Gangland News 8/20/20

[mafiastudent]

Young Businessman Faces Prison Time In No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Case

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend," William Shakespeare, 1601

Gang Land Exclusive!Nicholas BoscoNicholas Bosco, a young Staten Island-based businessman, is paying a big price for ignoring those pretty famous words by William Shakespeare a few years ago and giving his friend, Nick Petrie, who was also an employee at Bosco's Vintage Valet Services, a friendly, interest-free $10,000 loan so he could pay off his bookie.

In doing so, Bosco failed to heed the sage advice Polonius gave his son Laertes before leaving for Paris, as detailed by Shakespeare in Hamlet some 420 years ago. And in Gang Land, if not in Hamlet's time, the consequences can be substantial. That's true, whether the lender leans a little heavily on the borrower, and vice versa, which is the way things played out in Bosco's case.

In the end, Nick Bosco lost much more than his money and his friend. Nick, his dad, Joseph, and his cousin Anthony Bosco, may all go to prison for the first time in their lives because Petrie and his mom are good friends with Colombo capo Joseph Amato and his son Joseph Jr. The Boscos, the Amatos, and 15 others were arrested on a variety of charges last fall after the feds found a GPS device that Amato had placed on a city bus trying to keep tabs on a wayward paramour.

The Bosco family members had no prior arrests and the feds didn't tag them as mob associates in the news release that announced the arrests of 20 defendants in three cases, including the failed fix of an NCAA college basketball game between Wagner College and St. John's University that was detailed here two weeks ago. In fact, the feds didn't mention the Boscos at all.

Their names appear in Gang Land today because they each face a couple of years in prison at sentencing next month.

Nick, 28, Joseph, 56, and Anthony, 31, each pleaded guilty to violating the Travel Act "between November 2018 and January 2019." In most mob cases, "travel" refers to what defendants seek to be excused from house arrest, for such low-risk events as dinner with mom or other relatives. But the feds used the Travel Act, a catch-all statute to charge the trio with extortion involving a $10,000 loan that Nick Bosco gave to Petrie, who is identified in court filings as John Doe and CW.

In its sentencing memo, the government has lumped the Boscos together in seeking so-called "guidelines sentences" for all three men on the basis that they're guilty of "an offense involving threats of violence to collect a $10,000 gambling debt" that Petrie owed to Nicholas Bosco. That allegation is "strongly disputed" by Nick Bosco's lawyer, but we'll get to that later.

In her memo to Brooklyn Federal Judge Carol Amon, prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes wrote that the Boscos were not overheard "discussing the charged crimes" but that the FBI did tape record talks in which "John Doe provided a contemporaneous account" to Amato Jr. The FBI also tape-recorded talks in which young Amato explained the situation to his father that she details in her sentencing memo.

Anthony BoscoIn the first talk cited by Geddes, on November 30, 2018, Amato Jr. told his mobster dad that he had learned in a visit to Petrie's house that Nicholas Bosco had told Petrie's mom "your son's gonna get hurt" if he doesn't pay his debt and that "his mother is very nervous and concerned about her son. And uh, she's a good woman, she's like you know, she's cool like us."

Young Amato discusses the woman's concern that "her son's gonna be okay," and explains that he "promised her he's gonna be alright" and tells Amato Sr. that he told her not to "worry about it," according to snippets in the sentencing memo.

He also recounts the talks he had with Petrie about the debt. In them, Amato Jr. gets little reaction from his father until he states that Nick Bosco threatened Petrie in a second talk with his friend's mom, saying that Bosco had stated, "The way I was taught is, you know, things like this happen, people get hurt."

"Let me call you back, please," said Amato Sr, "because I just might as well just go turn myself in, alright," which turned out to be the Colombo capo's last — and ultimately prescient — words that were captured on the subject.

Joseph Amato, Sr. & Jr.Young Amato, however, kept talking. In a discussion between Petrie and Amato Jr. a week later, after Petrie asked for advice on what to tell Bosco's father Joseph, who had called and pressed him about the $10,000 debt, Amato Jr. told him to "call him back right now" and "tell him to reach out to Joey A, tell him that."

Doe: Tell him get in touch with Joey A?
Amato, Jr: My friend is Joey A, get in touch with him.
Doe: Alright, just say that?
Amato, Jr: Keep it nice and short and call me right back, because I'm going to meet him right now anyway.
Doe: You are going to meet your dad?
Amato, Jr: Yeah. So go do this now.
Doe: Alright so I'll call him and say get in touch with my friend Joey A? Big Joey A?
Amato Jr: Yeah Joey A Sr.
Doe: Alright.

