FBI Raids May be Linked to Organized Crime

FBI agents raided property on Tuesday that may be linked to organized crime, KMBC reported.

Early Tuesday morning, the FBI served federal search warrants at several metro-area homes. The series of raids were planned to strike at multiple locations in the Northland at the same time.

KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that the raids were conducted at homes owned by people named Civella, Cammisano and Moretina -- names that are familiar to law enforcement agents who have investigated organized crime in Kansas City in past decades.

"There have been charges and search warrants and investigations into organized crime. And a lot of the names you're mentioning have been investigated in connection with those activities," former FBI Agent Jeff Lanza said.

The FBI wouldn't say what prompted the raids, but some sources speculate it may be in connection with a federal gambling investigation.

"When you serve a search warrant, you're usually pretty far down the line. And you've reach a conclusion that a crime has been committed or may be committed at the place that you're searching," Lanza said.

The FBI didn't say whether any arrests were made.

In the 1970s, FBI agents thought Nicholas Civella was an influential member of organized crime. Severe people from Kansas City were convicted in plots to skim hundreds of thousands of dollars from Las Vegas. One of the schemes was included in the movie, "Casino."

Thanks to KMBC