Gangland 6/23/2022

[Dr031718]

Howard Beach Gangster-Turned-Snitch-Turned-Podcaster To Hit The Roofs In Tampa

Gang Land Exclusive!Over the objections of the government, a Brooklyn Federal Judge has given another big break to turncoat gangster Gene Borrello for threatening his ex-girlfriend's family and glorifying his violent mob-linked exploits on social media. The judge indicated he intends to give the former Bonanno family hothead, who says he is looking to settle down and raise a family, a pass for his second violation of supervised release (VOSR).

Judge Frederic Block, who had threatened to hit Borrello hard if he screwed up again after getting four months in prison the first time around, instead put sentencing off until September. He also agreed to let Borrello move to Florida and take a job as a roofer so he could convince the judge that his third sentencing break would be a charm not only for him, but for the public too.

Judge Frederic BlockIn an undated and unsigned "Dear Gene" letter filed with Block, T&G Roofing of Oldsmar, Florida, a Tampa suburb, cited Borrello's "background, skills, experience level and personality" in offering him a $40,000 a year job. As a roofer, he would be required to "smoothen roof surfaces and fill in edges with cement, ensure roofs protect buildings from weather conditions, such as rain or snow."

Snow in Florida may sound suspicious. But don't smirk at the notion of snow in the Sunshine State. Gang Land checked, and according to the Tampa Bay Times, and local TV stations, it has snowed in Tampa Bay several times over the years — most recently 45 years ago on January 19, 1977, when an inch of white powder covered the ground.

In opposing the adjournment, assistant U.S. attorney Matthew Galeotti argued that Borrello's sentencing — which had already been postponed six times since he pleaded guilty in November — should go forward and that the twice-warned Borrello should receive a "guidelines sentence" between eight and 14 months in prison.

Matthew GaleottiThe prosecutor noted that just last month Borrello was recorded on a TikTok video discussing an assault in which he and other mob associates had been involved. Galeotti argued that a sentence should be meted out for the pending VOSR that took place last year before he was allowed to relocate to Florida.

That was necessary, Galeotti had stated in his written memo, because Borrello, after serving less than five years for a slew of violent racketeering crimes including arson and murder conspiracy, has demonstrated since his release from prison in December of 2019 that "he has no respect for the law or orders of this Court" and has "no regard for the conditions of his supervised release."

Borrello should be back behind bars, the prosecutor argued, for ignoring Block's warning to "get control over (his) anger problems and criminal behavior," and for violating the judge's order to avoid any "podcasts, radio, or internet shows that discuss organized crime" for three years when his four month stretch ended a year ago.

Ronald GiallanzoGaleotti argued that Borrello should be held "accountable for breaching the Court's trust and failing to abide by the conditions imposed by the Court," and be deterred from repeating the same "violent and threatening conduct" by a return to prison. He should not receive a free ride for his most recent screw-up, less than a month after his release from prison in June of 2021.

That's when "Borrello created and uploaded to YouTube incendiary videos" about "his past violent incidents and discussed his criminal history" and ignored Block's warning to behave himself when he was released or risk finding himself "in jail for a long, long time," Galeotti stated.

In one YouTube video, Borrello "made disparaging remarks regarding his ex-girlfriend’s husband," the prosecutor wrote. "I'm not your fucking fat, goofy, boyfriend husband from Long Island," stated Borrello, the Howard Beach born and raised gangster, Galeotti wrote.

Smmy Bull's Our ThingAnd in a gruesome podcast titled, "Ronnie do you smell that," Borrello recalled that after he and Bonanno mobster Ronald (Ronnie G) Giallanzo used brass knuckles to beat up their victim, he told Giallanzo, "Ron do you smell that? . . .The dude shit himself. We literally beat the shit out of him."

But Judge Block, who stated that he doesn't like to send people back to prison for technical violations, decided to go along with the request by Borrello's attorney, Nancy Ennis, to let him move to Florida to get a fresh start far from the organized crime activity he grew up with.

In her sentencing memo, Ennis wrote that the ex-gangster "meant no disrespect by openly participating in podcasts which discussed life in the New York Mafia."

He had done so, Ennis wrote, "in an effort to show younger mob aspirants that life in La Cosa Nostra can be harrowing, brutish and mean." He also believed that to punish him for speaking out violated "his freedom of expression under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," she wrote.

