United States Attorney Southern District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT:U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
	MARVIN SMILON, HERBERT'HADAD
OCTOBER 19, 2000	PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
	(212) 637-2600
	DAVID N."KELLEY
	(-212) 637-1025
	JOHN M. HILLEHRECHT
	(212) 637-2262
	LISA P. KOROLOGOS
	(212) 637-2477
	BARBARA A. WARD
	(212) 637-1048
	_FBI
	JOSEPH A. VALIQUETTE
	JAMES M. MARGOLIN
	(212).384-2715, 2720
	NYPD
	THOMAS ANTENEN
	(212) 374-6700

 

 

'PRESS RELEASE”

 

MARY JO WHITE, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, BARRY W. MAWN, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the F8T, and New York City Police Commissioner BERNARD B. KERIK announced today the unsealing of a 12-count Indictment filed in Manhattan federal court charging 12 defendants, including virtually the entire ruling hierarchy of the Decavalcante Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra, with wide-ranging racketeering and other charges relating to five murders, conspiracies to murder eight other

 

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individuals, securities fraud, loansharking, gambling, extortion, and obstruction of justice.

The Indictment, representing the culmination of a three-year investigation, charges GIOVANNI RIGGI, a/k/a "john Riggi," who is incarcerated and the alleged boss of the Family, STEFANO VITAHILE, who is the alleged "consiglierell or counselor of the Family, as well as two alleged members of the Family's three-member "ruling panel" -- GIROLAMO PALERMO and CHARLES MAJURI -- who allegedly served as acting bosses in the absence of the jailed RIGGI.

The indictment also charges two alleged "capos" or captains, PHILIP AHRAMO and FRANCESCO POLIZZI, who are alleged to have controlled a crew of soldiers and associates and directly supervised their criminal activities. In addition, the indictment charges three alleged soldiers, LOUIS CONSALVO, GREGORY RAGO, and ANTHONY MANNARINO, as well as three alleged associates, FRANK D'AMATO, BERNARD NiCASTRO, and FMK SCARABIN0, with the commission of various criminal activities in connection with the DeCavalcante Family.

The third alleged memher of the Ruling Panel, VINCENT PALERMO, and two alleged capos, ANTHONY ROTONDO and JOSEPH GIACOHHE, were previously charged in connection with three indictments filed on December 2, 1999, along with 35 defendants, including members and associates of the Decavalcante Family and four other La Cosa Nostra families.

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'             The Indictment unsealed today charges that the

 

Decavalcante Family is an organized criminal group based in New Jersey that operates several crews in New York. The Indictment charges that the Decavalcante family engaged in a widespread pattern of racketeering including 16 separate acts of racketeering, such as murders and conspiracies to commit murder, extortion, loansharking, the operation of an illegal bookmaking network, and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. The defendants are also alleged to have engaged in their racketeering activities with members and associates of other New York-based organized crime families.

 

Of the 12 defendants charged in the indictment, 11 were arrested today and one is still being sought.

The charges grew out of a three-year investigation by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Department of Labor, Office of Labor Racketeering.

 

The Indictment charges that the following defendants occupied the following positions in the Decavalcante Family and committed the alleged criminal activity as summarized below:

 

(1)  GIOVANNI RIGGI, a/k/a "John Riggi," a/k/a "Uncle John," a/k/a "The Eagle", the Boss of the Decavalcante LCN Family. Although RIGGI has been incarcerated since 1990, the indictment alleges that he has continued in his position as Boss of the Decavalcante LCN Family and has continued to direct its criminal operations from his prison cell by

 

 

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sending out messages to other members o£ the Decavalcante LCN Family, including (among other things) orders that individuals be killed, dictates relating to the Decavalcante LCN Family's internal organization, and instructions relating to the Decavalcante LCN Family's use of its long-held control over certain unions to extort "kickbacks" from numerous contractors in the construction industry. Among RIGGI's criminal activities were participation in three homicides, two additional conspiracies to murder, the extortion of money from various businesses, and the obstruction of justice (through,

among other things, conspiring with members

of other LCN Families to bribe a member of

the jury which heard his 1990 District of New

Jersey racketeering prosecution, acquitting

him on the major charges).

