Gangland

[Cheech]

they changed there login and now my info isnt saved. fucking christ there is no option to hit forgot password.

[Ivan]

Yeah I checked it out and there's no way no matter what browser you use.

If you're comfortable with it you can PM your login stuff to me and I'll post it (I'm online right now).

[chin_gigante]

Glad it's not just me. I keep getting this whenever I try to access the website:

Screenshot 2022-10-27 at 13.05.03.png

Tried on mobile and desktop. No matter how many times I enter my details (and I know for a fact that my username and password are correct) it keeps refreshing the same sign in panel. Can't even access the stuff you don't need an account to see, like the home page or contact us.

[Cheech]

I dont know my login. It was saved now its not

[Dr031718]

Whatever they did screwed the whole site up. I have tried inputting my log in on 3 different browsers and nothing.

[chin_gigante]

I've emailed Gang Land's account support address to see if they know what's going on

[Cheech]

Looks to be fixed

[Dr031718]

Looks to be fixed

Yes, it’s fixed now for me but still seeing last weeks article

[TommyGambino]

Looks to be fixed

Another week off for Jerry? Like a no show job at this point

[Cheech]

Mikey Nose Seemed To Sniff Out Every FBI Investigation When He Got Out Of Prison
Gang Land Exclusive!Michael MancusoBonanno boss Michael (Mikey Nose) Mancuso seems to have caught a bug just like the ones that surrounded Angelo Ruggiero, the late Gambino capo who seemed to show up on every listening device that the FBI installed during the government's onslaught against the mob in the early 1980s.

Ruggiero's phone was tapped. So were his homes in Queens and Long Island. He was also picked up talking on a bug at the old Casa Storta restaurant in Brooklyn in 1983. Cancer got Ruggiero before the government could nail him, but the resulting tapes became a problem for his skipper, John Gotti, and a major headache for their then-boss, Paul (Big Paul) Castellano.

Since his release from prison in March of 2019, Mancuso seems to have walked into every Mafia-based investigation that a greatly reduced number of mob busting FBI agents have been involved in during the three years that Mancuso was prohibited from meeting with his fellow wiseguys, Gang Land has learned.

Mikey Nose was busted two days before his supervised release was set to end in March of this year for meeting several times with two Colombo mobsters and a Bonanno soldier between August of 2020 and June of 2021. Mancuso, 67, was snared when he walked into the middle of an FBI investigation of an alleged 20-year-long shakedown of a Queens-based construction worker union by the Colombo family.

Ralph BalsamoSources say seven months earlier, Mancuso did the same thing in New Rochelle. The sources say that in January of 2020, Mikey Nose strolled into an FBI probe of an alleged 11-year-long racketeering conspiracy run by the Genovese crime family and he hooked up with a Bronx-based Genovese capo and a skipper from his own crime family.

Mancuso hasn't been charged with a violation of his supervised release (VOSR) for his January 2020 meeting with Genovese captain Ralph (The Undertaker) Balsamo or his capo Ernest (Ernie) Aiello. He also hasn't been hit with a VOSR for contacts he had with Bonanno wiseguy Jerome (Jerry) Asaro, another mobster Mancuso has been seen with during the three years his fellow mobsters were off limits. And he hasn't been charged with committing any crimes during any of those meetings.

But Mikey Nose being spotted where he shouldn't be seen so many times by the relatively few FBI agents paying attention to the Mafia these days, brings to Gang Land's mind the crack that quick-witted mobster John Carneglia uttered more than once about the uncanny ability that Ruggiero had to be overheard on FBI bugs and wiretaps in the 1980's.

Ernest Aiello"If you dial any seven numbers," said Carneglia, "it's 50-50 Angelo will pick up the phone."

Mancuso, who has been free on $500,000 bond since March, is slated to plead guilty next week to a VOSR that stems from his meetings with Colombo mobsters Vincent (Vinny Unions) Ricciardo and Michael Uvino and Bonanno soldier John (Bazoo) Ragano in 2020 and 2021, according to a court filing by his attorney, Stacey Richman.

Richman and Assistant U. S. Attorney James McDonald disagree on how much time Mancuso should have to spend in prison. His recommended sentencing guidelines are five to 11 months. Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis is expected to schedule sentencing for early next year.

