Gambino bust . Campos , martino

[Wiseguy]

MOB LOOTED TAX-BREAK TOWERS RISING ALONG THE HIGH LINE: FEDS
By Greg B. Smith
December 9, 2019


They’ll stand as shining symbols of affluence next to The High Line: two towers known as The XI, housing a hotel and 234 condos going for up to $25 million, rising to take their place in the city skyline.

The Chelsea buildings, according to the developer’s website, will be “unmatched in Manhattan and unparalleled in the world.” They’ll feature “groundbreaking amenities” and “mesmerizing views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline on all sides.”

The XI, a recipient of nearly $1.5 million in tax breaks, also may already have achieved another sort of distinction: serving as a kind of ATM for the Gambino crime family, according to federal prosecutors.

The Mafia family once controlled by the late John Gotti skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from The XI and other Manhattan projects by buying off a top executive of the firm behind the condo complex, prosecutors charged.

That executive, identified by prosecutors as John Simonlacaj, 50, is a managing director of the HFZ Capital Group, a Manhattan real estate developer that’s built multiple luxury residential and hotels across the city. Simonlacaj oversaw construction of The XI for HFZ, which purchased the Chelsea property in 2015, according to court papers.

On Friday, Simonlacaj surrendered and entered a not guilty plea in Brooklyn Federal Court to federal charges of wire fraud conspiracy and tax fraud. He was released after posting $250,000 bail.

Simonlacaj is the cousin of Mark “Chippy” Kocaj, 49, one of 10 alleged mobsters busted Thursday in Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue’s major crackdown on the Gambino clan, once notorious for its control of New York’s construction industry.

Prosecutors say that Kocaj, reputed Gambino capo Andrew Campos and alleged crime family soldier Vincent Fiore operated a Mount Vernon carpentry firm, CWC Contracting, which was hired to work on multiple city projects, including The XI.

To get the inside track with HFZ Capital, between June 2018 and June of this year, CWC allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to “multiple employees” of HFZ Capital, prosecutors charged. Sometimes it was in cash, but sometimes it was “in-kind benefits” to the employees, according to court papers.

Free Home Work Alleged

With Simonlacaj, CWC provided free labor and materials to perform “extensive” renovations on his home in upscale Scarsdale, according to court papers. The cost of the work was covered by inflated invoices to HFZ, the indictment alleges.

In court papers, prosecutors charged that the Gambino family “is thriving, earning millions of dollars through various forms of fraud, bribery, money laundering and extortion, particularly in the construction industry.”

CWC got jobs by bribing employees of numerous construction companies and real estate developers, prosecutors alleged. One of those outfits is listed in the indictment as Construction Company 1, identified by other public records as HFZ Capital.

To get their hooks into HFZ, prosecutors say, the mob bribed Simonlacaj, who handled several projects for HFZ and is listed as the owner’s representative on The XI in city Building Department records.

The XI, which is still under construction, abuts The High Line, the popular park built on an abandoned railway that runs through Chelsea up to the recently opened Hudson Yards. It’s considered one of the hottest real estate locations in the city, with luxury residences adjoining the park selling for hefty sums.

The XI is one of these high-end properties, a pair of leaning towers that will include a Six Senses Hotel and condos ranging from $2.8 million for one-bedrooms to $25 million for a half-floor penthouse. The developer benefited from $1.49 million in tax credits for cleaning up a toxic brownfield at the site, according to state records.

Prosecutors say that Fiore is heard talking about how CWC would get work with HFZ, noting that Kocaj is Simonlacaj’s cousin — “but keep it to yourself,” he states.

“There’s things we can do with Chippy there,” Fiore allegedly said. “He whispers what he needs to whisper and we get things done.”

‘Chippy Knows’
Both Kocaj and Fiore were recorded by the FBI boasting about their violent escapades, according to prosecutors.

