A Mafia member was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in federal prison for his role in a long-running scheme in which he and others extorted funds from a New York City labor union, federal prosecutors said.
Vincent Ricciardo, a captain in Colombo crime family, was also ordered to pay $350,000 in forfeiture and $280,890 in restitution by a Brooklyn court judge.
Ricciardo, who is also known as “Vinny Unions,” pleaded guilty to racketeering last July for his participation in the labor union extortion as well as money laundering, loansharking, fraud and other mob schemes.
Lawyers for Ricciardo didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.
Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York, said in a statement that the sentence holds Ricciardo “accountable” for his participation in a wide range of Mafia crimes.
“This prosecution represents our continued commitment to combatting organized crime and prosecuting the individuals who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of hardworking union members and their employers,” he said.
The extortion scheme involved death threats, phony payments and other hallmarks of Mafia-type shakedowns seen in movies.
Prosecutors say it started in 2001, when Ricciardo started squeezing a senior official with a Queens-based construction union to fork over a portion of his salary.
Russo and other Colombo leaders then concocted a plan to force the union to make decisions beneficial to the crime family, including driving contracts to vendors associated with the family, prosecutors said.
In one recorded conversation, Ricciardo even threatened to kill the union official in front of his family if he didn’t comply.
“You laugh all you want pal, I’m not afraid to go to jail,” he said, according to prosecutors.
Ricciardo is the tenth defendant sentenced in connection with the union scheme, according to Peace’s office. Four others still await sentencing.
Friday, March 01, 2024
Friday, February 23, 2024
Inside by Scott Hoffman #TheChicagoOutfit #TheChicagoWay #Mafia
Inside, by Scott M. Hoffman is an intriguing work detailing the internal workings of the Outfit, an organized crime family, which originated on the South Side of Chicago during prohibition and rose to power in the 1920s. The Outfit has been involved in a wide variety of criminal activities including gambling, loan-sharking, prostitution, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, labor racketeering, adult and child pornography, political corruption, and murder. The individuals and events in Inside are composites of real people and real events.
Inside, begins in 1956 with Jimmy Williams, a 47-year-old man with two families-his wife and two children and the Outfit. He's a good man, a good husband, and a good father, while, at the same time, he is a physically powerful man who is well respected as a consigliere in the Outfit. He keeps his two lives separated, to the point his wife is unaware of what he does.
The story is written from the perspective of Jimmy's son Bobby who, from the age of 8 begins to accompany his father on Outfit business. Jimmy wants him to know what "the life" is like in order for Bobby to decide if this is the future he wants for himself. Take this remarkable journey with Bobby. Will he follow in his father's footsteps or choose another path?
Inside by Scott Hoffman.
Inside, begins in 1956 with Jimmy Williams, a 47-year-old man with two families-his wife and two children and the Outfit. He's a good man, a good husband, and a good father, while, at the same time, he is a physically powerful man who is well respected as a consigliere in the Outfit. He keeps his two lives separated, to the point his wife is unaware of what he does.
The story is written from the perspective of Jimmy's son Bobby who, from the age of 8 begins to accompany his father on Outfit business. Jimmy wants him to know what "the life" is like in order for Bobby to decide if this is the future he wants for himself. Take this remarkable journey with Bobby. Will he follow in his father's footsteps or choose another path?
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| Inside by Scott M. Hoffman |
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Crypto Gambinos - Redefining NFT Projects with a Touch of Mafia Culture #Crypto
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| Crypto Gambinos NFT Projects with a Touch of Mafia Culture |
Inspired by the Mob/Mafia culture, Crypto Gambinos aims to offer more than just NFTs. The project's developer, driven by a passion for Web3 and Mafia lore, envisions a comprehensive ecosystem that includes its own token and casino. The $TOKEN will serve as a governance tool for community decisions and as an in-game currency within the family's businesses, such as online games.
