Vincent Esposito, the sone of former Genovese crime family boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante was busted back in January for a long-running mafia linked shakedown of local unions.
Union corruption has been one of the more profitable rackets for the New York Mafia and one the feds have been fighting to bring to an end for decades. The 50-year-old mobster was arrested along with four other alleged members of the Genovese family in the newly unsealed racketeering case. The recent charges have brought about plenty of speculation as to Esposito’s level of involvement in the Cosa Nostra family and what rank he may hold. The feds have called referred to Esposito in court documents as a “high-ranking and influential member of the Genovese Family” that maintained a network of criminal associates but they haven’t made any specific claims beyond that as to an official rank. It is still unclear as to whether or not he is even a made man within the crime family and its unknown as to just how long he has been on the feds radar.
“Vincent Esposito”
When the feds searched Esposito’s luxurious Upper East Side townhouse they found approx $4 million dollars they claim was part of a Genovese family slush fund and two lists of made members of the mafia family. According to court documents, one of the lists consisted of made members of the crime families New Jersey faction that had died within the last 20 years. The second list consisted of certain living members of a single crew in the mob family based in New Jersey. The feds supplied a limit amount of information as to Esposito’s standing in the organized crime family when trying to convince a judge he should be detained until trial. Many speculate that anyone in possession of the types of list Esposito was caught with would almost certainly have to also be a made member of the family.
It would also seem likely that one would have to be a high ranking member like a captain or part of the La Cosa Nostra families administration to be in control of such assets and to be in possession of lists of made members both past and present. The Genovese family has often been referred to as the “Ivy League” or organized crime and have been one of the more secretive of the NY Mafia families over the years. The family has stayed fairly low key and reports on its administrative structure and who was actually leading the family since the death of Gigante back in 2005 have been sketchy at best. It was recently reported that Liborio Bellomo had taken the reigns and was officially the new boss of the family. When it comes to the mafia in New York few families have enjoyed the success the Genovese’s have over the years.
Could his family name and standing be enough for him to become a mob associate influential enough to have this kind of information and power? There is some speculation that he may be the current captain of the families New Jersey based crew because the list he was in possession of had information pertaining to that group. Perhaps he was following in his father’s footsteps and making his way up the ladder toward to top of the Genovese family hierarchy. As the case moves forward there should be more information from the feds on Esposito’s exact status within the family.
