Gangland news 6th July 2017

[Hailbritain]

By Jerry Capeci

Undercover G-Man Raked In A Cool $2 million For Uncle Sam In 5-Family Sting

Gang Land Exclusive!Eugene O'NofrioA huge black cloud still hangs over three FBI agents and mob associate John (J.R.) Rubeo, the turncoat the feds used in the blockbuster racketeering indictment last year of 46 defendants with ties to five crime families. But if the case is marred by mistakes by a few agents and their confidential informant, the work of an undercover G-Man in the same investigation was a thing of beauty, FBI documents obtained by Gang Land show.

The records indicate that the agent raked in $2 million in cold cash from wiseguys and others he stung while wearing a wire as he picked up valuable intelligence about the powerful Genovese crime family's interests in extortion, loansharking and gambling. Posing as an old Rubeo high-school buddy, the undercover agent served as a driver for capo Eugene (Rooster) O'Nofrio, a choice mob job that allowed the agent to sell hundreds of cases of "untaxed cigarettes" that the FBI had passed off as stolen.

John RubeoAt the same time, sources say, the undercover agent — using the name "Jeff" — gave $1000 "tributes" to O'Nofrio, exchanged Christmas presents with him, and identified many wiseguys Rooster met with over the years. He also attended the 2015 wake of John (Cha Cha) Ciarcia, a legendary Mulberry Street figure known as the "Mayor of Little Italy." The agent also tape recorded O'Nofrio identifying Ciarcia as a Genovese family associate.

In addition to the $2 million that Jeff turned over to Uncle Sam from 2013 to 2016 — the feds are also slated to collect another $800,000 from 16 defendants they charged with buttlegging. The forfeitures are part of sweet guilty pleas copped by the 16 defendants after the feds disclosed that the FBI was probing the dealings that two "case agents" and an FBI supervisor had with Rubeo during the five years he wore a wire.

Cha Cha CiarciaExcept for major targets like capo Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello who were also charged with violent activities, or other gangsters who were hit with extortion or loansharking charges, the overwhelming majority of the 16 defendants face less than a year in prison, and could receive probation.

But law enforcement sources say the lenient plea deals don't diminish the work the agent did while driving the Connecticut-based O'Nofrio to wiseguy meetings all over town, even though the agent was not privy to many discussions Rooster had with his fellow mobsters.

Sources told Gang Land that Jeff and O'Nofrio attended the first night of the two-day-wake at the youth center at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral at 268 Mulberry Street, a block away from the popular restaurant and pastry shop he owned, Cha Cha's In Bocca Al Lupo Café.

Pasquale ParrelloThe short and stocky Ciarcia, who appeared in Goodfellas and played a New York consigliere in the last season of The Sopranos, was a pal of Tony Danza, Martin Scorcese, Robert DeNiro and Danny DeVito, and was a staple each year at the San Gennaro Festival.

Sources say that O'Nofrio was tape recorded telling "Jeff" that Ciarcia, whose Mulberry Street café is on the route of the annual religious procession of the statue of San Gennaro at the feast, "was involved in everything with the feast" and that Cha Cha's death would enable him to assume control of the feast.

Ciarcia has never been implicated in any wrongdoing in connection with the feast, which authorities insist is no longer controlled by the Genovese crime family, as it allegedly was for the first 70 years of its existence.

Ciro PerroneSources say that after Rubeo vouched for him, "Jeff" told O'Nofrio that he had been doing his "own thing" and was "not around anybody." Rooster then agreed to use him as his everyday driver and to handle bookmaking chores. Slowly but surely, "Jeff," who in the words of one source "looked more like an ex-military guy from Idaho than a street guy," was able to finger gangsters O'Nofrio met with on Mulberry Street, at a rest stop in Darien, Connecticut, in Springfield, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.

Sources say that some of those ID'd by "Jeff" are among the 45 who were arrested last August, but others are targets of a continuing investigation into insurance fraud, money laundering, and other crimes.

The sources declined to identify any of the suspects but told Gang Land they include Gambino soldiers whom O'Nofrio met with in Brooklyn in 2015, and Genovese and Luchese wiseguys he met with frequently in 2014, 2015, and 2016 in South Ozone Park, Queens, at Don Peppe, an Italian eatery that has long been a favored dining spot for Genovese mobsters.