In one recorded conversation, Kocaj went off about a fight he had in a diner where he “stabbed the kid, I don’t know, 1,000 times with a fork,” according to prosecutors. Fiore allegedly threatened to send members of the Latin Kings gang to assault individuals who had hit his son.


Discussing eight days of work owed to a laborer for his work at Simonlacaj’s home, Fiore — who refers to Simonlacaj as John Si — was heard on the feds’ wire stating, “Put that against 76 11,” listing the address of The XI at 76 11th Ave, near 18th Street.

“Chippy knows about that as well. That’s John Si’s house.”

Through CWC, the Gambino family allegedly siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from HFZ by getting Simonlacaj and other unnamed HFZ employees to approve inflated “change orders” that jacked up the cost from the original proposed scope of work on several projects, prosecutors say.

On Friday, Christophe Lagrange, an executive at HFZ, said he was not aware of the charges filed against Simonlacaj and said he hadn’t seen him at work all day. He declined further comment.

At the time of THE CITY’s call to Lagrange, Simonlacaj was entering his not-guilty plea. On his way out of Brooklyn Federal Court, he declined to speak to a reporter for THE CITY.

https://thecity.nyc/2019/12/gambino-mob ... llege.html

[CabriniGreen]

They have links to the LKs too... interesting

Congrats Wiseguy, you made the connection before you even knew you made the connection!! lol

[Wiseguy]

They have links to the LKs too... interesting

Congrats Wiseguy, you made the connection before you even knew you made the connection!! lol

It's not unheard of. Back in 2001, there was a case of some Genovese guys counterfeiting money with some Latin Kings.

It's just important that people don't get carried away with "links." It's loose, circumstancial associations here and there.

[CabriniGreen]

I was talking about this in another thread, its like contracting disposable muscle.....

That's how you gotta look at it, like they hire a "company", perform certain task. No different than hiring someone to paint your house, you hire leg breakers, shooters, maybe if you have drugs to move you contract the workforce.

You gotta think in terms of business, and not personalize any of it.

[Bklyn21]

They have links to the LKs too... interesting

Congrats Wiseguy, you made the connection before you even knew you made the connection!! lol

I've been saying this for years now , The families have been using Lk's , Crips, Bloods constantly ! Look how many cases there have been between different families and they're use of Gangs/Gangmembers . it goes on more often then is heard about in the news or any publication . I know it's Street talk and unsubstantiated but I've been hearing and watching this in the neighborhoods now for about a good 15 plus years . That's why I don't talk to any of these idiots I grew up with and Leave all that shit alone , Because They're a Joke ! Guys you don't hear about getting into beefs and having a title , Or some Status and they end up on the receiving end of a beating or get slapped around and do absolutely nothing because there's not enough of them . They go back and plot and scheme and run to these Gangs and next thing you know they're setting guys up . I've seen it and heard about it a million times , And People still get involved . The Mob might make money or whatever but it's definitely not the Mob of 20 , 30 years plus ago . They have nobody to carry out violence , You gotta see these guys they have around them today ! Your sitting there going WTF ???? 20 years ago we were abusing these kids nonstop they run with today and your just shaking your head like this is really a Fucken joke he's getting made ? He's with these guys ?? Like Holy christ Wowwwwwww

[scagghiuni]

Some other snippets I found interesting:

In the aftermath of Cali’s murder, Campos met with multiple high-level Gambino family members, which shows Campos’s powerful position within the organization. For instance, on March 14, 2019, at approximately 5:49 p.m., law enforcement agents conducting physical surveillance observed Campos leaving his home and driving into Manhattan, where he parked near a pizzeria and got out of his car. At approximately 6:33 p.m., Campos was picked up in a vehicle registered to an LCN associate and driven to another location in Manhattan, where he met outside with Louis Filippelli, another Gambino family captain. Thereafter, Campos and Filippelli got into the LCN associate’s car and drove to near a church in Brooklyn, where they were observed meeting outside with, among others, Giuseppe Gambino, another inducted member of the Gambino family.


