Indictment of "Junior" Gotti Includes Conspiracy Charges Tied to Cocaine Trafficking and 3 Murders

John A. "Junior" Gotti has been indicted on conspiracy charges in Florida, linking him to large-scale cocaine trafficking and the slayings of three New York men in the late 1980s and early 1990s, federal officials said Tuesday.

Federal prosecutor Robert O'Neill announced the indictment of the 44-year-old Gotti and five other men at a news conference. He said the indictment showed that the men were "trying to gain a foothold" in the area.

"What should be noted today is whether you violate the federal law today, tomorrow, or 20 years ago, the FBI and its law enforcement partners will pursue the matter to its logical conclusions," said Steven E. Ibison, special agent-in-charge of the Tampa FBI office.

Gotti — the son of the late Gambino family crime boss John Gotti — was arrested at his Long Island home and is expected to appear later Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

The conspiracy indictment against Gotti accuses him of being a chief in an arm of the Gambino crime family that operated in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania since about 1983. That enterprise was involved in everything from murder and kidnapping to witness tampering and money laundering, and had its fingers in legal and illegal businesses and union locals, federal authorities said.

It says he was involved in the slayings of George Grosso in Queens, NY, in 1988; Louis DiBono, who was killed in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 1990; and Bruce John Gotterup, killed in 1991 at the Boardwalk at the Rockaways in Queens. It also accuses him of possession and trafficking of more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.

A second indictment charges Gotti associates John A. Burke, 47, who is in prison in New York; James V. Cadicamo, 33, of Tampa; David D'Arpino, 33, of Howard Beach, NY; Michael D. Finnerty, 43, of Oceanside, NY; and Guy T. Peden, 47, of Wantagh, NY.

Both indictments were handed up last month.

In 1999, Junior Gotti pleaded guilty to racketeering crimes including bribery, extortion, gambling and fraud. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison and was released in 2005.

Gotti also was tried three times in Manhattan on racketeering charges for an alleged plot to kidnap Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. The trials in 2005 and 2006 ended in hung juries and mistrials.

Federal prosecutors announced at the time that they were giving up — and Gotti said he had long since retired from his life of crime.

"They tried very hard to convict him up here. They spared no resources and it didn't work," said Gotti's attorney, Charles Carnesi. "It's tragic for him and his family to have to continually go through this. It's almost laughable."

Federal authorities in Florida successfully convicted other suspected members of the Tampa-area Gambino enterprise in 2006, including Michael Malone, Charles Carneglia and Ronald "Ronnie One Arm" Trucchio. The former alleged boss of the Tampa enterprise, John E. Alite, is awaiting trial in Tampa after being captured and extradited from Brazil.

Thanks to Christine Armario and Thomas Hays

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Junior Gotti Said to Have Been Arrested on Murder Conspiracy Charge

A law enforcement official says John A. "Junior" Gotti has been arrested on a murder conspiracy charge.

The official says the charge stemmed from a federal investigation originating in Tampa, Fla. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the charge had not been officially announced.

Gotti has had three criminal trials end in mistrial. He is expected to make an appearance in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday for a removal hearing.

A call to his attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.

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On the Spot Journal Brings You The History of Crime and Law Enforcement in the Twenties and Thirties

On The Spot is a quarterly journal created for researchers, authors and historical enthusiasts in general of the 1920s & 1930s. Each journal will include the most current factual information available on crime and law enforcement of the twenties and thirties era.

Check out some of their reviews:

At long last: A true-crime journal by a writer and long-time researcher with a phenomenal memory who locates and evaluates original sources instead of repeating the mistakes perpetuated in books that are based on earlier books. His contributors are scrutinized for accuracy, and into his clutches have been falling more and more descendants of prominent outlaws and gangsters, all pleased by his nonjudgmental accounts of their family's black sheep who are as much a part of history as...well, let's say J. Edgar Hoover, whose G-men brought them down.
-- William J. Helmer, author or coauthor of The Gun That Made the Twenties Roar, Dillinger: The Untold Story, Public Enemies, Baby Face Nelson, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and The Complete Public Enemy Almanac.

On the Spot Journal is a fascinating, informative true crime periodical for anyone who is intrigued by the "Public Enemy Era", when roving gangs of bank robbers and bootleggers criss-crossed America's landscape. The Journal's articles cover a vast range of topics, from the adventures of John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd to the early years of the Mafia. With its copious illustrations, Rick and Linda Mattix have done a wonderful job of creating an accessible yet detailed contribution to criminal history. As the underworld flip side of The Bonfire of the Vanities, On The Spot is a crucial resource for all those who are interested in the not-too-long ago era of bathtub gin, flappers, Tommyguns, and irresistible lawlessness.
-- Daniel Waugh, author of Egan's Rats: The Untold Story of the Prohibition-Era Gang that ruled St. Louis

On the Spot Journal is both an educational and fun resource on the early days of crime and crime prevention. The only one like it of its kind. The only thing more fun than contributing to it is reading it.
-- Patrick Downey, author of Gangster City: History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 and Bad Seeds in the Big Apple: Bandits, Killers & Chaos in New York City 1920-1940

On the Spot certainly is. The articles are almost as good as being there when the incidents described took place. The magazine is a veritable history of crime in the United States with emphasis on organized crime and the John Dillinger era. I would recommend that every true crime fan subscribe at once. The articles are great, authentic and in luscious detail. The photos are a great addition to the text.
-- Arthur J. Bilek
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice, Loyola University and author of The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee

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Nicholas “Little Nicky” Corozzo, Reputed Gambino Crime Family Capo, Pleads Guilty

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.

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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.

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