Colombo family bust

American organized crime groups included traditional groups such as La Cosa Nostra & the Italian Mafia to modern groups such as Black Mafia Family. Discuss the most organized criminal groups in the United States including gangs in Canada.
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thewestside
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Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 5th, 2008, 5:30 am

Looks like the Colombos were indeed the next New York family to get busted. Included in the indictment are the family's acting boss, underboss, and ten other members and associates.


Contact: Robert Nardoza of the Office of United States Attorney Benton J. Campbell, Eastern District of New York

Charges Include Racketeering Conspiracy, Robbery, Extortion, Narcotics Trafficking, and Loansharking

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

A seventeen-count superseding indictment charging twelve defendants - including Thomas Gioeli, the acting boss of the Colombo organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (the Colombo family), John Sonny Franzese, the Colombo family underboss, and ten additional Colombo family members and associates - was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn. The indictment charges racketeering conspiracy, robbery, extortion, narcotics trafficking, and loansharking. The charged racketeering predicate acts include, among others, four acts of murder, murder conspiracy, and felony murder.

The charges were announced by Benton J. Campbell, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Kathleen M. Rice, Nassau County District Attorney, and Mark J. Mershon, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Division.

The defendants arrested in New York today are scheduled to be arraigned later today before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. Colombo family underboss John Sonny Franzese is currently incarcerated based on a violation of supervised release following his prior conviction in the Eastern District of New York. Colombo family associate Nicholas Bova is currently incarcerated based on a New York State conviction, and Colombo family associate Christopher Curanovic is currently incarcerated pending trial on the underlying indictment in the Eastern District of New York. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Nina Gershon.

According to the indictment and a detention memorandum filed by the government today, the charges are the product of a three-year investigation into the illegal activities of the Colombo family. The broad scope of the investigation includes historical acts of murder by the Colombo family as well as more recent criminal activity. The evidence relating to many of the charged crimes consists of hundreds of hours of recorded conversations secured by multiple cooperating witnesses who infiltrated the Colombo family. Those indicted today include Thomas Gioeli, 55; John Sonny Franzese, 89; Dino Calabro, 41; Michael Catapano, 42; Frank Campione, 65; Joseph Joey Caves Competiello; 36; Joseph Digorga, 67; Orlando Spado, 63; Angelo Giangrande, 55; John Capolino, 39; Nicholas Bova, 31; and Christopher Curanovic, 26.

The indictment and detention memorandum document the Colombo familys brazen use of violence - including murder - to earn money, seek revenge, and obstruct justice, including:

The Felony Murder of Carlos Pagan. Colombo family captain Dino Calabro is charged with the January 9, 1992, armed robbery and felony murder of Carlos Pagan. Pagan, an armored truck guard, was shot and killed during a botched effort by Calabro and others to rob Pagan as he and a co-worker were delivering money to a check-cashing store in Brooklyn.

The Murders of John Minerva and Michael Imbergamo. Colombo family acting boss Thomas Gioeli and captain Dino Calabro are charged with the March 25, 1992, double murder of Colombo family soldier John Minerva and Minervas friend, Michael Imbergamo. Minerva was murdered as part of the bloody Colombo family war, which pitted two factions of the Colombo family against each other in a violent struggle for control of the family. Imbergamo was not a target of the murder, but was killed because he was with Minerva at the time of the attack. Colombo captains Joseph JoJo Russo and Anthony Chucky Russo and soldier Joseph Monteleone were previously convicted in the Eastern District of New York for their participation in this double murder.

The Murder of Frank Marasa. Acting Colombo family boss Thomas Gioeli, captain Dino Calabro, and soldier Joseph Joey Caves Competiello are charged with the 1991 murder of Frank Marasa. On June 12, 1991, Marasa was shot multiple times outside his home in Brooklyn in retaliation for his perceived involvement in the murder of a Colombo family associate.

