Gangland 2-22-2024

[Dr031718]

A Gang Land Trifecta: Judge Sentences Three Generations Of Mob Gangsters To Prison

Judge Nicholas GaraufisBrooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis has very quietly made Gang Land history by sending a third generation mob gangster to prison two decades after dispatching his father and his grandfather to the Big House in a separate case.

Just how the judge wound up with the most recent generation remains a puzzle but it wasn't due to any feud with the mobbed up family, as his well-below-the-max sentence proved.

It happened last Thursday when Garaufis sentenced 32-year-old Colombo associate Vincent (Vinnie Mercedes) Salanardi to six years behind bars for the 2021 armed robbery of prominent New York restaurateur Alex Borgognone. Salanardi was convicted of stealing as much as $10,000 from the restaurant owner as he walked out of his Baci Ristorante on Staten Island with the day's cash receipts from his 260-seat eatery.

Here's the Gang Land history part: Nearly 18 years ago, on March 10, 2006, the judge gave the gangster's father, Luchese mobster Vincent (Vinny Baldy) Salanardi, 135 months for racketeering. And 30 months before that, on September 16, 2003, Garaufis gave the gangster's grandfather, Luchese associate Peter (Sonny) Salanardi 57 months in prison for extortion.

While many mobsters get jammed up alongside relatives, Garaufis's sentencing of three generations of the Salanardi clan in separate cases is a first, according to Gang Land's usually diligent research.

Vinnie Mercedes was 10 years old when his dad, now 60, and his grandpa, 81, were arrested in December of 2002. They were charged with extorting $7000 to $10,000 a month that summer from a popular Freeport LI restaurant.

Vinnie Mercedes obviously had nothing to do with that shakedown, but four days after his arrest in June for the Staten Island caper, his case was transferred to Garaufis without explanation.

Exactly how and why this came to pass remains a closely guarded judicial secret, as no one has been willing to explain why the case wound up before Garaufis who had decades earlier sent daddy and grandpa Salanardi away.

But Vinnie Mercedes's court-appointed lawyer, Richard Levitt, objected. In a court filing, he argued that there was "no authority that permitted the non-random reassignment" of the case to Garaufis and asked it to be "returned" to its original judge or "randomly assigned to another judge." The judge denied Levitt's motion without stating any reason for the transfer. He simply wrote that the reassignment of criminal cases was "entirely within the Chief Judge's discretion."

Levitt pressed the matter with Chief Judge Margo Brodie. Transferring the case to Garaufis "appears" to have been "at the government's request," he wrote. To do that "without explanation and with no apparent basis," he argued, "is inappropriate, violates this Court's policy of random assignment, and creates an appearance of unfairness" towards Salanardi.

If the judge keeps the case, Levitt wrote, the Court should explain "the transfer" since there are "no facts that permitted the reassignment to Judge Garaufis" under any Brooklyn Federal Court rule. "The only connection" between his client and Garaufis, he wrote, is that "Salanardi's father was prosecuted before Judge Garaufis some twenty years ago."

Judge Brodie ignored Levitt's pitch. That ended up being a good thing for Vinnie Mercedes last week when he faced the music for the "violent robbery" of Borgognone.

Prosecutor Joy Lurinsky argued that Salanardi deserved a prison term from 87 to 108 months that he had agreed to accept when he pleaded guilty in October. He was a recidivist gangster with 10 prior convictions who had "planned and organized a violent robbery," she wrote.

And he got away with up to $10,000, the prosecutor continued, even though Borgognone pulled out a gun and shot and seriously wounded an accomplice who had grabbed a bag of cash from the restaurant owner outside the eatery in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island.

Salanardi's decision to flee with "the stolen bag filled with money" and not "do anything to help (his accomplice) receive medical attention for his serious injuries" is "also a telling" reason why he deserved up to 108 months in prison, Lurinsky wrote. Sources say the wounded bandit, who was found passed out at a gas station, Anthony Caruso, was taken to a hospital by police, recovered, and fingered Vinnie Mercedes for the feds.

