Posted on 12/19/2007 6:09:41 AM PST by Calpernia
Authorities broke up a major organized crime ring Tuesday that they say took in a staggering $2.2 billion in gambling bets over the past 15 months and supplied drugs and cell phones to gang members inside a New Jersey state prison.
State Attorney General Anne Milgram said the arrests of two ruling members of the New York-based Lucchese organized crime family and 30 others puts a major dent in the criminal operation.
"With today's arrests and charges, we have disrupted the highest echelon of the Lucchese organized crime family in both New York and New Jersey," Milgram said. "Disruption of the command structure of an organization is the most effective way to disable it."
Among those arrested were two of the family's three reputed New York bosses, along with a capo in New Jersey and the capo's three sons.
"This has to be one of the biggest (mob takedowns) we've ever done," Milgram said Tuesday.
Milgram said the massive gambling operation included bets on professional and college sports and greyhound racing; the suspects even ran their own lottery.
Tens of thousands of wagers were placed primarily through the Internet or toll-free telephone numbers, authorities said. Simply placing a bet is not illegal in New Jersey; no gamblers were charged.
Milgram said the operation involved both old-time gangsters and new-generation gang members.
"This is the first time we have a direct link between the two organizations," she said.
Milgram described the partnership as "the realization of our fears," and said it presents unique challenges for law enforcement trying to stem the tide of gangs, guns and drugs.
In this case, Milgram said, the mobsters were working with a top boss of the 9 Tre Gangsters, a subset of the Bloods street gang, to smuggle drugs and prepaid cell phones into East Jersey State Prison in Woodbridge.
A prison guard accused of personally delivering the drugs and phones, supplied by Lucchese associates, to inmates was among those arrested Tuesday.
Cell phones are prohibited inside New Jersey prisons, but are valuable commodities for gangsters who can continue to run their enterprises while incarcerated.
Among the reputed Lucchese crime family members arrested were Joseph DiNapoli, 72, of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Matthew Madonna, 72, of Seldon, N.Y., on suspicion of promoting gambling, money laundering and racketeering. They are alleged to have controlled the crime family's gambling operations and other criminal activity from New York.
The racketeering and money laundering charges each carry sentences of 20 years upon conviction.
Also arrested was the reputed alleged New Jersey Lucchese captain, Ralph V. Perna, 61, of East Hanover, and Perna's three sons.
The prison guard, Michael T. Bruinton, 43, of Ringoes, faces charges of racketeering, bribery, money laundering and conspiracy to distribute heroin. He allegedly made $500 each time he smuggled contraband into the prison, Milgram said, noting that guards are not subject to security checks like visitors entering the prison.
The major defendants were in custody and scheduled to make first appearances before state Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Morris County.
The Attorney General's Office had not received any official notices of legal representation for any of them by the close of business Tuesday.
My first thought was Corzine was indicted.
Who surrounded the entire STATE?
ahhh...new jersey. craps on new york city every day.
LUCCHESE CRIME FAMILY
The Lucchese Crime Family’s New Jersey organization was once among the most powerful in the state. They operated from Bergen County through Essex County, Morris County, Passaic County and Union County, to Sussex County. Their business included gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, blackmarket cigarettes, fraud, extortion, and anything else that made a fast buck. In the 1980s the organization was headed by Anthony “Tumac” Accetturo, and his second in command Michael Taccetta.
Accetturo led a charming mob life until Vittorio Amuso and Anthony Casso became the new leaders of the Luccheses. Amuso and Casso demanded 50% of New Jersey’s organization earnings. Accetturo refused this “proposition.” As a result Amuso and Casso labeled Accetturo a rat, stripped him of his capo rank, and put out a murder contract on him and his son Anthony Jr. By now Amuso and Casso had made a name for themselves as crazy killers, so when they summoned the entire Jersey organization to come to New York, only half the crew’s members showed up. Once there they decided it was smarter to leave immediately. When they also refused to attend several other meetings Casso and Amuso put out a contract on the entire organization.
Lucchese troops went hunting for the outlawed mobsters. The Jersey crew went into hiding, Accetturo spent most of this time in jail on a contempt charge. One Accetturo soldier was shot, but survived. No other Jersey members were killed or even wounded during the one sided war.
In 1993 Anthony Accetturo was convicted on racketeering charges. After he found out a trusted underling had given photos of his wife to rival mobsters he decided to cooperate with the government. Of course the fact that he could spend the next thirty years in prison was a huge motivation as well. With the flipping of Accetturo, several other crew members did the same, others were convicted.
Uh-oh! Two point two billion lost? That’s a lot of money! Guess the taxes will have to go up again in New Jersey.
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