by Rocco » Sat Dec 10, 2016 10:55 am
Good article from 1990. Joey Ricciardi's last bust before getting out of the life and moving to AZ. He was jailed w/ Gotti and Gravano in NY and saw them breakdown against each other. Funny he was arrested with Andy Merola who hadn't changed his name yet to get made. He was still Knapik here.
Asbury Park PressThursday, May 17, 1990 Sweep ' ' From page A 1 stolen properly. In addition, 10 men received summonses for promoting gambling, a third-degree crime. . . "It would be difficult to overestimate the magnitude of this illegitimate economic venture," said Robert ) Carroll, assistant attorney general and chief of the state's organized crime and racketeering bureau, speaking of all the operations conducted by the criminal crew. Operation Portia began in '. May 1989, and involved 51 state investigators, eight FBI agents, six agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and law enforcement officials from three counties and; two municipalities. ' rZ'r The warrants were signed yesterday by Superior Court Criminal Assignment Judge Joseph A. Falcone in Essex County. ; ,r terfeiting, credit card fraud and conspiracy. Another associate, David Shmil, 38, of Brooklyn, N.Y., also was charged on the same counts. The third criminal enterprise was allegedly run by Furfaro, and specialized in loansharking, sports bookmak-ingand illegal videogames. Furfaro was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering, theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury, promoting gambling and maintaining an illegal gambling house. Also charged were John Nigro, 35, and Vincent "Skippy" Squatrito, 46, both of Belleville. Nigro was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering, criminal usury and running a business of criminal usury. Squatrito was charged with promoting gambling, maintaining an illegal gambling house and conspiracy to receive enforcement officials said. Law enforcement officials identified five of those arrested as having direct ties to organized crime, including Randazzo, who they identified as a reputed caporegime in the Colombo family. Another suspect was Joseph Taor-mina, 42, Fairfield, a reputed soldier in the Bonnanno crime family and believed to be associated with Gambino crime boss John Gotti. Others arrested included Frank Fur-faro, 53, Bloomfield, a reputed soldier in the BrunoScarfo crime family; Joseph Ricciardi, 36, West Orange, reputed associate in the Lucchese family; and Phil "Bootsie" Cerza, 26, Belleville, reputed associate of the Gambino crime family. Operation Portia concentrated on three separate but interlocking crimi nal enterprises, according to law enforcement officials: One of those was run by Taormina and Randazzo, and specialized in loansharking, insurance fraud, gambling, distributing counterfeit money, and trading illegal weapons, according to court documents. The documents charge that enterprise members offered to sell a loaded .22-caliber pistol and a "Mac 10" automatic pistol with a silencer to undercover agents, as well as large quantities of counterfeit $20 bills. Members of the enterprise also were charged with insurance fraud. Court documents state that members staged the theft of a car so that an insurance claim could be filed. Taormina was charged with racketeering, theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury and promoting gambling. Randazzo was charged with criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury and conspiracy. Cerza, also named as an enterprise member, was charged with counterfeiting and conspiracy. Others charged in connection with this criminal enterprise were Frank Gencarelli, 31, and Frank Murano, 20, both of Belleville. Murano was charged with attempted theft by deception, and Gencarelli was charged with theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury, unlawful possession of a weapon and unlawful disposition of a weapon. Another criminal enterprise, allegedly run by Ricciardi and Belleville resident Andy Knapik, 33, was the distribution of bogus credit cards. Both Ricciardi and Knapik were charged with theft by deception, coun by the crew ran as high as 260 percent m per year, and one client who fell behind 2 in payments needed 15 stitches to close jj wounds from a beating, according to m court documents. ' On another occasion, one of the j suspects threatened to chop off the hands of a delinquent borrower, 2 according to court documents. I Members allegedly dealt in stolen blue jeans, stolen air conditioners and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of football pool tickets; and operated out of diners, coffee shops, social clubs and their homes,
Good article from 1990. Joey Ricciardi's last bust before getting out of the life and moving to AZ. He was jailed w/ Gotti and Gravano in NY and saw them breakdown against each other. Funny he was arrested with Andy Merola who hadn't changed his name yet to get made. He was still Knapik here.
