The best quote of the day is from the Daily News' mob law enforcement source, who discusses the appointment of the new Gambino crime family boss. The ascension of Domenico Cefalu, a 64-year-old convicted drug trafficker who was born in Sicily and lives with his mother, "marks a stunning break with the late John Gotti's infamous era," according to the News. And the source says, "I think they picked a Sicilian because they're tired of the old, fat, lazy American Italians who turn into rats." more ›

With the capture of notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger yesterday, we're all in Mafia-mode today. And lo and behold, there was a Mafia-related auction close-to-home yesterday: a NJ man paid nearly $11,000 for a vintage government file filled with photos and facts about more than 800 Mafia members during the 1950s and early 1960s, including Meyer Lansky, Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano and Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino. more ›

The best part of waking up is Rudy in your cup: Mayor of 9/11 Town Rudy Giuliani joined Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa on his radio show earlier this morning. Giuliani was there to chit-chat and lend support to Sliwa, who is taking a hiatus from his many jobs in order to undergo prostate surgery. Giuliani, who has been on a bit of a storytelling kick of late, ripped into two of his favorite targets during the visit: Eliot Spitzer and the Gambinos. "This is like having Hitler as a hero," he said of the upcoming Gotti movie. more ›

Friday afternoon Benny Geritano and Lucali's owner Mark Iacono got into a knife fight on Smith Street, for unclear reasons (nobody is cooperating with the authorities). What is clear is that both men have been charged in the fight. Iacono has been charged with assault and Geritano, though initially only charged with assault, yesterday saw his charges upgraded to attempted murder and was smacked with a $250,000 bail. Geritano is due back in court on Thursday. Update: Scratch that, the Brooklyn DA today upgraded the charges against Iacono to attempted murder as well. more ›

Police have identified the man who brutally stabbed Lucali's Pizza owner Mark Icaono yesterday as Benny Geritano, an ex-con who was charged with murder in the 1990s and is currently on probation. And sources also say he may have been off his medication. "Mark was trying to get the guy to calm down," the source told the Daily News. "They made their way up the block and the guy started stabbing Mark." Geritano is also a reported associate of the Gambino family. more ›

John Travolta has officially signed on to star as John "Teflon Don" Gotti Sr. in the upcoming indie film Gotti: Three Generations (which was better than the working title: Gabagool Lasagna Bang Bang). The movie has been the passion project of John "Deadlock Don" Gotti Jr. ever since he escaped four hung jurys, retired from the mob, and realized he needed something to do besides being a professional defendant. Now the question remains: who will play him? more ›

Ever since he escaped four hung juries, "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. has been focused on trying to bring his life story to the big screen. He's already snagged director Nick Cassavetes, of The Notebook and My Sister's Keeper, for the project. And yesterday, Gotti Jr., Cassavetes and producer Marc Fiore met with actor John Travolta, who is in "serious negotiations" to play "Teflon Don" John Gotti Sr. in the film. more ›

Omerta's be damned: John Gotti Jr. is really going forward with plans to bring his life story to the big screen. And while Gotti may have envisioned Sylvester Stallone directing it initially, Variety reports that Nick Cassavetes is in talks to direct now. And who would be better than Cassavetes, the auteur behind movies such as "The Notebook," "My Sister's Keeper," and "Alpha Dog," to bring the story of the Gambino crime family to life? more ›

Hey, are you looking for some weed? Did your firefighter dealer fall through? Did your backup place on Rivington mysteriously shut down? Well we have just the delivery guy for you: lawyer Seth Ginsberg. more ›

When top-ranking members of the Gambino crime family were indicted for a host of crimes in April, one charge stood out in particular: sex trafficking with girls as young as 15, something one prosecutor called “a new low for the Gambino family.” But a Gambino defense attorney is now accusing the government of complicity allowing the sex trafficking to occur. more ›

The Gambino crime family takedown yesterday led to numerous charges of criminal activity and sex trafficking, but one thing it did not bring was a rat—though not for lack of trying. The feds approached one of the indicted men, soldier Onofrio "Noel" Modica, 46, last week before the bust (as he was walking to his physical therapist) and tried to get him to turn on his compatriots. But he refused and was arrested on Tuesday. Modica's lawyer claims that the feds are getting back at him for not cooperating. more ›

Lately, all the Gambino crime family news has revolved around prodigal son John Gotti Jr. and his many merry mistrials, leading some to believe the crime syndicate had mellowed out in recent years (since their last big bust). But yesterday, the U.S. Attorney and Federal Bureau of Investigation charged 14 top-ranking members of the Gambino family with a host of crimes over the last ten years, including extortion, assault, loan sharking, marijuana and cocaine trafficking, murder, and—in what prosecutors are calling a "new low" for the Gambinos—prostitution. more ›

