<http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-mem bers-charged-rico-case> La Cosa Nostra bosses, members charged in RICO case
A mob boss, underboss, 11 members and associates of an organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra ... <http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-mem bers-charged-rico-case> http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-memb ers-charged-rico-case . May 23rd, 2011 1:46 pm ET Jim Kouri <http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/jim-kouri> A mob boss, underboss, 11 members and associates of an organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (LCN) were indicted in Phiadelphia on Monday for a number of crimes involving racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loansharking, illegal gambling and witness tampering. Those charged in today's in 50-count superseding indictment are Philadelphia LCN family boss Joseph Ligambi, Philadelphia LCN family underboss Joseph Massimino, George Borgesi, Martin Angelina, Anthony Staino Jr., Gaeton Lucibello, Damion Canalichio, Louis Monacello, Louis Barretta, Gary Battaglini, Robert Verrecchia, Eric Esposito and Robert Ranieri. All but two of the defendants were arrested today and made their initial court appearances in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia in the afternoon. Two of the suspects -- Borgesi and Canalichio -- are already serving federal prison sentences for previous convictions. "The significance of the extensive and long-term investigative effort that has resulted in the unsealing of this indictment and the arrests today is that it represents our continuing commitment to the dismantling of the Philadelphia LCN crime syndicate family," said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos. "The FBI in Philadelphia and all of its law enforcement partners will remain focused on identifying and destroying the elements of organized crime that have long victimized Philadelphia and its surrounding communities," he said. According to the superseding indictment, the Philadelphia LCN family is one of a number of mob families based in various cities throughout the United States. The Philadelphia LCN family is led by a boss, who has authority over the activities of the members and associates of organization. If a boss is sent to prison, he appoints an "acting boss" to direct the organization's affairs. In addition to the boss, the administration of the Philadelphia LCN includes an underboss and consigliere who together oversee crews of criminals led by captains, who in turn supervise organized crime soldiers and associates. The prosecutors allege that for more than a decade, 10 of the defendants, including Ligambi as the boss and Masimino as the underboss, as well as other members and associates of the Philadelphia LCN family, conspired to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia LCN family through a pattern of racketeering activity and through the collection of unlawful debts. The alleged racketeering activity includes numerous acts involving extortion, extortionate extensions of credit through usurious loans, extortionate collections, illegal gambling and witness tampering. The organization's collection of unlawful debts allegedly relates to its loansharking operations and debts that arose from their illegal gambling or "bookmaking" businesses. Advertisement For example, according to a law enforcement source, Ligambi, Massimino, Staino and others ran illegal electronic gambling device businesses, providing video poker machines and other gambling devices for bars, restaurants, convenience stores, coffee shops and other locations in Philadelphia and its suburbs, and then collected the illegal gambling proceeds. After federal law enforcement agents seized 34 of their illegal electronic gambling devices, Ligambi, Massimino and Staino allegedly forced the owners of another illegal electronic gambling device business to sell their illegal businesses to them, including 34 machines. In another example, prosecutors claim that from 2002 to 2006 Massimino extorted yearly tribute payments from a bookmaker to the Philadelphia LCN family so that the bookmaker could avoid personal harm and disruption of the illegal bookmaking business. According to the superseding indictment, the defendants promoted and furthered their illegal money-making activities through violence, actual and implied threats of violence, and the cultivation and exploitation of the Philadelphia LCN family's long-standing reputation for violence. The defendants also used this reputation for violence to intimidate and prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The indictment alleges various instances where defendants used phrases such as "chop him up" and "put a bullet in your head" when threatening victims. In one instance, Canalicho allegedly used a bat to beat a victim for not paying a loan debt. Reports indicate that some of the suspects continued their racketeering activities even after being sent to prison. For example, Borgesi and Massimino, while in prison, allegedly generated criminal proceeds for themselves and the Philadelphia LCN family by using intermediaries to operate criminal businesses and to make extortionate demands at their direction. Each charge of racketeering conspiracy, collection of unlawful debt, collection of extensions of credit through extortionate means, making extortionate extensions of credit, financing extortionate extensions of credit and witness tampering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The illegal gambling charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Continue reading on Examiner.com: <http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-mem bers-charged-rico-case#ixzz1NCcU5T4K> La Cosa Nostra bosses, members charged in RICO case - National public safety | Examiner.com <http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-mem bers-charged-rico-case#ixzz1NCcU5T4K> http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/la-cosa-nostra-bosses-memb ers-charged-rico-case#ixzz1NCcU5T4K [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- 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. 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