According to the DOJ report, four Lucchese crime family mobsters were convicted today of murder, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and other felonies in the Michael Meldish murder case.
Matthew Madonna, Steven Crea, Christopher Londonio, and Terrence Caldwell were all found guilty as charged. According to evidence presented during the trial, Madonna who was acting boss of the New York Mafia family became displeased with Meldish in 2013 because he refused to collect debts owed to him. He put out the order to have Meldish killed. Crea the Cosa Nostra families underboss then and now participated in the decision to have Meldish killed. He relayed the orders he got from Madonna to lower-ranking members of the crime family.
“Matthew Madonna and Steven Crea”
Londonio a soldier in the Lucchese family acted on Crea’s orders he helped set up Meldish to be killed and acted as the getaway driver. Evidence presented at trial also showed that as acting boss of the NY Mafia family Madonna received payments from a host of other illegal activities, including the extortion of labor union members, loansharking, illegal gambling operations, and drug-trafficking.
Crea was personally involved in several criminal schemes, including fraud and extortion in a large construction project at a public hospital, the extortion of one of his subordinates, and ordering the assault of a relative according to evidence. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “The violent and disturbing acts of these four organized crime figures included the brutal murder of associate Michael Meldish. Fittingly, all four defendants have been found guilty of their heinous acts of fraud, extortion, and murder on the six-year anniversary of Meldish’s death. Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, we will continue our commitment to making organized crime a thing of a bygone era.”
Here is a complete list of charges in which the defendants were found both guilty of and acquitted on:
MADONNA, 84, of the Bronx, New York; CREA, 72, of Crestwood, New York; LONDONIO, 45, of Hartsdale, New York; and CALDWELL, 61, of Manhattan, New York, were each found guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison; murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and use of a firearm in furtherance of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
CREA was acquitted of one count of attempted murder and assault in aid of racketeering and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of attempted murder and assault in aid of racketeering.
LONDONIO was also found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. LONDONIO was acquitted of one count of attempting to escape from the Metropolitan Detention Center.
CALDWELL was also found guilty of one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
