The mafia associate accused of macing and mugging a Craigslist seller in a botched jewelry heist claims that he's the one who got roughed up. Gerald DeGerolamo, 65, told the Post that when he attempted to purchase an engagement ring from David Cushman on Dec. 26, the seller broke his nose, left him with a gash on his head, and sprayed him with mace. "I'm innocent. Completely innocent," said DeGerolamo, who appeared in court with bandages across his nose and forehead. "I had to have my eyes flushed at the hospital." 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 ›

After the Post reported that at least six buildings inspectors were to be arrested, along with members of the Luchese crime family, for things like allegedly taking bribes and dealing drugs at sites, Mayor Bloomberg spoke out about the looming scandal. According to the Post, he said, "They have resigned... You can rest assured we're not going to tolerate any of this... This is an industry that obviously for a long period of time has had problems with lawbreakers. We keep working at it and working at it, and hopefully, someday, we'll get rid of everybody in the construction industry that breaks the law." Now the Buildings Department has to re-inspect those former inspectors' hundreds of sites! more ›

The Post reports that at least six Department of Buildings employees "will be arrested later this month, along with about two dozen Luchese crime-family captains, soldiers and associates." Ooh, another mob sweep. Apparently the Buildings inspectors, two of whom are "full-blown Luchese associates," "were videotaped taking bribes at construction sites, and some were seen dealing cocaine and prescription pills while on duty" and "lined their pockets by ignoring violations or expediting construction and building work permits." And the revelations emerged from a 2007 case in NJ, where some members of the Luchese crime family "ran a staggering $2 billion-a-year gambling operation and supplied drugs and cellphones to Bloods gang members in state prisons." Guess the DOB's new code of conduct is coming in handy. more ›