Retired cops accused of mob links
BY ANTHONY M. DESTEFANO AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA
STAFF WRITERS
March 10, 2005, 10:33 PM EST
In what appears to be one of the worst allegations of police corruption ever for the NYPD, two retired detectives have been charged with being mob associates who had a role in 11 murders and attempted murders.
Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were named in a 27-page racketeering indictment unsealed yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn. They are accused of working for the mob for four years while they were cops. Eppolito also is suspected of continuing his services for two years after retiring.
According to the indictment, the two passed police information to members of the Lucchese crime family, information that officials said led to eight murders, two attempted murders and one murder conspiracy. They also allegedly tipped off mobsters to impending arrests and probes.
Mobsters referred to Eppolito and Caracappa as their "crystal ball," one investigator said. U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf of Brooklyn said the charges were a "stinging betrayal of the shield, their colleagues and the public they were sworn to protect."
She called them "Mafia cops," a takeoff on Eppolito's 1992 book of the same name in which he talked about his family's ties to the mob. The two cops are pictured together in that book.
Mauskopf said former acting Lucchese boss Anthony Casso paid them $4,000 a month for information starting in 1986. They were paid extra for other tasks, she said.
"If these charges are proved," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said at a separate news conference, "it seems to be one of the most shocking examples of criminal activity I have ever witnessed."
In one of the most brazen acts alleged in the indictment, Eppolito, 56, and Caracappa, 63, were accused of kidnapping James Hydell, a Gambino associate, in Coney Island and delivering him to Casso, who killed Hydell. Investigators said Hydell was killed because he was thought to have participated in an assassination attempt on Casso.
Eppolito was on the police force from August 1969 to February 1990, while Caracappa was on the force from June 1969 until November 1992. Officials said that four and possibly five of the homicides in which the two allegedly played a role occurred while they were with the NYPD.
According to court papers, it was Caracappa, who as a member of the major case squad, gained access to information about organized crime informants, homicides and probes.
One murder conspiracy in which they allegedly had a role was the attempt to kill Salvatore Gravano, the late John Gotti's consiglieri in the Gambino crime family. Gravano was never harmed and is serving a federal drug sentence.
The indictment accused the defendants, who were arrested Tuesday in Las Vegas where they live, with carrying out the November 1992 slaying of Gambino captain Edward Lino, who also was believed to have played a role in the plot to kill Casso. After trying to cooperate with federal prosecutors in the 1990s, Casso was sentenced to prison for racketeering.
While the department has seen its share of drug and corruption scandals over the years, the charges relating to Eppolito and Caracappa stunned senior law enforcement officials. One federal prosecutor said the only thing comparable in NYPD history was the case of Lt. Charles Becker, who was executed in 1915 for playing a role in a gang murder.
A law enforcement source on Long Island said the arrests of Eppolito and Caracappa grew out of an investigation in Suffolk County into the 1989 murders of two Suffolk carters, Robert Kubecka and Donald Barstow.
Law enforcement officials have said the men were killed by the Luchese crime family.
Detectives and attorneys from the Brooklyn district attorney's office were involved in the investigation and Hynes singled out one of his chief investigators, Joseph Ponzi, as key to the case.
Officials said the investigation broke new ground with the work of William Oldham, an investigator for Mauskopf's office, and Tommy Dades, a former police detective who worked with Hynes staff.
While the last slaying in the case occurred in 1992, the indictment alleged that Eppolito and Caracappa continued their activities until recently. They are both charged with methamphetamine distribution and a narcotics conspiracy. Eppolito is also charged with money laundering.
If convicted, Eppolito and Caracappa face a maximum of life in prison. Their removal hearing in federal district court in Las Vegas will continue this afternoon. Once back in Brooklyn, they will face arraignment.
Staff writer Steve Wick in New York and freelance writer Steve Friess in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
BY ANTHONY M. DESTEFANO AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA
STAFF WRITERS
March 10, 2005, 10:33 PM EST
In what appears to be one of the worst allegations of police corruption ever for the NYPD, two retired detectives have been charged with being mob associates who had a role in 11 murders and attempted murders.
Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were named in a 27-page racketeering indictment unsealed yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn. They are accused of working for the mob for four years while they were cops. Eppolito also is suspected of continuing his services for two years after retiring.
According to the indictment, the two passed police information to members of the Lucchese crime family, information that officials said led to eight murders, two attempted murders and one murder conspiracy. They also allegedly tipped off mobsters to impending arrests and probes.
Mobsters referred to Eppolito and Caracappa as their "crystal ball," one investigator said. U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf of Brooklyn said the charges were a "stinging betrayal of the shield, their colleagues and the public they were sworn to protect."
She called them "Mafia cops," a takeoff on Eppolito's 1992 book of the same name in which he talked about his family's ties to the mob. The two cops are pictured together in that book.
Mauskopf said former acting Lucchese boss Anthony Casso paid them $4,000 a month for information starting in 1986. They were paid extra for other tasks, she said.
"If these charges are proved," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said at a separate news conference, "it seems to be one of the most shocking examples of criminal activity I have ever witnessed."
In one of the most brazen acts alleged in the indictment, Eppolito, 56, and Caracappa, 63, were accused of kidnapping James Hydell, a Gambino associate, in Coney Island and delivering him to Casso, who killed Hydell. Investigators said Hydell was killed because he was thought to have participated in an assassination attempt on Casso.
Eppolito was on the police force from August 1969 to February 1990, while Caracappa was on the force from June 1969 until November 1992. Officials said that four and possibly five of the homicides in which the two allegedly played a role occurred while they were with the NYPD.
According to court papers, it was Caracappa, who as a member of the major case squad, gained access to information about organized crime informants, homicides and probes.
One murder conspiracy in which they allegedly had a role was the attempt to kill Salvatore Gravano, the late John Gotti's consiglieri in the Gambino crime family. Gravano was never harmed and is serving a federal drug sentence.
The indictment accused the defendants, who were arrested Tuesday in Las Vegas where they live, with carrying out the November 1992 slaying of Gambino captain Edward Lino, who also was believed to have played a role in the plot to kill Casso. After trying to cooperate with federal prosecutors in the 1990s, Casso was sentenced to prison for racketeering.
While the department has seen its share of drug and corruption scandals over the years, the charges relating to Eppolito and Caracappa stunned senior law enforcement officials. One federal prosecutor said the only thing comparable in NYPD history was the case of Lt. Charles Becker, who was executed in 1915 for playing a role in a gang murder.
A law enforcement source on Long Island said the arrests of Eppolito and Caracappa grew out of an investigation in Suffolk County into the 1989 murders of two Suffolk carters, Robert Kubecka and Donald Barstow.
Law enforcement officials have said the men were killed by the Luchese crime family.
Detectives and attorneys from the Brooklyn district attorney's office were involved in the investigation and Hynes singled out one of his chief investigators, Joseph Ponzi, as key to the case.
Officials said the investigation broke new ground with the work of William Oldham, an investigator for Mauskopf's office, and Tommy Dades, a former police detective who worked with Hynes staff.
While the last slaying in the case occurred in 1992, the indictment alleged that Eppolito and Caracappa continued their activities until recently. They are both charged with methamphetamine distribution and a narcotics conspiracy. Eppolito is also charged with money laundering.
If convicted, Eppolito and Caracappa face a maximum of life in prison. Their removal hearing in federal district court in Las Vegas will continue this afternoon. Once back in Brooklyn, they will face arraignment.
Staff writer Steve Wick in New York and freelance writer Steve Friess in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
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