This Sunday, 60 Minutes will air a double-length interview with John Gotti Jr., scion of the infamous Dapper Don/Teflon Don, John Gotti. Gotti Jr. said he'd watch his father and his friends, "I'd go to the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club all the time and I would just watch…they'd be playing cards…hanging out…breaking balls…and laughing and commiserating. And you're right there and you’re saying 'this is where I belong.'" And when he was inducted to the Gambino crime family, his father "looked at me as a street guy, as a knock-around guy, a bounce-around guy like himself. [It was] the proudest moment of my life…because I was slowly becoming like him." more ›

Following a fourth mistrial in early December, federal prosecutors announced that they will not be seeking a fifth trial for the Teflon Don on charges of racketeering. A statement released by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "In light of the circumstances, the government has decided not to proceed with the prosecution against John A. Gotti... The prosecution of the case has ended." Which leaves him more time to pose in velour tracksuits. more ›

Basking in the glow of his fourth racketeering-and-murder mistrial, "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. gave a few interviews while enjoying freedom in his Long Island home. He admitted to 1010WINS' Juliet Papa, "I'm a little off. For 16 months I was in a bed by myself and for 13 or 16 months I was in solitary confinement so I had quiet." more ›

Federal prosecutors aiming to convict mob scion John Gotti Jr. came up short for the fourth time in five years when a deadlocked jury failed to reach a verdict. After more than a year behind bars, Gotti Jr. was released on $2 million bail yesterday and visited his mother in Howard Beach, Queens, before returning to his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the Post reports. "This is unbelievable, I can't put it into words. It's been a long fight," he said. When his mother joked that they should celebrate by going to Disney World, Gotti said he couldn't because he legally isn't allowed to leave the New York area: "I can't, it's out of my district." more ›

Could the fourth time be another charm? The jury deliberating the fate of John Gotti Jr.—whose past three federal trials have ended in mistrials—sent a note to Judge Kevin Castel yesterday reading, "We are unable to reach a verdict." Castel told the group to keep deliberating at first, but then sent them home for the weekend. more ›

Yesterday, the NY Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force and NYPD raided a number of homes and business in Staten Island, Brooklyn, NJ, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, arresting 22 people from two investigations dubbed "Operation Pure Luck" and "Operation Night Gallery." The charges, according to Cuomo's office, stem "from the operation of lucrative loan sharking and gambling activities closely controlled by organized crime"—the Gambino and Luchese crime families. more ›

Brooklyn's Anthony (Todo) Anastasio, 80, a member of the Gambino family, was convicted yesterday on racketeering and other charges, and faces up to 20 years in prison. He shook "down a trucking company on the Staten Island waterfront, the owners of an Italian bakery in Brooklyn and order[ed] a Dunkin Donuts torched for the insurance money." There were also secret recordings of him at the Guys and Dolls hair salon in Staten Island, where he held business meetings during his haircuts. His uncle, Albert Anastasia, the head of Murder, Inc., was gunned down while getting a shave at the Park Sheraton Hotel in 1957. more ›

A gunman for the Gambino family has taken the unusual and dangerous step of outing himself as homosexual, as a gambit to obtain a lower sentence for killing a Queens bagel store owner in 2003. Robert Mormando had already confessed to the murder, and his decision to out himself in court was intended to show the judge that his cooperation was riskier than most, because, as we know from The Sopranos, the mob kills gay members. In fact, the NY Times even gets the actor who played a homosexual gangster on the series to weigh in! more ›

During the trial of an alleged Gambino mobster, the Daily News reports that a Brooklyn and S.I. bakery chain owner Giuseppe "Joe" Generoso told jurors how he stood up to "reputed mobsters Anthony (Todo) Anastasio and William Scotto - telling them he was his own 'strongman.'" However, "What jurors in Brooklyn Federal Court didn't hear was how nine months later, gunmen ambushed Generoso at his Staten Island home and shot him in the face." more ›

John Gotti Jr., scion of the Gambino crime family and its alleged leaders, decided to greet potential jurors to his racketeering trial, "Good morning, I am John Gotti. Here I am again." It was a reference to how this is his fourth trial (the other three times ended in hung juries); the NY Post reports that while "Manhattan federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said that while Gotti's remark was 'undoubtedly innocent and made in the utmost of good faith,' it amounted to 'improper argument.'" Castel added it could have been misconduct. Of course, it might be a long jury selection process—many people are apparently afraid of the Teflon Don's son and associates—but Gotti is ready, with his "scholarly" glasses and note-taking. more ›