On Salanardi's behalf, Levitt and co-counsel Zachary Segal conceded that the crime, the "assault and robbery" of Borgognone was a "substantial" one that their client conceived, planned, and put in motion. But they argued there were important "mitigating circumstances" that warranted leniency.

The most important one, the lawyers wrote, was watching his father "physically and mentally" abuse his mother for years and then witness the "horrific" arrest of his old man by the FBI and suffer "equally damaging" grief at school from classmates who "would cut out newspaper articles about the father's case and leave them on the defendant's desk."

The defendant's mother, Patricia Salanardi told Garaufis that their "lives were a mess" even before her husband's arrest, because her son and his sisters "witnessed" the abuse that she "endured . . . from their father." After Vinny Baldy's arrest, "the pain, heartbreak and shame was overwhelming," she wrote. "My son was tormented" by classmates who would "say hurtful things to him" about his father.

Mrs. Salanardi blames herself for the "lasting negative effect" her husband's arrest had on her son because "instead of moving off Staten Island," she made a "foolish mistake" and moved to the other side of the borough wrongly believing "that it would be better for us."

Salanardi's older sister, Desirae told Garaufis that their abusive father's presence and his arrest had an "extremely big impact on the poor decisions" her brother made but stated that through it all, "Vincent took on a big responsibility and basically became the man of the house." He worked hard, she wrote, "day in and day out, always making sure we were okay."

"You will never hear Vincent say a word about our father or speak anything about him because his hatred towards him for ruining all our lives is very strong," wrote younger sister Destini, who was seven when their dad was arrested. "There is no making excuses for anyone's actions but I know the life we were dealt plays a huge role in Vincent's poor decision making," she wrote.

"We always had issues with kids in the neighborhood and school" and that created issues for her, she told Garaufis. Vincent "had to know every move I was making as well as who I was hanging out with," she said. Eventually, though, Destini realized, "that he was just filling in the shoes and roles of a father because I was his little sister who grew up without one."

Even though young Vincent "saw and heard things no child should be subject to" while growing up in a "toxic environment" that was "filled with mental and physical abuse," his grandmother, Francine Salanardi told Garaufis in a letter that "Vincent was and still is a loving grandson."

Despite having "many emotional ups and downs" during his childhood, "Vincent is the constant reinforcement" for a troubled "special needs" relative of hers who lacks confidence and for whom "constant reinforcement is very important," wrote Mrs. Salanardi. Her son, Vinny Baldy Salanardi, is estranged from the entire family, not only her grandson

"Vincent's gentleness, patience, and understanding is what both (her unidentified relative) and I rely on," she wrote, imploring Garaufis to "view Vincent in a different light" when he imposed sentence.

Lawyers Levitt and Segal argued that the "hard time" Salanardi had served at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which "could well double as a set for Dante's Inferno," was also a "mitigating circumstance" that warranted a below guidelines sentence. The MDC had "failed to provide him appropriate medical care for a slew of serious conditions," they wrote.

"Indeed," the lawyers wrote, being sentenced and "getting out of MDC has been his overriding concern since shortly after he was transferred there from Rikers Island," where he had been housed when he was arrested for the restaurant robbery. "As hard as it is to believe, clients have told us (that Rikers) is now preferable to MDC," they wrote.

"His criminal history is hardly admirable," they conceded. But many crimes, the lawyers wrote, "reflect his apparent obsession with a woman — a police officer — to whom he was engaged" and whom sources say Vinnie Mercedes dined with several times at Baci Ristorante during the weeks he was working out his plan to rob Borgognone.

Noting that if there hadn't been so many mitigating circumstances surrounding Salanardi's case, they would have sought a guidelines sentence, the attorneys "respectfully" asked the judge for a six year prison term, "a 15-month reduction from the low end of the sentencing guidelines."

The reaction the lawyers got from the judge last week was markedly different from the one Levitt got when he asked Garaufis to bow out of the case back in June. The judge gave Vinnie Mercedes the six year sentence they asked for and three years of post-prison supervised release.