Harold ThomasThe sources say that the dinner discussions he recorded at Don Peppe, where the FBI bugged a big round table back in 2004 that the late Genovese soldier Ciro Perrone used to conduct his business, were "pretty general in nature." But with "Jeff's" help, said one law enforcement source, the FBI was able to identify cohorts Rooster met with "privately either at the restaurant or outside."

Sources say "Jeff" also enabled the FBI to identify several wiseguys, and the phone numbers they used to speak to O'Nofrio about crime family business. That break came after O'Nofrio told Jeff that he used "one-on-one" cellphones to discuss family business with key associates and instructed him to buy one for exclusive use with him, explaining that he would do the same.

Sounds pretty clever, but sources say there were several problems with his plan. "I got nine phones," Rooster said one day. That was too many phones to commit to memory and he had to write some names and numbers down, which Jeff spotted. O'Nofrio would also use his main phone to call Jeff and others and tell them to call him on the "one-on-one" phone.

Agostino CamachoEventually, the FBI winnowed down 11 phone numbers he called on his main phone to identify three of them as numbers for gangsters they classified as "major targets," sources say.

One not-so-lucky cigarette buttlegger "Jeff" snared is a longtime Luchese family associate named Harold (Harry) Thomas. Thomas, a tough-old-school gangster from the Bronx who paid Jeff about $70,000 for 20 separate purchases of untaxed smokes, agreed to forfeit about $157,000 as part of his plea agreement.

Thomas, 71, was also hit with loansharking charges for several loans he gave codefendants in the case, as well as for several $20,000 loans that he gave Jeff when the undercover G-man told Thomas he was "having cash-flow" problems.

Thomas got a very sweet probation deal last year for state racketeering charges that were lodged against him back in 2009 by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, the last year of Robert Morgenthau's 35-year-reign as Manhattan DA, charges that were not resolved until last November.

While he was free on bail in the state case, Thomas was tape-recorded threatening to grab his gun out of his car and shoot a deadbeat codefendant — and fellow untaxed cigarettes dealer, Agostino (Augie) Camacho — to death. He faces 24 to 30 months when he is sentenced later this year.

Robert MorgenthauMeanwhile, O'Nofrio, 75, is one of six remaining defendants whose cases are still pending. In a filing last month, his lawyer stated that his client intends to contest the charges at trial, which Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Sullivan has scheduled to begin on September 5.

But government as well as defense sources say that Rooster, a longtime gangster who has done time before and views time behind bars as a price of being a made man, is likely to agree to a plea deal. The pending cases against four others are also expected to be resolved.

Sources on both sides of the law, however, agree that Philadelphia mob Boss Josph (Skinny Joey) Merlino, who rejected a two-year deal in May, is very likely to take his chances at trial. Merlino, 55, has also spent years behind bars, but has never copped a plea deal.

The Rooster Wants Nothing To Do with Skinny Joey

Joseph MerlinoGenovese capo Eugene (Rooster) Onofrio was all smiles as he posed for a picture with Philadelphia mob Boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino when the two wiseguys met for the first time at a Christmas party at Pasquale's Rigoletto, the Bronx eatery owned by mobster Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello.

During that gala affair, one member of the trio actually "joked that the photo was going to get them arrested," according to a law enforcement source who is familiar with events of that evening in December of 2014.

But these days, Onofrio wants nothing to do with Merlino. Rooster fears that federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who so far haven't mentioned any alleged murders or violence Merlino has been charged with over the years, may decide to do so at trial. That might not be in codefendant Rooster's best interests.

Onofrio's court-appointed attorney, Thomas Nooter, made that somewhat surprising claim in a court filing with Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Sullivan that seeks to sever his client's trial from Merlino. Nooter based his motion not on any article in the Law Journal, but one in Wikipedia that details "alleged homicides" by Merlino that do not pertain to his client and could prejudice him.

Thomas NooterHis client would "suffer prejudice," wrote Nooter, if he sat alongside Merlino since "it is likely that the government will attempt to introduce highly prejudicial evidence" that Merlino is alleged in a Wikipedia article "to have been involved in many criminal activities including possibly as many as eleven attempted homicides or attempted homicides."