One of the standout features of Crypto Gambinos is its commitment to rewarding token holders. A percentage of profits generated by the family's businesses will be distributed among token holders as dividends. Additionally, selling tokens incurs a tax, mimicking the concept of leaving the Mafia, with proceeds going back into the family trust for redistribution.
The project has already achieved significant milestones, including the launch of its website, social media channels, and community platforms. Currently, it is focused on Phase 2 of marketing and the highly anticipated reveal of the $TOKEN. Future plans include a token airdrop for all NFT holders and the initiation of voting for the family's first business venture.
What sets Crypto Gambinos apart is its self-sufficiency and determination. With a team running their own bitcoin exchange and proudly self-funded, the project exudes strength and independence. The community-driven approach ensures that decisions are made collectively, further reinforcing the project's vision and values.
As Crypto Gambinos continues to unfold its roadmap and engage its community, it invites crypto enthusiasts and NFT collectors to join the family and be part of a revolution in the digital space
Thursday, February 15, 2024
The Biden Crime Family: The Blueprint for Their Prosecution by Rudy Giuliani
The Biden Crime Family, is a short, engaging description of the evidence that supports the case that President Joe Biden and his family are deeply corrupt. They are so corrupt that when former New York mayor and US attorney Rudy Giuliani first stumbled across evidence of what they were doing in Ukraine, it reminded him of his experience prosecuting the five mafia families that used to run New York.
Joe Biden began to seek enormous bribes and payouts when he became vice president. In every situation where he was the point man for the Obama administration’s policy toward a country, he ended up making millions of dollars, and failing to obtain whatever the US policy goal was.
In these endeavors, Joe’s drug addicted younger son, Hunter, worked with him. Hunter was the “bagman.” You can question whether it was loving or even decent for a politician to use his dysfunctional son in this matter. But it happened. Joe’s brother James also served as a bagman, sometimes working with Hunter. Other family members participated as needed.
When Joe was made the point man for Ukraine—with the special mission of cleaning up Ukrainian corruption so deep that it had left the country almost bankrupt—he did nothing to help. Instead, he had Hunter placed on the board of Burisma, an energy and gas company at the center of some of Ukraine’s most corrupt government dealings. Hunter took home a million a year to do nothing. The rule was “ten percent for the big guy.” Hunter has complained about how half his income went to dad.
The same and worse happened with Joe in China and Iraq. The Biden Crime Family, displays the evidence clearly—and makes the kind of case that should get a conviction on Biden family corruption.
The Biden Crime Family: The Blueprint for Their Prosecution.
Joe Biden began to seek enormous bribes and payouts when he became vice president. In every situation where he was the point man for the Obama administration’s policy toward a country, he ended up making millions of dollars, and failing to obtain whatever the US policy goal was.
In these endeavors, Joe’s drug addicted younger son, Hunter, worked with him. Hunter was the “bagman.” You can question whether it was loving or even decent for a politician to use his dysfunctional son in this matter. But it happened. Joe’s brother James also served as a bagman, sometimes working with Hunter. Other family members participated as needed.
When Joe was made the point man for Ukraine—with the special mission of cleaning up Ukrainian corruption so deep that it had left the country almost bankrupt—he did nothing to help. Instead, he had Hunter placed on the board of Burisma, an energy and gas company at the center of some of Ukraine’s most corrupt government dealings. Hunter took home a million a year to do nothing. The rule was “ten percent for the big guy.” Hunter has complained about how half his income went to dad.
The same and worse happened with Joe in China and Iraq. The Biden Crime Family, displays the evidence clearly—and makes the kind of case that should get a conviction on Biden family corruption.
The Biden Crime Family: The Blueprint for Their Prosecution.
Friday, January 19, 2024
Is Al Capone Still the Most Famous Mobster Ever?
With the 125th anniversary of Al Capone's birth upon us on January 17, the legacy of the notorious American gangster remains a subject that intrigues both Hollywood producers and novelists to this day.