Geddes wrote that in their last two talks on December 21, Petrie claimed Joseph Bosco said he had "sat down with Joe Senior" and he still wanted "full payment" and that if Bosco "didn't get the money" from Petrie "he would do what he had to do." The prosecutor wrote that those "messages constitute(d) clear physical threats" calling for prison terms within the "sentencing guidelines."

The sentencing guidelines for Anthony Bosco — who accompanied his cousin to Petrie's home when Nick Bosco threatened Petrie's mom, and who is identified in court filings as Petrie's bookmaker — are 18-to-24 months. Bosco's lawyer, Justin Greenblum, who is slated to file his sentencing memo tomorrow, declined to comment about the case. Court filings state that Petrie borrowed $10,000 from Nicholas Bosco to pay Anthony Bosco $3500 he owed him, but that he stiffed both cousins out of the money he owed them.

In asking for a no-jail term for Joseph Bosco, whose guidelines are 24-to-30 months, attorneys Murray Richman and Valerie Casali wrote that Bosco is a hard-working, loving husband, father, and grandfather who is the sole support of his ailing wife, mother and mother-in law who live with him and that he denies lodging any threats of violence at John Doe, as Geddes contended.

Joseph Bosco admits his guilt, the lawyers wrote, but denies "going to John Doe's house" or taking part in any discussion with Amato Jr. or having a "sit down" with the elder Amato, as Geddes wrote. He also fears that his wife who has kidney disease and heart disease, will not be able to care for both their mothers and will lose their home if he goes to prison, the lawyers wrote.

"Bosco's main concern is his wife's health and the well-being of his mother and mother-in-law," they wrote. "He supports them physically, emotionally and financially," the attorneys wrote, arguing that a no-jail prison term would be a "sufficient and not greater than necessary" sentence for Bosco who is a "good-hearted, compassionate man who cares for his family and friends, almost to a fault."

"Saying I strongly dispute the government's story about Nicholas and his dad is a monumental understatement," said Nicholas Bosco's lawyer, Mathew Mari. "I'm screaming at you that they are two 100 percent legitimate people who should not spend a day in jail," Mari yelled into the phone. "Nicholas loaned his friend $10,000, and he and his father, like any dad who sees his son getting cheated by a friend who used to come to his house for Sunday dinner, asked him to pay his son back the money he borrowed."

"Like I told the judge in court," Mari continued, "Nicholas is not a bookmaker. They can't prove he's a bookmaker because he's not. He loaned his friend money to pay off a bookie. His friend screwed him, and according to the government, he's the guy with organized crime connections, not my client, or his father."

At Bosco's bail hearing, Geddes didn't challenge Mari's contention that his client was not a bookmaker or that the $10,000 debt was an interest-free loan. And the prosecutor conceded that "the debtor enlisted the help of members of organized crime to get the defendant and his father and his cousin to back off."

"At the end of the game," Mari stated at the bail hearing, "The guy who owes him money, who's his friend, he's running to organized crime people. He's not going to the police. My client is intimidated, doesn't get paid his money, and wants to forget about it. His dad wants to forget about it, and that's that."

Court records show that they did forget about it, until they were arrested 10 months later.

In seeking probation for his client, whose recommended sentence is 27-33 months, Mari wrote that Bosco "never had an intention to 'hurt' the CW but communicated such a threat in hopes of collecting the money that" he had loaned Petrie "as an act of goodwill."

But Nicholas "now knows that using such threats to collect money owed to him is a serious federal crime," the lawyer wrote, and he also "understands that his actions were not only illegal, but the consequences are substantial and lasting."

Incarceration is not necessary to punish or rehabilitate his client, Mari wrote, because Nick Bosco "accepts responsibility for his actions" and views his case "not only as a major mistake, but also as a life changing, learning experience" that he will always remember and never repeat.

With A Lottery Lawyer As Their Shepherd, Wiseguys And Pals Fleece Lucky Winners

A quirky and allegedly violent quartet of schemers that includes the grandson of the acting boss of the Colombo crime family and a Genovese soldier who operates a plumbing business were charged this week with swindling more than $100 million from a trio of unsuspecting lottery winners.

The fleecing of the lucky winners was assisted by a self-described "Lottery Lawyer" from Long Island who promised to help invest their new-found loot.

In court filings, prosecutors describe Frangesco (Frankie) Russo, whose grandfather, Andrew (Mush) Russo has been serving as the Colombo family honcho since Carmine (Junior) Persico died behind bars last year, as the violent enforcer for the quartet, citing several tape recorded threats he made and a "tactical shotgun" he boasted about during the investigation.