"His perception," Ennis wrote in a memo that she filed under seal 10 weeks ago, was that he alone was unfairly blocked from "participating in extremely popular Mafia-related podcasts flourishing on social media" in 2019 when he "was released into an unfamiliar world where Mafia-related podcasts were suddenly attracting huge audiences over the internet.

In her memo, which Block finally ordered unsealed last Friday, Ennis wrote that "Borrello (was) aware that much of the national knowledge about organized crime activity (was) from interviews and articles featuring disillusioned ex-Mob members such as himself."

John Alite-Gene Borrello The lawyer wrote that "accounts written by former Mafia members have become part of the modern literary canon," noting that the Sammy Bull Gravano podcast "continues to break all records for popularity."

"In his own mind," she wrote, "his excuse for noncompliance was that the special restrictions were unfairly enforced" against him, because to his knowledge, most other former cooperators were never forced to abide by such strict rules."

"Plus," Ennis wrote, Borrello had expected to earn "income from participating in the podcasts," and "was delighted" when ex-Gambino gangster John Alite "invited" him to join his podcast. "He justified his association with other convicted felons," she wrote, "by explaining that these podcasts were performing a public service by de-mystifying and ridiculing the Mob."

But he owned up to the repeat VOSR in November, and since then, the lawyer wrote, 38-year-old Gene Borrello has turned his life around and is a completely changed man.

"Gene has reached an age when, for the first time," Ennis wrote, "he is becoming seriously interested in having a family, and he recognizes that pursuing a new occupation, in a new location, will help him support the children he hopes to have in the future."

Borrello-InstagramHe had gotten a job installing and maintaining air-conditioning equipment in Queens, had moved out of the old neighborhood and was living with his Aunt Connie. And he had received positive reports from the probation department for pursuing approved counseling for anger-management, which relaxed his reporting requirements, she wrote.

But in February, Gene's world turned upside down, the lawyer wrote, through no fault of his. He was laid off, reluctantly by his boss, according to Ennis. Then, his aunt's company opened up a new office in Florida and she took a position in the Sunshine State.

"Gene determined that, like his Aunt Connie, he would fare better in Florida," Ennis wrote, and he "obtained a serious job offer as a roofer in Tampa Bay, Florida," and would like permission to relocate there.

"He now realizes that he can live a better life outside of New York," and he "fervently aspires to move well beyond the New York locale that is under the unpleasant dominion and control of his former Mafia associates," the lawyer wrote.

Borrello made "tentative arrangements to live with friends" in Florida and hoped that Judge Block would "agree that such a move is preferable" to remaining in New York, Ennis wrote, adding that her client assures the Court that "neither his Florida friends nor his new would-be employer have any criminal convictions, or any relationship with mob activity."

In his new job as a roofer, Borrello will use hand tools, ladders and scaffolds to "build roofs" and "set up vapor barriers and vents," and "install insulation and solar energy systems" in the Tampa Bay area, according to T&G Roofing.

In his ruling, Block ordered Probation Department officials in Tampa to supervise Borrello when he moves to Florida "on or before July 1 to establish residency and employment" and to inform their counterparts in Brooklyn of any "compliance concerns." Borrello is prohibited from taking part in any podcasts or online social media activity involving the mob until June of 2024. He can post words and pictures on Instagram — that ban ended Tuesday — but not about organized crime.

Borrello's got his work cut out for him, on the roofs of Tampa, and beyond. Even if, as expected, Block gives him a free pass on his sentence date, currently set for September 22. He'll still have to steer clear of any discussions about the mob on social media until June 21, 2024. But if Borrello has any "compliance" issues in Tampa, his best bet might be to ask Judge Block for permission to relocate somewhere else, say Brooklyn or Staten Island, rather than send him back to prison again.

Wiseguy Cops A Plea Deal; Lottery Lawyer Still Hanging Tough

Christopher ChierchioIn a surprise move, Genovese soldier Christopher (Chris) Chierchio threw in the towel last Friday and copped a plea deal to his role in the Lottery Winners Ripoff case. That leaves only Jason (Jay) Kurland, the self-described Lottery Lawyer charged at the heart of the alleged $80 million fraud scheme still planning to contest the allegations at trial next month.