McDonald and Celia Cohen, the Manhattan federal prosecutor who is handling the Balsamo case, declined to comment about their cases. Richman and the lawyers who represent Balsamo and his five cohorts charged with racketeering in the Manhattan case also declined to comment or did not respond to calls or emails from Gang Land.

Stacey RichmanBut sources say that Balsamo, a close pal of Genovese boss Liborio (Barney) Bellomo, was snared meeting with the Bonanno boss and Aiello, a Mancuso cousin and a powerful Bonanno family capo at The Home Depot in New Rochelle — which was apparently a popular meeting place for confabs between the two families.

Balsamo, 51, and Aiello, 42, met there twice in March of 2019, according to a court filing by prosecutor Cohen, who stated that their get togethers were documented by wiretap talks the feds picked up. The meetings were also "confirmed by surveillance camera footage" at the Home Depot showing Balsamo meeting with Aiello, who is described only as a "Bonnano Member" in the filing.

The duo met twice, two days apart, Cohen wrote, to satisfy Cosa Nostra protocol that would enable the Genoveses to properly introduce family soldier John Campanella, a "trusted subordinate" of capo Nicholas (Nicky Slash) Calisi, to Aiello so that he could use Campanella to reach out to Calisi or Balsamo if the Bonannos needed to contact them.

James McDonald"Made men cannot introduce themselves to one another directly," she wrote, "they must have a third-person — also a made man — who conducts the introduction."

At the first meeting, on March 24, 2019, Balsamo and Aiello discussed the upcoming introduction.

The second meeting took place two days later when Balsamo introduced Campanella as a "friend" to Ernie Aiello. A stickler for mob protocol, Ralph The Undertaker called Nicky Slash and "explicitly asked Calisi's permission" to make the introduction since Campanella was a member of his crew.

RB: Do you think I should take your friend, like you said, so they know each other, you know, if they ever gotta get in touch with me or something?
NC: Yea, why not?
Celia CohenRB: What do you think? Or just leave it alone?
NC: I mean if we were gonna utilize him, uh. Yea, absolutely.
RB: Alright, I just wanted to ask permission. I wanna make sure it was alright with you.
NC: Yea that way, just in case, that way they know each other.
RB: Alright, that's the smart thing to do, right?
NC: Alright pal.
RB: Alright, is that alright with you?
NC: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Nicholas Calisi"This call confirms that Campanella reports to Calisi and that Balsamo and Calisi intended to use Campanella in order to liaise with another (Cosa Nostra) family while insulating themselves," Cohen wrote. "Indeed, later that day, surveillance camera footage from that same New Rochelle Home Depot captured Balsamo introducing Campanella to (Aiello.")

In her filing, Cohen argued that Campanella was "not a peripheral player." Because of that, she wrote, his home detention bail conditions should not be eased as he "was a trusted subordinate who carried messages on behalf of his superiors in order to insulate them" from overt criminal activity.

The prosecutor also cited taped talks the FBI picked up eight months later in an effort to stress Campanella's importance to the two capos by relating an anecdote involving the three mobsters and mob associate Michael (Mike Polio) Poli that also firmed up Balsamo's dedication to Mafia protocol.

John CampanellaThat happened on November 25, 2019, when Ralph The Undertaker wanted to tell Poli, who was his underling, not to carry out an assault, the prosecutor alleged. Balsamo, "was not personally able to do so because he was on his way to meet with his federal probation officer. "Instead, he called Nicky Slash, who directed Campanella to reach out and tell Poli to cool it, the filing stated.

But Poli was "disrespectful to Campanella" and refused to meet him, which enraged Balsamo, Cohen wrote. As Campanella drove Nicky Slash to meet Mike Polio and set him straight, Ralph The Undertaker called Campanella and "expressed outrage at Poli's behavior (for) not respecting an order from a soldier," the prosecutor wrote.

"Who the fuck is he, showing you no fucking respect," said Balsamo. "The other guy (Calisi) got to tell him that too . . . You sent for him, he is supposed to come. Period." Poli was not charged with assault, so it's likely that Calisi succeeded in getting the disrespectful mob associate to cool it.

Cohen definitely succeeded in convincing Judge John Koeltl not to ease Campanella's bail conditions. Except to work at the job he's had for the last 10 years, he remains on home detention.

