Gangland October 31st 2024

[Dr031718]

Mobster In Hock For Millions From Debt Scams Sues Lawyer's Widow for $150,000

Robert Giardina is a different kind of mobster. For one thing, this made member of the Gambino crime family had a brief stint acting as a mobster in a TV series. For another, he carved out a career as a specialist in nuclear medicine, acquiring science-related degrees from St. John's and Rutgers Universities along the way.

Now Giardina has broken more new ground in Gang Land, becoming the first wiseguy known to file suit against the estate of his former attorney. Giardina is suing the lawyer's widow and their two children. Giardina wants the family to cough up nearly $150,000 that he says he is owed for legal services he paid for but which were never delivered before attorney John Meringolo died of a heart attack at age 48.

Giardina is seeking the money from the estate of Meringolo – a rising star of the defense bar and the scourge of federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan when he died suddenly two years ago.

In the wiseguy's lawsuit, Giardina, his wife Crystal, and his company, RCG Advances, claim that they paid Meringolo $197,400 as a retainer for legal services on November 4, 2022 to fight several civil lawsuits. But he died 12 days later, on November 16, 2022, "before he could fully perform most of those legal services."

In her reply, Meringolo's widow states that the lawsuit is just the latest effort by a man she calls an "adjudicated fraudster… to shakedown a widow and her two young children of funds rightfully earned and retained by their late husband and father's law firm."

The "adjudicated" part stems from almost $80 million in civil judgments won by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against Giardina and several of his companies that were found to have been stealing money from small business owners for years.

Kristen Meringolo claims that Giardina and RCG both "have a long history of fraud, theft and physical violence" and that the lawsuit is "frivolous." She says her late husband began working for RCG in June of 2022 and had earned the fees he'd received before he died.

She cited a November 4 email her husband sent to Giardina as proof that Meringolo provided all the legal services for which he and his firm, Meringolo & Associates, had been paid. The email, in which Meringolo stated that he was willing to accepts a $100,000 lien, "reflects," she wrote, that "as of that date," there were additional "attorneys' fees" of "perhaps as much as $100,000" that were due to his law firm.

Giardina's lawsuit credits Meringolo with earning only $52,650 for his work on several civil suits that the wiseguy and RCG lost, including one filed by New York State in which he was ordered to pay $77 million to owners of small businesses fleeced by his companies in the Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) industry. MCA companies can secure triple digit interest rates by providing funds to struggling businesses in exchange for a percentage of the profits they hope to earn.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a similar suit against Giardina and his companies that the mobster-businessman settled in 2022. He forked over $1.5 million to the feds in Juine of 2022, and paid an additional $1.2 million to the FTC last year.

The 51-year-old Giardina is the grandson of Louis Giardina, a Gambino mobster and union official who was convicted of racketeering as a bagman for Mafia boss Paul (Big Paul) Castellano. The grandson gravitated to the MCA business after a successful career in the "nuclear medicine" field in the testing of cancer patients.

Sources say Giardina, who played a mobster in an episode of the Amazon Prime TV series Gravesend in 2020, followed his grandpa into the Gambino crime family a year or two later, and is currently a member of a Westchester based crew headed by acting capo Joseph Traina.

The wiseguy's lawsuit was filed in July of last year by Giardina's uncle, Lawrence Giardina, a Brooklyn attorney who died in December. Giardina's current attorney, Ira Kopito, declined to comment about the case.

"The pleadings speak for themselves," said Kristen Meringolo, an attorney and adjunct professor at the Elizabeth Haub Law School at Pace University, in an email reply to Gang Land. "I intend to defend my husband and our family with the same grit, tenacity and fortitude he exhibited for all his clients," she wrote.

In their Surrogate Court petition, the Giardinas and RCG claim that from June 30 to October 8 of 2022 a total of $197,400 was wired to Meringolo in five money transfers, two by Mrs. Giardina and three from RCG attorney Jeremy Iandolo. Iandolo, who was on the phone with Meringolo when he suffered a heart attack and died, told Gang Land in 2022 that the attorney gave him "wisdom and guidance" every day for the last seven months of his life. Yesterday, he declined to comment about his client's lawsuit.