 

(2)  GIROLAMO PALERMO, a/k/a "Jimmy Palermo," an acting Boss on the ruling panel of the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among PALERMO's criminal activities were participation in two conspiracies to commit murder and the extortion of money from various businesses.

 

(3)  CHARLES MAJURI, an acting Boss on the ruling panel of'the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among MAJURI's criminal activities were participation in a conspiracy to murder, the collection of extortionate extensions of credit ("loans harking"), an illegal bookmaking business, and the extortion of money from various businesses.

 

(4)  STEFANO VITABILE, a/k/a "Steve Vitabile," the Consigliere or counselor of the Decavalcante LCN Family. VITABILE's criminal activities included participation in two homicides, numerous conspiracies to murder, and the extortion of money from various businesses.

 

(5)  PHILIP ABRAMO, a Capo in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among ABRAMO's criminal activities were participation in three homicides, two conspiracies to murder, a conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and loansharking.

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(6)  FRANCESCO POLIZZI, a/k/a "Frank Polizzi," a

     Capo in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among

     POLIZZI's criminal activities were

     participation in three conspiracies to commit

     murder and loansharking.

 

(7)  LOUIS CONSALVO, a/k/a "Louie Eggs," a Soldier in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among CONSALVO's criminal activities were participation in a homicide, loansharking, the operation of an illegal bookmaking business and a conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

 

(8)  GREGORY RAGO, a Soldier in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among RAGO'S criminal activities were participation in a homicide, loansharking and the operation of an illegal bookmaking business.

 

(9)  FRANK D'AMATO, an Associate in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among D'AMATO's criminal activities were participation in loansharking and the operation of an illegal bookmaking business.

 

(10) BERNARD NiCASTRO, an Associate in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among NiCASTRO'S criminal activities were participation in a homicide and loansharking.

 

(11) FRANK SCARABINO, a/k/a "Franky the Beast," an Associate in the Decavalcante LCN Family. Among SCARABINO's criminal activities were participation in a homicide, two conspiracies to murder, loansharking and the operation of an illegal bookmaking business.

 

(7.2) ANTHONY MANNARINO, a/k/a "Marshmallow," an alleged soldier in a crew based in Florida, with obstruction of justice.

 

The Indictment also seeks the forfeiture to the United States of approximately $20 million, representing the proceeds of

 

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the alleged acts of racketeering, including the homes of the racketeering defendants as substitute assets.

 

The defendants are scheduled to be presented before United States Chief Magistrate Judge FRANK MAAS in Manhattan Federal court today.

 

Ms. WHITE stated; "The Decavalcante Organized Crime Family is one of the oldest and most entrenched La Cosa Nostra Families in the nation. These charges represent the first time that the Decavalcante Family's top leadership has been charged with such broad racketeering activity, including numerous acts of violence. In our continuing effort to eradicate the corrupt , influence of all of La Cosa Nostra throughout the metropolitan area, the effect of this prosecution will be to dismantle the leadership of the Decavalcante Family and significantly diminish the Family's power base in New York and New Jersey,"

 

Mr. MAWN stated: "The arrests of the Boss, the Acting Bosses, the Consiglieri and several powerful Capos, will have a crippling effect on the Decavalcante Family's ability to operate. The effects of this investigation will not be limited just to the Decavalcante Family but also to several of the New York-based organized crime families with which the Decavalcantes dealt. The fallout from this investigation will not be limited to this one organized crime family."

 

Commissioner KERIK stated; "This investigation effectively wipes out the CEO and Hoard of Directors of the Decavalcante crime family and stands as testament to the

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intensive coordination and cooperation that exists between the agencies represented here today. Too often the movies and TV end up glorifying the actions of organized crime figures to the point. of making them likeable characters. The truth is, there is nothing likeable about murder, racketeering and extortion and thanks to these dedicated law enforcement professionals, today that message was delivered loud and clear."

