Current:Home > My"Vinny Slick" and "Fifi" among 16 accused mafia associates arrested in U.S.-Italy takedown -DataFinance
"Vinny Slick" and "Fifi" among 16 accused mafia associates arrested in U.S.-Italy takedown
View
Date:2025-04-14 19:26:06
Sixteen alleged members of the Gambino crime family have been arrested in the U.S. and Italy in a racketeering case in which the defendants are accused of a series of crimes — including assault, arson and extortion — as a means to "dominate the New York carting and demolition industries," the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
An indictment was unsealed in New York on Wednesday charging 10 people with racketeering conspiracy, extortion, witness retaliation and "union-related crimes," federal prosecutors announced. Six alleged organized crime members and associates were also busted in Italy on Wednesday as part of the operation targeting alleged Gambino members and associates. One individual in Italy remains at large.
Federal prosecutors accused one alleged Gambino mafia family associate, Francesco Vicari, also known as Uncle Ciccio, of holding a man at knifepoint and directing him to threaten to cut his son-in-law in half as a threat to get him to make extortion payments, the Justice Department said.
Vicari "acted like the 'Last of the Samurai,'" Vito Rappa, another alleged mafia associate, allegedly said in a wiretapped call. Vicari and Rapp are among the 10 people charged in a 16-count indictment in New York.
"As alleged, for years, the defendants committed violent extortions, assaults, arson, witness retaliation and other crimes in an attempt to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries," United States Attorney Breon Peace said. "Today's arrests reflect the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad, to keep our communities safe by the complete dismantling of organized crime."
Other defendants in the case were identified as alleged Gambino captain Joseph Lanni and alleged Gambino soldiers Diego "Danny" Tantillo; Angelo Gradilone, also known as Fifi; and James LaForte. Prosecutors also charged alleged Gambino associates Salvatore DiLorenzo, Robert Brooke, Kyle Johnson and Vincent Minsquero, also known as Vinny Slick.
Tantillo and John allegedly coordinated a violent hammer assault on the dispatcher of a demolition company, which left the dispatcher seriously injured. Pictures of the victim were circulated to various people in the carting and demolition industries.
As part of their alleged schemes, prosecutors said the defendants also stole and embezzled from unions and employee benefit plans. The defendants also allegedly rigged bids in the demolition and carting industries.
The Gambinos are one of five crime families that make up La Cosa Nostra in New York City. The other groups are the Bonanno, the Colombo, the Genovese and the Lucchese families.
- In:
- New York
Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (11992)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Inside Penelope Disick's 11th Birthday Trip to Hawaii With Pregnant Mom Kourtney Kardashian and Pals
- Climate Change Enables the Spread of a Dangerous Flesh-Eating Bacteria in US Coastal Waters, Study Says
- Florence Pugh Saves Emily Blunt From a Nip Slip During Oppenheimer Premiere
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Roundup Weedkiller Manufacturers to Pay $6.9 Million in False Advertising Settlement
- Carlee Russell's Parents Confirm Police Are Searching for Her Abductor After Her Return Home
- Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Emit Carcinogens and Other Harmful Pollutants, Groundbreaking Study Shows
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- UN Agency Provides Path to 80 Percent Reduction in Plastic Waste. Recycling Alone Won’t Cut It
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Bebe Rexha Shares Alleged Text From Boyfriend Keyan Safyari Commenting on Her Weight
- Revisit Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello's Steamy Romance Before Their Break Up
- See the Stylish Way Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Celebrated Their First Wedding Anniversary
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Alix Earle Recommended This $8 Dermaplaning Tool and I Had To Try It: Here’s What Happened
- For the First Time in Nearly Two Decades, the EPA Announces New Rules to Limit Toxic Air Pollutants From Chemical and Plastics Plants
- On the Eve of Plastics Treaty Talks, a Youth Advocate From Ghana Speaks Out: ‘We Need Urgent Action’
Recommendation
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
Love is Blind's Lauren Speed-Hamilton Reveals If She and Husband Cameron Would Ever Return To TV
Score the Best Deals on Carry-Ons and Weekend Bags from Samsonite, American Tourister, TravelPro & More
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Plans for I-55 Expansion in Chicago Raise Concerns Over Air Quality and Community Health
Jamie Lee Curtis Has the Ultimate Response to Lindsay Lohan Giving Birth to Her First Baby
Simu Liu Reveals What Really Makes Barbie Land So Amazing