Buffalo/Ontario Mob Acitivity

[Moscone65]

Could be someone related to the gambinos? Albert iavarone was killed seemingly in retaliation of Angelo, and his brother Tony was supposedly made in “L.A”. Leaning towards a possibility of some Gambino involvement but again not enough evidence to confirm.

[Dave65827]

If I remember correctly Jerry Capeci said the changing focus of the Bonanno family in Canada was shifting towards Hamilton with the help of the Violis. Wasn’t that guy that recorded his ceremony apart of that ?

Not enough to confirm but still interesting all around

[Newyorkempire]

Part 1 offers the most information.

It's too bad they didn't say where in NY Tomassetti was calling. Or who Ivarone was meeting in Kingston.

This article by Adrian Humphreys says the call was placed to a NYC number.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ja ... e-fall-guy

So Gambinos or Bonannos

Not necessarily, all it means is they placed a call to someone with a NYC phone number. Nothing even points to the Gambino or Bonanno Families being involved in the Ontario conflicts.

Actually yes both families are involved with the underworld. From Rizzuto meeting with NY guys when he landed into Toronto to the undercover that was made and with the Viols being with the Bonannos and from Queens. Pretty good assumption on my part.

[Newyorkempire]

If I remember correctly Jerry Capeci said the changing focus of the Bonanno family in Canada was shifting towards Hamilton with the help of the Violis. Wasn’t that guy that recorded his ceremony apart of that ?

Not enough to confirm but still interesting all around

Correct

[OcSleeper]

Part 1 offers the most information.

It's too bad they didn't say where in NY Tomassetti was calling. Or who Ivarone was meeting in Kingston.

This article by Adrian Humphreys says the call was placed to a NYC number.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ja ... e-fall-guy

So Gambinos or Bonannos

Not necessarily, all it means is they placed a call to someone with a NYC phone number. Nothing even points to the Gambino or Bonanno Families being involved in the Ontario conflicts.

Actually yes both families are involved with the underworld. From Rizzuto meeting with NY guys when he landed into Toronto to the undercover that was made and with the Viols being with the Bonannos and from Queens. Pretty good assumption on my part.

There's a lot of groups involved in the underworld but doesn't mean they're all involved. The Bonanno ceremony doesn't link them to the conflicts in Ontario. And the meeting with Rizzuto was years before things started popping off in Hamilton and we can almost certainly say that meeting was about Montreal.

I think it's stretch to automatically say the phone call was placed to the Gambinos or Bonannos until something directly links one of them to the conflict.

[Newyorkempire]

1) Revenge takes years. Timelines mean nothing in terms of retaliation.

2) The relationship between the undercover and the Violis definitely puts the connection from NY into play with Hamilton

3) It could take another 20 years to see evidence that would be the direct connection this is simply an educated assumption based on surrounding facts

[NickleCity]

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Buffalo Man Facing 25 Charges, Including Drug, Gun And COVID Fraud Charges, In Two Separate Indictments

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned two separate indictments against Joseph Bella, 48, of Buffalo, NY. A superseding indictment charges the defendant with possessing with intent to distribute, and distributing cocaine; maintaining a drug involved premises; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm; and threatening to injure a person through interstate communications. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.

The second indictment charges Bella with committing wire and mail fraud, money laundering, and making false statements on a loan application. The charges in the second indictment carry a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

“The common thread running through the allegation in these two indictments is defendant’s willingness to do anything to make a buck, even if it means jeopardizing the health and safety of others,” noted U.S. Attorney Kennedy.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas T. Cooper and David J. Rudroff, who are handling the cases, stated that the according to the superseding indictment, indictment and a previously filed criminal complaint, on April 23, 2020, Special Agents and Officers from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Buffalo Police Department executed a search warrant at a residence on Summer Street in Buffalo. The defendant was present during the execution of that warrant. During the search, a quantity of cocaine, plastic bags, and a digital scale were seized. In addition, agents also discovered: a shotgun and numerous rounds of ammunition; THC gummies, lollipops, and other THC edibles; marijuana cigarettes and loose marijuana; THC vape cartridges; suspected Psilocybin mushrooms; a small quantity of MDMA; various pills; and THC resin.

In addition, Bella is alleged to have defrauded a Salt Lake City, Utah, corporation (Victim) that developed and manufactured COVID-19 test kits. Bella falsely represented that his company, Medcor Staffing, Inc., was laboratory certified to perform high-complexity molecular testing, that Medcor was an “end-user” of the tests, and that Medcor would not attempt to resell them. As a result, the Victim sold Bella 5,000 COVID-19 tests that he could not safely and accurately process, could not provide end-user support for, and, in fact, intended to re-sell at a substantial mark-up.