Capone, who gained notoriety in the "Roaring Twenties" as the co-founder and boss of the Italian-American organized crime syndicate known as the Chicago Outfit, has been described by some as Prohibition's Robin Hood, as he donated some of the money from his illegal activities to charities. He also stood apart from other gangsters by being very present in the public eye, chatting with reporters and throwing big parties all while participating in illegal activities. But like many criminal figures from the past, the dastardly yet charismatic gangster divides opinion. Idolized by some, Capone was still responsible for "an empire of crime" in Chicago that was based on "gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, bribery, narcotics trafficking, robbery, and murder," according to the FBI's website.
Who was Al Capone?
Born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Neapolitan immigrants, Alphonse Gabriel Capone came into contact with organized crime at an early age. As a teenager, he became a member of the "Five Points Gang" — a criminal street gang of primarily Irish-American origins, based in the Five Points of Lower Manhattan — where he would extort protection money (fees that criminals take from people in exchange for agreeing not to hurt them or damage their property).
Capone, however, quickly learned that violence alone would not ensure the lasting success of a criminal enterprise.
In 1917, the gangster Frank Gallucio pulled a knife across Capone's face in a bar after he made a crude comment to Gallucio's sister. The nickname "Scarface" was born, and Capone later made the attacker his bodyguard.
Shortly afterward, Capone shot his first man, got into trouble with an Irish gang and beat a mobster half to death with his own hands. Knowing he could not be caught again, he left New York for Chicago.
In his Chicago heyday from 1925 to 1929, Capone was reputed to be the most notorious mobster in the United States.
Capone, however, didn't see himself as a criminal but as an entrepreneur — one who was also known for acts of generosity with the wealth he had garnered as the boss of organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s. The Capone-led consortium boasted revenue streams that ranged from the illegal sale of alcohol to prostitution.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre is described by the FBI as the "culminating violence of the Chicago gang era, as seven members or associates of the 'Bugs' Moran mob were machine-gunned against a garage wall by rivals posing as police."
Even though Al Capone was at his Florida home at the time, he was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the massacre.
He was never convicted of the murders but ultimately went to prison merely for the crime of tax evasion, ending his stint as a crime boss at the age of 33.
He served most of his time at the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco, before being released in 1939, by which time his mental capabilities had significantly deteriorated.
Al Capone died in 1947 of cardiac arrest after a stroke at the age of 48.
A figure of fascination
The infamous gangster left his mark not only on the streets of 1920s Chicago but also on 20th-century Hollywood through multiple mafia movies inspired by his life and crimes. The image of a mobster adorned with a pinstriped suit and tilted fedora can be traced back to images of Capone. His accent and mannerisms have also inspired numerous gangster portrayals in comics, films, popular music and literature.
For example, already in 1931, for the film "Little Caesar," actor Edward G. Robinson spent time at an Al Capone trial to get a sense of his body language as inspiration for his role as a hoodlum who ascended the ranks of organized crime.
Capone appears in a segment of Mario Puzo's crime novel "The Godfather" (1969), which was turned into a celebrated film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1972. He was the inspiration for Armitage Trail's "Scarface" (1929), a novel that was also adapted into two movies over the years.
The Brian De Palma-directed masterpiece "The Untouchables" is another notable drama inspired by Capone's story. With Robert de Niro in the role of the gangster, the film is based on how Treasury agent Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, brought down the notorious Chicago mobster.
More recently, the 2020 movie "Capone," starring Tom Hardy in the lead role, also chronicled the life of the man who ruled an empire of crime.
The fascination surrounding Al Capone continues 125 years after his birth.
His story embodies not only the American Dream — the immigrant son going from rags to riches — but also the ambivalence of American culture during Prohibition, an era characterized by both puritanical restraint and excessive consumption. And those contrasting historical features are still part of the country's culture to this day.