The charges announced today are part of our Offices relentless campaign to prosecute and convict the highest echelons of the Colombo family, and La Cosa Nostra as a whole, including the late 2007 conviction after trial of former Colombo acting boss Alphonse Persico, Jr., and former Colombo acting underboss John DeRoss, on murder and witness tampering charges, stated United States Attorney Campbell. The message could not be any clearer - we will not rest until the violent scourge of organized crime is eliminated. Mr. Campbell thanked the Nassau County Police Department, the New York City Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Labor for their cooperation and assistance in the investigation.

We will continue to root out organized crime and sever its tentacles on Long Island, said Nassau County District Attorney Rice. We need multi-jurisdictional effort when it comes to taking on the hierarchy of these operations. These characters live and work in New York City and on Long Island so we have to be willing to cross borders to bring them to justice.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mershon stated, Our most powerful strategy in countering organized crime families is to effect a vertical takedown of the organization. The very serious charges announced today hold accountable the leadership, mid-management, soldiers, and associates who constitute a key component of the Colombo family.

If convicted, defendants Thomas Gioeli, Dino Calabro, Joseph Joey Caves Competiello, Orlando Spado, and Christopher Curanovic face life imprisonment. Defendant Michael Catapano faces 40 years imprisonment, and defendants John Sonny Franzese, Frank Campione, Joseph DiGorga, Angelo Giangrande, and John Capolino face 20 years imprisonment. Defendant Nicholas Bova faces five years imprisonment.

The governments case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Geddes and James Gatta, and by Special Assistant United States Attorney Doug Leff. The original underlying indictment charged Colombo family associate Christopher Curanovic with robbery and firearms possession. The charges in the original indictment and the superseding indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 8th, 2008, 3:52 am

Are the Colombos even relevant anymore? Like the Bonannos they've become a joke. A damn reality show for one of Joe Colombos sons fer chrissake! The Westside and Lucchese will benifit the most from the attention on the other 3 families of NY.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 9th, 2008, 6:03 pm

paingod wrote:Are the Colombos even relevant anymore? Like the Bonannos they've become a joke. A damn reality show for one of Joe Colombos sons fer chrissake! The Westside and Lucchese will benifit the most from the attention on the other 3 families of NY.
All five New York families will be relevant for a long time to come. They are the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful mob organizations in the nation. I mentioned a while back that the Colombos were the next family due for a big hit and it turns out they were. If you'll recall, the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family was hit not too long ago, after which came the big Gambino bust. The Genovese and Bonanno families have been the ones hardest hit over the last decade or so and naturally the feds turned their sights on the other three families. It's a cyclical thing.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by Grinch » June 10th, 2008, 8:14 am

thewestside wrote:
paingod wrote:Are the Colombos even relevant anymore? Like the Bonannos they've become a joke. A damn reality show for one of Joe Colombos sons fer chrissake! The Westside and Lucchese will benifit the most from the attention on the other 3 families of NY.
All five New York families will be relevant for a long time to come. They are the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful mob organizations in the nation. I mentioned a while back that the Colombos were the next family due for a big hit and it turns out they were. If you'll recall, the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family was hit not too long ago, after which came the big Gambino bust. The Genovese and Bonanno families have been the ones hardest hit over the last decade or so and naturally the feds turned their sights on the other three families. It's a cyclical thing.
Isn't that the big bust on Gambino's turned out to be over hyped??

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 10th, 2008, 10:22 am

Grinch wrote:
Isn't that the big bust on Gambino's turned out to be over hyped??
It's certainly looking that way. Both acting boss Jackie D'Amico and acting underboss Domenico Cefalu will do only a couple years a piece with their plea deals. Consigliere Joseph Corozzo got about five years with his. Most of the defendants are making plea deals that will get them no more than three years in prison. The only ones that are facing serious time are the ones charged with murder, i.e. Nick Corozzo, Charles Carneglia, the Gottis, etc. But even in those cases the evidence isn't a slam dunk.