In March 2020, Bella advertised on his personal Facebook account that he was selling “FDA approved COVID-19 Test Kits.” In April 2020, the defendant communicated with an undercover federal agent by telephone, text message, and email, falsely telling the agent that he had 50,000 COVID-19 tests for sale; that the COVID-19 tests were being stored in a warehouse in San Diego, California at -20 degrees Celsius; that Medcor was an “exclusive licensed reseller” of the tests; and that Medcor employed doctors and scientists to answer customers' questions. Bella attempted to sell the tests to the agent for $30 per test, or more, after fraudulently obtaining the tests for only $8 apiece.

The defendant is also accused of fraudulently obtaining a loan from the Small Business Association under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, which is designed to provide low-interest loans to qualifying small businesses to help them meet financial obligations and operating expenses in the event of a disaster. At Bella’s direction, a subordinate submitted a falsified application for a loan under the EIDL Program for another business Bella owns called BuyMyCard, a purchaser and re-seller of gift cards. The application grossly inflated BuyMyCard’s annual revenue, grossly underreported BuyMyCard’s annual expenses, and falsely stated that Bella was not subject to formal criminal charges at the time of the application. As a result of the falsified application, the SBA approved and funded a $149,900 loan to BuyMyCard under the EIDL Program.

Bella has been under home confinement since May 2020. Following his arraignment on these two indictments, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer revoked Bella’s release and he was ordered detained pending trial.

The indictments are the result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy; Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Director Brian Manaher; U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Chief Patrol Agent Eduardo Payan; the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; and Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Looks like the DOJ press release on Bella from March 3 has been updated with the following paragraph:

"This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF."

Here is the link to this release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/bu ... o-separate

Of interest is the fact that this task force is led by Adam Cohen the former FBI SAC in Buffalo who told Dan Herbeck that the mafia in Buffalo is "all but dead" in March of 2017 eight months before the Otremens arrests that suggested the Buffalo family is still or may be (depending on your perspective) a viable entity. Adam Cohen has led this task force since September of 2018. Here is a link to info on Cohen leading OCDETF: www.justice.gov/OCDETF

[Newyorkempire]

So he will eventually have to clarify his statement or admit he was wrong...assuming he wont admit he was wrong

[Wiseguy]

Looks like the DOJ press release on Bella from March 3 has been updated with the following paragraph:

"This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF."

Here is the link to this release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/bu ... o-separate

Of interest is the fact that this task force is led by Adam Cohen the former FBI SAC in Buffalo who told Dan Herbeck that the mafia in Buffalo is "all but dead" in March of 2017 eight months before the Otremens arrests that suggested the Buffalo family is still or may be (depending on your perspective) a viable entity. Adam Cohen has led this task force since September of 2018. Here is a link to info on Cohen leading OCDETF: www.justice.gov/OCDETF

Appears to be a different guy.

The guy former Buffalo FBI SAC quoted in that article was Adam S. Cohen.

(includes photo)
https://www.ticklethewire.com/2015/08/2 ... lo-office/

The guy you posted above is Adam W. Cohen.

https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/staff-pr ... t-director

[NickleCity]

Appears to be a different guy.

The guy former Buffalo FBI SAC quoted in that article was Adam S. Cohen.

(includes photo)
https://www.ticklethewire.com/2015/08/2 ... lo-office/

The guy you posted above is Adam W. Cohen.

https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/staff-pr ... t-director

Oh good catch, thanks Wiseguy.

[Newyorkempire]

Appears to be a different guy.

The guy former Buffalo FBI SAC quoted in that article was Adam S. Cohen.

(includes photo)
https://www.ticklethewire.com/2015/08/2 ... lo-office/

The guy you posted above is Adam W. Cohen.

https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/staff-pr ... t-director

Oh good catch, thanks Wiseguy.

What are the odds

[NickleCity]

Witness in organized crime probe sent to jail for six months for vehicular assault
Dan Herbeck
Aug 19, 2021

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crim ... op-story-1

[OcSleeper]

Geez what a shit show, first the train and now this

[antimafia]

“The mob war that followed Angelo Musitano’s murder,” with podcast guest Nicole O’Reilly (Hamilton reporter)

https://www.thestar.com/podcasts/thisma ... er.html?rf

[OlBlueEyesClub]

So the guy who killed Angelo Musitano was himself found dead in Mexico? Interesting.

And I wish I was a fly on the wall when that courtroom stood to give the Violi brother a standing ovation during his sentencing. Lol