Gangland News 8/6/20

[mafiastudent]

He Flunked College Basketball Fixing 101, But He Looks To Hang Up A Shingle In A Few Years

Gang Land Exclusive!Benjamin BifalcoBenjamin Bifalco graduated from Wagner College on Staten Island last year and soon landed a job working for local Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakos. His major was Finance, and he had minors in Government and Political Science. But he did his most intense research for a senior project at which he failed miserably: attempting to fix an NCAA college basketball game involving his own college team. For this, he is now facing up to six months in prison.

In February, Bifalco, 25, pleaded guilty to attempted sports bribery involving a basketball game between two unidentified Division 1 schools. This unusual criminal act got widespread publicity. But the schools involved and the game he sought to fix were not identified.

Now, Gang Land has learned that the contest in question was a December 16, 2018 game that the Wagner Seahawks and the heavily favored St. John's University Red Storm played at the Johnnies' home court at Carnesecca Arena in Queens. And conversations intercepted by the feds show how hard Bifalco was working to ice the deal.

In a tape recorded talk four days before the game, Bifalco told his childhood friend, mob associate Joseph Amato Jr., that he had been dreaming about fixing a basketball game since freshman year, Gang Land has learned. He also told Amato that he'd already paid $7500 to three Seahawks starters he'd known since they were freshmen, and that he was going to bet $50,000 on the game.

Joseph Amato Jr.During the discussion, Bifalco told Amato that his cash outlay was half of what he had promised the players if they agreed to lose the game by more than 20 points. When he won his bet, he said, "I'll give them the other half each. They each got $2500, and I'll give them the rest of the money when it's done with," he said, according to a transcript of the talk obtained by Gang Land.

Amato knows a little about sports betting — he's charged with several illegal gambling counts in a related 16-defendant case — and human nature too. He asked his college buddy with a touch of sarcasm if he was sure the players would deliver "because everyone is really personable and everyone will tell you the truth?"

"No," Bifalco stated seven times. "They're my fucking boys since fucking freshman year and we've always talked it," he said, explaining that in their early years at the small liberal arts Staten Island college, the team was so bad "there was never an opportunity because Wagner never had a spread (betting line)" on its games.

Amato, one of five defendants charged with racketeering in a related Brooklyn Federal Court case — his mobster father Joseph Sr., a Colombo capo, mobsters Thomas (The Plumber) Scorcia, Daniel (The Wig) Capaldo, and associate Angelo (Bugz) Silvestro are the others — also wondered where Bifalco got "50K to bet on a game?"

Daniel CapaldoHe was still "trying to figure out" where to get the cash to bet, Bifalco replied. And in an apparent effort to convince his friend to front it to him, he explained that he did "research on like how to throw a game" and knew what he was doing. "You have to get at least two people who touch the ball for more than 30 minutes in the game," he stated, and decided that "just to make myself safe" he would "get three people that touch the ball more than 30 minutes in the game."

Bifalco stated that he had told his number one Seahawk that he needed him to "get me two people that play more than 30" because they have "the biggest impact on the game, so he called them down to his dorm room, and we fucking met, and we talked and they were like yo," he said.

"Let me explain the scenario," Bifalco continued. "Wagner is 4 and 4; that's their record. They're playing St. John's. St. John's is 9 and 0. I said, 'If you guys lose by one point or you guys lose by 100, it don't make a fucking difference, you're gonna lose to St. John's.' They're fucking unbelievable this year and they might even make the (so-called March Madness) tournament."

"Wagner versus St. John's?" asked Amato, who likely didn't believe what he was hearing from his college buddy.

Joseph Amato Jr. & Senior"Yeah," said Bifalco. "St. John's is home, so this is why it's gonna work," he said: "They're gonna have the refs on their side already. Wagner's team sucks. They honestly suck. So, if we can have three people that impact the game the most, miss free throws, bring the shot clock down to one (second) before every shot, control the pace of the game, so it's not high scoring."

The betting line ended up at 17, a few points less than 20, but since Bifalco needed Wagner to lose by a lot of points it would seem to make more sense for his charges to shoot quickly — and also miss, of course — when they got the ball so St. Johns would have more chances to run up the score. But Bifalco was thinking out of the box.