Michael PoliTwo weeks later, Campanella did get a sop from Koeltl that was okayed in advance by Cohen. The judge agreed to let Campanella, his wife and two young daughters take their yearly apple picking excursion to Poughquog, NY on October 1, about 75 miles north of the city off the Taconic State Parkway.

And last weekend, again without objection from the government, Koeltl relaxed Balsamo's home detention for a few hours and permitted him "to celebrate the Balsamos' 24th wedding anniversary" by taking his entire family out for dinner to a local restaurant.

Today, Balsamo and his four codefendants awaiting trial in the case, Calisi, Campanella, Poli, and soldier Michael Messina, have a scheduled status conference before Koeltl.

Taps for Sterling Johnson Jr., A Tough, Street-Wise Judge Who Called Them As He Saw Them.
Judge Sterling JohnsonThe last gavel has sounded for Sterling Johnson Jr., a Brooklyn-born ex-marine who earned his law degree while working nights as an NYPD detective in Bedford Stuyvesant, and went on to serve three decades as a federal judge in Brooklyn. Johnson, a strict but often wry-humored jurist, presided over racketeering and murder cases of dozens of wiseguys and mob associates. He was 88.

Johnson, who died two weeks ago at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, was remembered this week for his 70 years of public service as a U.S. Marine, an NYPD detective, a state and federal prosecutor, and as a federal judge. Johnson's military and law enforcement career spanned eight decades — from 1952 when he enlisted in the Marines until 2021, when he stopped handling cases.

Marines Folding the American FlagJohnson was cremated and interred at the Fresh Pond Crematory in Middle Village Tuesday following a funeral service at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. Taps were played in a traditional Marine Corps ceremony as two U.S Marines folded an American flag and presented it to his widow Barbara in her husband's honor.

The services were attended by hundreds of mourners who celebrated Johnson's life of service with music, loving words from nieces, nephews and a granddaughter, testimony from former Congressman Charles Rangel, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, New York's Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, many others, and a eulogy by pastor Perry Robinson.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, a former law clerk for the judge, noted in a prepared statement that Johnson "was a wonderful human being" who "trained, guided and mentored countless people like myself along his life journey" to "have the courage of your convictions, treat everyone with respect no matter their station in life and remember to help those who come after you."

Michael SpataroAs a jurist, Johnson had a well-earned reputation as a pro-government judge who meted out stiff sentences for convicted organized crime defendants. Some of those sentences were later reduced as excessive by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, as Gang Land has reported in cases involving mob associates Michael (Mikey Spat) Spataro and Edmund (Eddie) Boyle.

But Johnson, who presided over murder and racketeering cases of top gangsters including Alphonse Persico, Joel (Joe Waverly) Cacace and Steven (Stevie Wonder) Crea, occasionally scotched prosecutions he felt were unfair against aging and ailing mobsters, including Luchese mobster Domenico (Danny) Cutaia and Colombo wiseguy Charles (Charlie Moose) Panarella.

Charles PanarellaIn his rulings and decision making process, Johnson often seemed to rely more on the savvy and street smarts he picked up growing up in Brooklyn and as an NYPD detective rather than on the book smarts he learned at Brooklyn Law School.

Six years ago, Gang Land spoke to Johnson about his days as a detective in the 1960s after legendary Brooklyn barrister Jacob Evseroff, who had worked closely with Johnson back then as an assistant district attorney, showed up 50 years later in the judge's court for the first time as a defense lawyer, and told Gang Land about their prior relationship.

Evseroff had recalled that he was a "senior riding ADA" at the time and had helped Johnson get steady hours at night so Johnson could "have regular hours and go to law school."

Jacob EvseroffJohnson confirmed that Evseroff, who passed away in 2017, was one of those who helped push him along his career track.

The judge noted that "all good things" in life are the result of "many factors along the way," and stated: "Jack was certainly one of them in my case. I went to college and law school while working as a detective. I worked full time at night as a detective, and went to law school in the day time."

Johnson graduated Brooklyn Law School in 1966, became a Manhattan federal prosecutor in 1967, and served as the city's special narcotics prosecutor from the mid-1970s until 1991, when he was appointed to the federal bench.

In addition to his wife Barbara, Johnson is survived by his daughter Jennifer, his son Sterling III, a sister Muriel Gamble, two granddaughters and several nieces and nephews.