Giardina, as the "Managing Member" of RCG, asserts that he "formally retained the services of the Decedent on November 4, 2022" to represent them in three state and federal lawsuits but "unfortunately Meringolo passed away" 12 days later and the petitioners were forced to pay three other firms a total of $295,000 to represent them in those cases.

Giardina claims that of the nearly $200,000 that Meringolo received, the lawyer provided legal services worth just $15,150, plus an "agreed upon fee" of $37,500 for a written appeal Meringolo made to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

"This action is necessary," the lawsuit states, because Kristen Meringolo, the administrator of the estate, has shown a "callous disregard for the legal principles of unjust enrichment" and rejected what the Giardinas state is a "generous and a sizeable offer" they made "to the Decedent's family" to resolve the matter amicably. The terms of the offer are not in the filing.

The lawsuit, Kristen Meringolo wrote, is an attempt by Giardina, his company, and his wife, "to leverage a tragedy for their own undue benefit because (my husband), prior to his passing, had not issued invoices through (his law firm) Meringolo & Associates, PC for his extensive and complicated legal work."

"For over four months, from June 30, 2022 up until the day of his tragic and unexpected passing on November 16, 2022," she wrote, he "worked tirelessly on behalf of RCG Advances and Robert Giardina."

"Phone records, email records, direct testimony and other evidence" will establish that her husband and his law firm "indisputably completed more than enough work on behalf of Mr. Giardina and RCG Advances to defeat a claim of unjust enrichment."

"At the present time," Mrs. Meringolo wrote in her July filing, she has located more than 600 emails in her husband's "records dated from June 2022 to November 2022 related to the representation of RCG and Robert Giardina." This alone indicates that "approximately 60 hours of work" were performed, she wrote. That "equates to roughly $57,000" based on his rate of $950 an hour.

"This does not take into account the frequent and lengthy phone calls and astronomical amount of text messages related to this representation that phone records are expected to reveal," she wrote. "Nor does it account for numerous virtual and in-person meetings."

Mrs. Meringolo added that Giardina was so grateful for the work that her husband provided that he commissioned a painting of the lawyer, his two sons, and his father. Meringolo died before the painting was completed, she said, but Giardina delivered the finished work to her at her husband's funeral in what she termed "a show of gratitude."

Mob-Tied Bloods Gangsta Gets 10 Years In Plot To Fly High With $2M In Drugs To Liverpool

Edwin (Money) Spears, a Newark NJ-based Bloods gangster with ties to three New York mob families has received 10 years in prison for an aborted plan to smuggle 25 pounds of cocaine and 500 pounds of marijuana that he and a cohort loaded onto a private jet at Teterboro Airport bound for John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, Gang Land has learned.

Spears has ties to the Luchese family that go back more than 15 years, his recent phone records also tie him to Bonanno and Gambino mobsters, the feds say. He was aboard the plane last November when he was arrested along with his drug partner and an exotic dancer they had paid to travel with them and claim that 13 bags of luggage belonged to her and a woman companion she was traveling with.

The plane was on the tarmac when customs agents boarded at 2:30 PM on November 16 and found the drugs with an estimated street value of about $2 million. The weed was in a dozen large suitcases, the coke in a small luggage bag, and 1000 cartridges of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a small cardboard box, according to a complaint by FBI agent Steven Olewnick.

Spears, 50, who boasted to a Luchese mobster years ago that he was a Five-Star general of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, received 121 months. That was the midpoint of his sentencing range, 14 months less than the maximum of 135 months that the feds had sought. But it was almost three years more than the sentence received by the architect of the caper, Leonardo Petrosillo, of Wayne, NJ.

Brooklyn Federal Judge Diane Gujarati sentenced Petrosillo, 46, to 87 months, the low end of his 87-108 sentence guideline. Like Spears, he received four years of post-prison supervised release.

