Robert Lougy the acting Attorney General announced indictments which targeted member of the Genovese crime family in New Jersey. Ten alleged members and associates of the New York mafia family operating in New Jersey have been indicted on charges including first-degree racketeering, loansharking, money laundering, illegal gambling, and illegal check cashing among others.
According to the indictment, the Cosa Nostra family raked in millions of dollars in proceeds from these illegal activities in Jersey. The joint operation named “Operation Fistful” included the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor with assistance from other law enforcement agencies from both New York and Jersey.
The wives of three defendants along with another defendant were also arrested in connection with the laundering of drug money and tax fraud bringing the total amount of the defendants in the case to 14. Among those arrested were Charles “Chuckie” Tuzzo an alleged captain in the Genovese family, and Vito Alberti an alleged mob soldier who feds claimed answered to the NY Mafia family’s hierarchy. Also arrested were alleged Genovese family associates Vincent P. Coppola (son of imprisoned Genovese family capo Michael Coppola), Domenick Pucillo, Robert “Bobby Spags” Spagnola, Abel J. Rodrigues, and Manuel Rodriguez among others connected to the various schemes. The following criminal schemes were run by the defendants in various combinations according to the indictments which generated payments that flowed up the chain of command in the Genovese family.
- a massive loansharking operation that yielded about $4.7 million in illegal interest;
- an illicit multi-million dollar offshore sports gambling enterprise;
- an unlicensed check-cashing business that made $9 million in fees in four years, while enabling customers to launder funds and evade taxes by skirting federal reporting requirements;
- laundering of $666,000 in drug moneyvia check-cashing businesses owned by Pucillo in Newark and Florida;
- illegal control and use of a trucking firm with a contract to transport cars from Port Newark;
tax fraud and evasion.
Division of Criminal Justice director Elie Honig said that “The more the Mafia changes, the more it stays the same,” and even though sophisticated financial systems were used in an attempt to hide their profits those profits were still generated from traditional street crimes and mafia staples like loansharking and illegal gambling. New Jersey Commissioner Michael Murphy of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor said “The Genovese Crime Family has historically exerted its influence on the Port of New Jersey. Disruption of its profits from gambling, loan sharking and money laundering weakens that family’s grip.” Each of the defendants charged is facing lengthy prison sentences if found guilty. Here is a list of those charged in the Indictment: (The indictment in its entirety can be read here.)
- Charles “Chuckie” Tuzzo. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (3 counts, 1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Criminal Usury (2nd degree), Business of Usurious Loans (2nd degree), Operating an Unlicensed Check-Cashing Facility (3rd degree) and Promoting Gambling (3rd degree).
- Vito Alberti. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (3 counts, 1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Criminal Usury (2nd degree), Business of Usurious Loans (2nd degree), Operating an Unlicensed Check-Cashing Facility (3rd degree), Promoting Gambling (3rd degree), Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Domenick Pucillo. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (3 counts, 1st degree), Conspiracy (2, counts, 1st degree), Criminal Usury (2nd degree), Business of Usurious Loans (2nd degree), Possession of Usurious Loan Records (3rd degree), Operating an Unlicensed Check-Cashing Facility (3rd degree), Filing Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Robert “Bobby Spags” Spagnola. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Criminal Usury (2nd degree), Business of Usurious Loans (2nd degree), Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree), Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree) and Failure to File Tax Return (3rd degree).
- Manuel Rodriguez. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Operating an Unlicensed Check-Cashing Facility (3rd degree), Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree), Failure to File Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Vincent P. Coppola. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Promoting Gambling (3rd degree), Possession of Gambling Records (3rd degree), Failure to File Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- John W. Trainor. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Promoting Gambling (3rd degree), Possession of Gambling Records (3rd degree), Forgery (3rd degree), Failure to File a Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Abel J. Rodrigues. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Operating an Unlicensed Check-Cashing Facility (3rd degree), Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Jerry J. Albanese. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (1st degree), Conspiracy (1st degree), Promoting Gambling (3rd degree) and Possession of Gambling Records (3rd degree).
- Flor Miranda. Racketeering (1st degree), Money Laundering (3 counts, 1st degree), Conspiracy (2 counts, 1st degree), Criminal Usury (2nd degree), Business of Usurious Loans (2nd degree), Possession of Usurious Loan Records (3rd degree).
- Miguel Jose Varela Lopez. Money Laundering (1st degree) and Conspiracy (1st degree).