"To hedge myself," he said, "I'm gonna take St. John's spread, and I'm gonna take the under," or bet that the two teams would score less than the "over and under number" which was 148. "I told them, 'I need you guys to score the least as possible.' They were like, yo. They were like, 'You have our word, we are going to do everything in our fucking possibility to do this.'"

"What if they screw you over?" asked Amato

"No, they're not like that bro. You, could even come and meet them with me," he replied. "I'm snapping them back and forth; they're snapping me right now, they're like 'Yo, we're honestly gonna do everything we fucking can,'" he said, indicating they were texting each other using Snapchat, a favored multimedia app that their generation — not Gang Land's — uses to communicate.

On game day, a couple hours before "tip-off," Bifalco called Amato and said that all systems were go and that he had "personally" bet $17,500 on the game. But he was "worried" that one, or maybe two of his players might "foul out." That was "not going to be fucking good," he said, but he was confident he'd still win his bet and be able to "put a down payment on a house."

Amato didn't answer Bifalco when he told his gangster buddy that he didn't "think" Amato had the "power" to make a big wager "this quick." Amato also didn't repeat what he had told Scorcia about the game a day earlier.

Thomas Scorcia"I wouldn't trust the game," he had informed The Plumber. "I'm not touching it personally."

As it turned out, according to court records, Bifalco, didn't pay off any of the Wagner Seahawks, and didn't wager any money on the game, either. That was perhaps the best thing about his hare-brained scheme. That's because St. John's, after leading by only a single point at halftime, went on to win easily, 73-58, but not by enough to cover the high-priced, 17-point spread. He did have the right idea about betting the under, though.

But, as Bifalco told Judge I. Leo Glasser when he pleaded guilty to attempted sports bribery, he researched "gambling point spreads from legal gambling websites," and he did "communicate through Snapchat" and "offered a sum of money to a player to lose by a certain amount of points," but when "the player refused to accept the money, nothing further was done."

"Had you actually made an offer of payment to this basketball player?" asked Glasser.
"Yes, your Honor," Bifalco replied.
"Was there somebody else involved in the scheme?"
"No, your Honor."
"It was just you and the basketball player?"
"Yes, your honor."

Judeg I Leo GlasserDuring his questioning, Bifalco, who was fired by Mallitakos on the day he was indicted, told Glasser he was interested in becoming an attorney. He had recently taken his first LSAT test for admission into law school, he said, and was hoping to attend Brooklyn Law School, which has turned out quite a few highly regarded members of the bar in its 119 year history.

There's no indication that Bifalco researched this one, but as it happens, one of those star grads of Brooklyn Law is the man sitting in judgment of him. Back in 1948, five years after he had earned a bachelor's degree from City College, and three years after he served as an U.S. Army technician in World War II and saw action in Germany and France, the Honorable I. Leo Glasser earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Brooklyn Law School.

It is also where Glasser was a Professor of Law from 1948 to 1967, and where he served as the school's Dean from 1977 to 1981, when President Reagan nominated him to the federal bench in Brooklyn where he still toils, at age 96.

Technically, Bifalco faces up to five years in prison when he faces the music on August 18, and up to six months behind bars according to his plea agreement with the government. But both the budding barrister and his lawyer are hoping Glasser imposes a non-custodial sentence.

"Mr. Bifalco's activities were more of inappropriate braggadocio than anything else," said attorney Vincent Martinelli. "We are hoping for a non-jail sentence."

BIC Dumps Mob-Connected 'Truck And Dump' Company From NYC Trade Waste Industry
William CioffiFor more than a dozen years, mob associate William Cioffi owned a trucking company that was duly licensed and approved by the city's Business Integrity Commission to operate as a "trade waste business." Despite the official seal of approval, however, Cioffi was stealing benefit funds from union workers and providing "truck and dump" services for the Bonanno and Gambino crime families, Gang Land has learned.

That ended last week when BIC ruled for many reasons — with a little help from the feds — that Cioffi's LMC Trucking Corp. of Staten Island lacks the "good character, honesty and integrity" that is required to remove "waste materials resulting from building demolition, construction, alteration or excavation" that are known as construction and demolition debris, or "C&D."

