Prosecutors have rounded up various Mafia turncoats to testify at the upcoming Lucchese family racketeering trial.
According to court filings, they plan to have former Bonanno family capo Peter (Petey B.S.) Lovaglio, former Genovese family associate Anthony Zoccolillo, and former Lucchese family associates Joseph Foti and Robert Spinelli take the stand. Alleged mobsters which include Joseph (Big Joe) Datello, John (Big John) Castellucci, and associates Victor Bruno and Carmine (Spanish Carmine) Garcia are facing various charges as part of a 17-year racketeering enterprise. They were part of a massive Mob bust last year that targeted members and associates of the New York Mafia family.
High ranking Lucchese crime family mobsters including street boss Matthew Madonna and underboss Steven Crea Sr. are set to stand trial next year. Both mobsters along with Crea’s son Steven Crea Jr. and others have been charged in the 2013 murder of former Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish. While the Cosa Nostra wiseguys in the upcoming trial have not been charged in the Meldish murder prosecutors want to use limited evidence lined to it in an effort to prove a racketeering conspiracy. According to a Gangland report mob rat Robert Spinelli recorded discussion he had about the Meldish slaying and other NY Mafia business with Datello and Garcia and the feds want to be able to use them.
But as is usually the case these mob turncoats come with some baggage and it will be interesting to see how they stand up on the stand in this particular case. While Zoccolillo has already proven to be an effective witness for the feds in the past Lovaglio has proven to be just the opposite so far. Both Spinelli and Foti also have checked pasts which could turn out to be a challenge for prosecutors once they take the stand. While prosecutors will surely offer up other bits of evidence the testimonies from these former wiseguys will likely play a key role in whether or not the feds get a win.
Defense lawyers will surely challenge many of the request being made by prosecutors leading up to trial which is set to begin on October 1st. So far nine of the Lucchese family mobsters and associates among those originally indicted have copped plea deals or have agreed to plead guilty before trial.
