http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/US-mafia-sting-nets-over-30-arrests/2005/03/10/1110316126618.html
Nursing home tapped in US mafia sting March 10, 2005 - 9:11AM The notorious Gambino crime family, one of New York's five big "La Cosa Nostra" mafia clans, was dealt a severe blow today with the arrest of its top two acting leaders and the arrest or indictment of 30 others associated with the group. New York district attorney David Kelley announced the arrests following a three year FBI-led investigation that included tapping conversations on Gambino operations at a geriatric convalescent home, an operation which evoked a scene from the hit television drama The Sopranos. The 32 alleged Gambino family members and associates were charged under the tough anti-racketeering RICO laws with 53 counts of assault, extortion, loansharking, embezzlement, gambling, mail fraud, and stolen and counterfeit goods trafficking. The government's indictment named Gambino acting boss Arnold Squitieri, acting underboss Anthony "Machiavelli" Megale, and captains Gregory DePalma and Alphonse Sisca along with a number of family soldiers in the crimes spanning more than a decade. AdvertisementAdvertisement All four were arrested today, the district attorney said. The indictment cited the Gambino family, working at times with other groups of "La Cosa Nostra", the traditional Sicilian mafia designation, for running an illegal gambling operation and defrauding businesses and unions in the New York region. The illegal gambling operations alone earned the group $US20 million ($25.09 million), according to the prosecutor. The arrests were the biggest blow against the Gambinos since lieutenant Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano cooperated with justice officials to bring down notorious Gambino head John J. Gotti in 1992. Squitieri was promoted acting boss of the Gambino family after the 2002 arrest of boss Peter Gotti, sentenced to 91 years in a Brooklyn jail, brother of late boss John Gotti who died in jail. Squitieri faces up to 385 years in prison if found guilty, according to the indictment. Megale, the acting underboss, faces a sentence of up to 425 years' jail. The operation paralleled an early episode of the award-winning television mafia drama "The Sopranos," in which the lead character's mother, convalescing in a geriatric home, was taped by the FBI plotting her son's murder. The US government claims proceeds from the illegal operations were at least $US30 million ($37.64 million) and is seeking forfeiture of the sum from the defendants. AFP ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
