A Passaic County man, reputed to be an associate of the Genovese organized crime family, entered a not guilty plea Thursday at his arraignment on federal loan-sharking charges.
Lawyers for William “Billy” Panzera, 40, of North Haledon, and a co-defendant, Robert “Bobby” Fiorello, 63, of Jackson, formally denied the charges during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark.
Panzera and Fiorello were among 11 defendants, including a reputed captain, two alleged soldiers and several alleged associates of the Genovese family, who were indicted in Brooklyn in April 2012 on 18 counts ranging from racketeering conspiracy to extortion, illegal gambling, union embezzlement and obstruction of justice.
Because the crimes that Panzera and Fiorello are alleged to have committed occurred in New Jersey and they declined to waive their right to be tried here, prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York re-indicted them in Newark last week on the same charges, setting the stage for a trial that Linares scheduled for Aug. 28.
The three-count indictment identifies Panzera as a Genovese crime family associate and alleges that from February to May of 2008 he, Fiorello and others conspired “to participate in the use of extortionate means” to collect one or more loans from an unnamed victim.
Panzera was also charged with conspiring to collect an unlawful debt under New Jersey law, defined as a loan given at a usurious interest rate of greater than 50 percent per year.
During the hearing, Linares set bail for Panzera, who was dressed in a dark suit, at $500,000, secured by property. Bail of $700,000 was set for Fiorello, who wore a black short-sleeve shirt and slacks.
As a condition of bail, both men were directed not to have any contact with witnesses or members and associates of organized crime.
After the hearing, veteran Hackensack attorney Frank P. Luciana, who is representing Panzera, declined to discuss the case, other than to say, “I’m very, very convinced that in this case justice is going to prevail.”
Thanks to Peter J. Sampson.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Top Ten Signs You Have A Bad Summer Job
Top Ten Signs You Have A Bad Summer Job by David Letterman
10. Each day begins with the North Korean pledge of allegiance
9. You spend ten hours a day digging for Jimmy Hoffa
8. They make you share a whistle
7. Sign in restroom reads "Employees Must Wash Each Other"
6. Your parents lie and tell people you're a stripper
5. A big part of your day involves dodging Federales
4. Even the interns address you with "Out of the way, loser!"
3. To go home at the end of the day you have to escape
2. You work alongside this guy (VT: Chinese baggage handler)
1. You greet people with, "Welcome aboard Carnival Cruise Lines"
10. Each day begins with the North Korean pledge of allegiance
9. You spend ten hours a day digging for Jimmy Hoffa
8. They make you share a whistle
7. Sign in restroom reads "Employees Must Wash Each Other"
6. Your parents lie and tell people you're a stripper
5. A big part of your day involves dodging Federales
4. Even the interns address you with "Out of the way, loser!"
3. To go home at the end of the day you have to escape
2. You work alongside this guy (VT: Chinese baggage handler)
1. You greet people with, "Welcome aboard Carnival Cruise Lines"
Monday, June 24, 2013
Deal with the Devil, FBI's Secret Relationship with Mafia Killer Gregory Scarpa Sr on Crime Beat Radio
On June 27th, Peter Lance discusses his book, Deal with the Devil: The FBI’s Secret 30-year Relationship with a Mafia Killer. Margaret McClain, Special Correspondent, reports on the Bulger trial.
Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.
Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Impeccable Connections: The Rise And Fall Of Richard Whitney – Stealing From Clients To Cover Debts. Sound Familiar?
“Not Dick Whitney. Not Dick Whitney!” President Franklin D. Roosevelt exclaimed upon being told Richard Whitney
, the long-time president of the New York Stock Exchange, was a criminal. Almost ten years earlier, on October 24, 1929, Black Thursday, as one newspaper’s headline put it the next day, “Richard Whitney Halts Stock Panic.” In 1934, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, hailed as the leader of the securities industry in its fight against New Deal regulation. Whitney’s message was clear: the securities industry could regulate itself, and the federal government should stay out.
Impeccable Connections, The Rise and Fall of Richard Whitney, tells in rich detail the remarkable account of a well-connected gentleman’s extraordinary life and gives details of the banking and investment structure that precipitated the stock market collapse of 1929. As president of the NYSE, the story depicts how Whitney played his role even as he manipulated powerful and trusted friends. While Whitney’s name might be less common than Bernie Madoff, Ivan Boesky or Charles Keating, his rise to the top of Wall Street and fall to Sing Sing was all the more dramatic because he started at the top of the old-guard establishment.
