Reputed Gambino organized crime family “capo” Nicholas Corozzo has admitted to operating a highly sophisticated illegal gambling enterprise in Queens County and elsewhere that booked nearly $10 million in wagers over a two-year period on professional and college basketball and football, professional baseball and hockey and other sporting events, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.
District attorney Richard A. Brown said that Nicholas “Little Nicky” Corozzo, 68, of 2430 Legion Street in Bellmore, Long Island, appeared Friday before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Barry Kron and was arraigned on a 29-count indictment charging him – together with 25 other reputed members of the Gambino crime family – with promoting illegal sports betting in Queens County and elsewhere and with being involved in traditional gambling wire rooms located in Woodhaven, Queens, and non-traditional computerized wire rooms in Costa Rica.
“As a result of this prosecution, we have closed down a highly lucrative gambling operation that benefitted the Gambino crime family to the tune of millions of dollars each year”, Brown said. “Illegal gambling has always been the bread and butter moneymaker for organized crime because of the huge profits that it generates which can then be used to fund other more insidious forms of criminal activity, such as labor racketeering, drug trafficking, prostitution, auto theft, insurance fraud and loan sharking. This case sends a clear signal to all who involve themselves in illegal gambling that law enforcement will keep up the pressure and not allow them to operate.”
Corozzo pleaded guilty to the top count of the indictment –enterprise corruption. Justice Kron set bail at $1 million and indicated that Corozzo likely faced a sentence of up to five to 15 years in prison. The next court date is Dec. 1.
District Attorney Brown said that Corozzo had been named in the state indictment, as well as a federal indictment, in February 2008. The federal indictment charges him – together with 61 other reputed organized crime family members – with racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, loan sharking and embezzlement. Corozzo specifically is charged with respect to a January 1996 double murder of an organized crime family associate and his friend in connection with a drug-related homicide. That case is presently pending.
The District Attorney noted that Corozzo remained a fugitive from justice for approximately four months until his surrender to federal authorities on May 29 after his story was featured earlier in the month on the television show, “America’s Most Wanted.” Since his surrender, he has been held in federal custody without bail. He was returned to federal authorities following his appearance today in state court.
Other reputed Gambino soldiers and associates who have also pleaded guilty in the state gambling case include reputed soldiers Blaise Corozzo (Nicholas Corozzo’s brother) and Louis Scida, and reputed associates Todd Segarra, Neil Allstatt, and Frank Mancini, all of whom have pleaded guilty to the crime of enterprise corruption. Altstatt and Scida are expected to be sentenced to one and one-third years to four years in prison and Segarra, Mancini and Blaise Corozzo are expected to be sentenced to one to three years in prison.
Reputed soldier Michael Scarola pleaded guilty to first-degree promoting gambling and is expected to be sentenced to two to four years in prison.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Your Witness for 30 Days Blogging Event
Your Witness 
for 30 Days is a blogging event that will provide you with snippets of wisdom straight from the new book Your Witness: Lessons on Cross-Examination and Life from Great Chicago Trial Lawyers. Over the next month, you can visit http://yourwitness.wordpress.com for your daily dose of legal drama, poignant observations, and hilarious anecdotes from some of the country’s top lawyers. Feel free to share it with your colleagues and friends – because everyone needs a good cross.
for 30 Days is a blogging event that will provide you with snippets of wisdom straight from the new book Your Witness: Lessons on Cross-Examination and Life from Great Chicago Trial Lawyers. Over the next month, you can visit http://yourwitness.wordpress.com for your daily dose of legal drama, poignant observations, and hilarious anecdotes from some of the country’s top lawyers. Feel free to share it with your colleagues and friends – because everyone needs a good cross.Saturday, August 02, 2008
Angelo Nicosia, Genovese Crime Family Associate, Found Guilty of $50,000 Extortion and Conspiracy
MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ANGELO NICOSIA, an associate of the Genovese Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra, was found guilty of extortion and extortion conspiracy after a one-week jury trial before the Honorable SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN. According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:
NICOSIA was an associate in the crew of Genovese Family captain, or “capo,” ANGELO PRISCO. In 1997, a Manhattan-based contractor hired NICOSIA as a sub-contractor on a construction job in New Jersey. At the conclusion of that job, NICOSIA claimed that the contractor owed him tens of thousands of dollars for work that NICOSIA had not actually completed. When the contractor resisted making payment, PETER RIZZO, a Genovese Family associate in PRISCO’S crew, went to the contractor’s construction site and attacked the contractor’s business partner. During the attack, RIZZO broke a coffee pot over the business partner’s head, causing serious head and facial injuries.
