The upcoming racketeering trial of alleged Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino and Genovese crime family capo Eugene (Rooster) Onofrio got a little more interesting with the feds set to add another mafia rat into the fold.
According to a new report from Ganglandnews, the feds plan to have former Bonanno crime family capo Peter (Pug) Lovaglio take the stand and testify against both mobsters. Lovaglio will team up with mob snitch John (J.R.) Rubeo who taped multiple conversations with various gangster associated with the East Coast La Cosa Nostra Enterprise case. According to court documents, Lovaglio began cooperating with the feds about a year ago and had dealt with both defendants before he began cooperating. He is not implicated in any crimes against the defendants but will testify as to their standing in the so-called East Coast LCN Enterprise and interactions he had with them before he was busted.
“Joey Merlino”
The feds busted over 40 alleged Cosa Nostra mobsters and associates last year that was supposedly part of this East coast group they claim has been operating since 2010. They claimed that Joey Merlino, Eugene Onofrio, and fellow Genovese family capo Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello were the leaders of this organized crime enterprise. Problems with the case including an internal FBI probe into the handling of Rubeo and evidence he collected caused the feds to drop the main charge of racketeering against many of the defendants in exchange for taking favorable plea deals. Every one of the defendants has agreed to deals except for Joey and Rooster who decided to take the feds and their troubled case to trial. Both defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy in the original indictment and then with separate crimes in a revised six-count indictment. Merlino was charged with health care fraud and illegal gambling while Onofrio was charged with loansharking, illegal gambling, and bootlegging cigarettes.
Lovaglio was hit with assault charges from an incident two years ago after smashing a cocktail glass into the eye of a Sushi bar owner in Staten Island. He was convicted and is currently doing an eight-year stretch behind bars although may be looking to ease that sentence with his recent cooperation. It seems like he has been supplying the feds with information on plenty of other mobsters beyond Merlino and Onofrio so this may not be the last time we see him take the witness stand. Prosecutors said “Lovaglio provided information in a detailed and clear manner on a wide range of topics” and that “has allowed this Office to initiate several significant investigations and to obtain material information on existing investigative targets” and “made consensual recordings of, and proactively interacted with and gathered information from, individuals whom this Office believes to be violent.” So other New York mafia members and associates may be a bit on edge as to what other information he may be supplying the feds with that they could use in upcoming cases.
In a case that has been filled with plenty of twists and turns one of the more interesting developments is the feds deciding not to use an undercover agent that served as Onofrio’s driver for two years. He was brought into the fold by Rubeo and was able to record several conversations that included both Onofrio and Merlino and was not part of the FBI probe. Both Lovaglio and Rubeo come with plenty of baggage which prosecutors have filed motions to try and avoid having to disclose at trial. It seems like Lovaglio may be used to simply identify Merlino and Onofrio as mafia leaders more so than incriminating them in actual crimes. This case is expected to begin in January and will probably last several weeks with both Joey and Rooster facing extended prison sentences if convicted. More information on the upcoming trail from previous articles can be found here and here.
Maybe it is just me but I see this as kind of a stretch move by the feds and maybe a sign they don’t think there case is all that solid. I mean Lovaglio can’t help prove their involvement or guilt in any of the actual charges, I mean sure he can testify that from what he knows they are members of the mafia and perhaps high ranking members. But this East Coast LCN Enterprise in itself is a reach and just sounds like something they made up for a more eye grabbing headline. Now every little bit helps and I still think Joey and Eugene probably should have taken plea deals because the feds as we see will pull out all stops esp to get Joey, so this is a big gamble.
Am I wrong in remembering that Bonnanos were the only Family not having any arrests for this alleged EC-LCN mess? If not why would Merlino/anyone else mention anything with this guy,since They left the Bonnannos out for a reason. Anyway,Rats used to “switch sides” bc they were looking at 20+yrs AND Murder now 8yrs bc of dumb thing they did. Wow!!!! Can’t wait to hear how JR and He “cry” on the Stand from Cross Examination
Yeah don’t think there were any Bonanno’s in original indictment but it seems that he was a hang around at least at some point with Merlino and Onofrio but to what extent who knows. He may end up being a very weak witness on the stand esp since he can’t really link them to any particular crime or crimes it seems.
If all the Boston scum rat can testify to is that Skinny Joey is a member of La cosa now try….that means shit…because The mafia is not a terrorist organization and not classified legally as such…So you can be member of mob and not be arrested for that….Isis is terrorist organization so if your membership is proven you can be charged….And with that bombing in New York yesterday.The Feds need all manpower on bombers and killers of innocent civil loans. And leave untaxed cigarettes and gambling and loansharking alone those are services provided by the mob that people ask for ..for hundred years…the .in only blew up Phil testa not innocent peoples as Moslem terrorist scumbag garbage..does
Pug (IP) caught 8 Upstate for a SI assult case. He has two prior Fed Pen stays. Therrfore, anything he says has no credibility and can be impeached on cross-examination.
He flipped over 8 years? Did his capo take all his income when he went away? This doesn’t add up.