Impeccable Connections by Malcolm MacKay, tells the fascinating story of one of the biggest scandals and scoundrels in American finance that resulted in the securities regulations that are in today’s headlines. Richard Whitney, a man whose family was ‘old Massachusetts’ but not wealthy or particularly distinguished, and whose father had risen from a clerk to a successful importer and banker. Richard followed his older brother George to Groton, Harvard, the college’s socially elite Porcellian Club, and Wall Street.
Known as ‘the voice of Wall Street,’ Whitney became the leading opponent of federal regulation of the securities industry, testifying in Washington, and speaking around the country (often broadcast on national radio). Power, money and social position were all his. A successful bond broker whose largest client was the Morgan bank, he lived in a grand manner. Imagine the nation’s shock when, in 1938, he was sent to Sing Sing for embezzling clients’ securities! Addressed by both guards and fellow prisoners as “Mr. Whitney,” befitting his social position, Whitney was released early in 1941 for good behavior, having served only 3 years and 4 months out of a 5 – 10 year sentence. After Whitney’s fall, the New Deal reforms of the securities industry became secure.
Whitney would live for more than three decades, surviving his loyal wife and supportive brother George, who made good on all Richard’s failed loans and fraud. After a few false starts in various businesses, he spent the remainder of his life as the treasurer of a local dairy owned by a Far Hills neighbor, living in a cottage on a local estate.
Malcolm MacKay skillfully recounts the life story of Whitney, a man who was known to be an insufferable snob and a scoundrel, and also offers remarkable insight into the psyche of the man himself. As a young man, Malcolm MacKay, who knew the much older Whitney personally, thought a great deal about Whitney’s actions, always wondering, ‘Why did he do what he did?’
Malcolm MacKay has written several local histories and articles published in leading newspapers and magazines. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
, the long-time president of the New York Stock Exchange, was a criminal. Almost ten years earlier, on October 24, 1929, Black Thursday, as one newspaper’s headline put it the next day, “Richard Whitney Halts Stock Panic.” In 1934, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, hailed as the leader of the securities industry in its fight against New Deal regulation. Whitney’s message was clear: the securities industry could regulate itself, and the federal government should stay out.Impeccable Connections, The Rise and Fall of Richard Whitney, tells in rich detail the remarkable account of a well-connected gentleman’s extraordinary life and gives details of the banking and investment structure that precipitated the stock market collapse of 1929. As president of the NYSE, the story depicts how Whitney played his role even as he manipulated powerful and trusted friends. While Whitney’s name might be less common than Bernie Madoff, Ivan Boesky or Charles Keating, his rise to the top of Wall Street and fall to Sing Sing was all the more dramatic because he started at the top of the old-guard establishment.
Impeccable Connections by Malcolm MacKay, tells the fascinating story of one of the biggest scandals and scoundrels in American finance that resulted in the securities regulations that are in today’s headlines. Richard Whitney, a man whose family was ‘old Massachusetts’ but not wealthy or particularly distinguished, and whose father had risen from a clerk to a successful importer and banker. Richard followed his older brother George to Groton, Harvard, the college’s socially elite Porcellian Club, and Wall Street.
Known as ‘the voice of Wall Street,’ Whitney became the leading opponent of federal regulation of the securities industry, testifying in Washington, and speaking around the country (often broadcast on national radio). Power, money and social position were all his. A successful bond broker whose largest client was the Morgan bank, he lived in a grand manner. Imagine the nation’s shock when, in 1938, he was sent to Sing Sing for embezzling clients’ securities! Addressed by both guards and fellow prisoners as “Mr. Whitney,” befitting his social position, Whitney was released early in 1941 for good behavior, having served only 3 years and 4 months out of a 5 – 10 year sentence. After Whitney’s fall, the New Deal reforms of the securities industry became secure.
Whitney would live for more than three decades, surviving his loyal wife and supportive brother George, who made good on all Richard’s failed loans and fraud. After a few false starts in various businesses, he spent the remainder of his life as the treasurer of a local dairy owned by a Far Hills neighbor, living in a cottage on a local estate.
Malcolm MacKay skillfully recounts the life story of Whitney, a man who was known to be an insufferable snob and a scoundrel, and also offers remarkable insight into the psyche of the man himself. As a young man, Malcolm MacKay, who knew the much older Whitney personally, thought a great deal about Whitney’s actions, always wondering, ‘Why did he do what he did?’
Malcolm MacKay has written several local histories and articles published in leading newspapers and magazines. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
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