BIC approved the company in 2006, when Cioffi's wife Laura stated she was "the only principal" of LMC and "certified under oath" that her application was "full, complete and truthful" and that she would "not knowingly associate with any member or associate of organized crime or any racketeer." LMC's renewal applications as a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise were okayed every two years until June of 2018.

Joseph CammaranoCioffi's problems with BIC arose in June of last year, a few months after he was a prosecution witness at the racketeering trial of two top Bonanno crime family honchos. On the stand and under oath, he admitted a slew of crimes and testified that he was the real owner of LMC Trucking and had been "on record" with the Gambino crime family for about seven years.

Cioffi, who was granted immunity by the feds, testified that as the owner and main truck driver of a "truck and dump" company: "I pick up (the C&D) material; I bring it to a transfer station; I charge one price for the trucking, the labor, and the dumping of the material."

On the witness stand, Cioffi, 52, also admitted that he had gotten his wife Laura to serve as the up-front owner of LMC Trucking "for minority status" as a woman-owned company that enabled LMC "to get preferences on bidding on government contracts," according to a July 30 BIC decision on the issue.

Joseph SabellaIn its ruling, BIC determined that in addition to falsely stating that she owned LMC, Laura Cioffi also declared that husband William was a "mere employee, specifically a dispatcher" and not a "vehicle operator" as Cioffi said he was when he testified at the Manhattan Federal Court trial of acting Bonanno boss Joseph (Joe C) Cammarano and consigliere John (Porky) Zancocchio.

BIC stated that Laura Cioffi's claim that she failed to catch a "careless error" by an employee who prepared the 2018 application that wrongly listed William as a dispatcher "is not credible," noting that "William Cioffi is not just any vehicle operator, he is Laura Cioffi's husband."

"Among other things," said the BIC ruling, "William Cioffi admitted that he met with members of organized crime to discuss the dumping of trade waste; that he paid members of organized crime commissions on trucking jobs; that he paid LMC's drivers in cash; and that he did not report the correct amount of hours worked by those drivers."

And while Cioffi was "on record" with the Gambinos, he also testified that he paid as many as 20 cash kickbacks, including one of $5000, to Bonanno capo Joseph (Joe Valet) Sabella. Paying Sabella by check, Cioffi explained, "would have been a problem" because "when BIC goes through your files they would come right up that I was doing business with an organized crime figure."

Judge Alvin HellersteinCioffi also admitted that LMC had not always complied with its contract with Local 282 of the United Brotherhood of the Teamsters. "I paid drivers in cash, and I didn't pay union benefits on them," Cioffi testified. "I didn't report the amount of hours that they should have been paid."

At one point, Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein looked at Cioffi and said: "You're paying off the books and avoiding health and welfare payments." Cioffi responded, "That's correct."

BIC ruled that Cioffi's off the books payments to his workers to avoid paying them union benefits, "clearly demonstrates a lack of good character, honesty and integrity." That alone, BIC stated, was an "independently sufficient basis" to deny LMC's approval to operate as a trade waste business in New York.

The July 30 ruling will take effect in 14 days, so Cioffi will still be able to "truck and dump" New York City construction debris for another week or so.

Feds: Our Jailhouse Informer Is Why We Convicted Stevie Wonder Of Murder
David EvangelistaJailhouse informer David Evangelista received a "time served" sentence after prosecutors told his sentencing judge that his testimony was "critical in convicting" two Luchese crime family leaders of the murder of former Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish. The duo was found guilty even though the government had no "physical evidence" tying either mobster to the sensational mob rubout.

In their recently unsealed sentencing memo to Manhattan Federal Court Judge Ronnie Abrams, prosecutors stressed Evangelista's importance in convincing jurors that Matthew (Matty) Madonna and underboss Steven (Stevie Wonder) Crea "had ordered the murder" of Meldish even though neither had "personally participate(d)" in its execution.

In their filing, the prosecutors also credited Evangelista, who testified that getaway driver Christopher Londonio had told him about the Meldish slaying, with convincing Crea's mobster son, Steven (Stevie Junior) Crea to plead guilty to charges that did not include the murder, which "allowed the government to focus on the remaining four defendants at trial."