The guilty plea by Chierchio, whose agreement with the feds calls for him to forfeit $26 million and spend five years in prison, is a win of sorts for Kurland. It means that the 48-year-old lawyer will no longer be a codefendant of a mobster at trial. Before Chierchio's sudden move, Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis had refused to grant two requests by Kurland for a separate trial.

Jason KurlandThe good news didn't last long, however. This week, new developments in the case were all negative for the Lottery Lawyer.

In a letter to Judge Garaufis on Tuesday, prosecutors disclosed that they plan to call a witness to tell the jury that Kurland was involved in unethical conduct right before he was arrested, and to inform the jurors that he is also a tax cheat.

The new witness, an attorney who worked at Kurland's law firm, will join other witnesses who include Kurland's brother-in-law, Dr. Scott Blyer, and two codefendants who flipped and have previously agreed to testify for the feds. Trial is slated to begin July 11.

As Gang Land disclosed last week, Blyer, a cosmetic surgeon who is an expert on the Brazilian Buttlift who unabashedly calls himself "DrBfixin" on his website, will testify that Kurland helped him evade taxes on upwards of $400,000 in income by investing it in companies that the Lottery Lawyer also allegedly used to steal more than $70 million from three Lottery winners.

Dr. Scot BlyerThe new witness will testify, the prosecutors wrote, that "a few days before his arrest on August 18, 2020," Kurland committed a "significant breach of Kurland's duties and responsibilities" by telling the firm he just received a subpoena from the SEC. In fact, the witness will testify, Kurland had gotten the SEC subpoena weeks earlier. In addition, the prosecutors wrote, one of his Lottery victims had told him about the SEC probe months earlier.

Before the attorney could convene a meeting with the firm's law partners to discuss the ramifications to their clients, Kurland was arrested, along with Chierchio, and the two turncoat defendants, Frangesco (Frankie) Russo, the grandson of the late Mafia boss Andrew (Mush) Russo, and securities broker, Francis (Frank) Smookler.

"Kurland's delayed and incomplete disclosures to his firm about the SEC Investigation, together with the evidence of his failure to disclose material facts" to Lottery winners that they had invested in companies he owned for which he received "kickbacks" all "demonstrate his consciousness of guilt" about his activities in 2019 and 2020, the prosecutors wrote.

Frangesco Russo"This limited evidence provides another example of Kurland seeking to conceal his involvement in entities that were involved in a fraud/kickback scheme," the prosecutors wrote. They argue that it establishes Kurland's "knowledge and intent with respect to that scheme, which are among the core issues in dispute at the trial."

In addition, prosecutors Olga Zverovich, Louis Pellegrino and Danielle Kudla say they plan to introduce Kurland's 2018 and 2019 tax returns into evidence to demonstrate that Kurland "failed to disclose more than $350,000" from one transaction in 2018 and "more than $1.5 million" in income he got from one of his companies that received "investments" from Lottery winners.

"In the context of this case, which involves allegations that a lawyer defrauded his clients of tens of millions of dollars," they wrote, "there is no basis to believe that evidence that Kurland failed to pay income taxes would be unfairly prejudicial."

Francis SmooklerChierchio, 54, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges that carry a recommended prison term up to 97 months. But he faces a statutory maximum of five years, according to the plea agreement that attorneys John Meringolo, Thomas Harvey and David Destefano worked out with the government.

In addition to the forfeiture of $26.6 million, much of which was seized by the government when the four defendants were arrested, Chierchio can be fined up to $250,000 and be ordered to pay restitution of $41.5 million.

Meringolo told Gang Land that Chierchio, whose prior attorney, Gerald McMahon, had stated he would prevail at trial, opted to plead guilty "to mitigate the damage in the best interests of his family."

"Trials are always risky," said McMahon. "It was and is a very reasonable plea to take."

The Feds Pulled Out All The Stops To Show That The Accused Killer Of Loanshark Vincent Zito Was A Gambino Family Gangster

Anthony PandrellaThey never said the words "Cosa Nostra," "Mafia" or "Gambino" at the murder trial that ended last week with the conviction of Anthony (Fat Anthony) Pandrella for the robbery-murder of Luchese loanshark Vincent Zito. But prosecutors found a way to link the burly defendant to the Gambino crime family.

In the end, it probably wasn't necessary for them to do so in order to convict Pandrella of the cold-blooded murder of his friend of 30 years. But they used testimony from their first and last witnesses to link Fat Anthony to Gambino capo George Lombardozzi and his more well-known uncle who attended the 1957 mob conclave in Apalachin, NY, Carmine (The Doctor) Lombardozzi.