John Gotti Jr. pleaded not guilty once again to two new murder charges. Though the feds could have opted for the death penalty, they won't be. Gotti Jr. has been tried on other murder and racketeering charges many times before without a conviction. Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who was allegedly targeted by Gotti Jr.'s henchman, told NY1 that he hopes the Gambino family scion finally stays behind bars, "I've got the target on my back, but you know something, I still walk those neighborhoods. I still deal with those cafones. Those guys, they threaten to bend my leg and stuff it in my pocket but I'm going to continue to talk what has been the truth for years." more ›

Carmine Agnello Jr., son of Victoria Gotti and grandson of the late Teflon Don John Gotti Sr., spoke out about the foreclosure proceedings on his family's mansion in Old Westbury. Agnello told the Post, "My dad"—and his namesake, Carmine Sr.—"did this to us. He decided once he got out of jail he was going to get another life, and he left us behind with the burden. He did his kids wrong, and he did his wife wrong... To be honest with you, we don't consider him our father." (Still, last year, little Carmine told Grub Street he hung out with his dad.) Victoria Gotti claims that her ex-husband took out a $850,000 mortgage on the home without her knowledge; Agnello Sr. now lives in Cleveland and is remarried to the daughter of a "former leader in Armenian terrorism." As for Carmine Jr., he revealed that he and brothers John and Frank are going to be in a new reality show set in LA. more ›

Victoria Gotti, daughter of the late Teflon Don John Gotti, is "bitter" about the foreclosure of her Old Westbury mansion. A panel of judges allowed Chase to start foreclosure proceedings; Gotti says that her ex, Carmine Agnello, took out a $700,000 mortgage behind her back (Chase says she never paid all the $25,000 monthly payments that were owed). Her mother told the Post that her daughter was "not in the mood to talk to anybody" and offered her own thoughts on her former son-in-law, calling him a creep. But Victoria Gotti did tell Newsday, "The house, all the marital assets, are part of a divorce package (settlement) I have never seen yet." The white brick, five-bedroom, and five-and-a-half bath home was seen on the A&E reality series Growing Up Gotti—in the past few years, Gotti has listed the home on the market for $4.8 million, $3.995 million, $3.899 million and most recently, between $3.2 million and $3.5 million. more ›

John Gotti Jr., on trial yet again (he's been tried three times before, each time ending in mistrials) for murder and drug trafficking charges, was defended by his mother yesterday. Victoria Gotti, widow of the Teflon Don, unleashed torrent of words at her son's pretrial hearing. She yelled, "Excuse me, your honor, may I speak? I am his mother!" to which the judge said no. But that didn't stop her: She shouted "How do you feel about perjury?" "Why don't you just hang him now?" "The government is suborning perjury. This trial is rigged," "They're trying to kill him before trial. These are the good guys? God help us!" and that the feds were "fighting like little b----es, instead of men." Unsurprising, the judge ended the hearing. In spite of being in jail, Junior told his lawyer he was feeling good, though his lawyer pointed out Gotti needs treatment for kidney stones. Curtis Sliwa, Guardian Angels founder who was the target of a hit, told the Daily News, "I'd be more than happy to break up his kidney stones with a nice therapeutic massage." more ›

Yesterday, a former Gambino associate told the court that the late John Gotti Sr. was unhappy his daughter's boyfriend beat her up. "We were instructed to go slaughter Carmine [Agnello]. Find him and slaughter him. Don't kill him," Peter Zuccaro, a self-proclaimed "career criminal," said. Agnello eventually married Victoria Gotti, in spite of being shot in the buttocks and beaten with ax handles by Zuccaro, accused mob hitman Charles Carneglia and Carneglia's brother. Zuccaro was testifying against Carneglia, who is on trial for five murders, including that of a court officer, and Newsday said Zuccaro's stories "seemed like a soap opera about Howard Beach." Zuccaro also drew the line somewhere, explaining why he didn't want to kill a man who lived across from St. Helen church, "Killing in front of a church was a despicable act. Many families went to that church in the neighborhood." more ›

Saying no to John Gotti proved deadly for one man, as federal prosecutors claimed that a hit was ordered because he "ignor[ed] Gotti's invitation to his social club." The feds say that Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia shot the man four times in the head at the World Trade Center parking lot in 1990. Carneglia is also accused of four other murders, but the crime he is most notoriously associated with (but not charged with) is the 1980 murder of Gotti's neighbor John Favara. Favara fatally struck Gotti's bike-riding son with his car; Carneglia allegedly dumped Favara's body in a vat of acid. Now feds say Carneglia "did not choose an appropriate type of acid," which upset his boss Anthony Ruggiero because getting rid of Favara's body was taking too long. Apparently Carneglia's second try worked out better and he threw one of Favara's finger bones in Ruggiero's soup to prove he got the job done. more ›