Although Fiore was not charged with racketeering offenses, the government was prepared to prove at trial that Fiore was an inducted member of the Gambino family who committed the attempted extortion for a Gambino family associate.
intercepted conversations between Fiore, Campos and Ernest Grillo, a captain in the Gambino family, on March 17, 2019.

As another example, as captured on judicially authorized wiretapping, on July 9, 2017, at approximately 8:53 a.m., Martino spoke with F. Tarul and asked him to call “CWC,” i.e., Campos (the principal of CWC), and let “CWC” know that Martino had a message from “Tow Truck” about a meeting the next day. Martino told F. Tarul that Campos would know where to go. F. Tarul said he would “call him” right now. Minutes later, F. Tarul attempted to call Campos but the call went to voicemail. At approximately 10:00 a.m., F. Tarul again spoke with Martino and stated that he (F. Tarul) had confirmed with Campos that Campos would be at the meeting. The next morning, July 10, 2017, law enforcement officers conducting physical surveillance observed Campos meet in the Pelham Bay diner with Louis “Louie Jet” Gampero, an inducted member of the Luchese crime family associated with Jets Towing company. Outside of the diner, officers also observed, among others, Pasquale “Patty” Falcetti, a captain in the Genovese family, having a meeting. Shortly thereafter, Campos met with Falcetti in the diner. After their conversation, Campos left.

Louie Jet's brother is Charlie Jet he is a member of the Gambino family in Nicky Corozzos crew, Charlie owns Jets Towing not Louie. Louie is most likely in one of the Lucchese families Long Island crews.

it seems joe gambino (john's brother) is a captain

[TommyGambino]

Some other snippets I found interesting:

In the aftermath of Cali’s murder, Campos met with multiple high-level Gambino family members, which shows Campos’s powerful position within the organization. For instance, on March 14, 2019, at approximately 5:49 p.m., law enforcement agents conducting physical surveillance observed Campos leaving his home and driving into Manhattan, where he parked near a pizzeria and got out of his car. At approximately 6:33 p.m., Campos was picked up in a vehicle registered to an LCN associate and driven to another location in Manhattan, where he met outside with Louis Filippelli, another Gambino family captain. Thereafter, Campos and Filippelli got into the LCN associate’s car and drove to near a church in Brooklyn, where they were observed meeting outside with, among others, Giuseppe Gambino, another inducted member of the Gambino family.


Although Fiore was not charged with racketeering offenses, the government was prepared to prove at trial that Fiore was an inducted member of the Gambino family who committed the attempted extortion for a Gambino family associate.
intercepted conversations between Fiore, Campos and Ernest Grillo, a captain in the Gambino family, on March 17, 2019.

As another example, as captured on judicially authorized wiretapping, on July 9, 2017, at approximately 8:53 a.m., Martino spoke with F. Tarul and asked him to call “CWC,” i.e., Campos (the principal of CWC), and let “CWC” know that Martino had a message from “Tow Truck” about a meeting the next day. Martino told F. Tarul that Campos would know where to go. F. Tarul said he would “call him” right now. Minutes later, F. Tarul attempted to call Campos but the call went to voicemail. At approximately 10:00 a.m., F. Tarul again spoke with Martino and stated that he (F. Tarul) had confirmed with Campos that Campos would be at the meeting. The next morning, July 10, 2017, law enforcement officers conducting physical surveillance observed Campos meet in the Pelham Bay diner with Louis “Louie Jet” Gampero, an inducted member of the Luchese crime family associated with Jets Towing company. Outside of the diner, officers also observed, among others, Pasquale “Patty” Falcetti, a captain in the Genovese family, having a meeting. Shortly thereafter, Campos met with Falcetti in the diner. After their conversation, Campos left.

