Gangland October 5th 2023

[Dr031718]

Mob Big Goes Low — Charged In Brutal Beating Of Husband & Wife Owners Of New Jersey Restaurant

Gambino capo Joseph Lanni, a member of the powerful Sicilian faction that now runs the crime family, has been arrested for a crime way beneath his privileged position in organized crime: Lanni is charged with assaulting the husband and wife owners of an eatery on the Jersey Shore where he owns a nearby home. The tirade included a threat to kill them both after he was thrown out for being drunk and disorderly, Gang Land has learned.

Lanni is a close associate of consigliere Lorenzo Mannino, who also serves as "street boss" for official boss Domenico (Italian Dom) Cefalu. But Lanni allegedly behaved like a low life miscreant on a busy Friday night and early Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend at Roxy's Bar and Grille restaurant in Toms River, according to law enforcement authorities and court records.

Authorities say that Lanni, who has a home in Toms River, brutally assaulted the restaurant owners when they left the restaurant, and slashed the tires of their car. He fled before police responded. The 52-year-old mobster was arrested and jailed two weeks ago following an investigation by the Toms River Police, according to court records.

Noting that Lanni had punched and beaten the husband and wife owner of Roxy's and had "threatened both of them with a knife" because the owners "simply asked the defendant to leave" after he became disruptive, Ocean County prosecutor Iva Krasteva argued strongly that Lanni should be detained while he awaits trial on charges that carry up to ten years in prison.

After spending nine days at Rikers Island following his September 19 arrest by the NYPD on a warrant obtained by the Toms River police, Lanni was transferred to the Ocean County jail.

At a detention hearing yesterday, Krasteva stated that after Lanni made threatening phone calls to the owners and left "angry voice mail messages" for them, he returned to the restaurant more than four hours later, "after midnight," and terrorized the owners with threats of violence after they had cleaned up and "were going home for the night."

As the woman owner got into her car, the prosecutor told Superior Court Judge Wendell Daniels, Lanni, who had been hiding behind their car, "entered the vehicle, and stated, 'I'm going to kill you,' and punched (her) on the right side of her head with a closed fist."

When the woman's husband, who was apparently locking up, heard his wife's screams and saw her being attacked, Krasteva continued, "he ran to the vehicle and was attacked by the defendant and an unknown male" who "threw the victim to the ground and proceeded to strike him" several times. The accomplice fled and has not yet been identified.

The arrest complaint states that Lanni punched and kicked her husband "multiple times" while he was on his back laying on the ground next to the couple's Jeep Cherokee as his beaten and terrorized wife remained in the front seat of their car.

"As the victim was getting to his feet," the prosecutor continued, "the defendant took out a knife and punctured the driver's side tires" and "then pointed the knife at the male victim and stated, 'I'm going to get you.'"

Krasteva argued that since Lanni allowed an argument with another patron to escalate into a violent assault against the restaurant owners during which he threatened both victims with a knife, "detention in this case is appropriate" in order to protect the community and Lanni's two victims of any further violence from by the defendant.

Lanni's lawyers Fred Sosinsky and Ed Dimon countered that their client should be released based on the Garden State's laws regarding pre-trial detention, which are similar to New York's. They noted that while the charges were serious, they were merely unproven allegations and that Lanni, who has several convictions for illegal gambling, and one for stock fraud, has no allegations of violence in the past, and should be released without bail.

Judge Daniels agreed. Lanni, who told the judge that while he lives in Staten Island with his wife of 31 years, he purchased a home in Toms River four year ago, was ordered to stay away from the Roxy Bar and Grille restaurant and its owners when he's in Toms River and to return to court for a status conference in the case next month.

Lanni is a longtime ally of the family's late underboss, Francesco (Frank) Cali, who was killed by a mentally troubled Staten Islander in 2019. In December, Lanni's appearance with Mannino at the wake of Luchese wiseguy Frank (Big Frank) Lastorino, a former antagonist who had killed a John Gotti pal for his leaders, indicated that Lanni is close to the current Gambino family leaders.

Allegations that Lanni terrorized the husband and wife owners of an eatery in the same town where he now has a home can't be seen as a positive event by Mannino or Cefalu, who are each viewed by their mob peers, as well as by most mob busters that Gang Land speaks to, as low-key, respectful wiseguys.

Sources also tell Gang Land that Lanni, who took over Frank Cali's rackets and who has benefitted financially from the senseless killing of the family underboss, recently told Cali's widow to sell her home on Todt Hill when she told him that she was having a difficult time making ends meet while raising her three children.