FBI Agent's Attorney More Concerned About High School Dating Rumors Than The Allegation Of Sexual Coercion

Former FBI agent Joy Adam is not happy that Gang Land has written two articles which detailed assertions by turncoat Genovese gangster Michael (Cookie) D'Urso that she coerced him into having an unwanted sexual relationship for the nearly three years that he was working as a cooperating witness for the feds against the powerful Genovese crime family.

In a Cease and Desist Demand Letter we received Saturday, a lawyer for the retired agent states that Gang Land columns in October and December "concerning Ms. Adam" are "defamatory" and place her in a "false light" and "continue to cause unjustified emotional distress" for her and jeopardize her and her family's safety.

Gang Land disagrees wholeheartedly with those remarks by New Brunswick attorney Andrew Seewald, and others in the letter, including the allegation that an excerpt we printed from the upcoming book, War Against The Mafia — that Adam was dating a high school student while training to be an FBI agent — is a "false and vile statement (that) implies that she is a pedophile."

The anecdote appears in the last three paragraphs of the October 19, 2023 column. That's where Gang Land reported that in the book, former FBI agent Mike Campi wrote that Bernard Kane, an agent who had worked with him in Cincinnati, had approached Campi as he was talking to Adam. And we included the following paragraph, directly from War Against The Mafia:

"Bernie said that while Jane was undergoing new agent training in Quantico, she dated a high school boy," Campi wrote. "She laughed when Bernie concluded but did not deny the story. It appeared as though her laughter was confirming the story. This struck me as a red flag that Jane was just a bizarre character."

Attorney Seewald states that Adam's boyfriend at the time — circa 1991, when Adam was about 27 — was over 21 and owned his own home, and is willing to testify about his age. The lawyer did not address whether or not Adam was also dating a high school student at the time, although, if she was, that wouldn't mean, or imply, that she was a pedophile since high school boys are often 18 or older and therefore of legal age.

Gang Land does not know whether Adam was actually dating a high school student, how old the person was, or whether that was just a rumor. The point of our report is that a fellow FBI agent wrote, in a book that is expected to be published this Spring, that did not include her name, that Adam was known as "just a bizarre character" who has been accused of a gross misuse of her position as an FBI agent for her own sexual gratification.

We also note that Gang Land is not aware of any "high school student" who has come forward to accuse Adam of pedophilia, and we certainly have never aired such an accusation, despite the claims of Adam's attorney and his apparent interest in focusing on it. But Adam's alleged treatment of D'Urso, if true, raises significant questions about how well the Bureau was monitoring its own agents at the time. The allegations in the book also pose potentially knotty legal questions about the many cases that D'Urso, the cooperating gangster, helped the government make.

Among other things, Seewald states that Adam is not happy that Gang Land published her picture, and used her name, even though the FBI "did not allow" Campi to use her name in his book. She's also not happy that Gang Land allegedly "arranged for Mr. Campi to promote his book on the WBAI radio show hosted by (my) former colleague, Tom Robbins."

Actually, Gang Land had no involvement with Campi's appearance on the radio and no mention of the Adams affair was made during the hour-long show.

The most interesting thing about the two page Seewald letter, which asks Gang Land to do the "lawful, decent and reasonable thing" and delete the two articles, is what it doesn't mention.

The letter does not challenge the main thrust of the Gang Land articles about the former mob busting FBI agent: namely that Cookie D'Urso claims that she coerced him into an unwanted sexual relationship that lasted from mid-1998 until early 2001. "She demanded to have sex every time we met," he said. "She'd get there early before everybody and we'd have sex. It became a mandatory routine. And if it couldn't be before, it had to be after. She wouldn't let me go."

Gang Land, and its attorney Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, believe that our reports were lawful, decent and reasonable, and they remain on the website.

Stick 'Em Up! Mobster Says FBI Agents Robbed Him Of $2200

Carmelo (Carmine Pizza) Polito is a close pal of the official boss of the powerful Genovese family. He may also be a capo in said crime family, a claim the feds will most likely press in his upcoming trial for racketeering and gambling. But does that give FBI the right to stop him and seize more than $2200? No way, Carmine Pizza's lawyer is insisting, Gang Land has learned.