In 2004, NICOSIA again approached the contractor, claiming that the contractor still owed tens of thousands of dollars from the 1997 construction job. NICOSIA, accompanied by Genovese Family associates JOHN MELICHAREK, a/k/a “Rocky,” and MICHAEL IUNI, then went to Victim-1’s workplace unannounced and threatened the contractor and the contractor’s family with violence if the contractor did not pay. Because of these threats, the contractor paid NICOSIA and his co-conspirators a total of $50,000. After receiving the money, NICOSIA and his co-conspirators divided the money among themselves, including by paying $10,000 to Prisco as “tribute.”
NICOSIA was one of eight defendants who were indicted in this case. Seven have now been convicted, and the eighth is at large. MELICHAREK pleaded guilty to robbery conspiracy, a firearms offense, and the extortion of Victim-1. IUNI pleaded guilty to the extortion of Victim-1. DOMINICK MEMOLI, a/k/a“Shakes,” pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms offenses. LOUIS PIPOLO pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. DARDIAN CELAJ, a/k/a“Danny,” pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms charges. ENED GJELAJ, a/k/a “Neddy,” pleaded guilty to a robbery offense. GJELOSH KRASNIQI, a/k/a “Jimmy,” has not been arrested, and remains at large. The charges against KRASNIQI are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NICOSIA, 46, of East Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. before Judge SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN.
Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office. Mr. GARCIA also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; the Orange County, New York District Attorney’s Office; the Westchester County, New York District Attorney’s Office; the New York State Police; the Morris County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office; the Rockaway Township, New Jersey Police Department; and the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys ELIE HONIG and LISA ZORNBERG are in charge of the prosecution.
NICOSIA was an associate in the crew of Genovese Family captain, or “capo,” ANGELO PRISCO. In 1997, a Manhattan-based contractor hired NICOSIA as a sub-contractor on a construction job in New Jersey. At the conclusion of that job, NICOSIA claimed that the contractor owed him tens of thousands of dollars for work that NICOSIA had not actually completed. When the contractor resisted making payment, PETER RIZZO, a Genovese Family associate in PRISCO’S crew, went to the contractor’s construction site and attacked the contractor’s business partner. During the attack, RIZZO broke a coffee pot over the business partner’s head, causing serious head and facial injuries.
In 2004, NICOSIA again approached the contractor, claiming that the contractor still owed tens of thousands of dollars from the 1997 construction job. NICOSIA, accompanied by Genovese Family associates JOHN MELICHAREK, a/k/a “Rocky,” and MICHAEL IUNI, then went to Victim-1’s workplace unannounced and threatened the contractor and the contractor’s family with violence if the contractor did not pay. Because of these threats, the contractor paid NICOSIA and his co-conspirators a total of $50,000. After receiving the money, NICOSIA and his co-conspirators divided the money among themselves, including by paying $10,000 to Prisco as “tribute.”
NICOSIA was one of eight defendants who were indicted in this case. Seven have now been convicted, and the eighth is at large. MELICHAREK pleaded guilty to robbery conspiracy, a firearms offense, and the extortion of Victim-1. IUNI pleaded guilty to the extortion of Victim-1. DOMINICK MEMOLI, a/k/a“Shakes,” pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms offenses. LOUIS PIPOLO pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. DARDIAN CELAJ, a/k/a“Danny,” pleaded guilty to robbery and firearms charges. ENED GJELAJ, a/k/a “Neddy,” pleaded guilty to a robbery offense. GJELOSH KRASNIQI, a/k/a “Jimmy,” has not been arrested, and remains at large. The charges against KRASNIQI are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NICOSIA, 46, of East Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. before Judge SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN.
Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office. Mr. GARCIA also thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; the Orange County, New York District Attorney’s Office; the Westchester County, New York District Attorney’s Office; the New York State Police; the Morris County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office; the Rockaway Township, New Jersey Police Department; and the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys ELIE HONIG and LISA ZORNBERG are in charge of the prosecution.
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