Petrosillo had texted Spears about his access to a private jet they could use to transport the drugs to England. He is also alleged to have solicited Money to obtain a passenger with lots of "luggage" for the trip.

Prosecutors wrote that Petrosillo, who faced a maximum of 108 months, deserved "serious punishment" because he "played an integral role in planning" the crime by proposing the plan to smuggle pot from the U.S. to the United Kingdom. In June 2023, they told Gujarati, he texted Spears that he had "something that can make us big money fast" by bringing "landing flower [i.e., marijuana]" to "the UK."

"Find us clients that need transpo to uk and you and I will be wacking up $250-350 (a) pound," the text said. The prosecutors stated that Petrosillo ended his text with: "Oh and the client is welcome to fly with us on the PJ [i.e., private jet] and can have regular luggage for his paperwork (meaning he can fly clean on same the work is on)."

In photos on Spears's phone, Petrosillo is seen handling cocaine one day before the seizure as well ason the morning of the seizure, the prosecutors wrote. He and Money were seen in surveillance videos wheeling the bags of drugs into a nearby hotel, they wrote. Petrosillo also had three phony driver's licenses on him when he was arrested.

Leonardo Petrosillo unloading drugs at a hotel near Teterboro AirportSpears, through his assigned federal defender, sought a sentence at the same low end of Petrosillo's guidelines of 87 months to avoid a "disparate" prison term that "replicates racial disparities" that have been "observed in federal sentencing." The lawyer noted that "Spears, who is Black, faces Guidelines 34 months higher than Petrosillo, who is white," and argued that Spears should not face a harsher sentence than Petrosillo who was "more culpable" than Spears for the crime they committed.

Prosecutors countered that "argument is meritless." They wrote that "Spears acknowledges he has a significantly more serious criminal history than Petrosillo," one that dates "back to 1992." They wrote that Spears's "cellphones show that he had extensive involvement with guns and drugs over a period of years before his arrest in this case" and that he warrants a sentence above the one "calculated for Petrosillo."

To back up their claim, the feds submitted pictures of several pictures of guns, including automatic rifles and a silencer-equipped handgun, and stashes of cocaine found on Spears’ phone. They wrote that in 2010, Spears was charged with working with Luchese mobsters "to bring heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and prepaid cellphones into the prison" where he was confined.

Prosecutors wrote that Money Spears has convictions in that case and also for attempted burglary in 2011 and possession of stolen property in 2020, and deserves a prison term within his agreed-upon sentencing guidelines of 108 to 135 months. They noted that his "applicable guidelines" should be 121-to-151 months, but the feds had overlooked convictions after the 2010 case.

In the 2010 case, according to an affidavit filed in New Jersey Superior Court, Spears was the point man inside the East Jersey State Prison who arranged the sale of the drugs and the phones which were supplied by the mobsters and smuggled into the facility by a guard.

The inmate-customers then arranged to have friends on the outside send money to two girlfriends of Money Spears, who passed the cash they received to Luchese mobster Joseph Perna and his cronies, according to the affidavit.

In a July 16, 2007 conversation with Perna, Spears told the mobster to make sure he mentioned Money's rank as a Five-Star General with the Bloods when he went to speak to a Spears associate about a dispute the crime family was having with the Bloods over a shakedown of "an Italian guy" in Bloomfield.

"Alright, listen, when you meet him," said Spears, "tell him I'm your brother, first of all you know, say, and tell him . . . I'm on the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, you know what I'm saying. My Big Homies is Red Eye and-and-and-and Frank White from New York, Red Eye (from) New Jersey and Frank White from New York."

JP: Okay.
ES: You got it?
JP: Uh-huh.
ES: I got Five Star on the Nine Trey.
JP: Five Star on the Nine Trey.
ES: Yeah. And I'm under Red Eye in Jersey and Frank White in New York.

Today, Money Spears is under lock and key at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting assignment to a federal prison to continue serving his 121-month sentence.