On one hand, it was a big bust. The entire administration, six captains or acting captains, as well as a number of soldiers and associates got hit and will be taken off the streets for a while. But it's not the devastating blow to the Gambinos that many thought it was. All the convictions look good on paper but these kind of plea deals that lead to a revolving door of mobsters going in and coming out of prison doesn't cripple a crime family. It's what the Genovese family has been doing for years now and the other families are following their lead. The government is going to need to change it's strategy to have a more long lasting effect in their prosecutions.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by Grinch » June 10th, 2008, 12:45 pm

thewestside wrote:
Grinch wrote:
Isn't that the big bust on Gambino's turned out to be over hyped??
It's certainly looking that way. Both acting boss Jackie D'Amico and acting underboss Domenico Cefalu will do only a couple years a piece with their plea deals. Consigliere Joseph Corozzo got about five years with his. Most of the defendants are making plea deals that will get them no more than three years in prison. The only ones that are facing serious time are the ones charged with murder, i.e. Nick Corozzo, Charles Carneglia, the Gottis, etc. But even in those cases the evidence isn't a slam dunk.

On one hand, it was a big bust. The entire administration, six captains or acting captains, as well as a number of soldiers and associates got hit and will be taken off the streets for a while. But it's not the devastating blow to the Gambinos that many thought it was. All the convictions look good on paper but these kind of plea deals that lead to a revolving door of mobsters going in and coming out of prison doesn't cripple a crime family. It's what the Genovese family has been doing for years now and the other families are following their lead. The government is going to need to change it's strategy to have a more long lasting effect in their prosecutions.
They will be runnin buissnes from inside...

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 14th, 2008, 9:54 pm

thewestside wrote:
paingod wrote:Are the Colombos even relevant anymore? Like the Bonannos they've become a joke. A damn reality show for one of Joe Colombos sons fer chrissake! The Westside and Lucchese will benifit the most from the attention on the other 3 families of NY.
All five New York families will be relevant for a long time to come. They are the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful mob organizations in the nation. I mentioned a while back that the Colombos were the next family due for a big hit and it turns out they were. If you'll recall, the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family was hit not too long ago, after which came the big Gambino bust. The Genovese and Bonanno families have been the ones hardest hit over the last decade or so and naturally the feds turned their sights on the other three families. It's a cyclical thing.
I don't think you can put the Genovese and Bonannos in the same boat when you say they were hit hard. The Bonannos have been decimated by all the rats in their family. The Genovese have been hit hard but they all accept the sentence do their time and get out . They don't rat! The Bonannos had an FBI inside their family,Donnie Brasco, the boss wrote a book,Joe Bonanno, and they lost their seat on the commission. When they were starting to gain strength again under Massino again the G broke them even getting Massino to rat. I think the Genovese are the strongest NY family along with the Lucchese. The Gambinos get all the attention but they have to be 3rd followed by the Colombos and the Bonannos last.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 14th, 2008, 10:19 pm

paingod wrote:I don't think you can put the Genovese and Bonannos in the same boat when you say they were hit hard. The Bonannos have been decimated by all the rats in their family. The Genovese have been hit hard but they all accept the sentence do their time and get out . They don't rat! The Bonannos had an FBI inside their family,Donnie Brasco, the boss wrote a book,Joe Bonanno, and they lost their seat on the commission. When they were starting to gain strength again under Massino again the G broke them even getting Massino to rat. I think the Genovese are the strongest NY family along with the Lucchese. The Gambinos get all the attention but they have to be 3rd followed by the Colombos and the Bonannos last.
I meant that the Genovese and Bonanno families were the ones that the government has gone after the strongest during the last decade. Both have suffered numerous indictments and had several of their top guys go to prison. But as you said, the difference is the Bonannos had their Boss, Underboss, and a number of Captains flip, while the Genovese haven't broken rank. In the late 1990's and early 2000's the Bonannos actually replaced the Gambinos as the second strongest family in New York. But all of the indictments and defections since then have made the Bonannos the weakest of the five families. The Gambinos are still considered second strongest after the Genovese. The Luccheses would probably be third and the Colombos fourth.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 14th, 2008, 10:30 pm