Steven CreaCrea, 73, is slated to receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison today from White Plains Federal Court Judge Cathy Seibel, who meted out the same prison term for Madonna last week when the 84-year-old mobster faced the music for his murder conviction.

In asking Judge Abrams to ignore Evangelista's sentencing guidelines of up to 210 months, prosecutors Alexandra Rothman, Celia Cohen, Sebastian Swett, and Hagan Scotten wrote that the government had much physical evidence against Londonio and triggerman Terrence (Ted) Caldwell, including "cell site data, DNA, and surveillance footage."

But since "there was no such evidence for Madonna or Crea Sr.," they wrote, "Evangelista's testimony regarding admissions he received from Londonio (a) that Meldish had disrespected Madonna who ordered him killed, and (b) that Crea Sr. and his son conveyed the order to kill Meldish to him, was critical to convicting Madonna and Crea Sr. on the murder count."

Judge Ronnie AbramsThe prosecutors did note that Londonio was acquitted of trying to escape from the Metropolitan Detention Center in 2017, a charge that was based almost entirely on Evangelista's testimony. Prosecutors wrote that Londonio's acquittal on that count "appears to have been for reasons unrelated to the credibility of Evangelista," but they provided no clues as to what those reasons were.

The prosecutors did not request a specific sentence for Evangelista, 45, who has spent 24 of those years behind bars for a series of note-passing bank robberies that began when he was 20. But Judge Abrams went along with the "time served" recommendation by the Probation Department and Evangelista lawyer David Wikstrom.

In seeking a "time-served" sentence, Wikstrom wrote that in addition to testifying against the mob, his client has been on the straight and narrow since he was mistakenly released from prison and surrendered that same day. Since August of 2017, years before Gang Land identified him as a jailhouse informer, the lawyer wrote, Evangelista was branded "inside the MDC as a snitch" which made his life there as well as in another jail "fraught with anxiety and danger."

Christopher Londonio"For close to three years he has been mocked, reviled and threatened — directly and indirectly — not just by associates of Londonio, but by other inmates who had assisted Londonio in smuggling drugs and contraband into the MDC, and even by corrections officers who remained friendly with Londonio," he wrote.

And when, "for his own protection," Evangelista was moved to a "sparsely-populated" MDC unit "with complicated security issues, such as former police officers," Wikstrom wrote, "correctional officers conveyed messages about Londonio's suffering and encouraged Evangelista to cease cooperation."

Things did not improve after "Evangelista was removed from the MDC after being attacked by four inmates inside his own cell, and transferred to the Orange County Jail," Wikstrom wrote. Correction officers at the county jail who allegedly warned inmates to avoid Evangelista because he was "a rat," were later "disciplined" with forced time off, the attorney stated. After their return to work in late January, he stated, "they beat him and maced him in the eyes and mouth as retaliation."

Abrams also ordered drug rehabilitation therapy for Evangelista, who admits being a heroin addict for more than 20 years, but insists that he's been clean for three years. He must also serve three years of supervised release that will be closely monitored by the Probation Department.

[mafiastudent]

I didn't get any of the pics...didn't format either. And apologize to those who usually do the posting for posting it up first. But wanted to comment on Capeci's headline regarding Evangelista - the documents he discusses are from the same ones I took that section from and posted in another thread.

And also I think Capeci's headline says it all. Crea is definitely innocent of Meldish's murder and probably Madonna too.

Also, I'm not sure about the "evidence" the govt had about Caldwell and Londonio and Capeci just talks about what the govt claimed it had, but I haven't delved into that but some of it is questionable as well. If I have time, I might look into all of that.

Note too what the government says about the Londonio Bogus escape - what other reasons other than it was a blatant lie would the jury acquit him of that charge? One day I'll post up Evangelista's testimony and you'll be able to read his BS yourself.

[mafiastudent]

And in all fairness, those documents are the ones Capeci requested to be unsealed which he talked about in a previous column. But there were I think three or four of them.

[johnny_scootch]

LMC does the trucking for a lot of companies doing DDC jobs on the island. If any of you live out there I'm sure you've noticed the city replacing the water mains, sanitary sewer lines, catch basins & storm sewers across the borough. DiFazio, LaPeruta, Perfetto, Restani, JR Cruz & EE Cruz all have/had multiple multimillion dollar jobs on staten island and LMC worked all of them.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Thanks for the post ms.

