Thirteen alleged members and associates of the Genovese crime family from the New York mafia were busted in “Operation Shark Bait” according to law enforcement officials.
The organized crime crackdown targeted mob gambling, loan-sharking, and bootlegging schemes controlled by the Genovese family. Among those busted was 76-year-old made man and operation ring leader Salvatore (Sallie) DeMeo a NY mafia veteran with an extensive rap sheet. DeMeo and the other Cosa Nostra family associates have all been accused of being part of massive mob-controlled gambling and loan-sharking operations.
“Genovese Family mobsters, including Salvatore DeMeo (far right)”
(Photo: Jesse Ward For New York Daily News)
According to authorities, the gambling operation took in millions of dollars of action working through a wire room in Costa Rica. The loan sharking operation was charging customers exorbitant interest rates that were impossible to repay according to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Two of the defendants have also been charged with selling over 30,000 illegal cigarettes using bogus tax stamps to avoid both state and local taxes. The investigation captured mobsters conducting these illegal activities on intercepted conversation according to the report. The case was announced by Schneiderman and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.
Also arrested were Eugene Orefice, 48; Anthony “Buckwheat” Giammarino, 65; Joseph Tommasino, 52; Thomas Alexiou, 55; Rocco Maglione, 46; Windsor Lewis, 66; Vincent Taliercio, 65; Jackie Charlton, 53; Michael Epstein, 48, and John Giglio, 55 according to the indictment. All of the defendants including DeMeo have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors pointed out that DeMeo who served as the boss of the million-dollar operation had an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1980s as he plead not guilty in court. Judge Danny Chun set his bail at $300,000. DeMeo was once featured on an episode of America’s Most Wanted after going on the run trying to escape racketeering and bank robbery charges.
Seems the old tymers from the Genovese family had a nice little racket going there esp if those numbers being tossed around by prosecutors are legit.
oh yeah, off shore gambling, p**n scams, big money. These guys know how to make money. While the colombos shake down barbers for $200 a month.
Genovese had a tough year it seems. I’ll be damned if they never flip though.
Your right the Genovese family has been kind of roughed up a bit this year but they are so well insulated and organized that it doesn’t seem to have as big an effect as it could and your right no rats.
when it comes to NYC bust all i ever hear about theses days is gambling and loansharking. i guess sticking with the basics
Def still the bread and butter staples of the mafia although there seems to still be some stock fraud + other frauds and a sprinkle of union corruption etc still mixed in. The mob if nothing else has a knack for adapting and finding ways to continue to make money and I wouldn’t be surprised to see newer scams they are into pop up in near future.
just out of curiosity where do you think the 5 families stand in comparison to other criminal organisations in NYC. do they still have the most influence?
I think they do in NY and NJ where they are still well organized and continue to have a depth of made guys and associates. Of course they have def lost that tight grip they used to have but they continue to be a force in those cities. That is not so much the case in some other cities where the bikers, street gangs, other mobs and cartels are now more of a challenge.
I agree with john. Genovese, Gambino, Luchese are absolutely still a force. They still control lots of construction, sanitation, stock fraud, internet gambling, p**n, drugs, I think there are a few things that make the mafia more powerful than other gangs.
Years of infiltration into legitimate business.
Years of infiltration into local law enforcement.
International connections.
And their structure, leadership is well insulated. At least with the big three families.
Other gangs lack those traits, which is why the stick to drugs mostly. Fast money, don’t need years of experience to get going.
smart guy BelloMO. I think also with Mexican Russians and even the Montreal mob the laws are so corrupt or law that these other groups have been able to grow. the laws are so strict in the states . these guys in NYC are getting busted for gambling that’d on heard of in Canada. few months a rizzuto crew (operation clemenza 3) got busted for shipping a ton of bow into the city there all out on bail!
Wow, that’s crazy! You are right, in the states that’s big jail time for mafia association alone.
It’s safe to say the Mexican cartel runs mexico. They kill anyone, and I mean anyone. Mafia in states has rules and honestly doesn’t kill that much anymore
all five familys are doing well the colombos have had it good since Anthony russo flipped a lot of heavy people getting out that case you mentioned is a joke but these guys are greedy tony megale a underboss was shaking down a place for 100 a week a few years ago
Westside have had a bad year no doubt you say no rats the guy who took down all of them in the bust recently with merlino was john rubeo he was a Westside associate it was patsy who recommended him to merlino in the first place
Although, the Russian mob is no joke, we are talking about ex KGB members. Sophisticated, intelligent, and ties to Putin in some instances.
They are the real deal. And they are harder to break because they don’t have the structure of the American mafia. So you might bust one clan and not even impact the other 25 clans.
good explination thanks. I assume the mob probably has to collaborate with Mexican cartels as well. I guess the main difference from cosanostra heyday is that though the big three may s have a lot of power on the east coast however there are few organisations (Mexican cartels Russian mob) who are as powerful .
I’m sure there is some cartel connections for drugs. I know the bonannos and gambinos did lots of coke/drugs deals for a long time. Not sure how involved they are these days. drugs are big money, so mafia will always be involved.
You are right. Mafia influence is not as spread out anymore. In the 40-70’s the mafia had control in over 25 major cities/states with a national commission. They met like Fortune 500 companies to form business plans. Crazy to think how big it once was. 80’s and 90’s nearly destroyed it all. Also, the mafia is now replicating Russian mafia ideas. The biggest scam in American history was the gas tax rackets from the 80’s. And guess who started it? Not the mafia, the Russians. They just brought mafia in as muscle and protection.
Also it’s important to note many bootleggers converted booze money to legitimate business, this lead to more political power. John f Kennedy is a famous example. The real gangsters became “legitimate” and went into politics. Fun stuff, I love history.
do you think the authorities have been pissed off about genovese being the ivy league of the 5 families ? it is well known they are not rats and the authorities must be licking their lips and rubbing their hands HOPING one of them turn. is demeo a serious mobster ?
I think it was a matter of time before the feds and local fuzz got a hold of some of their operations but I don’t think they are being singled out per say. Besides the organized crime task forces have been cut down in man power quite a bit over last couple of years so they probably don’t have the man power these days to really “focus” more resources on the Genovese over the other families. DeMeo is def a stand up guy and a gangster as his criminal past shows so it is very unlikely he or any of the old timers busted here give the feds anything at all.