NickleCity wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 5:37 am
Feds arrest woman expected to testify against strip club owner in upcoming trial
Dan Herbeck
May 6, 2023
A woman who is expected to testify in the upcoming federal trial of a Cheektowaga strip club owner was arrested this week on two misdemeanor drug charges.
Phlycia Hunt, 32, was arrested on drug possession charges filed by the FBI this week relating to two incidents in October 2021 and October 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in court papers made public Friday.
“These are drug possession charges for personal use. Her case has been put off until Wednesday of next week, and my top priority at this point is to help this woman get help and treatment for her drug problem,” said Fonda Kubiak, a federal public defender who represents Hunt.
Defense teams for Joseph Bongiovanni, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent and Peter Gerace Jr., owner of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club in Cheektowaga, each sought separate trials. After a district judge's ruling, the two men are scheduled to be tried together next month.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy arraigned Hunt on Friday and ordered her to be held in jail until the court appearance next week, Kubiak said....
Awhile back prosecutors managed to get that libel/defamation stayed until after the Bongiovanni/Gerace trial. They didn't want discovery material related to their case coming out. I believe this libel case was a Gerace fishing expedition to find out what the govt. had on him.
I found out a different first name for the Avellino Social Club owner. Please let me know, either privately via a PM or via another post from you in this thread, how sure you are about the first name — you may very well be right, and I may very well be wrong. Thanks.
NickleCity wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 7:37 pm
9. 2013-2016:[/b] Ciminelli convicted in a “Buffalo Billion” and charged Niagara County Community College Culinary Institute bid rigging schemes
Lou’s Ciminelli's Dad Frank was a known associate of the Buffalo Crime Family. This from Ron Fino’s Book The Triangle Exit:
By now we had developed good alter-ego cases against around 20 western New York contractors and we were getting ready to file a legal suit against them. Joey Pizza and Leonard Falzone compelled me to drop the cases against Ciminelli Construction and Frank Ciminelli, who was connected, and the Mader Corporation run by Lawrence Reger (a Buffalo businessman indirectly controlled by the family) who made a fortune for the mob cleaning up the Love Canal hazardous waste. Falzone spoke in a nice manner, which was rare, “You know they are connected Ron and know that their construction companies are off limits.”
In 1991 Lou, while serving as a trustee for LiUNA Local 210, was named in a RICO along with Leonard Falzone and other known Buffalo mob members and associates:
S
OUTHMARK PRIME PLUS, L.P., a Delaware Limited Partnership; SOUTHMARK EQUITY PARTNERS III, LTD., a California Limited Partnership; SOUTHMARK INVESTMENT GROUP 86, INC., a Nevada Corporation; and PRIME PLUS CORP., INC., a Nevada Corporation, Plaintiffs, v. LEONARD F. FALZONE; BUFFALO LABORERS' PENSION FUND; LABORERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA, LOCAL #210; REALCAP COMPANY, a Texas General Partnership; QUANTUM REALTY CORP., a Delaware Corporation; CONCAP MANAGEMENT L.P., an Illinois Limited Partnership; WILLIAM R. ARNOLD; SALVATORE J. CACI; LOUIS P. CIMINELLI; JOHN A. DOYLE; PETER G. GERACE; EDWARD D. HERRICK; JAMES C. LOGAN; TERRY L. MOEBEL; JOSEPH R. PIERI; ROBERT C. PATTERSON; and DANIEL J. SANSANESE, Defendants
The document goes on to state:
This is an action brought by two real estate limited partnerships and their managing general partners against a host of defendants, alleging [**2] violations of the federal securities laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"), arising from a threatened proxy contest. This is not the first suit between the parties, and possibly not the last. The facts of this case are involved and will be addressed in greater detail infra at section II.A.
Prosecutors: Request for new Bongiovanni defense lawyer a 'tactic' that could endanger witnesses
Patrick Lakamp
"A month before the scheduled start of a high-profile trial, a lawyer has asked to be relieved of the lead role in defending a former federal agent accused of protecting drug dealers he believed were in the local mob.
Defense lawyer James P. Harrington, 78, has a recurring medical issue, and he told a federal judge last week that he is making the request on "the strong medical advice" from his cardiologist.