Asbury Park PressThursday, May 17, 1990 Sweep ' ' From page A 1 stolen properly. In addition, 10 men received summonses for promoting gambling, a third-degree crime. . . "It would be difficult to overestimate the magnitude of this illegitimate economic venture," said Robert ) Carroll, assistant attorney general and chief of the state's organized crime and racketeering bureau, speaking of all the operations conducted by the criminal crew. Operation Portia began in '. May 1989, and involved 51 state investigators, eight FBI agents, six agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and law enforcement officials from three counties and; two municipalities. ' rZ'r The warrants were signed yesterday by Superior Court Criminal Assignment Judge Joseph A. Falcone in Essex County. ; ,r terfeiting, credit card fraud and conspiracy. Another associate, David Shmil, 38, of Brooklyn, N.Y., also was charged on the same counts. The third criminal enterprise was allegedly run by Furfaro, and specialized in loansharking, sports bookmak-ingand illegal videogames. Furfaro was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering, theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury, promoting gambling and maintaining an illegal gambling house. Also charged were John Nigro, 35, and Vincent "Skippy" Squatrito, 46, both of Belleville. Nigro was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering, criminal usury and running a business of criminal usury. Squatrito was charged with promoting gambling, maintaining an illegal gambling house and conspiracy to receive enforcement officials said. Law enforcement officials identified five of those arrested as having direct ties to organized crime, including Randazzo, who they identified as a reputed caporegime in the Colombo family. Another suspect was Joseph Taor-mina, 42, Fairfield, a reputed soldier in the Bonnanno crime family and believed to be associated with Gambino crime boss John Gotti. Others arrested included Frank Fur-faro, 53, Bloomfield, a reputed soldier in the BrunoScarfo crime family; Joseph Ricciardi, 36, West Orange, reputed associate in the Lucchese family; and Phil "Bootsie" Cerza, 26, Belleville, reputed associate of the Gambino crime family. Operation Portia concentrated on three separate but interlocking crimi nal enterprises, according to law enforcement officials: One of those was run by Taormina and Randazzo, and specialized in loansharking, insurance fraud, gambling, distributing counterfeit money, and trading illegal weapons, according to court documents. The documents charge that enterprise members offered to sell a loaded .22-caliber pistol and a "Mac 10" automatic pistol with a silencer to undercover agents, as well as large quantities of counterfeit $20 bills. Members of the enterprise also were charged with insurance fraud. Court documents state that members staged the theft of a car so that an insurance claim could be filed. Taormina was charged with racketeering, theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury and promoting gambling. Randazzo was charged with criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury and conspiracy. Cerza, also named as an enterprise member, was charged with counterfeiting and conspiracy. Others charged in connection with this criminal enterprise were Frank Gencarelli, 31, and Frank Murano, 20, both of Belleville. Murano was charged with attempted theft by deception, and Gencarelli was charged with theft by extortion, criminal usury, running a business of criminal usury, unlawful possession of a weapon and unlawful disposition of a weapon. Another criminal enterprise, allegedly run by Ricciardi and Belleville resident Andy Knapik, 33, was the distribution of bogus credit cards. Both Ricciardi and Knapik were charged with theft by deception, coun by the crew ran as high as 260 percent m per year, and one client who fell behind 2 in payments needed 15 stitches to close jj wounds from a beating, according to m court documents. ' On another occasion, one of the j suspects threatened to chop off the hands of a delinquent borrower, 2 according to court documents. I Members allegedly dealt in stolen blue jeans, stolen air conditioners and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of football pool tickets; and operated out of diners, coffee shops, social clubs and their homes,