Thanks to Deutsche Welle.
Capone, who gained notoriety in the "Roaring Twenties" as the co-founder and boss of the Italian-American organized crime syndicate known as the Chicago Outfit, has been described by some as Prohibition's Robin Hood, as he donated some of the money from his illegal activities to charities. He also stood apart from other gangsters by being very present in the public eye, chatting with reporters and throwing big parties all while participating in illegal activities. But like many criminal figures from the past, the dastardly yet charismatic gangster divides opinion. Idolized by some, Capone was still responsible for "an empire of crime" in Chicago that was based on "gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, bribery, narcotics trafficking, robbery, and murder," according to the FBI's website.
Who was Al Capone?
Born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Neapolitan immigrants, Alphonse Gabriel Capone came into contact with organized crime at an early age. As a teenager, he became a member of the "Five Points Gang" — a criminal street gang of primarily Irish-American origins, based in the Five Points of Lower Manhattan — where he would extort protection money (fees that criminals take from people in exchange for agreeing not to hurt them or damage their property).
Capone, however, quickly learned that violence alone would not ensure the lasting success of a criminal enterprise.
In 1917, the gangster Frank Gallucio pulled a knife across Capone's face in a bar after he made a crude comment to Gallucio's sister. The nickname "Scarface" was born, and Capone later made the attacker his bodyguard.
Shortly afterward, Capone shot his first man, got into trouble with an Irish gang and beat a mobster half to death with his own hands. Knowing he could not be caught again, he left New York for Chicago.
In his Chicago heyday from 1925 to 1929, Capone was reputed to be the most notorious mobster in the United States.
Capone, however, didn't see himself as a criminal but as an entrepreneur — one who was also known for acts of generosity with the wealth he had garnered as the boss of organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s. The Capone-led consortium boasted revenue streams that ranged from the illegal sale of alcohol to prostitution.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre is described by the FBI as the "culminating violence of the Chicago gang era, as seven members or associates of the 'Bugs' Moran mob were machine-gunned against a garage wall by rivals posing as police."
Even though Al Capone was at his Florida home at the time, he was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the massacre.
He was never convicted of the murders but ultimately went to prison merely for the crime of tax evasion, ending his stint as a crime boss at the age of 33.
He served most of his time at the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco, before being released in 1939, by which time his mental capabilities had significantly deteriorated.
Al Capone died in 1947 of cardiac arrest after a stroke at the age of 48.
A figure of fascination
The infamous gangster left his mark not only on the streets of 1920s Chicago but also on 20th-century Hollywood through multiple mafia movies inspired by his life and crimes. The image of a mobster adorned with a pinstriped suit and tilted fedora can be traced back to images of Capone. His accent and mannerisms have also inspired numerous gangster portrayals in comics, films, popular music and literature.
For example, already in 1931, for the film "Little Caesar," actor Edward G. Robinson spent time at an Al Capone trial to get a sense of his body language as inspiration for his role as a hoodlum who ascended the ranks of organized crime.
Capone appears in a segment of Mario Puzo's crime novel "The Godfather" (1969), which was turned into a celebrated film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1972. He was the inspiration for Armitage Trail's "Scarface" (1929), a novel that was also adapted into two movies over the years.
The Brian De Palma-directed masterpiece "The Untouchables" is another notable drama inspired by Capone's story. With Robert de Niro in the role of the gangster, the film is based on how Treasury agent Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, brought down the notorious Chicago mobster.
More recently, the 2020 movie "Capone," starring Tom Hardy in the lead role, also chronicled the life of the man who ruled an empire of crime.
The fascination surrounding Al Capone continues 125 years after his birth.
His story embodies not only the American Dream — the immigrant son going from rags to riches — but also the ambivalence of American culture during Prohibition, an era characterized by both puritanical restraint and excessive consumption. And those contrasting historical features are still part of the country's culture to this day.
Thanks to Deutsche Welle.
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