Defense teams for Joseph Bongiovanni, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent and Peter Gerace Jr., owner of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club in Cheektowaga, each sought separate trials. After a district judge's ruling, the two men are scheduled to be tried together next month.
But a prosecutor called the request a tactic to delay the trial of retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Joseph Bongiovanni, a bid to give the defense more time to review evidence, obtain witness identities and "orchestrate" other legal maneuvers – and the government warned it could potentially jeopardize the safety of witnesses."
Snip:
The day before that hearing, Harrington asked U.S. Attorney Trini Ross to meet him at a local coffee shop, where he revealed his medical condition and let her know that he was going to ask the judge to appoint a lawyer to relieve him as Bongiovanni's chief defense lawyer. Harrington has said he could stay involved in the case as a co-counsel during the transition, and perhaps even through the trial.
"Thank God the U.S. attorney didn't wait an extra day to bump into me and tell me about what had transpired there, because the witness identities would have been verbally released – all but 11," Tripi told the judge at least week's hearing.
Peter G. Gerace Jr. was arrested Friday after being accused of sending threatening Facebook messages to a potential witness against him in 2019.
"We were very restrictive in the amount of protected witnesses we listed," Tripi told the judge. "But there are dozens of others that I'm concerned about – people who worked at Pharaoh's, dozens of others."
"The mother and roommate of one witness found rats on their cars where the witness lives, Tripi said last week."
antimafia wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:53 pm
First, Project Sindacato, and now Project Hobart. This mafia-and-81s collaboration has been going on for at least 18 years.
This has become yet another interesting angle in the ongoing developments in the Canadian underworld.
So it looks like the Hells and maybe the Figliomenis (?) control the successor to the Platinum/ Ontario sportsbooks. If the Hells control the Quebec/ Montreal book as well... Well.
Whom else could the Toronto crime family be? Ursinos? Commissos? Bonvonta?
Below are links to my Evernote items for the main and secondary articles written yesterday by the London Free Press (London, Ontario) reporters Randy Richmond and Dale Carruthers, along with the Free Press newsroom. NB: 1. I did not capture any photos, but sometimes you'll see photo captions in the Evernote items. 2. The secondary article "Operation Hobart: The Barletta properties" is the only one in which Platinum Sports Book is mentioned, but "Sportsbook" is mentioned in the main article -- I'll ask the reporters in a public tweet whether the names are interchangeable. 3. There is no mention of Project Sindacato, which targeted the 'ndrangheta in the GTA in a related investigation, nor of any 'ndrangheta figures who were arrested, charged, and then only later saw their charges dropped.
US Appeals court supported the Federal Court in WDNY in their ruling to enjoin the civil defamation lawsuit Gerace filed against Katrina Nigro and Phlycia Hunt. The ruling stated:
“This indictment explicitly named Gerace as a co-conspirator in an alleged criminal
enterprise that had access to sensitive, confidential law enforcement intelligence and used that access to evade justice. At the time the district court considered the injunction, therefore, Gerace was aware of what the government sought to prove in its charges against him, which is relevant to the government’s concern that Gerace might try to intimidate whomever he thought might testify against him. In fact, at the hearing on Gerace’s motion to vacate, the government stated that a conspirator had admitted that members of the enterprise had access to the names of potential 2 cooperators. Transcript of Proceedings at 7, United States v. Gerace, No. 1:19-CR-00227-JLS-
3 MJR (W.D.N.Y. July 22, 2021), ECF No. 182. According to the government, “witnesses ha[d] reported being or feeling threatened by Mr. Gerace and/or associates of Mr. Gerace.” The district court considered on the one hand the government’s interest in protecting witnesses from threats and intimidation, preserving grand jury secrecy, and enforcing the federal criminal discovery rules, and on the other, Gerace’s interest in obtaining an injunction on the state defendants’ speech.
Since Bongiovanni’s lawyer stepped away from this case resulting in postponement of trial , Gerace’s lawyers want to reopen the detention hearing and argue Gerace should be let out. In their argument we learn more about the case the Govt. made for his detention.