 

Ms. WHITE praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of investigation, including both the New York and New Jersey Field Offices, the New York City Police Department, and the United States Department of Labor, Office of

Labor Racketeering, in this investigation.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys JOHN M, HILLEBRECHT

and LISA P. KOROLOGOS are in charge of the prosecution, and  Assistant United States Attorney BARBARA A. WARD is in charge of the forfeiture aspect of case.

 

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

99-164                           ###

 

                     United States v. John Riggi et al., 00 Cr. 1118

 

Defendant and	Charges	No. Of	Statutory
Alleged Role		Counts	Maximum
			Sentence
John Riggi -	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
Boss	predicate acts including three murders, two murder		count
	conspiracies, extortion and obstruction of justice jury
	tampering))
John Riggi-Boss	Section 1951 extortion conspiracy	1	20 years
Girolamo	Racketeering, and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	20 years on
Palermo -	predicate acts including two murder conspiracies and		each count
Acting Boss on	extortion)
Ruling Panel
Girolama Palermo-	Section 1951 extortion conspiracy	1	20 years
Acting Boss on
RulingPanel
*********	*************************	****	****
Charles Majuri	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	20 years on
Acting Boss	predicate acts including one murder conspiracy,		each count
on Ruling	extortion, gambling and loansharking);
Panel
Charles Majuri-	Section 1951 extortion conspiracy	1	20 years
Acting Boss on
Ruling Panel
Charles Majuri-	Loansharking	3	20 years
Acting Boss on
Rtding Panal			each count
Charles Majuri-	Gambling	1	5 years
Acting Boss on
Ruling Panel
Stefano	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
Vitabile -	predicate acts including two murders, six murder		count
Consigliere	conspiracies and extortion)
Stefano Virabile-	Section 1959(a)(5) Conspiracies to Murder	4	10 years
Consigliere
			each count
Stefano Virabile-	Section 1951 Extortion Conspiracy	1	20 years
Consigliere

 

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****************	***********************************	************	********
Philip Abramo	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
- Capo	predicate acts including three murders, two murder		count
	conspiracies, loansharking and securities fraud)
Philip Abramo-	Loansharking	3	20
Capo			years
			each count
**********	*********************************		*********
Francesco	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	20 years on
Polizzi - Capo	predicate acts including three murder conspiracies and		each count
.
	Section 1959(a)(5) Conspiracies to Murder	3	10
			years
			each count
Francesco Polizzi  Capo	Loansharking	3	20 years
			each count
********	*************************	****
Anthony	Obstruction of justice	1	10 years
Mannarino ..-
Soldier
Louis Consalvo	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
--Soldier	predicate acts including one murder, gambling,		count
	loansharking and securities fraud)
Louis Consalvo-	Loansharking	3	20 years
Soldier			each count
Louis Consalvo-	Gambling	1
Soldier			5 years
***********	*************	*******	**********
Gregory Rago	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
Soldier	predicate acts including one murder, gambling, and		count
	loansharking)
Gregory Rago-	Loansharking	3	20
Soldier			years
			each count
Gregory Rago- Soldier	Gambling	1	5 years

 

 

Frank	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	20 Years on
D'Amato --	predicate acts including gambling, and loansharking)		each count
Associate
Frank D’Amato-	Loansharking	3	20 years
Associate
			each count
FrankD'Amato-	Gambling	1	5 years
Associate
***********	*****************	*********	**********
Bernard	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on
NiCastro --	predicate acts including one murder and loansharking)		each count
Associate
Bernard NiCastro--	Loansharking	3	20 years
Associate
			each count
*************	***********************	********	*********
Frank	Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy (with	2	Life on each
Scarabino --	predicate acts including one murder, two murder		count
Associate	conspiracies, gambling„ and loansharking)
Frank Scarabino-	Loansharking	3	20 years
Associate
			each count
Frank Scarabino-	Gambling	1	5
Associate			years