Andrew And Joseph RussoCharged along with Russo in a massive fraud and money laundering indictment are Genovese wiseguy Christopher Chierchio, former securities broker Francis Smookler, and Jason (Jay) Kurland, a Dix Hill lawyer who boasted on his website of being "The Lottery Lawyer" who helped winners safeguard their winnings until his arrest Tuesday.

The unidentified victims of the foursome were winners of a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot they nicknamed "South Carolina," a $245 million Powerball jackpot winner dubbed "Staten Island people" and the winner of a $150 million jackpot they referred to as "Healthy Rainbow."

There are no allegations that Russo, 38, has any involvement in mob activity, but prosecutors Andrey Spektor and Lindsay Gerdes cited two tape-recorded violent threats by Russo that the FBI picked up earlier this year that helped convince Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis to detain him as a danger to the community at a bail hearing yesterday.

And the threats were real, the prosecutors wrote. "During the execution of search warrants" on Tuesday, "the arrest teams recovered shotguns from Russo's and Smookler's residences." Among the armaments seized at Russo's home was a tactical shotgun — a weapon used for combat rather than hunting. Prosecutors stated that Russo was heard describing the shotgun proudly in detail as he threatened a loanshark customer, Gregory Altieri.

Prosecutors wrote that during a tape recorded threat against Altieri, a gem merchant to whom Russo and Smookler had given a "street loan" of $250,000, Russo noted that his mobster father, Colombo capo Joseph (JoJo) Russo, had died behind bars while serving a life sentence for murder.

"Russo reminded Altieri about his father's death in prison" and "even compared himself to the mob-affiliated character in Uncut Gems, a movie that ends with the indebted diamond dealer shot dead," the prosecutors wrote.

"The threats were violent and explicit," they wrote. "Among other things, Smookler and Russo vowed to shoot and kill Altieri and his family."

In another call, "Russo told Altieri that he had just purchased a 'few tactical shotguns' with 'lasers . . . not that you need a laser on a shotgun'" to reinforce threats by Smookler that Altieri better "pay at least $10,000 within four to five days," of the $415,000 that they claimed he owed them for the $250,000 he borrowed.

"In another call," wrote Spektor and Gerdes, "Russo told Altieri, 'They're gonna pop your head off in front of your fucking kids. This guy has no clue what he's getting into.'"

Russo obviously loved that shotgun, which was submitted as an exhibit at yesterday's bail hearing.

"I have a tactical shotgun," he boasted to an unidentified cohort in a tape-recorded conversation in June. "If anything gets crazy with you guys just come straight here, I have all the lights on, I will tactically shoot everybody's kneecaps off, I'm not worried."

When Russo's buddy questioned him further about the weapon, Russo responded, "I have a very rare laser sight on a shotgun which is hard to find . . . a tactical shogun which is very scary to look at, and it can hold 13 actual shells in it."

In a conversation less than a month ago, "Russo could be heard explicitly threatening another man, again referring to using his firearms," the prosecutors wrote, noting that Frankie was heard telling his potential victim: "I'm coming straight for your fucking middle of your eyes, watch what I do to you, you scumbag."

Several times during the probe, the suspects were caught joking about the federal investigation they knew was underway.

At one point, Smookler was heard telling Chierchio, who had been acquitted of state labor racketeering charges last year, that he was worried that the FBI was onto their scheme.

Chiercho replied: "Okay, So bring the FBI. Who cares? They've been up my ass my whole life. It doesn't matter. I laugh at them. Okay, I laugh at them."
Smookler: "All Right. Maybe you have thicker skin. I hear the FBI — what the — I don't deal with the FBI."
Chierchio: "You're giving them too much credit."

As it turned out, Smookler turned out to be right. The quartet had good cause to worry about being arrested. He gave the same warning to an unindicted co-conspirator who opined that the feds wouldn't care about "billionaire" lottery winners being ripped off.

"I think they paint them as naive victims," Smookler said. "They paint Jason as the mastermind lawyer, and they paint us as the behind the scenes guys. Yeah, I do. You got gangsters involved, you got famous lawyers involved, you got billionaires, you got the lottery, you got a case there."

Following their arrests on Tuesday, Chierchio, 52, of Staten Island, was released on a $3 million bond, Smookler, 45, of Oyster Bay, was released on a $2.5 million bond, and Kurland, 46, on a $1 million bond.

