Ten members and associates of the Gambino crime family were arrested and accused of strong-arming their way into New York City garbage hauling and demolition businesses, authorities said Wednesday.
At least four of the defendants were accused of wielding baseball bats as part of their intimidation tactics to gain entry to the lucrative fields, prosecutors said.
The men face a 16-count indictment, unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, which includes allegations of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, witness retaliation and union-related crimes “committed in an attempt to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
“As alleged, for years, the defendants committed violent extortions, assaults, arson, witness retaliation and other crimes in an attempt to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
Alleged Gambino organized crime family soldier Diego “Danny” Tantillo and associates Vito Rappa and Kyle “Twin” Johnson allegedly threatened a victim in the carting business with a baseball bat and set fire to the steps of his house, damaged one of his trucks and assaulted an associate, prosecutors said.
In another incident, Tantillo and Johnson are alleged to have “coordinated a violent hammer assault on the dispatcher” of a demolition company that left the victim “bleeding and seriously injured,” according to the government.
“Today’s arrests reflect the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad, to keep our communities safe by the complete dismantling of organized crime,” Peace said in the statement.
The list of suspects was topped by Joseph Lanni, also known as “Joe Brooklyn” or “Mommino,” an alleged Gambino captain.
Alleged Gambino soldiers Angelo “Fifi” Gradilone and James LaForte also face charges.
Francesco “Uncle Ciccio” Vicari, Salvatore DiLorenzo, Robert Brooke and Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero were also implicated.
The defendants are accused of helping one another to various benefits in the form of no-show jobs that brought pay and union benefits, officials said.
DiLorenzo allegedly provided Rappa with such a position, and Tantillo is accused of arranging for Gradilone to get a no-work gig.
Attorneys for DiLorenzo, Lanni, Gradilone and Tantillo could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday, and Johnson’s lawyer declined to comment.
It was not immediately clear whether the rest of the defendants had hired or been assigned attorneys by late Wednesday afternoon.
DiLorenzo was released after he posted $500,000 bond.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