But while Rooster doesn't want to sit alongside Skinny Joey at trial, attorney Nooter does think Merlino's lawyers did a nice job in their recent pre-trial filings with Sullivan. Onofrio, wrote Nooter, "relies entirely on the arguments articulated in (Merlino's) motion papers with respect to the motion to dismiss and the motion to preclude or suppress evidence" based on alleged government misconduct during the investigation.

In their papers, Merlino's attorneys, Edwin Jacobs of Atlantic City, and John Meringolo, of Manhattan, also asked Judge Sullivan to turn over two highly unusual ex-parte reports of the FBI's internal investigation that the agency submitted to the Judge, without providing a copy to defense lawyers or government prosecutors.

Richard SullivanIn a two page letter to Sullivan, the attorneys asserted that the FBI reports "may have extraordinary consequences for Mr. Merlino's case" and he wants those reports so he can decide whether to call the FBI agents who are "subjects" of the reports as witnesses at trial.

Sullivan hasn't ruled on Merlino's request, but he has ordered the government and the FBI to explain their legal reasoning for their joint decision to have the FBI inform the court about its internal investigation without telling the defense, or the U.S. Attorney's office.

In addition to filing pre-trial motions based on Wikipedia and the legal briefs filed by Merlino's attorneys, lawyer Nooter did do some independent research. He corrected government misinformation that has made its way into numerous court filings as well as Gang Land, that we have corrected beginning with this item.

"My client's true name," wrote Nooter, "is 'Eugene Onofrio,' [no apostrophe]."

Ask Andy: All in the Family

Andy PetepieceOver the last decade, Montreal has become the Mafia murder capital of North America as various underworld factions battle to take over the mantel long held by the Rizzuto clan, which declared its independence from New York's Bonanno family a few years earlier.

In the carnage, Vito Rizzuto's son, father, brother-in-law, and other close associates were eliminated along with many rivals whose murders are believed to have been committed by Rizzuto loyalists. Vito's revenge continues even after his death of natural causes in 2013.

Historically, a Cosa Nostra coup often leads to the demise not only of the main target but other male family members as well.

On July 29, 1932, the Volpe brothers, John, James and Arthur, were following their regular routine of hanging out in the Roma Coffee Shop in Pittsburgh. Suddenly, three armed men entered and in a barrage of bullets killed all three. It didn't take long for the fingers to be pointed at boss John Bazzone.

Bazzano had gotten the top slot in the family after his predecessor, Joe Siragusa, was murdered a year earlier. No evidence linked Bazzano to the Siragusa hit, but as his successor, Bazzone was the prime suspect. The same suspicions apply to the Volpe killings. It is highly unlikely that such a major event would take place without approval by the boss. Throw in the fact that the coffee shop where the killings took place was owned by Bazzano, and the prime suspect is the only suspect.

Vito RizzutoThe law couldn't touch him. But Vito Genovese, who was outraged at the murder of his friends, the Volpes, could and did. Genovese not only tabbed Bazzone for the killings, he strongly suspected that three leaders of the Gambino family had supported Bazzano in the massacre. The Gambino trio denied any knowledge or involvement at a sitdown, but fearful of Genovese, they called Bazzone in to determine the facts, perhaps as a ploy to cover up their participation. That didn't go well for Bazzone for he ended up in a sack in Brooklyn with 20 stab wounds and a rope still tied around his neck. The Volpes were avenged and Genovese appeased.

A few years earlier, in the late 1920s, Joe Lonardo, the boss of the Cleveland crime family, was supported by a number of brothers. Their supposed allies were the Porello family and Sam Todaro.

On October 13, 1927, Joe Lonardo and his brother John were lured to the Porello barbershop where they were ambushed and killed. Sam Todaro was believed to be the chief instigator of the coup. Two years later, Joe Lonardo's son gained revenge by gunning down Todaro. The Todaro group retaliated a few months later, whacking Frank Lonardo, brother of the dead Joe and John.

With Todaro's death, the Porello family, became the top dogs. Oldest brother Joe became the new boss and "owner" of the lucrative corn sugar "franchise." (During Prohition, corn sugar was a key ingredient in the illegal alcohol trade.) Unfortunately for the Porellos, another powerful group also had ambitions for the Cleveland throne.