Judge Wonders If He Can Take A Break In Frankie Loc's Wrongful Conviction Appeal

Frank (Frankie Loc) Locascio wants out of prison. And Brooklyn Federal Judge I. Leo Glasser wants off the case. Or at least that appears to be the message the veteran jurist sent in a surprising fat pitch query to government lawyers who are battling the Gambino wiseguy's ongoing efforts to win his freedom.

The judge's inquiry came last month, a few days after Locascio's lawyers filed an appeal of the judge's denial of the 87-year-old gangster's motion for a compassionate release.

Glasser, who presided over the so-called Mob Trial of the Century that saw Locascio convicted of murder along with the late John Gotti, wanted to know whether Frankie Loc's appeal to the 2d Circuit Court of Appeals relieved him of considering the pending motions regarding Locascio's claim that he was innocent of the 1990 murder of mobster Louis DiBono.

If the judge, who indicated in denying the compassionate release motion that he would not be upset if Locascio serves out his life term, thought the government would somehow find a legal nugget that he could use to sit on the case until the appeals court decides the compassionate release issue, he was mistaken.

Instead of hitting the fat pitch out of the courthouse, prosecutors Kevin Trowel and Keith Feldman dribbled a comebacker right at the mound. They wrote that while Glasser "lacks jurisdiction" to decide Locascio's wrongful conviction motion now, he was permitted to make an "indicative ruling" that he "would grant the motion if the court of appeals" refers it back to him "for that purpose or if the motion raises a substantial issue."

Locascio's lawyers aren't about to give the judge any slack, if they can help it.

"No," wrote Locascio lawyer William Fick. "The compassionate release appeal does not divest this Court of jurisdiction over the (habeas corpus) proceeding. And even if it did, the Court could issue an indicative ruling" as the government prosecutors stated, wrote Fick.

"Even if the Court were to disagree with the above analysis," wrote Fick, "the Court should proceed with discovery and an evidentiary hearing to provide an indicative ruling. Time is of the essence in this case," added Fick, because former government witness Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano is willing to "come forward now and Mr. LoCascio's advanced age and illness."

Last month, Glasser resoundingly rejected the notion that Locascio deserved a compassionate release from his prison term. The judge issued a damning 12-page decision that seemed to undercut even the gangster's longshot claim that Gravano could help prove his innocence in the Gotti-ordered rubout of DiBono.

"For more than 60 years, virtually all his adult life," Locascio "swore fealty" to the Gambino family and lived by the "the law of the mob, not the law of society," Glasser wrote. The same crime family had "sanctioned the murder of the victim who didn't 'come in,'" the judge added in a clear reference to Gotti's stated reason why he was going to have DiBono whacked

[gohnjotti]

Jerry dropping some heat this week, great article in my opinion.

Also, I know Jerry said Russo was not alleged to have mob ties in the indictment, but I would be very surprised if Andy Mush - who led a recruitment drive in 2010 and even pushed to induct Joseph Petillo, whom he was not on good terms with - would neglect to induct his own grandson, a six-figure loanshark who clearly tried to emulate the mob life by referencing films to debtors.

[JohnnyS]

Good column this week. Thanks for posting.

[TallGuy19]

Nick Bosco's situation is the exact reason I will never loan anyone money unless the loan is secured and they're paying me enough interest to make it worth the trouble.

[Cheech]

Jerry dropping some heat this week, great article in my opinion.

Also, I know Jerry said Russo was not alleged to have mob ties in the indictment, but I would be very surprised if Andy Mush - who led a recruitment drive in 2010 and even pushed to induct Joseph Petillo, whom he was not on good terms with - would neglect to induct his own grandson, a six-figure loanshark who clearly tried to emulate the mob life by referencing films to debtors.

felt good reading and already knowing the story cause of how nicely you already wrote about it

[slimshady_007]

Great Gangland thanks for postin. Interesting that it said that Andy Mush has been serving as the Colombo’s “Honcho” since Carmine died. It could be possible he’s either acting boss for someone else such as Allie boy or Teddy or maybe even Mush is the official boss. Its crazy how little we know about the current state of the family’s administration.

[JohnnyS]

Great Gangland thanks for postin. Interesting that it said that Andy Mush has been serving as the Colombo’s “Honcho” since Carmine died. It could be possible he’s either acting boss for someone else such as Allie boy or Teddy or maybe even Mush is the official boss. Its crazy how little we know about the current state of the family’s administration.

Capeci described him as acting boss not long ago so he's probably still in that role. I think what he means by 'honcho' is he's the highest ranking member since Carmine died.

If Russo's acting boss you have to wonder where Allie boy fits in now I mean he's serving life could be possible he's stepped away and paved the way for Teddy jr to become official boss with Russo assisting him.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Thanks for the post ms.