Georhe LombardozziThe prosecutors won permission to bring out testimony linking Pandrella to George Lombardozzi, so long as they refrained from bringing out his affiliation with the Gambino family, because the defendant called him several times the day of the murder. He also visited a house that Lombardozzi owned not long after he was seen leaving Zito's Brooklyn home at 10:23 AM on the day that Zito was found shot to death on the floor of his Sheepshead Bay residence.

As Gang Land reported three weeks ago, on the first day of trial, Zito's son Joseph, a construction worker, testified that Pandrella had gotten him a job doing repair work at his friend Georgie's house and that he knew that Georgie was Carmine Lombardozzi's nephew.

Jonathan SavellaDuring a sidebar, Pandrella attorney Jonathan Savella had argued that linking his client to George Lombardozzi was prejudicial because he was an "infamous gangster." He asked the judge to guard against the possibility that a juror would do a quick Google search like he had and read that Lombardozzi was an "infamous gangster." Savella asked that the mobster's name be excluded from testimony.

But Brooklyn Federal Judge Margo Brodie rejected the argument, stating that she had been a prosecutor for 12 years and has "no idea who that person is." In addition, she said she was going to assume that jurors whom she directed not to investigate the case on their own would follow her instructions.

In the middle of the trial, the office manager for the Colonia Country Club in Colonia NJ identified a picture of George Lombardozzi and testified that he was a former member of the club.

Judge Marg BrodieThe last witness in the case, FBI agent Paul Tambrino, a member for 24 years of the FBI's squad that investigates the Gambino family, left that detail out of the resume he gave to the jury. Tambrino testified that the house that Pandrella visited after the murder belonged to George Lombardozzi. He also identified a picture of the house, and stated that a telephone number that Fat Anthony had called was Lombardozzi's.

Tambrino testified that when he and another agent questioned Pandrella a month after the murder, Pandrella stated that "he was a member of the Colonia Golf Club (with friends) for a few years." But when they "followed up and asked who the friends were, he said, 'I'm not answering; they'll say I'm a rat.'"

In his closing argument later that day, prosecutor Matthew Galeotti used all of the above testimony to link Pandrella to Lombardozzi. He also mentioned that Fat Anthony had sent checks introduced into evidence that had been made payable to Lombardozzi's wife — one more indication that Pandrella was a close pal of George Lombardozzi.

Galeotti didn't say that the checks were a way for Gambino associate Pandrella to pay tributes to his mob supervisor. But that was the inference the prosecutor hoped at least a few Brooklyn jurors would grab hold of as a reason to believe that Fat Anthony had killed his old pal Vincent Zito on the morning of October 26, 2018.

[JohnnyS]

Thanks for posting.

Is there an updated pic in the article of Lombardozzi?

[AntComello]

Thanks for posting. I’m sure Lombardozzi isn’t happy about his name being aired out so much during this trial lol

[Newyorkempire]

A roofer lmao....he won't last a day doing roofing in Florida. So funny

[Southshore88]

thanks for posting

[Uforeality]

As always, thanks for the article!

[Dave65827]

Kurlands fucked there is no way he’s not getting the max

Pandrellas gonna die in prison too

[Tonyd621]

I think I might subscribe to sitdownnews (Pennisis blog) and we can discuss those articles weekly because Jerry is like the athlete who.plays well into his old age and doesn't know when to retire

Whoever posts ganglandnews does a great service. They sacrifice their bank account for the people!

[aray22]

There's no doubt in my mind Gene wishes he didn't rat and was still out in the streets.

[Shellackhead]

Thanks for posting

Is Gene’s name Eugene or just Gene?

[Rocco]

A roofer in the FL heat. Could there be a more brutal job? lol

[Dr031718]

A roofer in the FL heat. Could there be a more brutal job? lol

Not at all. I live in Tampa and this time of year with the humidity the heat index is around 108-112 degrees

[Waingro]

Thanks for posting.

[Rocco]

A roofer in the FL heat. Could there be a more brutal job? lol

Not at all. I live in Tampa and this time of year with the humidity the heat index is around 108-112 degrees

Sounds lovely !

[SonnyBlackstein]

A roofer in the FL heat. Could there be a more brutal job? lol

A redheaded roofer in Florida would be worse.