Mob Honchos Still Hanging Tough In $5 Million Construction Industry Ripoff Scheme

A mob-connected contractor charged in the huge 22-month-old labor racketeering case with conspiring with Genovese and Gambino mobsters to steal $5 million from builders of dozens of Manhattan high-rise apartments and hotels copped a plea deal this week. But the main defendants are still hanging tough.

Gambino capo Frank Camuso, his cronies, as well as Richard (Rusty) Baselice, the central figure in the bid-rigging and kickback scheme, and most of the 12 remaining defendants, are scheduled to attend a status conference tomorrow before Supreme Court Justice Miriam Best, who still has some pre-trial motions to decide in the monster case.

Genovese soldier Chris Chierchio, who is serving five years for racketeering in a federal prison in Danbury, may be close to resolving his case, based on a two-week adjournment that he received yesterday that will enable him to attend his next status conference before Judge Best.

If it were a routine session for him, his attorney, Thomas Harvey, who declined to discuss the case yesterday, would have waived his client's appearance at tomorrow's session. Since he didn't, it's likely that Chierchio is coming back to town in an effort to resolve his case, hopefully the same way his codefendant Solomon Feder did this week.

Feder, 38, and his company, Big Apple Designers, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring with Baselice to obtain $7 million in subcontracting work for his drywall and carpentry business and steal $660,000 from one of the developers the schemers targeted between 2013 and 2021. Feder was promised a sentence of five years probation.

Chierchio, and his plumbing company RCI PLBG Inc., received $13 million in subcontracts from Baselice and teamed up with him to steal $300,000 from a developer, according to court records. At Baselice's direction, the wiseguy allegedly funneled $175,000 in kickbacks to companies owned by others, including Camuso.

Camuso, the Staten Island skipper fighting his first case in a long career, allegedly received $750,000 in kickbacks from five companies owned and operated by Camuso crew members, soldier Louis Astuto and mob associate Paul Noto. That money was deposited in accounts of three companies that Camuso controlled, according to prosecutors.

All the defendants — other than Chierchio — are free without bail as they await trial in the case. They were released without bail when they were arrested in January of 2023.

[Wiseguy]

Spears has ties to the Luchese family that go back more than 15 years, his recent phone records also tie him to Bonanno and Gambino mobsters, the feds say.

The guy gets around.

[TommyGambino]

Thanks for posting. So the Traina crew is westchester based. Good GL

[Tonyd621]

There has to be more financially lucrative crimes to commit here in the states, no? Traveling internationally to transport some coke and weed seems like a reach. Then again Spears seems like the type of guy that is almost thrilled when he gets arrested with some guys who have vowels in their name.

[OcSleeper]

Thanks for posting.

Shame there was no word on if Petrosillo was connected or what Bonanno and Gambino ties Spears has.

[Louis_Brasi]

Anyone have more info on how Nine-Trey is structured? Seems from that convo between Spears and Perna that they’re pretty tightly organized.

[Tonyd621]

Anyone have more info on how Nine-Trey is structured? Seems from that convo between Spears and Perna that they’re pretty tightly organized.

I think you are giving this guy too much credit. What from that convo would give you that idea?

[TallGuy19]

Anyone have more info on how Nine-Trey is structured? Seems from that convo between Spears and Perna that they’re pretty tightly organized.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Nine Trey Gangsters’ leadership proceeds in rank, from lowest to highest, from “Scrap,” “1-Star General” through “5-Star General,” “Low,” “High,” and “Godfather.”

https://www.legistorm.com/stormfeed/vie ... iracy.html

[CabriniGreen]

There has to be more financially lucrative crimes to commit here in the states, no? Traveling internationally to transport some coke and weed seems like a reach. Then again Spears seems like the type of guy that is almost thrilled when he gets arrested with some guys who have vowels in their name.

Lol. They say it was the Italian guys idea. Why are they trying to smuggle like, a load of drugs that seem fit for somewhere like Maryland to the UK of all places?
That's too small a load for the risk.....with no subterfuge beyond rich privilege? Silly stuff....