"I'm not surprised," said one law enforcement source who stated he hadn't heard that. "More often than not," he said, "that's the way the cookie crumbles for family members of mobsters who get convicted and receive long prison sentences that they deserve, or when they die. We heard a lot more stories about that years ago, when they were killing each other left and right."

Somebody Up There Likes Johnny Joe

He's not an ex-con like Rocky Graziano who became a middleweight boxing champ and uttered, "Somebody Up There Likes Me," the line that Paul Newman made famous in the 1956 movie about the legendary boxer's life. But somebody up there must like ex-con John (Johnny Joe) Spirito.

More than a month after the deadline for charging the Bonanno crime family underboss with violating his supervised release, the feds have made no move to do so.

That' despite clear evidence that Spirito met with his Mafia boss, Michael (Mikey Nose) Mancuso, not once, but four times after his release from prison in 2020.

The meetings, which occurred once a month from August of 2021 through November of 2021, were recorded on FBI photographs and video, which were introduced into evidence at Mancuso's VOSR hearing in May.

And the meetings took place at various locations on Long Island, which would make it hard for Johnny Joe to convince Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis that he merely ran into Mikey Nose in the Bronx neighborhood that is their home turf, which was the only type of meeting that was permissible for them, according to testimony by their probation officer at Mancuso's hearing.

Garaufis, who sentenced Mancuso to 11 months behind bars, and had seen the photos and heard the testimony about the meetings that the two Bonanno leaders, is the same judge who would have been called on to decide whether Spirito had violated his supervised release conditions if he had been charged with a VOSR.

When prosecutor Michael Gibaldi placed into evidence the pictures and video of Mancuso and Spirito getting together on Long Island four times during a time frame that both mobsters were each banned from meeting ex-cons, Gang Land wrote that it was a good bet that Mancuso had most likely engineered a return to prison not only for himself, but also for his underboss Spirito.

It's something of a mystery why that didn't happen. The U.S. Attorney's office and the Department of Probation in Brooklyn each declined to discuss the matter. But there's no doubt that Gang Land was wrong — about Johnny Joe.

His three years of supervised release ended on September 1, and the Bonanno underboss, who met with Mikey Nose four times when he shouldn't have, has not been charged with violating his supervised release. That means Spirito is home free, not only from being charged with a VOSR. He is also free to hang out with whomever he wants to, and run the family the way Mikey Nose wants him to.

That assumes, of course, that Mancuso, who'll be residing in a federal prison in Allenwood, PA until August 4 of 2024, has given his trusty underboss a few thoughts about that subject.

Johnny Joe is no shrinking violet when it comes to doing what his mob boss tells him.

In 1999, when then-boss Joseph Massino wanted capo Gerlando (George From Canada) Sciascia whacked for complaining that a favored Massino capo, Anthony (TJ) Graziano, was a coke fiend, but didn't want it to look like a sanctioned mob hit, Johnny Joe was up to the task, and paid a heavy price for it.

Spirito agreed to be the wheel man and use his own truck for the rubout so that Sciascia would feel comfortable about getting into the back seat to settle a dispute he was having with another capo, Patrick (Patty From The Bronx) Defilippo, who was seated in the front passenger seat when they picked him up in Manhattan.

But as soon as Johnny Joe pulled away, Patty From The Bronx used a silencer-equipped handgun to shoot George From Canada in the head a few times. Spirito drove their victim to The Bronx and they dumped him out on a dead end street to make it look like a drug deal gone bad, as Massino had directed.

Sciascia's body ended up on the street, but so much of his blood remained in Spirito's truck that he had to destroy it. And he served a 20-year bid for murder. That was tough time. But somebody up there liked Johnny Joe last month.

Vinnie Mercedes Will Pay The Check: Will Cop To Robbing Wealthy Staten Island Restaurateur

The aspiring gangster, Vincent (Vinnie Mercedes) Salanardi, enjoyed sumptuous meals with his girlfriend at an opulent Staten Island eatery. And then an inspired thought struck him: He should rob the place.

Salanardi, the Colombo associate who allegedly planned the November 22, 2021 robbery and assault of prominent restaurateur Alessandro (Alex) Borgognone, has agreed to accept a plea deal in the case, Gang Land has learned.

Salanardi, 32, is slated to plead guilty to charges stemming from armed robbery of the Baci Ristorante in the Dongan Hills section before Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis tomorrow, according to court filings in the case.

The specifics of Salanardi's plea agreement have not been disclosed. But sentencing guidelines of 10 years are very possible since Vinnie Mercedes gave one underling the weapon he used to assault Borgognone. Worse, he admits having "told" all four thieves he recruited "to beat up the Victim in order to teach (him) a lesson," according to prosecutor Garen Marshall.

