front of. There are people obviously angry and looking for revenge.”

As I predicted in a previous blog, none of the people who were injured in the August 14 shootings are cooperating with the police. This obviously means the injured parties and their gangs are looking to take care of the matter themselves, and part of the code of the streets is to never help the police in any way.

Nevertheless, McCluskie, as he is required by law, has had the officers under his command issue several “duties to warn” to gang members. “Duties to warn” means the police have the duty to warn gang members, if the police has uncovered threats to harm that particular person. Some of this information might come from wire taps, and some from undercover moles inside the gangs themselves.

It looks like the streets in that part of Canada will soon be awash in more gangster blood. Hopefully no innocent bystanders will be caught in the crossfire.

The article below can be seen at:

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bacon+slaying+revenge+inevitable+police/5369257/story.html

Bacon slaying revenge inevitable, police say

By Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun September 8, 2011

Police are on high alert after receiving intelligence about possible retaliation for the August execution in Kelowna of Red Scorpion gangster Jonathan Bacon and the wounding of others with gang associations.

Supt. Tom McCluskie, who heads the Gang Task Force, said Wednesday that tensions between rival gangs have increased exponentially since the Aug. 14 slaying of Bacon and shooting of full-patch Hells Angel Larry Amero and Independent Soldier James Riach. The niece of the Haney Hells Angel president was paralyzed in the attack by masked gunmen.

McCluskie said it is “no longer a question of if retaliation will occur, but when.”

He said law enforcement agencies in the Okanagan and across the Lower Mainland are working together to head off further violence. A special meeting to discuss the tensions was held Tuesday between the Gang Task Force, which is part of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Surrey RCMP and municipal officers from Vancouver, Abbotsford and Delta.

A dedicated team of 65 officers will be working around the clock to prevent more violence, McCluskie said.

“We simply said this is the situation, and this is the help we are looking for, and everybody is willing to pitch in,” he said.

McCluskie said the unease exists between the Hells Angels and their associated gangs, including the Independent Soldiers, and the United Nations on the other side, as well as the Duhre brothers of Abbotsford and allies of the late Gurmit Singh Dhak, who was gunned down at Metrotown mall last October.

“As these groups all try to determine who’s responsible for the shooting in Kelowna, all these conspiracies and theories are born, and as a result, tension is building,” McCluskie said.

“What happened in Kelowna can clearly happen again at any time in any place. A lot of these guys are opportunist. They have got people out hunting all the time – looking for rival gang members. And given the tension right now, that is something we want to get in front of . There are people obviously angry and looking for revenge.”

McCluskie said his officers have issued several “duties to warn” in recent weeks, where police are obliged to tell a gangster or associate about threats that might exist to harm them.

None of those who survived the August shooting are cooperating with police, McCluskie said. No one has yet been arrested for the daytime ambush outside a posh lakeside hotel.

“Our primary objective is, and always has been, the safety of the general public. The wanton and callous disregard for the safety of innocent bystanders was clearly demonstrated during the Kelowna incident and we as the police, must do everything we can to prevent further acts of violence and retaliation,” McCluskie said.

“We are not slowing down and these gang members have to know that the streets of B.C. are not theirs and our officers will make that message very, very clear to them.”

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – False Reports on the Death of Larry Amero

The news of the demise of Hells Angel Larry Amero has been greatly exaggerated.

Amero was shot and seriously injured in a shootout on August 14th outside a Kelowna, British Columbia hotel that claimed the life of Red Scorpion leader Jonathan Bacon. But according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Amero is still alive and recovering from his injuries.

“This person (Amero) has not succumbed to his injuries,” RCMP Constable Steve Holmes told the Vancouver 24 hours New Network.

A woman who was also injured in the shooting has a severe neck injury and the extent of her paralysis, if any, at the present time is not known. The woman, who was not named, is the niece of the Haney Hells Angel chapter president, and people are not too happy about her involvement in the shooting incident. A source close to the Haney Hells Angels told Quebec Media Inc. that the chapter is telling members’ wives and girlfriends to leave town until all this blows over.

Good advice.

In incidents such as these, there is always the tremendous possibility of retaliation. Surely there will be some repercussions as a result of the death of Bacon, the shooting of Amero, and the injuries received by the poor woman who was shot in the neck.

Stay tuned for further developments.

The article below can be viewed at:

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/local/2011/08/22/18587286.html

Cops dismiss Larry Amero death claim

By MICHAEL MUI, 24 HOURS

RCMP dismissed reports Monday that full-patch Hells Angel member Larry Amero has died following a mass shooting outside a Kelowna hotel earlier this month.

“This person has not succumbed to his injuries,” RCMP Const. Steve Holmes told 24 hours.

As of this past weekend, two of three shooting victims had been released from hospital in the Aug. 14 attack that killed Red Scorpion leader Jonathan Bacon.

One victim, however, reported to be the niece of the Haney Hells Angel chapter president, was transported to Vancouver General Hospital earlier last week for a serious neck injury.

A source close to the Haney Hells Angels told QMI the chapter is telling members’ wives and girlfriends to leave town as a result.

Meanwhile, the Delta Grand Hotel management has forwarded extensive video surveillance to the RCMP of the afternoon shooting.

“Footage detailing the exact event was provided to police investigators,” confirmed Jeff Kennedy, the hotel’s director of operations.

The regional police special enforcement unit, however, wouldn’t say whether funeral arrangements were planned next week for Bacon. However, police will attend if there is a service.

“Historically, when we’ve had high-profile services, there has been police presence to ensure public safety,” said Sgt. Shinder Kirk, who added “there would be contingency plans” if there was any violence.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html