thewestside wrote:
paingod wrote:I don't think you can put the Genovese and Bonannos in the same boat when you say they were hit hard. The Bonannos have been decimated by all the rats in their family. The Genovese have been hit hard but they all accept the sentence do their time and get out . They don't rat! The Bonannos had an FBI inside their family,Donnie Brasco, the boss wrote a book,Joe Bonanno, and they lost their seat on the commission. When they were starting to gain strength again under Massino again the G broke them even getting Massino to rat. I think the Genovese are the strongest NY family along with the Lucchese. The Gambinos get all the attention but they have to be 3rd followed by the Colombos and the Bonannos last.
I meant that the Genovese and Bonanno families were the ones that the government has gone after the strongest during the last decade. Both have suffered numerous indictments and had several of their top guys go to prison. But as you said, the difference is the Bonannos had their Boss, Underboss, and a number of Captains flip, while the Genovese haven't broken rank. In the late 1990's and early 2000's the Bonannos actually replaced the Gambinos as the second strongest family in New York. But all of the indictments and defections since then have made the Bonannos the weakest of the five families. The Gambinos are still considered second strongest after the Genovese. The Luccheses would probably be third and the Colombos fourth.
I have to disagree. The Lucchese have taken a page out of the Genovese book as far as keeping in the shadows,out of the limelight. They have too be stronger than the Gambinos who keep making the news with countless busts. I don't even know who the Lucchese boss,underboss,consiliere and top captains are. Aside from that thing with the Bloods street gang and internet gambling they've been quiet and most likely rebuilding the family. The Gambinos have been hit with major busts. Yes they will get out early to resume the biz,but it's got to take its toll on them. Lets face it, they may have a lot of mafiosi but how many are able to run the family.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 14th, 2008, 10:51 pm

paingod wrote:I have to disagree. The Lucchese have taken a page out of the Genovese book as far as keeping in the shadows,out of the limelight. They have too be stronger than the Gambinos who keep making the news with countless busts. I don't even know who the Lucchese boss,underboss,consiliere and top captains are. Aside from that thing with the Bloods street gang and internet gambling they've been quiet and most likely rebuilding the family. The Gambinos have been hit with major busts. Yes they will get out early to resume the biz,but it's got to take its toll on them. Lets face it, they may have a lot of mafiosi but how many are able to run the family.
In case you forgot, the Lucchese family suffered a huge bust to their New Jersey faction just this last December, which included two Acting Bosses on their three man ruling panel, a Captain, five Soldiers, and 17 Associates. The Luccheses have been hit just as hard as the Gambinos by indictments and defections over the past 15 years. But the feds still consider the Gambinos to be stronger than the Luccheses because they are larger (the Gambinos having about 200 members and the Luccheses about 125), they have bigger and more widespread operations inside and outside New York, and they have more labor union influence remaining and involvement in legitimate industries like the waterfront, garbage, construction, and trucking.

The administration and captains of the Lucchese family is available just like the other New York families -

LUCCHESE FAMILY

Boss: Vittorio "Vic" Amuso/73 (IP/L)
UnderBoss: Steven "Stevie Wonder/Herbie" Crea/60
Consigliere: Joseph "Joe C" Caridi/58 (IP/11/28/2009)

Captains:

1. John "Johnny Hooks" Capra/68 (IP/9/10/2008) - Bronx
2. Robert "Bucky the Boss" Caravaggio/68 - New Jersey
3. Eugene "Bubsie" Castelle/48 (IP/8/16/2008) - Brooklyn
4. Domenico "Danny" Cutaia/71 (UI/IP)/John "Johnny Sideburns" Cerrella/66 (IP/11/28/2009)/Michael “Mikey Bones” Carcione/67 (UI) - Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island
5. Joseph “Big Joe” DiNapoli/72 (UI) - Bronx
6. Joseph "Joey" Giampa/67 - New Jersey
7. Matthew Madonna/72 (UI) – Bronx
8. Aniello "Neil" Migliore/74/Street Boss – Manhattan, Long Island and Florida
9. Ralph Perna/61 (UI) – New Jersey
10. Dominic "Crazy Dom" Truscello/74/Vincent "Vinny Casablanca" Mancione/47
– Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island
11. Anthony "Blue Eyes" Santorelli/62 - Brooklyn

