Free Republic

Former Bonanno crime family boss Joseph “Big Joey” Massino — the first head of one of New York’s five mob families to ever turn rat — died earlier this month after battling a short illness, it was revealed Friday. He was 80. Massino, who ran the Bonanno family with an iron fist from 1991 to 2003, died at a rehab facility in the New York City area on Sept. 14, sources close to his family told Newsday. The ex-mob boss, who sent shockwaves through the organized crime world when he became a federal witness nearly two decades ago, had been...

According to a Department of Justice press release, 45-year-old Zottola hired 37-year-old hitman Himen Ross, who also received a life sentence, to kill both his father and brother in an effort to keep the family’s two dozen Bronx multi-family rental and commercial properties valued at $45 million. On Oct. 4, 2018, known New York City mobster Sylvester was gunned down in what law enforcement described as a mafia-style assassination at a Bronx McDonald’s drive-thru while ordering a cup of coffee. A reputed associate of New York’s Bonanno crime family, Sylvester was waiting in his vehicle to pick up his order...

In an unusual move an Italian magistrate has publicly announced a wide-ranging investigation to target public officials who have become dirty tools for the country's Mafia groups as reported by Michael Day for The Independent: "organised crime was continuing to spread through Italy 'like a cancer' thanks to the 'white-collar mafia' of acquiescent public officials and politicians." Magistrate Ilda Boccassini's bold announcement follows the arrests earlier this week of a cop, a judge and a politician for allegedly servicing the 'Ndrangheta or Calabrian Mafia. * * * The 'Ndrangheta has become Italy's most powerful Mafia group due to its obscene...