Gambino member wanted in Italy

[Dellacroce]

Italy pursues alleged New York mobster for extortion

Thursday, December 11, 2014 3:26 a.m. CST
By Steve Scherer

ROME (Reuters) - U.S. police, acting at the request of an Italian court, have arrested a New York City man authorities identify as a member of the Gambino mob family for extortion, Italian officials said on Thursday.

A court in the southern Italian city of Potenza ordered the arrest of Francesco Palmeri, 61, and seven others for trying to extort 1 million euros ($1.23 million) from an Italian businessman, according to the arrest warrant seen by Reuters.

Italian mafia groups like the Sicilian Cosa Nostra or the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta have traditionally worked actively with their American cousins but arrests have slowed since the heyday of trans-Atlantic mob cooperation in the 1980s.

"This demonstrates the international reach of the 'Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra and their still-strong ties with the historic New York mob families," Andrea Grassi, an investigator for SCO, an Italian anti-mafia police unit, told Reuters.

U.S. enforcement collaborated with the SCO in the trans-Atlantic sting. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York issued an arrest warrant to allow Italy to seek his extradition, an Italian official said. He confirmed on Thursday the arrest had taken place overnight.

Sicilian-born Palmeri is considered a leading member of one of New York's most powerful mob families, the Gambinos, the arrest warrant says, citing the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The rare case of attempted international extortion emerged during a separate investigation into a trans-Atlantic drug smuggling and money laundering ring that involved members of the 'Ndrangheta and the Gambinos.

Palmeri made two separate trips to Italy in 2013 to put pressure on the owner of a southern Italian company that plans and installs electrical systems for oil platforms. The business owner also received a series of letters from "friends in Brooklyn" asking him for money, according to the warrant.

The Italian businessman was strong-armed about a loan he was given in the 1980s, the warrant says, which police said likely came from international drug traffickers connected to deceased New York mobster Cesare Bonventre, who was born in the same Sicilian town as Palmeri, Castellamare del Golfo.

Bonventre, known as "The Tall Guy", was a high-ranking member of another New York crime family, the Bonannos, before being murdered during an internal power struggle in 1984.

The maximum sentence for criminal conspiracy to commit international extortion aggravated by mafia membership is about 20 years, investigators said.

http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2014/dec/ ... extortion/

[Dellacroce]

Looks like a follow up to operation new bridge from earlier this year. Also there are some italian articles posted on the other site that claim this Francesco Palmeri is in the Gambino administration.

[HairyKnuckles]

Another article claims Francesco Palmeri is the number three guy. That would make him the consigliere.

How stupid are these guys anyway? In connection with this investigation is a man, arrested last year in Bogota for international drug trafficking. In this day and age, what the heck make these guys think that they can get away with stuff like that? If Cefalu is involved with all this, he is nothing but an delusional motherfuck who thinks this is 1975.

This Cheech is apparently born in Castellammare del Golfo.

[Pogo The Clown]

Good find guy's. Would be interesting if this guy is the new Consiglieri. That would make another Zip in the Gambino administration.


Pogo

[B.]

If he is from Castellammare that is very interesting. JD was asking a while back if there are any non-Bonanno members aside from the Saracinos and Calabro who are from Castellammare and this appears to be one.

What gets me is the bit about the loan from Cesare Bonventre. They are trying to collect on a loan connected to a dead guy from 30+ years ago?

[Wiseguy]

7 others also arrested - 2 in the U.S. and 5 in Italy. This article labels him the underboss. I would like to see something official, either from U.S. or Italian authorities, regarding his position.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/g ... -1.2041477

[johnny_scootch]

The Italians labeled him Underboss but I believe this is false. He may be a high ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia living in NYC.

[Chucky]

The Italians labeled him Underboss but I believe this is false. He may be a high ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia living in NYC.

It specifically says he's a Gambino member. I guess this is a guy you don't have a scoop on, Barzini?

[B.]

The more I look at him, the more familiar he looks. I thought I might find him in the Bono wedding photos but I didn't see him in any of the ones Felice had posted some years back. Anyone else feel like they've seen him in surveillance photos or anything?

[rayray]

The more I look at him, the more familiar he looks. I thought I might find him in the Bono wedding photos but I didn't see him in any of the ones Felice had posted some years back. Anyone else feel like they've seen him in surveillance photos or anything?

Yea, he reminds me of Norm from Cheers

[B.]

Well a guy who looks almost identical to the father from Family Ties was at the Bono wedding, so maybe there's a connection there, ha...

I wonder if this guy is the main go-between for the Gambinos and the Sicilian mafia. Perhaps he doesn't have a formal position in the hierarchy, but due to a "messagrio" type position might command some status.

[Rocco]

The more I look at him, the more familiar he looks. I thought I might find him in the Bono wedding photos but I didn't see him in any of the ones Felice had posted some years back. Anyone else feel like they've seen him in surveillance photos or anything?

That would make sense since he had to be in someway tied to Zip Bonnano crew of the 80s.......

[123JoeSchmo]

The more I look at him, the more familiar he looks. I thought I might find him in the Bono wedding photos but I didn't see him in any of the ones Felice had posted some years back. Anyone else feel like they've seen him in surveillance photos or anything?

Yea, he reminds me of Norm from Cheers

Afternoon Everybody!

Norm!.png