In a detention memo, Marshall noted that Salanardi, who has several prior convictions involving violent actions, faces a "severe sentence" upon conviction of the armed robbery charge, and that the government's preliminary estimate of his sentencing guidelines in the case were between 151 and 188 months. By any calculus, the not-so-clever thief is looking at a hefty time behind bars.

Salanardi, of Staten Island, and Marlon (Marl) Bellefleur, 48, of East Orange, NJ, were charged in June with the robbery of Borgognone. Since then, both defendants have been jailed without bail as dangers to the community. The case against Bellefleur, whose preliminary sentencing guidelines are 87 to 108 months, has been put off until November.

Investigative sources have told Gang Land that Salanardi had "cased the joint" while dining with his girlfriend at the 260-seat restaurant that Borgognone opened in July, 2020. "He and his girlfriend were regular customers for a while," said one source. "That's when he decided it would be easy pickings to rob him," the source added.

The source stated that "Salanardi felt strongly that Borgognone had come onto his girlfriend a few times." That suspicion, the source said, played a role not only in Salanardi's decision to rob Borgognone, but to instruct his crew to assault him.

As Vinnie Mercedes sat in his car and watched, Bellefleur, 48, Anthony Caruso, 44, the robber whom Borgognone shot three times, and two others, jumped the restaurant owner as he entered a parking garage where they were laying for him and assaulted him. After shooting Caruso, Borgognone ran back into Baci as the robbers drove off in three cars.

Caruso, who managed to steal the black bag containing $10,000 that the restaurant owner was carrying, met up with Salanardi and give him the loot, before driving to a nearby gas station and passing out. Police responded and found him suffering from gunshot wounds in his "right bicep, right side of the neck and the groin."

Sources say Caruso, who recovered from his wounds, has cooperated with the feds and has fingered Salanardi and Bellefleur as his cohorts in the caper.

[Dr031718]

Joe Lanni

[JohnnyS]

Thanks for posting.

Have to think Mannino and Cefalu will put Lanni on the shelf. He reminds me of Peter Lovaglio. bronx was right about him.

[TommyGambino]

Yep bronx said he's a no good cokehead lol

I thought Cali was a multi millionaire, surely his wife isn't broke

[TSNYC]

Disgusting stuff from Lanni.

Shocking they didn’t drop charges on Spirito. Makes me think maybe something else coming for him soon.

[Dr031718]

Yea I found the part on Cali’s wife surprising given the impression that Cali was wealthy. Yet he could of had things in other peoples names and once he died hard to claw back IMO

[JohnnyS]

I think the question is how much of his money has actually gone to his wife. For example Cali had property and land in the Dominican Republic which was under dispute right after he was murdered. Plus that house will cost a fortune to maintain. I think the sharks were circling as soon as Cali died, wouldn't surprise me if his wife got fucked over and cheated out of his money.

[Tonyd621]

Lanni probably has a drinking problem. He may claim he is an addict and get off easier...but then again that would view him In a very poor light amongst his peers. I wonder what he is going to do...

[Sittite]

I see no honor or respect….. just a bunch of guys who can’t let go of the glory days and do t wanna work…Cali supposedly had his hands in lots of legitimate business and his family is struggling so soon after?? If this is true it means that even the Sicilian faction forgets there own. Sad.

[Shellackhead]

Surprised about Joe Lanni.

Thanks for posting

[outfit guy]

He's a Punk!!! Big Time Capo hitting a woman. 2 guys on 1. Piece of Shit. Mark my words, dollars to donuts, he was in protective custody at Rikers. Let's Bet. The Hell's Angel detained in the Pagan MC member murder in the Bronx was smoked at Rikers and in the hospital (and suing them). If this guy walked the yard with hundreds of Bloods and Latin Kings, guarantee he didn't say peep and stayed in a cell (just like Cantarella).

[Pmac2]

So George from Canada was killed in the back seat. I'm just picturing in my head that guy pat defillipo fat ass turning around with a big gun and shooting him. I would think George had a second or 2 to reach for the gun. Unless the first shot was a instant kill

[Allie Boy]

Cali's money probably died with him. That often happens with those guys. They're constantly trying to hide their assets

[Pmac2]

Cali's money probably died with him. That often happens with those guys. They're constantly trying to hide their assets

That's want happened to boston arts museum heist paintings. Gone with the guy when he died

[NJShore4Life]

I guess we can add Lanni to the list of wiseguys here in Toms River lol.

I live right down the street from Roxy’s Lounge, was there a lot this summer. A lot of cougars hang there, good times.

The joint literally just opened up this summer, I feel bad for the owners they’re nice people but aren’t connected and opened up a restaurant/lounge with liquor license here in Toms River, was only a matter of time before they had some sort of trouble….

-Dante