Posted on 01/27/2005 7:46:15 PM PST by Indy Pendance
NEW YORK (AP) - Jailed Mafia boss Joseph Massino secretly recorded his successor plotting the assassination of a federal prosecutor, becoming the first head of a New York Mafia family known to have turned government informant, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.
A federal indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that acting Bonanno family head Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano planned the killing of a top mob prosecutor in meetings with someone described as a "high-ranking member" of his crime family. The FBI recorded the conversations with the help of the high-ranking member, the indictment says.
Several sources familiar with the investigation identified Massino as the turncoat Mafioso. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because Massino had not been publicly identified as the informant.
Lawyers for Massino and Basciano declined to comment.
The alleged betrayal would rank as one of the most stunning violations of the Mafia code of silence in the history of American organized crime. It also would signal just how deeply the FBI has penetrated a crime family that nearly collapsed in the 1980s after undercover agent Joseph Pistone won its confidences posing as mobster Donnie Brasco.
Thursday's indictment charges Basciano - a beauty salon owner already jailed on murder, arson and other charges - in the slaying of mob associate Randolph "Randy" Pizzolo, who was found lying face down with four bullet wounds last year in an industrial section of Brooklyn.
"I thought this kid would have been a good wake-up call for everybody," Basciano was recorded saying, according to the indictment.
The indictment does not charge Basciano with the plot to slay the unidentified prosecutor, although it describes in detail how the two mobsters discussed it during a meeting last year in Brooklyn federal court and in two recorded conversations this month in a Brooklyn detention center.
The lead prosecutor in the Massino and Basciano cases, Greg Andres, was placed under armed guard earlier this month because of a threat that was not disclosed at the time.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn, Robert Nardoza, declined to comment Thursday. An FBI spokesman also declined to comment.
The indictment also charges alleged Bonanno captain Dominick Cicale with participating in the Pizzolo murder. Cicale was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty Thursday.
Massino was convicted of murder, racketeering and other crimes last summer based on the testimony of his brother-in-law, Bonanno underboss Salvatore "Good Lookin' Sal" Vitale, and a parade of lower-ranking turncoat mobsters.
Massino had been dubbed "The Last Don" for his ability to rebuild the family and avoid prison while the heads of New York's four other Mafia families were behind bars.
No honor among thieves! You would think with all this "dime dropping" and ratting out, young would be mobsters would think
twice about getting into the mob.
You'd think, but, maybe they are raised to have no choice.
I think that is so for the older generation of Mob guys, but the younger ones have to see the news and realize the Golden Age of the Mafia is long gone. At least the smarter one should see that.
Is there money in terrorism?
They know if the are total pariahs to everyone their "thing" dies.
BTTT
I suppose it's an underworld I'll never really understand.
They made good food, the people seemed really nice, granted, everyone also knew the rep of the place.
Funny story for the folks, the FBI bugged the place once, within 24 hours, the bugs were dead, Massino had had the place swept. The feds actually sent an agent in there to pick up there equipment, Massino congratulated the agent on a promotion and gave it back to him in a box.
I'm going to miss CasaBlanca's.
The younger ones might be worse then the older ones ever were, big big differances.
These younger guys might be even more dangerious to regular people, they certainly not as smart as the older generations.
but the younger ones have to see the news and realize the Golden Age of the Mafia is long gone. At least the smarter one should see that.
Please, I'm sure in Philly they're still going strong. We always knew they were here and to be honest it never really bothered anyone I know.
The Mafia is dead. Now if only the FBI would go after MS13, the Crips, etc.
They aren't dead, some of the street gangs in NYC have connections (think vendors) with mafia groups.
MS13, Latin Kings, Netta's, bloods (bunch of wannabe's), etc, usually have a link of connection to the mob in some way.
Its eerie how the saying "its a small world" really does apply.
I'm from NYC, our guys are definatley weakening (I'm really gonna miss some of my fav places), but these younger guys coming in now, are just loose cannons.
La Cosa Nostra is run by senile old men who have about as much "respect" on the street as a $20 whore. You are right, however, that what's left of La Cosa Nostra does work with other gangs on occassion.
If he had been legit, he could have had a winner here, he did seem like a nice quiet guy, the younger kids are juiced up out of there damn minds though.
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