Louie Jet's brother is Charlie Jet he is a member of the Gambino family in Nicky Corozzos crew, Charlie owns Jets Towing not Louie. Louie is most likely in one of the Lucchese families Long Island crews.

it seems joe gambino (john's brother) is a captain

It would state he is a capo if he was just says inducted member, Grillo and Filippelli described as captains, that's interesting, pogo will have to update the charts

[Bklyn21]

Some other snippets I found interesting:

In the aftermath of Cali’s murder, Campos met with multiple high-level Gambino family members, which shows Campos’s powerful position within the organization. For instance, on March 14, 2019, at approximately 5:49 p.m., law enforcement agents conducting physical surveillance observed Campos leaving his home and driving into Manhattan, where he parked near a pizzeria and got out of his car. At approximately 6:33 p.m., Campos was picked up in a vehicle registered to an LCN associate and driven to another location in Manhattan, where he met outside with Louis Filippelli, another Gambino family captain. Thereafter, Campos and Filippelli got into the LCN associate’s car and drove to near a church in Brooklyn, where they were observed meeting outside with, among others, Giuseppe Gambino, another inducted member of the Gambino family.


Although Fiore was not charged with racketeering offenses, the government was prepared to prove at trial that Fiore was an inducted member of the Gambino family who committed the attempted extortion for a Gambino family associate.
intercepted conversations between Fiore, Campos and Ernest Grillo, a captain in the Gambino family, on March 17, 2019.

As another example, as captured on judicially authorized wiretapping, on July 9, 2017, at approximately 8:53 a.m., Martino spoke with F. Tarul and asked him to call “CWC,” i.e., Campos (the principal of CWC), and let “CWC” know that Martino had a message from “Tow Truck” about a meeting the next day. Martino told F. Tarul that Campos would know where to go. F. Tarul said he would “call him” right now. Minutes later, F. Tarul attempted to call Campos but the call went to voicemail. At approximately 10:00 a.m., F. Tarul again spoke with Martino and stated that he (F. Tarul) had confirmed with Campos that Campos would be at the meeting. The next morning, July 10, 2017, law enforcement officers conducting physical surveillance observed Campos meet in the Pelham Bay diner with Louis “Louie Jet” Gampero, an inducted member of the Luchese crime family associated with Jets Towing company. Outside of the diner, officers also observed, among others, Pasquale “Patty” Falcetti, a captain in the Genovese family, having a meeting. Shortly thereafter, Campos met with Falcetti in the diner. After their conversation, Campos left.

Louie Jet's brother is Charlie Jet he is a member of the Gambino family in Nicky Corozzos crew, Charlie owns Jets Towing not Louie. Louie is most likely in one of the Lucchese families Long Island crews.

I just saw Charlie in Late August . I was surprised he came in the Jets Truck with the driver to Tow my car . They got all the Geico action/Roadside pickup etc..I haven't seen him in years and was surprised to see him in the passenger . Them and Pop a Lock got all the Geico action

[Chucky]

Is that the same Joe Gambino who was part of the Gambino group that met with Ligambi?

[Wiseguy]

They have links to the LKs too... interesting

Congrats Wiseguy, you made the connection before you even knew you made the connection!! lol

I've been saying this for years now , The families have been using Lk's , Crips, Bloods constantly ! Look how many cases there have been between different families and they're use of Gangs/Gangmembers . it goes on more often then is heard about in the news or any publication . I know it's Street talk and unsubstantiated but I've been hearing and watching this in the neighborhoods now for about a good 15 plus years . That's why I don't talk to any of these idiots I grew up with and Leave all that shit alone , Because They're a Joke ! Guys you don't hear about getting into beefs and having a title , Or some Status and they end up on the receiving end of a beating or get slapped around and do absolutely nothing because there's not enough of them . They go back and plot and scheme and run to these Gangs and next thing you know they're setting guys up . I've seen it and heard about it a million times , And People still get involved . The Mob might make money or whatever but it's definitely not the Mob of 20 , 30 years plus ago . They have nobody to carry out violence , You gotta see these guys they have around them today ! Your sitting there going WTF ???? 20 years ago we were abusing these kids nonstop they run with today and your just shaking your head like this is really a Fucken joke he's getting made ? He's with these guys ?? Like Holy christ Wowwwwwww

Compared to the overall amount of mob cases, those having anything to do with street gangs are very rare.

