Giuseppe (Joe) Violi the son of former Montreal Mafia godfather Paolo Violi was sentenced to 16 years in prison for drug trafficking. The 47-year-old mobster and his older brother Domenico Paolo Violi were arrested last year as part of Project OTremens. The collaborative Canadian-U.S. probe targeted members of the Mafia on both sides of … [Read more…]
Gambino crime family captain John “Johnny Boy” Ambrosio plead guilty to racketeering charges according to reports. He controlled a massive illegal gambling and loan sharking operation from 2014 through 2017. According to the feds, the operation included members of two New York mafia families the Gambino’s and Bonanno’s. It included various activities including illegal … [Read more…]
Chicago Mafia boss John DiFronzo passed away over the weekend according to reports. The 89-year-old mobster was the head of the Mafia in Chicago for over a decade. He suffered from various health conditions including Alzheimer’s according to his former attorney. The veteran mob enforcer was able to avoid prison after Operation: Family Secrets … [Read more…]
Alleged Genovese crime family soldier Sal (Sallie) Demeo pleaded guilty to attempted tax evasion. The 78 year old mobster reportedly raked in a $2 million dollar profit back in 2013-14 from property sales. According to prosecutors he sold his shares in Brooklyn properties that he inherited from his father back in 1991 but failed … [Read more…]
George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser talk about the impact of legalized sports betting on the Philadelphia mafia and more on this latest episode of Mob Talk. We discussed the broad impact of legal sports gambling on organized crime in an earlier report here at About the Mafia but smaller families like Philly could be … [Read more…]
Illegal sports betting and loan sharking have long been two of the most vital rackets for the Mafia. They so often go hand and hand providing Cosa Nostra with millions of dollars in illicit profits per year. It’s been called the mafia’s bread and butter and it was just dealt what some consider to … [Read more…]
The recent release of Andrew Scoppa put another potential key player in the Montreal mafia back on the streets. Authorities consider Scoopa to be the head of an independent Calabrian mafia clan and an increasingly important mobster in Montreal. He was busted back in 2017 on drug charges and had been held without bail … [Read more…]
It took seven years but the new mafia movie about John Gotti starring John Travolta but it’s finally ready to go and will even make a stop at a famous film festival. According to a report from the Hollywoodreporter, the Gotti movie will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s not on the … [Read more…]
The Lucchese crime family had viable leadership in place and seemed to be one of the more stable of the New York Mafia families. That changed when the feds dropped a major racketeering indictment last year targeting members of the Cosa Nostra families current administration. Lucchese family acting boss Matthew Madonna, underboss Steven (Stevie … [Read more…]
This week’s episode of Mob Talk with experts George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser takes a look at Joey Merlino and his recent guilty plea. The alleged Philadelphia mafia boss decided against going to trial for the second time and plead guilty to a single gambling charge. His first trial ended in a hung jury … [Read more…]
Joey Merlino the alleged boss of the Philadelphia Mafia got an offer he couldn’t refuse and pleads guilty today in New York. According to a report from Dave Schratwieser Joey plead guilty to using a cell phone to place a bet. Merlino decided to plead guilty to a crime for the first time ever … [Read more…]
Vincent Asaro came away with an eight-year prison sentence from last years arson case and he isn’t happy about it. The 83-year-old Bonanno crime family captain wants an appeals court judge to resentence him. He thinks the sentence given to him by Judge Allyne Ross was over the top for the charges he plead … [Read more…]
The Rizzuto crime family has seemingly been on the losing end of a long-running Montreal mafia war. The organized crime family lost several high ranking mobsters over the last few years including longtime godfather Vito Rizzuto. Their control over the mafia in Montreal is at the very least wavering and likely at an end … [Read more…]
Ralph Santaniello one of the new leaders of the Springfield mafia faction controlled by the Genovese crime family was sentenced on Tuesday. Authorities had been investigating the New York Mafia linked crew for several years and were finally able to make a case back in 2016. Santaniello and fellow mobster Giovanni “Johnny Cal” Calabrese … [Read more…]
Former New England Mafia boss Francis (Cadillac Frank) Salemme seems to be up against it as he heads to trial. The 84-year-old mobster who was the head of the Patriarca crime family in the early 1990s has been charged with murder. According to prosecutors Salemme, Paul Weadick, and Francis Salemme Jr. murdered Boston club … [Read more…]