Vincent ManganoOn July 5, 1930, boss Joe Porello and an aide, were murdered in the Venetian restaurant owned by Frank Milano, a future Cleveland power. A few weeks later, brother Jim Porello was gunned down followed. Brothers Raymond and Rosario Porello were killed in February of 1931. The Porellos were done.

Similar fates befell other sets of Mafia brothers in the world of Cosa Nostra. Back in 1913, the Adamo brothers of Detroit, Vito and Salvatore, were killed by rivals. In Chicago a few of the Genna brothers, Angelo, Mike and Tony, went down violently in 1925. In the spring of 1951, Vincent Mangano, boss of the Gambino family disappeared, and his brother Philip's body was found in the weeds.

The bottom line: If a mob guy has a target on his back, it's time for his male relatives, to get the hell out of town.

[Wiseguy]

Albie

and that Cha Cha's death would enable him to assume control of the feast.

"I agree in spirit but I gotta counsel."

Rooster then agreed to use him as his everyday driver and to handle bookmaking chores.

"Where'd you start?"

His client would "suffer prejudice," wrote Nooter, if he sat alongside Merlino

"Could've been worse. He could have flipped."

In the carnage, Vito Rizzuto's son, father, brother-in-law, and other close associates were eliminated

"Take out an entire fucking family?"

[BobbyPazzo]

Lmao @wiseguy

[gohnjotti]

Interesting column this week. Good work Jerry.

[Cheech]

I wonder if that picture ever comes out.

patsy skinny rooster

[Rocco]

nothing about Prisco still. I suppose he doesn't know yet...

[Fughedaboutit]

nothing about Prisco still. I suppose he doesn't know yet...

Damn you guys cant cut Jerry any slack

First you want every article to be filled with inside information

on the other hand you want him to mention everything immediately lol

Poor Capeci

[SonnyBlackstein]

Good post, thanks HB.

Still cannot believe Skinny wants to go to trial.

[Fughedaboutit]

Good post, thanks HB.

Still cannot believe Skinny wants to go to trial.

When has he ever not?

Plus he has a great shot at winning

[Garbageman]

That Genovese case has crumbled. Everybody but, what, two? Are getting under a year. For all that work undercover and with a shitty CW and handlers lol

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Chucky]

Good post, thanks HB.

Still cannot believe Skinny wants to go to trial.

Because that case has falling apart for months, and based off the plea offers being offered to Merlino, the feds aren't very confidant in it. Anastasia, Capeci, and Schratwieser all hint at charges potentially being dropped once the trial gets closer.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Plus he has a great shot at winning

Sure. But 'winning' vs 'losing' is a one sided equation.
Plea = 12 months
'Win' = Zero months
'Lose' = Ass fucked and probably 20yrs.

Still want to go to trial with 'a good chance'?

[Chucky]

He's not getting 20 years, this case is a mess. Also remember, Jacobs & Meringolo want this to go to trial too, and they're not dummies.

[SonnyBlackstein]

He's not getting 20 years, this case is a mess. Also remember, Jacobs & Meringolo want this to go to trial too, and they're not dummies.

If he loses, and remember there was not only a CI but a FED undercover, the judge will fuck him.
Remember BF Guerra? Little Dino Saracino?
Both skated on murder charges but got done on racketeering and the judge through the book.
One was an associate the other a soldier.
This is a boss.
And you don't think if he's done the judge will fuck him?

And his counsel will be go to trial regardless. They're hardly publically going to say Joey should take the deal because he's guilty as fuck, we have zero idea what they're counselling him behind closed doors. They might be blue in the face screaming at him to take the deal. There's no accounting for joeys ego.
They also get a fuck load more money taking it to trial. And if they can squeeze Joey for another 250k with a good chance at winning, that's more than plausible. They're not exactly objective observers.

[Chucky]

You're comparing two cases that aren't even remotely related. Saracino was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. More importantly in Saracino's case was Joe Scopo's murder was part of the racketeeting conspiracy that Saracino was found guilty of since that finding was "supported by trial testimony" (this is from gangland). Merlino's case is light years different, and not nearly as strong, it's not worth comparing. Also, based off of Capeci's article the undercover fed, "Jeff" was working solely for Onofrio, and there doesn't seem to be anything to suggest he had any dealings with Merlino.