Evangelista was responsible for the conviction due to his believability on Crea & Madonna’s trial.

Evangelista was not responsible for the acquittal due to believability in Londonio’s escape charge.

Is that what the dictionary describes as a contradiction in terms?

If he’s responsible for the fucking conviction he’s responsible for the acquittal. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

I still don’t understand how Crea and Madonna can be convicted as there is literally no evidence. Nothing. Scary.

[Rocco]

Sounds like this fat fuck let the cat out of the bag "Christopher Londonio had told him about the Meldish slaying"

[SonnyBlackstein]

Sounds like this fat fuck let the cat out of the bag "Christopher Londonio had told him about the Meldish slaying"

It’s such bullshit. This guys isn’t even made, probably not associated, with ANY family, and Londonio doesn’t know the guy and he’s going to tell them who ordered a hit?
Get the fuck outta here.

[CTamg65]

Listen plenty of guys talk about there cases while inside,and then some scumbag rat tells.Happens all the time.But...personally it's hard for me to see Londonio,who I'm pretty sure has been to jail and/or prison and knows all correspondence is recorded or looked at ,and knows about rats like this all to well,spilling his gut to some guy he barely knows ,that he met in jail at that.Again ,can I see him possibly talking about his case a little bit ,sure ,but not to the point of jamming himself up.Remember this isn' some minor case ,any stupid mistake like that means he's done.I think and hope Londonio would be smarter than what he's said to have talked about. Article says poor Evangelista was jumped and maced and was in constant fear in jail,duh that's what happens when in prison you try.to befriend.a.Guy so.you can rat on them or even worse make.up some bullshit.story that's not even true.Piece of shit junkie move ,he was already in prison and still continued to be a sleazy rat,that's the low of the low,anything to save themselves,hed probably set his own mother up

[mafiastudent]

Listen plenty of guys talk about there cases while inside,and then some scumbag rat tells.Happens all the time.But...personally it's hard for me to see Londonio,who I'm pretty sure has been to jail and/or prison and knows all correspondence is recorded or looked at ,and knows about rats like this all to well,spilling his gut to some guy he barely knows ,that he met in jail at that.Again ,can I see him possibly talking about his case a little bit ,sure ,but not to the point of jamming himself up.Remember this isn' some minor case ,any stupid mistake like that means he's done.I think and hope Londonio would be smarter than what he's said to have talked about. Article says poor Evangelista was jumped and maced and was in constant fear in jail,duh that's what happens when in prison you try.to befriend.a.Guy so.you can rat on them or even worse make.up some bullshit.story that's not even true.Piece of shit junkie move ,he was already in prison and still continued to be a sleazy rat,that's the low of the low,anything to save themselves,hed probably set his own mother up

Funny that you say that. i do believe Evangelista did try to give the government information on his brother before Otto and friends showed up to show him the way to Londonio. He was turned down on that request by other officials thus a well-known liar and jailhouse snitch.

[NJShore4Life]

So we finally find out it was a Wagner College basketball game they were trying to fix. The funny thing about fixing a Wagner College Basketball game is that there usually isnt a line ever on Wagner games unless they're playing a High Major team before conference play (in November/December) or its their conference Tournament (Northeast Conference). The majority of their season there arent even any lines out on the games. Crazy........

-Dante

[Bruno187]

Crea getting convicted of this reminds me of getting a beating for something I didn't do as a kid. I'd complain "but I didn''t do anything!!!". And my mother or father would tell me "well you probably did something and got away with it".

[SonnyBlackstein]

Crea getting convicted of this reminds me of getting a beating for something I didn't do as a kid. I'd complain "but I didn''t do anything!!!". And my mother or father would tell me "well you probably did something and got away with it".

Gold. Couldn’t agree more.
Not much due process when you’re 5. Or have a mafia tag in your 70’s either.

[Fughedaboutit]

Crea getting convicted of this reminds me of getting a beating for something I didn't do as a kid. I'd complain "but I didn''t do anything!!!". And my mother or father would tell me "well you probably did something and got away with it".

Same way they got OJ, gave him all that time for stealing his own shit back