And what is the deal with private planes exactly?
Is the expectation for a search thst low? I'm too broke to know how thst shit works. If it's that easy, why arnt cartels and terrorist just chartering planes by the dozen? Or are they?


Also, it's funny how so many assume gangs don't maintain ranks and hierarchies.

[OcSleeper]

There's been an uptick in trafficking from North America to elsewhere due to low prices caused by high supply right now. 500lbs of weed and 27lbs of coke isn't exactly a small supply.

[CabriniGreen]

There's been an uptick in trafficking from North America to elsewhere due to low prices caused by high supply right now. 500lbs of weed and 27lbs of coke isn't exactly a small supply.

International trafficking of weed is just silly. It's too bulky. Why do you think the cartels shifted to producing it here instead of trying to push it across the border?

And that's what....10 kilos of coke? That they probably bought wholesale in NY? It's really that much cheaper to buy in NY wholesale than going through the Albanians who source it direct from Colombia??

[CabriniGreen]

There's been an uptick in trafficking from North America to elsewhere due to low prices caused by high supply right now. 500lbs of weed and 27lbs of coke isn't exactly a small supply.

International trafficking of weed is just silly. It's too bulky. Why do you think the cartels shifted to producing it here instead of trying to push it across the border?

And that's what....10 kilos of coke? That they probably bought wholesale in NY? It's really that much cheaper to buy in NY wholesale than going through the Albanians who source it direct from Colombia??

I've never heard of Amsterdam to NY bulk loads of weed. So yeah, it's a little weird to me to see international loads of illegal weed. Hash I could see.....

[Blunts]

"Cali" weed aka any american weed sells for stupid money in the UK atm. They package it up in to shiny packs and charge 50-100 GBP for an 8th. The profit margins are massive right now. Mail order is killing it right now.

Markets change. These guys were exploiting the private jet loopholes hoping to get easy security. They would have made decent amount out of that believe it or not. Don't believe me check youtube for UK infuencers reviewing Cali stuff.

How you think it gets there?

[Blunts]

While you are at it check Amsterdam coffee shop prices for "Cali" per gram. The margins are huge. You just are out of touch of that market. The reason the cartels set up in the US has fuck all to do with the EU / UK drug market.

[CabriniGreen]

While you are at it check Amsterdam coffee shop prices for "Cali" per gram. The margins are huge. You just are out of touch of that market. The reason the cartels set up in the US has fuck all to do with the EU / UK drug market.

You not really understanding me.

I had to go reread it...make sure...

Those amounts of drugs to me are DISTRIBUTION amounts, not really supply amounts. So their plan was to go to the UK, like by themselves.....break this shit down to GRAMS, and move it in the streets? No....my guy. They say in the article that they wanted to SPLIT between 250- 350 a pound in profit. So wholesaling, not retailing. But to me, they could make similar or the same money sending this same load to fucking Philly, or Boston, or Baltimoe or Charlotte. And just drive it there, with way less risk. This is the weird part to me......

Was this supposed to be a one off or regular thing, because what you would need isn't so much the plane, as a guy to gurantee it gets in on the other side. You need an in at an Airport, Customs, ( in Canada they call it an open door, a reliable means of import...)I'm not sure how it all works over there. What was the plan for THAT? Just put it on private planes? Whats the loophole? The article has them depending on 2 fucking strippers, and hoping the authorities believe these broads have an endless array of purses and thongs? Like...what?

And bro no one's outta touch. Like... I GROW WEED, lol. Lots of that weed is just fancy bags and jars. They can grow the same weed in warehouses and greenhouses as over here. Again, it's why I'm so miffed.......

You acting like I never heard of Strainhunters...lol

I was buying tickets of Arjans Haze 15 years ago my guy.....the fuck are they paying 30 a gram in 2024 for? They don't like Hash no more?

Dispensaries can't even really get away with that anymore.....