Could someone post the pic of Russo Jnr?
Cheers

[gohnjotti]

Great Gangland thanks for postin. Interesting that it said that Andy Mush has been serving as the Colombo’s “Honcho” since Carmine died. It could be possible he’s either acting boss for someone else such as Allie boy or Teddy or maybe even Mush is the official boss. Its crazy how little we know about the current state of the family’s administration.

Capeci described him as acting boss not long ago so he's probably still in that role. I think what he means by 'honcho' is he's the highest ranking member since Carmine died.

If Russo's acting boss you have to wonder where Allie boy fits in now I mean he's serving life could be possible he's stepped away and paved the way for Teddy jr to become official boss with Russo assisting him.

It’s not mutually exclusive for Andy Mush and Allie to be running the family together. Same thing happened in the mid-1990s, while Allie was in the running to take over but was living in Florida and on supervised release, and again in 2010, when Allie Persico was relaying orders through Angelo Spata.

[slimshady_007]

Great Gangland thanks for postin. Interesting that it said that Andy Mush has been serving as the Colombo’s “Honcho” since Carmine died. It could be possible he’s either acting boss for someone else such as Allie boy or Teddy or maybe even Mush is the official boss. Its crazy how little we know about the current state of the family’s administration.

Capeci described him as acting boss not long ago so he's probably still in that role. I think what he means by 'honcho' is he's the highest ranking member since Carmine died.

If Russo's acting boss you have to wonder where Allie boy fits in now I mean he's serving life could be possible he's stepped away and paved the way for Teddy jr to become official boss with Russo assisting him.

It’s not mutually exclusive for Andy Mush and Allie to be running the family together. Same thing happened in the mid-1990s, while Allie was in the running to take over but was living in Florida and on supervised release, and again in 2010, when Allie Persico was relaying orders through Angelo Spata.

Good point. Allie boy seems like a really treacherous and respected guy. He was able to keep his title as acting boss despite serving a life sentence. I was wondering, if a family boss dies, isn’t the acting boss (the second in command) supposed to become official boss?

[Pogo The Clown]

Not necessarily. Anthony Spero didn't become the Boss upon the death of Rusty Rastelli. It went to Massino who was in prison.


Pogo

[Bklyn21]

Jerry dropping some heat this week, great article in my opinion.

Also, I know Jerry said Russo was not alleged to have mob ties in the indictment, but I would be very surprised if Andy Mush - who led a recruitment drive in 2010 and even pushed to induct Joseph Petillo, whom he was not on good terms with - would neglect to induct his own grandson, a six-figure loanshark who clearly tried to emulate the mob life by referencing films to debtors.

I met Frangesco over ten years ago a few times through his cousin upstate , I was lmao when I saw he was crying to get outta MDC after all the threats he was making with his "TACTICAL" Shotgun over n over . The Russo's are seriously inbred retards !

[Bklyn21]

Great Gangland thanks for postin. Interesting that it said that Andy Mush has been serving as the Colombo’s “Honcho” since Carmine died. It could be possible he’s either acting boss for someone else such as Allie boy or Teddy or maybe even Mush is the official boss. Its crazy how little we know about the current state of the family’s administration.

Capeci described him as acting boss not long ago so he's probably still in that role. I think what he means by 'honcho' is he's the highest ranking member since Carmine died.

If Russo's acting boss you have to wonder where Allie boy fits in now I mean he's serving life could be possible he's stepped away and paved the way for Teddy jr to become official boss with Russo assisting him.

It’s not mutually exclusive for Andy Mush and Allie to be running the family together. Same thing happened in the mid-1990s, while Allie was in the running to take over but was living in Florida and on supervised release, and again in 2010, when Allie Persico was relaying orders through Angelo Spata.

Good point. Allie boy seems like a really treacherous and respected guy. He was able to keep his title as acting boss despite serving a life sentence. I was wondering, if a family boss dies, isn’t the acting boss (the second in command) supposed to become official boss?

That's how it's supposed to work UB taking over as official but rarely ever does

[Bklyn21]

2 Big money massive busts in the last 3 weeks involving mostly associates , Laforte with Par funding and this Lottery lawyer with a Genovese soldier and all associates, The Mob is truly under the radar and in the shadows lately

[slimshady_007]

Not necessarily. Anthony Spero didn't become the Boss upon the death of Rusty Rastelli. It went to Massino who was in prison.


Pogo

Right. In that case Massino inherited the title of boss since he was the underboss at the time. I think it’s up to the boss on who his successor is.