An alleged mob associate from Staten Island who already faced a slew of federal charges after being nabbed in a massive organized crime sweep weeks ago, was indicted on several drug and weapons charges.
Tottenville resident Michael Urciuoli -- whom federal authorities say is known to his Bonanno family associates as "Mike the Electrician" -- is accused of stowing more than a pound of cocaine and several handguns in his Sprague Avenue home and his car.
During a raid of his home last weekend, police said they found the drugs in a shoebox in the rafters of the garage, in a duffel bag on a workbench and in a dresser, tucked underneath his wife's clothes. They also said they found chemicals to dilute the cocaine, as well as a digital scale, mixing bowls, a plastic spoon and a spatula, all bearing cocaine residue.
A loaded .22 caliber pistol with two boxes of ammo was discovered hidden in a pigeon coop in the garage, police said. When Urciuoli was pulled over in his Lincoln pickup in the 4300-block of Amboy Road, police said they also found four more ounces of cocaine and a loaded .25 caliber pistol in the armrest.
The 43-year-old man's wife, Susan Urciuoli, 40, was also charged.
The top count against both of them, first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, carries the prospect of 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The drug bust came just two and a half weeks after Urciuoli was charged in one of the biggest federal organized crime indictments in U.S. history. More than 80 people -- including almost the entire hierarchy of the Gambino crime family, and a few Bonanno crime family associates -- were arrested in the Feb. 6 sweep.
Federal authorities accused Urciuoli of conspiring to extort a granite company.
Urciuoli pleaded not guilty on Feb. 7 to the mob-related charges, and had his wife put up the Sprague Avenue house as collateral so he could make his $1 million bail the next day.
Last Sunday, he was sent back in jail on the new charges -- and, this time, was given no bail. His wife was released on her own recognizance after the couple's arraignment in Stapleton Criminal Court.
Urciuoli was scheduled to make an appearance Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn on the mob charges, but instead was held at Staten Island Supreme Court, possibly to appear before a grand jury.
A notice of indictment was filed with the court clerk today, and Urciuoli is expected back in Staten Island Supreme Court for an arraignment on the new charges this Wednesday.
He remained remanded without bail.
Thanks to Peter N. Spencer
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Genovese Mob Boss Heading to Prison
Danny "The Lion" Leo, acting boss of the Genovese organized crime family, was sentenced to 60 months in prison Thursday following his guilty plea in federal court last October to two counts of extortion, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said.
At the same court hearing Thursday, Leo's nephew and chief lieutenant, Joseph Leo, received a 45-month prison sentence. Joseph Leo had pleaded guilty in October to one count of extortion, prosecutors said.
Court documents said between 2002 and 2006 both Danny and Joseph Leo used threats of violence against a business owner to force him to repay loans and debts made to him by the members of the Genovese crime family.
The documents also said Danny Leo extorted the owners and operators of an illegal gambling business by threatening violence and economic harm in order to force them to make payments to the Genovese crime family.
Investigators said the Genovese organized crime family, once led by the late Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, is the most powerful organized crime family in the United States.
At the same court hearing Thursday, Leo's nephew and chief lieutenant, Joseph Leo, received a 45-month prison sentence. Joseph Leo had pleaded guilty in October to one count of extortion, prosecutors said.
Court documents said between 2002 and 2006 both Danny and Joseph Leo used threats of violence against a business owner to force him to repay loans and debts made to him by the members of the Genovese crime family.
The documents also said Danny Leo extorted the owners and operators of an illegal gambling business by threatening violence and economic harm in order to force them to make payments to the Genovese crime family.
Investigators said the Genovese organized crime family, once led by the late Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, is the most powerful organized crime family in the United States.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The History of Organized Crime Control of Gay Bars
I had a reader send me a link to the the History of Gay Bars in New York City from 1900 to the present. In addition to the Big Apple, you can also read accounts regarding the history of gay bars in Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
Mob buffs will be most interested in the New York articles which include several accounts of involvement by the Bonannos, Colombos, Gambinos, Genoveses, and Luccheses crime families.
Mob buffs will be most interested in the New York articles which include several accounts of involvement by the Bonannos, Colombos, Gambinos, Genoveses, and Luccheses crime families.
Friday, February 29, 2008
AMW All Star Week One Winner
AMW All Star Week One Winner: A Christiansburg, Va. police officer who was one of the first to respond to the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University and is credited with saving the life of a gravely-injured student has become the first weekly finalist in the 2008 America's Most Wanted All-Star Contest, sponsored by Sprint.
Also on America's Most Wanted this week:
Brianna Denison Killer: Reno, Nev. cops announced that a pair of thong underwear found near Brianna Denison's body contains both the DNA of an unknown female and that of the serial rapist who kidnapped and raped -- and may have murdered -- the 19-year-old college student. Police do not believe that the black, "Pink Panther" thong belonged to Denison and are hoping that someone will come forward to claim the underwear.
Ahmet Gashi: Kemal Kolenovic was a New York welterweight champion who took one hit from which he'd never recover on New Years Eve 2006. Cops say a vicious foe, Ahmet Gashi, came at Kemal with some heavy armor, and he's been on the run ever since.
Unknown New Mexico “Boots” Jane Doe Killer: It was one of New Mexico 's most mysterious unsolved Jane Doe cases: a pair of hikers found a murder victim, buried in a shallow grave in the unforgiving desert. But when AMW brought you the story two weeks ago, a tipster called our hotline and helped cops crack the case. The "Boots" Jane Doe now has a name: Sandra Jean Brady.
Thomas Gleason: BMX Racing and teenage boys are not a good combination for Tom Gleason: after years of coaching kids in the extreme sport, police say he went too far and victimized several members of his team. Now, he's racing to stay away from the cops and families aching for justice who want him caught.