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 15th, 2008, 1:01 am

I'll agree to disagree with you. The Gambinos have more guys,but what's that. More mooks to break some legs. Not earners. The Lucchese have a better pool of earners to choose from than the thug based Gambinos. Time will tell.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 15th, 2008, 1:46 pm

paingod wrote:I'll agree to disagree with you. The Gambinos have more guys,but what's that. More mooks to break some legs. Not earners. The Lucchese have a better pool of earners to choose from than the thug based Gambinos. Time will tell.
You're not just disagreeing with me, you are also disagreeing with the FBI and Justice Department. Where do you get the idea that the Luccheses have a better pool of earners? Look at the indictments of both families in just this decade. The Gambinos surpass the Luccheses in the traditional rackets of illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, drug trafficking, and labor racketeering. The Gambinos also have more union influence remaining and continue to be more deeply involved in legitimate industries. And the Gambinos have been more aggressive in moving into new areas of criminal activity such as as telecommunications and computer fraud. The Gambinos aren't as sophisticated as the Genovese, but they are more sophisticated than the Luccheses.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 22nd, 2008, 1:02 am

thewestside wrote:
paingod wrote:I'll agree to disagree with you. The Gambinos have more guys,but what's that. More mooks to break some legs. Not earners. The Lucchese have a better pool of earners to choose from than the thug based Gambinos. Time will tell.
You're not just disagreeing with me, you are also disagreeing with the FBI and Justice Department. Where do you get the idea that the Luccheses have a better pool of earners? Look at the indictments of both families in just this decade. The Gambinos surpass the Luccheses in the traditional rackets of illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, drug trafficking, and labor racketeering. The Gambinos also have more union influence remaining and continue to be more deeply involved in legitimate industries. And the Gambinos have been more aggressive in moving into new areas of criminal activity such as as telecommunications and computer fraud. The Gambinos aren't as sophisticated as the Genovese, but they are more sophisticated than the Luccheses.
I'm sorry,but I refuse to believe anything run by Peter Gotti was successful. His own brother called him an idiot. And don't get me started on Jr.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by thewestside » June 22nd, 2008, 1:34 am

paingod wrote:I'm sorry,but I refuse to believe anything run by Peter Gotti was successful. His own brother called him an idiot. And don't get me started on Jr.
While Peter Gotti has been the official Boss since 2002, the entire family doesn't begin and end with him. Certainly not now that he is in prison for life. The Gambinos managed to stabilize to a degree over the last few years under the new administration. But even in their decline, they have always remained more powerful than the Lucchese family. Keep in mind that the Luccheses have also declined as well. The rule of Vic Amuso and Anthony Casso hurt the Luccheses and caused the flipping of a number of members just as much as the rule of John Gotti and the flipping of Sammy Gravano hurt the Gambinos.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by paingod » June 22nd, 2008, 1:50 am

Yes, Amusso and Casso hurt the Lucchese,but what about John trying to put Jr. in as boss? All he new was steroids back then. What direction could he take the Gambinos in? And Peter the idiot? Now the Gambinos have been back on track with the current leadership, but I still believe the Gotti years weakened them to the point that they fell a few notches and were below the Lucchese. Honestly I think the G hypes up the Gambinos so they look good after all the busts,but that's my opinion.Gambinos bring government funding and public interest,not the Lucchese.

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Re: Colombo family bust

Unread post by alexalonso » November 13th, 2019, 6:11 pm

I'll be interviewing Ori Spado, aka Orlando Spado on the podcast, The Gangster Chronicles.

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