Florida Mafia Crew Dismantled by Operation Money Fish

Members of the New York-based Bonanno crime family were making millions of dollars in South Florida cashing counterfeit checks, running telemarketing scams, defrauding Medicare, and stealing and selling people’s identities. But when they hooked up with a shady businessman to help them launder all that money, they got more than they bargained for.

The businessman with supposed connections in the banking industry was really one of the FBI's undercover agents, and he infiltrated the mafia crew for nearly a year. The evidence he gathered, along with intercepted phone calls and other electronic surveillance, was enough to put the entire 11-member operation out of business and behind bars.

“The mafia has always been in South Florida,” the agent explained. “Each of New York’s five families has crews that operate here. They make a lot of money and send part of it back to the main guys up north.”

The Bonanno family’s criminal enterprise in South Florida—led by Tommy Fiore, the nephew of reputed Bonanno capo Gerry Chili—was wide ranging. In addition to the scams mentioned above, the crew also participated in arson, extortion, drug trafficking, and buying and selling stolen cigarettes, TVs, and other ill-gotten goods.

Operation Money Fish began in the summer of 2008, when our agent—who was known as Dave Stone—met Fiore. The Bonanno crew was manufacturing counterfeit payroll checks from large companies and needed help cashing them. They would copy a legitimate check, change the account numbers and the amount, and get Dave Stone to use his banking connections to turn the bad paper into cash. Dave and the crew then split the profits. (In reality, since we controlled the operation, no businesses were actually defrauded.)

The crew’s most lucrative scam, though, came from “boiler rooms”—bogus telemarketing operations that are rampant in South Florida. A dozen people working the phones out of someone’s condo can generate big profits. A popular pitch now involves the resale of time share properties. The criminal telemarketers claim they will help people resell their time share, or the fee charged will be refunded in full. Unsuspecting victims on the other end of the line—mostly older people unable to sell the properties on their own—send in the $5,000 or $6,000 fee, and that’s the last they ever see of their money. No services are rendered, and none were ever intended to be.

With the overwhelming evidence against them, the Bonanno crew all pled guilty to racketeering and other charges. “It was a good feeling to bring these guys down,” the undercover agent said. “They were getting away with a lot of crimes. There’s no telling how many people they had hurt or swindled before we got involved.”

But “Dave Stone” and his colleagues on the FBI’s organized crime squads understand that while you can disrupt the mafia’s activities in South Florida and elsewhere, it’s only a matter of time before the bosses in New York establish other crews.

“Absolutely they will try to start up again,” the agent said. “The Bonanno family in New York—like the other families—has to have somebody down here making money because the guys at the top don’t do anything. They rely on the crews to support them. But if they do show up again,” he said, “we will be ready.”

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7 Reputed Bonanno Associates Face Federal Charges

Seven men, believed to have ties to the Bonanno crime family, face charges including racketeering and illegal gambling, federal prosecutors announced last Thursday.

Three of the men, John Contello, 55, Vincent Disario, 47, and Michael Carucci, 38, were arrested about 5:30 a.m. in New York City on Thursday on charges including racketeering and conspiracy, according to an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court. They were arraigned on Thursday afternoon. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison, according to a statement from the United States attorney’s office.

Mr. Contello is a reputed acting captain, and Mr. Disario is said to be a soldier in the Bonanno crime family, the statement said. The police did not detail Mr. Carucci’s reputed ties to the crime family.

Gerald Chilli, 74, also a reputed captain in the family, has been charged with extortion. He had already been in federal custody in Florida on unrelated charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the extortion charges.

George Miller, 68, who the authorities said is an associate of the family, was arrested near Canada and faces charges related to racketeering through the collection of unlawful debts, the statement said. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Richard Cendali, 40, who was arrested in New York City and was also arraigned on Thursday, and Anthony Zeni, 46, who had not been arrested by the afternoon, both face charges related to illegal gambling operations, the prosecutors’ statement said. The authorities that said Mr. Zeni was in Florida and that they expected to have him in custody soon. Both men face a maximum of five years in prison.

Mr. Carucci, Mr. Cendali and Mr. Contello all pleaded not guilty and were released on $250,000 or $500,000 bail, said a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office said. Mr. Disario also pleaded not guilty but was remanded and held without bail. A hearing for Mr. Miller will be held on Friday, the spokesman said.

Thanks to Christine Hauser

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