Feds Say Mark Reiter Should Spend The Rest Of His Life Behind Bars
Mark Reiter
The feds told a judge months ago to forget about their fears that Mark Reiter, an aging drug dealer who's done 34 years for two murders might kill again if he is released from prison. But they now argue that Reiter deserves to die behind bars because he allegedly triggered a violent revenge killing of a fellow inmate 28 years ago that he never has been charged with.

In response to a request for more information regarding Reiter's compassionate release motion, prosecutors have alleged for the first time that Reiter was the catalyst for the brutal 1994 murder of inmate William Bright who was "stabbed with a shank in the right side of the chest eight times and struck over the head with a pipe" in a filing with Manhattan Federal Judge Vernon Broderick

William BrightProsecutor Timothy Capozzi stated that Reiter, now 74, was identified at the 1996 trial of the inmate who was convicted of killing Bright as the fellow inmate at the federal prison in Atlanta who had "offered $10,000" to any inmate who killed Bright. The motive, Capozzi wrote, was that Reiter believed Bright, a Bonanno associate, had killed his son Greg.

That information had come from Jack Stancell who was found guilty of Bright's murder, Capozzi wrote. At the trial, a jailhouse informer testified that Stancell had told him that he and a cohort "had killed Bright to fulfil a contract from Reiter" who stiffed them after the deed was done.

The wheelchair bound Reiter, a John Gotti pal and former drug dealing partner of legendary Harlem heroin merchant Leroy (Nicky) Barnes, asserts that he is a changed man from the one who was convicted of ordering the murders of two witnesses nearly 40 years ago, has rehabilitated himself, and deserves compassion.

Judge Vernon BroderickReiter's plea for compassion has been backed up by five Bureau of Prisons employees, including two correction officers, who have praised Reiter as a model inmate and recommended his release from prison in affidavits that his lawyer has submitted to Broderick.

"The government continues to maintain its view that Reiter has not established that extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant a reduction of his sentence," wrote Capozzi. He added that its view "is substantially reinforced by the sworn testimony during the Stancell trial that Bright's murder was a "contract killing initiated by Reiter" and that should be considered by Judge Broderick.

"There's not a scintilla of evidence linking Mark to the murder of William Bright," said Reiter's attorney Harlan Protass, noting that he would be filing a reply to the latest government salvo next week.

"If there were (any evidence)," Protass added, "the government would have long ago pursued a case against him with the same zeal with which it's opposing his compassionate release motion. And the BOP would never have placed him in the low-security facility at Allenwood years ago if the BOP had even suspected his involvement in a murder plot hatched within a BOP facility."

Anthony Villani & FriendsEditor's Note: We're about to send a hard copy of Mob Boss: The Story of Little Al D'arco, The Man Who Brought Down The Mafia to, would you believe, Scotland, to Jack Harris, a recent university graduate who named four of the five Luchese wiseguys pictured meeting with family soldier Anthony Villani in a New York City park and is the winner of last month's Surprise End-Of Summer contest.

Harris, an aspiring television writer, says he "got interested in Cosa Nostra after reading the book Wiseguy several years ago," and since then researching the mob has become his "main hobby." We're also sending Harris a Tantor and Blackstone Media audio book since the two readers who correctly named three of the wiseguys meeting with Villani are apparently too bashful to contact us and claim their prize.

As we noted back on October 6, The Luchese sextet who were meeting at Jefferson Park in East Harlem back in May of 2020 are, from left to right, Andrew DiSimone, Michael (Big Mike) DeSantis, Villani, Anthony (Bowat) Baratta, George (Georgie Neck) Zappola, and Frank (Skinny Frank) Salerno.

[Amershire_Ed]

Thanks for posting

[JohnnyS]

Thanks Cheech.

[OcSleeper]

We're also sending Harris a Tantor and Blackstone Media audio book since the two readers who correctly named three of the wiseguys meeting with Villani are apparently too bashful to contact us and claim their prize.

Whoops. Capeci's email went to my spam folder so I never saw it

[Dave65827]

Lol

[Wiseguy]

Stacey RichmanBut sources say that Balsamo, a close pal of Genovese boss Liborio (Barney) Bellomo, was snared meeting with the Bonanno boss and Aiello, a Mancuso cousin and a powerful Bonanno family capo at The Home Depot in New Rochelle — which was apparently a popular meeting place for confabs between the two families.

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