Pamela Biggers: Police have very few clues in the search for 52-year-old Pamela Biggers who went missing while on a business trip in Panama City , Fla. on January 28, 2008. The Bay County Sheriff's Office says Pam was last seen at 7 p.m. the night before at the La Quinta Inn, but the next morning, she was gone.
Nai Yin Xue: It's been more than five months since the international manhunt for self-proclaimed martial arts master Nai Yin Xue began. Now, police say the search is over after Xue was captured in Chamblee , Ga. after Chinese-American locals recognized him and hogtied him until authorities arrived. Authorities say Xue killed his wife and abandoned his young daughter in a train station.
Also on America's Most Wanted this week:
Brianna Denison Killer: Reno, Nev. cops announced that a pair of thong underwear found near Brianna Denison's body contains both the DNA of an unknown female and that of the serial rapist who kidnapped and raped -- and may have murdered -- the 19-year-old college student. Police do not believe that the black, "Pink Panther" thong belonged to Denison and are hoping that someone will come forward to claim the underwear.
Ahmet Gashi: Kemal Kolenovic was a New York welterweight champion who took one hit from which he'd never recover on New Years Eve 2006. Cops say a vicious foe, Ahmet Gashi, came at Kemal with some heavy armor, and he's been on the run ever since.
Unknown New Mexico “Boots” Jane Doe Killer: It was one of New Mexico 's most mysterious unsolved Jane Doe cases: a pair of hikers found a murder victim, buried in a shallow grave in the unforgiving desert. But when AMW brought you the story two weeks ago, a tipster called our hotline and helped cops crack the case. The "Boots" Jane Doe now has a name: Sandra Jean Brady.
Thomas Gleason: BMX Racing and teenage boys are not a good combination for Tom Gleason: after years of coaching kids in the extreme sport, police say he went too far and victimized several members of his team. Now, he's racing to stay away from the cops and families aching for justice who want him caught.
Pamela Biggers: Police have very few clues in the search for 52-year-old Pamela Biggers who went missing while on a business trip in Panama City , Fla. on January 28, 2008. The Bay County Sheriff's Office says Pam was last seen at 7 p.m. the night before at the La Quinta Inn, but the next morning, she was gone.
Nai Yin Xue: It's been more than five months since the international manhunt for self-proclaimed martial arts master Nai Yin Xue began. Now, police say the search is over after Xue was captured in Chamblee , Ga. after Chinese-American locals recognized him and hogtied him until authorities arrived. Authorities say Xue killed his wife and abandoned his young daughter in a train station.
US Links Being Restablished by Sicilian Mafia
Sicily's Mafia is rebuilding its networks in the US, according to an Italian parliamentary report.
The report says Cosa Nostra has been sending people to the US to form alliances with families with which it had lost contact in the 1980s.
It says that while the mob maintains a foothold in the lucrative drugs trade, it is now moving into new areas.
Although Cosa Nostra has its roots in Italian organised crime, it has long been a separate organisation in the US. But this month in an operation codenamed Old Bridge, a reference to these long-standing links between Sicily and New York, the FBI revealed details of the new relationships being formed across the Atlantic.
They rounded up more than 80 gangsters in New York including the acting bosses of the Gambino crime family - known to have direct links with Sicily.
The Italian anti-mafia commission says Old Bridge was a remarkable success but it shows the Sicilian Cosa Nostra is "re-establishing its links with the American cousins".
The commission says it has evidence Cosa Nostra is sending its top members to New York while allowing those expelled by the mob during the clan wars of the 1980s to return home to Sicily.
Their report says that many US food distribution and construction firms are now controlled by the US Cosa Nostra, whose bosses are of Sicilian origin and have direct links. And while Cosa Nostra still maintains its control over the lucrative drugs trade and its traditional activities of extortion and racketeering, it is now diversifying into new industries like online gambling.
Angela Napoli, a member of the anti-mafia commission, says the work to defeat Cosa Nostra falls on the Italian politicians - who must do more - and on the very brave witnesses who come forward to give evidence.
The commission says not enough is being done to help them.
Those under state protection say they feel abandoned. And consequently the number now prepared to come forward is falling.
Thanks to Christian Fraser
The report says Cosa Nostra has been sending people to the US to form alliances with families with which it had lost contact in the 1980s.
It says that while the mob maintains a foothold in the lucrative drugs trade, it is now moving into new areas.
Although Cosa Nostra has its roots in Italian organised crime, it has long been a separate organisation in the US. But this month in an operation codenamed Old Bridge, a reference to these long-standing links between Sicily and New York, the FBI revealed details of the new relationships being formed across the Atlantic.
They rounded up more than 80 gangsters in New York including the acting bosses of the Gambino crime family - known to have direct links with Sicily.
The Italian anti-mafia commission says Old Bridge was a remarkable success but it shows the Sicilian Cosa Nostra is "re-establishing its links with the American cousins".
The commission says it has evidence Cosa Nostra is sending its top members to New York while allowing those expelled by the mob during the clan wars of the 1980s to return home to Sicily.
Their report says that many US food distribution and construction firms are now controlled by the US Cosa Nostra, whose bosses are of Sicilian origin and have direct links. And while Cosa Nostra still maintains its control over the lucrative drugs trade and its traditional activities of extortion and racketeering, it is now diversifying into new industries like online gambling.
Angela Napoli, a member of the anti-mafia commission, says the work to defeat Cosa Nostra falls on the Italian politicians - who must do more - and on the very brave witnesses who come forward to give evidence.
The commission says not enough is being done to help them.
Those under state protection say they feel abandoned. And consequently the number now prepared to come forward is falling.
Thanks to Christian Fraser
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