The alleged stick up of the bad guy by the good guys occurred on February 6, at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon when some half-dozen FBI agents, did just that when they approached the 64-year-old wiseguy on a Queens street. The agents had a search warrant, but it provided no authorization to seize any money from Polito, according to a court filing by his attorney.

It did give them the go-ahead to seize any cellphones, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cards, as well as any documents or information relating to any Cosa Nostra crime families that he had on him at the time. But it said nothing about any cash, attorney Gerald McMahon stated in his filing with Brooklyn Federal Judge Eric Vitaliano.

The agents indeed helped themselves to two cellphones and an OSHA safety card they took from Polito, McMahon wrote. But they also grabbed "more than $2200 in United States currency" — cash that they also took from him without giving him a receipt. His client wants his money back, the lawyer wrote.

The attorney also asked Vitaliano to prohibit prosecutors Anna Karamigios and Sean Sherman from using any evidence that they glean from the cell phones and the other material the agents were authorized to seize at the trial of Polito and four codefendants because the agents failed to give Camine Pizza a receipt for that either.

Normally, providing a receipt for seized material after the fact will obviate any penalty for the government. So will the return of improperly seized material.

"In this case," McMahon wrote, "more than the normal remedy is required because the agents not only improperly seized the money, they failed to give defendant Polito a receipt for it," or for the material they were authorized to seize. For those reasons, the lawyer wrote, he has asked Vitaliano to suppress all the evidence that was properly seized by the agents on February 6.

Those motions, as well as McMahon's omnibus motion to suppress 26 months of tape recorded phone calls involving Polito, and to suppress 15 months of taped calls involving wiseguy Joseph (Joe Fish) Macario, a codefendant whom McMahon also represents, are slated to be argued in April.

So if Judge Vitaliano agrees that McMahon's claim that the FBI wrongly seized more than $2200 from his client is correct, it's more than likely that Carmine Pizza won't be getting it back for at least a couple of months.

In addition to the Genovese mobsters, mob associates Salvatore (Sal the Shoemaker) Rubino and Joseph (Joe Box) Rutigliano, are also charged with racketeering and gambling and slated for trial in June. As is associate Mark Feuer, who is charged only with one count of illegal sports gambling.

[sharpieone]

Wonder what the fbi was looking for. They could have gotten word from somewhere that Polito was carrying a list or ledger of some sort. Although if only a few guys know about that, it nearly puts them as possible cooperators. Dirty game those feds play.

[JohnnyS]

Thanks for posting

[AntComello]

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[AntComello]

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[Tonyd621]

Thank for posting. Why are the feds so obsessed with this shit? Osha cards? A list with names on it? Gimme a fucking break.

[Pmac2]

That's crazy. They must have thought he has something good on him. I wonder if they jam him up on buying a fraudulently acquired osha 30 card or whatever nyc uses. That's so petty. You buy the card so you don't have to listen and watch the 30hours of videos you just pay someone 500 bucks or whatever to do it. I had my girl take mine on line when I was at work it's literally watching videos then they ask you simple questions you can't fail the final exam either you retake it over and over

[SonnyBlackstein]

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Think thats the grandfather.

[AntComello]

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Think thats the grandfather.

Ahhhh that would make sense

[Ivan]

thanks for posting the weekly Garaufis newsletter, I only read the Durso and Polito parts naturally

[slimshady_007]

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That caption

[slimshady_007]

Mark my words, this isn’t the last time we’ll hear about Salanardi

[Tonyd621]

Over the course of 10 plus yrs I don't know anyone who sat through a whole 30 or even 10 hour course on back to back or back to back to back days. Who's getting coffee for the instructor, lunch, this, that or the other. Regarding the osha cards, what LE is doing to these guys is a joke. It really, really is. It's a video. It's a 30 hour video. And you all take a test at the end and you all pass. It's hard for me to think they have any hard evidence on this guy.

[Tonyd621]

Mark my words, this isn’t the last time we’ll hear about Salanardi

Why do you say that?

[Ivan]

Mark my words, this isn’t the last time we’ll hear about Salanardi

Why do you say that?

because Garaufis is the judge for his case and therefore Capeci will have to cover the Salanardi case, typing with one hand the whole time