Posted on 03/11/2005 8:43:31 AM PST by wingblade
NEW YORK (AFP) - Two retired New York City police detectives were indicted on 11 murder and conspiracy charges, as justice officials alleged they had secretly served as mafia hitmen.
Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were arrested late Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada and were to be arraigned there in district court Thursday. The US government will seek their removal to New York for trial.
The two are accused of direct participation in, aiding or abetted "eight murders, two attempted murders, one murder conspiracy, several instances of obstruction of justice, drug distribution and money laundering," in the employment of New York's Luchese family, the indictment charged.
The men, both police officers in the 1970s and 1980s, were also accused of routinely passing confidential law enforcement information to the mob, according to the indictment, unsealed and returned by federal grand jury in Brooklyn.
The two were paid 4,000 dollars a month for secret law enforcement information by Luchese Family underboss Anthony 'Gaspipe' Casso, after Gambino Family associates tried to kill him in September 1986.
In one of four alleged actual murders, in November 1992 the defendants accepted a 65,000 dollar contract from Casso to murder Edward 'Eddie' Lino, a Gambino family captain suspected of involvement in the attempt on Casso's life.
The two are accused of shooting Lino dead on November 6, 1992 after they pulled him over on Brooklyn's beltway.
Caracappa and Eppolito also compromised several police investigations by providing law enforcement data to Casso about suspected government witnesses and cooperators, including obstruction of a 1987 US government investigations into the "Bypass Gang" a notorious safe-cracking burglary crew.
In announcing the indictment and arrest, US Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said: "These corrupt former detectives betrayed their shields, their colleagues, and the citizens they were sworn to protect.
"For years they were on retainer with the mob -- they were paid handsomely for participating directly and indirectly in the murders and attempted murders of 11 individuals and for disclosing highly confidential law enforcement information to their mob benefactors.
"With the charges announced today, these defendants will rightfully face justice, ensuring that their conduct will never tarnish the reputation of a proud and honorable police department."
FBI assistant director in charge of the investigation, Pasquale D'Amuro, insisted the case was "not indicative of any institutional deficiency."
"The appalling conduct of two rogue cops threatens to undermine the effectiveness of the rest of us in law enforcement, especially the NYPD.
"Eppolito and Caracappa were not two good cops who went bad. It seems clear they were two bad guys who somehow became cops."
NYC Cops working for the Mob? I am shocked.....
These guy are dirtbags. They have been hanging around Vegas for 10 years living the life.
Well they'll be a lot of guys sweeties when they hit the pen.
life imitating art imitating life....weird.
Just rember according to the sarah brady gun grabbing crowd the police are the only ones that should be allowed to carry guns in public becasue us peons cant be trusted with them
Hey! It took a dozen years or so, but the system works!
I, think...
"Just rember according to the sarah brady gun grabbing crowd the police are the only ones that should be allowed to carry guns in public becasue us peons cant be trusted with them"
We don't want to be seen or heard with anything that even looks or sounds like a gun to them.
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