[TommyNoto]

MOB LOOTED TAX-BREAK TOWERS RISING ALONG THE HIGH LINE: FEDS
By Greg B. Smith
December 9, 2019


They’ll stand as shining symbols of affluence next to The High Line: two towers known as The XI, housing a hotel and 234 condos going for up to $25 million, rising to take their place in the city skyline.

The Chelsea buildings, according to the developer’s website, will be “unmatched in Manhattan and unparalleled in the world.” They’ll feature “groundbreaking amenities” and “mesmerizing views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline on all sides.”

The XI, a recipient of nearly $1.5 million in tax breaks, also may already have achieved another sort of distinction: serving as a kind of ATM for the Gambino crime family, according to federal prosecutors.

The Mafia family once controlled by the late John Gotti skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from The XI and other Manhattan projects by buying off a top executive of the firm behind the condo complex, prosecutors charged.

That executive, identified by prosecutors as John Simonlacaj, 50, is a managing director of the HFZ Capital Group, a Manhattan real estate developer that’s built multiple luxury residential and hotels across the city. Simonlacaj oversaw construction of The XI for HFZ, which purchased the Chelsea property in 2015, according to court papers.

On Friday, Simonlacaj surrendered and entered a not guilty plea in Brooklyn Federal Court to federal charges of wire fraud conspiracy and tax fraud. He was released after posting $250,000 bail.

Simonlacaj is the cousin of Mark “Chippy” Kocaj, 49, one of 10 alleged mobsters busted Thursday in Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue’s major crackdown on the Gambino clan, once notorious for its control of New York’s construction industry.

Prosecutors say that Kocaj, reputed Gambino capo Andrew Campos and alleged crime family soldier Vincent Fiore operated a Mount Vernon carpentry firm, CWC Contracting, which was hired to work on multiple city projects, including The XI.

To get the inside track with HFZ Capital, between June 2018 and June of this year, CWC allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to “multiple employees” of HFZ Capital, prosecutors charged. Sometimes it was in cash, but sometimes it was “in-kind benefits” to the employees, according to court papers.

Free Home Work Alleged

With Simonlacaj, CWC provided free labor and materials to perform “extensive” renovations on his home in upscale Scarsdale, according to court papers. The cost of the work was covered by inflated invoices to HFZ, the indictment alleges.

In court papers, prosecutors charged that the Gambino family “is thriving, earning millions of dollars through various forms of fraud, bribery, money laundering and extortion, particularly in the construction industry.”

CWC got jobs by bribing employees of numerous construction companies and real estate developers, prosecutors alleged. One of those outfits is listed in the indictment as Construction Company 1, identified by other public records as HFZ Capital.

To get their hooks into HFZ, prosecutors say, the mob bribed Simonlacaj, who handled several projects for HFZ and is listed as the owner’s representative on The XI in city Building Department records.

The XI, which is still under construction, abuts The High Line, the popular park built on an abandoned railway that runs through Chelsea up to the recently opened Hudson Yards. It’s considered one of the hottest real estate locations in the city, with luxury residences adjoining the park selling for hefty sums.

The XI is one of these high-end properties, a pair of leaning towers that will include a Six Senses Hotel and condos ranging from $2.8 million for one-bedrooms to $25 million for a half-floor penthouse. The developer benefited from $1.49 million in tax credits for cleaning up a toxic brownfield at the site, according to state records.

Prosecutors say that Fiore is heard talking about how CWC would get work with HFZ, noting that Kocaj is Simonlacaj’s cousin — “but keep it to yourself,” he states.

“There’s things we can do with Chippy there,” Fiore allegedly said. “He whispers what he needs to whisper and we get things done.”