At the hearing, the Government moved for detention. The Government’s proffer made the following arguments:
• That the charge in the new indictment included a threat made by a third party against the potential witness after the witness had allegedly been in contact with federal investigators in 2019, two years before Mr. Gerace was charged in the other federal case;
• That Mr. Gerace has “many contacts in law enforcement,” and that he has police officers, detectives and state court judges as friends;
• That in July 2019, months before the witness spoke with law enforcement and long before Mr. Gerace was aware of any federal investigation, an “associate” of Mr. Gerace had been involved in a physical altercation with the witness;
• That based on the grand jury testimony of KG, a former state court judge had received sex from prostitutes at Mr. Gerace’s business at some time in the past;
• That there is testimony in the grand jury in the 19-CR-227 case that some employees of Mr. Gerace’s business use narcotic drugs and engage in sex for money;
• That Mr. Gerace had previously pled guilty in a federal criminal case involving a telemarketing company he had in 2005;
• That Mr. Gerace had allegedly had his son’s name changed in a one-day, ex-parte hearing before a state supreme court judge who was his friend;
• That in 2010 there was an unsubstantiated tip that Mr. Gerace was traveling with narcotics in New York City. A drug dog sniffed Mr. Gerace and his luggage and did not pick up the scent of illicit drugs;
• That Mr. Gerace had a domestic incident with a significant other in 2012; and
• That Mr. Gerace allegedly committed fraud in connection with obtaining federal COVID-era EIDL loans.
Gerace’s lawyers argue for his release by indicating all but the EIDL loans are based on information the government had before they moved to detain him.
If you will recall the govt was extremely upset when Bongiovanni’s lawyer quit the
case saying it was a
…tactic to delay the trial of retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Joseph Bongiovanni, a bid to give the defense more time to review evidence, obtain witness identities and "orchestrate" other legal maneuvers – and the government warned it could potentially jeopardize the safety of witnesses.
Judge refuses to suppress evidence from searches of Gerace's home and strip club
The Buffalo News
by Patrick Lakamp
May 31,2023
"Most court documents from the prosecution and defense in this case are filed under seal, and even Gerace's lawyers have seen only a redacted version of the search warrant application for the November 2019 searches of his home and business.
So Sinatra's written ruling offered a pretrial glimpse of the breadth of the federal government's witnesses against Gerace.
The application to search Gerace's home and Pharaoh's consisted of a 41-page affidavit containing information from 11 sources with specific information about Gerace, his home, or Pharaoh's, as well as information from two law enforcement sources, according to Sinatra's ruling. Some 195 pages of materials were also submitted."
NickleCity wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:40 pm
State Supreme Court Justice John Michalski dead at 61
Charlie Specht , Lou Michel
State Supreme Court Justice John L. Michalski died by suicide at his Amherst home Tuesday, several sources confirmed, 12 days after police executed a search warrant there.
Less than three months after Michalski wrote the Gerace letter, then-Gov. George E. Pataki appointed Michalski as a judge on the State Court of Claims, although he was assigned to handle cases in State Supreme Court in Erie County.
Some interesting information about Michalski has come out at Gerace's detention hearing:
...snip...
Also some images of rats the govt alleges were used to intimidate witnesses.
this Buffalo crew had some impressive legal protection. I wonder how much they were paying the judge
I wonder how big of construction rackets (or other white collar rackets) they have in western NY . I think nickels alluded to some possible shady construction deals / connections in previous posts. Good stuff
^^^
The government is definitely alleging he “groomed” [their word] people in high places to leverage their influence. Did he pay for it or just exchange favors (prostitution and cocaine) for that influence?
Tripi said: “Now, I'll note -- and I'll get to this later in my presentation -- that this defendant has many contacts in law enforcement, many friends in high places, to include State judges, members of law enforcement, multiple prior police commissioners of the Buffalo Police Department, police commissioners, friends in police departments -- in local police departments.
He has bragged to witnesses that he has contacts in every local police department, political figures, and many others. And we get that through our investigation through multiple sources of information.”
Speaking about Judge Michalski Tripi goes on to say: And that's just one example that I'm willing to talk about today, of people in high places, that we submit the defendant has been able to groom over time.
Just like females that he groomed at his club, leveraged relationships with, and ruined lives.
I’ve been familiar with this incident since it happened but I never imagined anyone in Paul Volpe’s old neighbourhood would be targeted in a drive-by.
This case of mistaken identity has led to a serious investigation of MS-13 members hired by an (unnamed) organized-crime group. The identity of the actual intended target is either unknown or is being kept mum by York Regional Police (YRP).