- Suzanne Scatturo. Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Debra Spagnola. Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
- Lisa Trainor. Filing a Fraudulent Tax Return (3rd degree) and Failure to Pay Gross Income Tax (3rd degree).
Seems like only a couple of “made” guys in that mix although a lot of pockets are likely lighter after this take down all the way up the ladder in the Genovese family. Seems like the Genovese still have some solid roots down in Jersey.
tuzzo is 82 doing time at that age is going to be hard. The Genovese family and lucheses are joint number 1 in Jeresy more now today than ever as more Italiens move out New York to jeresy.
not many made guys thats true
Vince coppola went on the lam they caught him 24 hours later snorting drugs in a car not the same guy is father was
Hadn’t heard a whole lot before about Coppola’s kid but he def doesn’t seem to be cut from same cloth as his old man.
It’s sad that they want to keep 82 year olds in prison who are just making money they’re not killing innocent Americans but they’re releasing all these illegal aliens on charges ranging from murder to sexual assaults.
well he was involved in laundering drug money shacking down garbage company and taking street tax of drug dealers among other things he was not just a bookie if your doing that and then get caught then i have no complaints with the feds coming after you
But i do agree with what your saying above they need to get there priorities right LCN should not be the top priorities . But the feds are putting less into LCN anyway not like it was 15 years ago only two FBI mafia squads left mafia has hardly changed last 20 years it never will its all terrorism today thats what they care about and rightfully so terrorism needs to be the number 1 concern.
Yeah I know what you’re saying but still I come on these sites and everyone is still under indictment or in court and ya that is true but also the guys around 15-20 years ago either got killed or are doing heavy prison sentences now. Too me there’s more important crimes right now then the leaders of the LCN sitting around collecting envelopes for drug deals that they weren’t around while present nor any of these crimes it just shouldn’t be a priority right now to give these guys sentences when immigration/terrorism is the problem now. And even if they didn’t have such an obsession with the LCN and focused on terror which was getting big in the 90’s we would of prevented 9/11.
i do agree with you on that in the 90s they should have put more attention on terrisom back then. But then again in the 90s LCN was dropping bodies everywhere that was getting there attention that and gotti
LCN i do agree though should not be top prioritie for the feds
They can hand indictments to these guys and give them ridiculous prison sentences but yet these illegal aliens are committing murders getting out on bond and skipping court cases fleeing the country but their still on these guys like I understand they don’t want these guys building up like the old days but we have more serious problems going on here then these guys doing shakedowns etc like these FBI agents need to let it go for a bit. That FBI director James Comey he doesn’t know what he’s doing it seems like same with the director of ICE Sarah Saldana she doesn’t know whats going on either by releasing these people into our community and not sentencing them nor even deporting them which is the our law but yet we want to focus on Cosa Nostra it just blows my mind that we still are giving these guys heavy prison sentences but letting these illegal immigrants out on murder, sexual assaults, you name the crime but we want to sentence these American citizens because over half of these guys aren’t from Italy or even speak Italian anymore. Absolutely ridiculous sorry for the rant but just saying.
There is definitely a problem there and it has to be addressed sooner rather then later no doubt about it.
There’s no assets and money for the lowlifes to forfeit so they go after these guys and what they have stashed…La Feebia is bigger than all 5 Families…they have the gov’t backing them, and they can lie and bury anyone in a cell or solitary….look at the Boston office (Connelly, Bulger, Flemmi, and Morris), Devecchio with Scarpa and Sessa in NYC….look at what Joe Barone, Jr has just received his day in court….it’s quite a dirty crew, if you ask me
this is from October 2014 I don’t know if this is the first time this is on the site but for all these commenters who seem to comment on every single article posted here I’m surprised if this is your first time reading about this with it being almost 2 years old
and when I say all these commenters who comment on every article im just referring to John Grant I don’t know why I wasn’t more specific. It’s one thing to read the articles but do I have to see the picture of a guy with a mustache in every article I read. As someone with a dad in cosa nostra I find it creepy how not only do you seem to study these guys personal lives but also you look into their kids I’m glad my family keeps a low profile and my dads never been arrested. I like to keep up on this stuff too but get a life man
I am an avid reader of this and many other sites and I like the sharing of info and just random chatter commenting here and elsewhere. I have no problem with you not wanting to comment or be a part of this or any comment section but i surely won’t be changing what I do because of your opinion either. You have a nice day.