‘Chippy Knows’
Both Kocaj and Fiore were recorded by the FBI boasting about their violent escapades, according to prosecutors.

In one recorded conversation, Kocaj went off about a fight he had in a diner where he “stabbed the kid, I don’t know, 1,000 times with a fork,” according to prosecutors. Fiore allegedly threatened to send members of the Latin Kings gang to assault individuals who had hit his son.


Discussing eight days of work owed to a laborer for his work at Simonlacaj’s home, Fiore — who refers to Simonlacaj as John Si — was heard on the feds’ wire stating, “Put that against 76 11,” listing the address of The XI at 76 11th Ave, near 18th Street.

“Chippy knows about that as well. That’s John Si’s house.”

Through CWC, the Gambino family allegedly siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from HFZ by getting Simonlacaj and other unnamed HFZ employees to approve inflated “change orders” that jacked up the cost from the original proposed scope of work on several projects, prosecutors say.

On Friday, Christophe Lagrange, an executive at HFZ, said he was not aware of the charges filed against Simonlacaj and said he hadn’t seen him at work all day. He declined further comment.

At the time of THE CITY’s call to Lagrange, Simonlacaj was entering his not-guilty plea. On his way out of Brooklyn Federal Court, he declined to speak to a reporter for THE CITY.

https://thecity.nyc/2019/12/gambino-mob ... llege.html

I remember that Hudson Yards article about large union / over billing issues not to long ago that could align with this type of racket

[Bklyn21]

They have links to the LKs too... interesting

Congrats Wiseguy, you made the connection before you even knew you made the connection!! lol

I've been saying this for years now , The families have been using Lk's , Crips, Bloods constantly ! Look how many cases there have been between different families and they're use of Gangs/Gangmembers . it goes on more often then is heard about in the news or any publication . I know it's Street talk and unsubstantiated but I've been hearing and watching this in the neighborhoods now for about a good 15 plus years . That's why I don't talk to any of these idiots I grew up with and Leave all that shit alone , Because They're a Joke ! Guys you don't hear about getting into beefs and having a title , Or some Status and they end up on the receiving end of a beating or get slapped around and do absolutely nothing because there's not enough of them . They go back and plot and scheme and run to these Gangs and next thing you know they're setting guys up . I've seen it and heard about it a million times , And People still get involved . The Mob might make money or whatever but it's definitely not the Mob of 20 , 30 years plus ago . They have nobody to carry out violence , You gotta see these guys they have around them today ! Your sitting there going WTF ???? 20 years ago we were abusing these kids nonstop they run with today and your just shaking your head like this is really a Fucken joke he's getting made ? He's with these guys ?? Like Holy christ Wowwwwwww

Compared to the overall amount of mob cases, those having anything to do with street gangs are very rare.

True , But there's a decent amount over the years and then you have the talk and supposed links as in Fiore saying he'll just get the Lk's to handle business for him concerning his son being hit and the Springfield Genovese link to the Regional head of the Lk's who used the MT.Carmel club as his base of operations and is Cecchetelli's nephew and reorganized the LKQN to represent a Mafia like Structure . I can't substantiate anything else because without hard proof , FBI Files, Publications it won't be believed just Good old fresh street talk . But there are many instances that aren't publicized

[TommyGambino]

Is that the same Joe Gambino who was part of the Gambino group that met with Ligambi?

Yes

[johnny_scootch]

Is that the same Joe Gambino who was part of the Gambino group that met with Ligambi?

Yes

This is Joe the brother of John and father of Tommy Gambino that was recently arrested in that case with all the Inzerillo’s, the same Tommy that Mikey Scars refers to as ‘Heavy Tommy’ in the black hand Q&A

[TommyGambino]

Are there any more made guys in the Campos crew or did all of them get pinched? I know Richie Martinos brother daniel was a part of that crew, wonder if him or Pugliese are made