Six years ago, the world of La Cosa Nostra was rocked by Bonnano crime family head Joseph Massino when he agreed to testify for the government against acting don Vincent "Vinnie Gorgeous" Basciano, who was accused of killing a mob associate. Now, as Massino is expected to sing today, it's time to get sentimental about the mob. Over the weekend, the Daily News' headline declared, "Mafia legends 'turning in graves' as ex-Bonanno boss to rat out Vinny Gorgeous at trial," while the NY Times reports today, "When he takes the witness stand on Tuesday, he will make history as the first official boss of one of New York’s five mob families to break ranks and testify for the government." more ›

The feds staged an organized crime take down that started yesterday. According to WABC 7, "More than 100 suspects may be arrested by the end of the day by FBI agents, working with US Marshals, the NYPD and state police," who made the arrests in Brooklyn, NJ and Long Island. The suspects are alleged members of NYC's five families (Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese) and NJ's DeCavalcante family. more ›

Don't you hate it when you're about to start your honeymoon, and you get a phone call that the FBI is planning on arresting you during your romantic getaway? Nothing kills the mood like Feds! Alleged Bonanno crime family associate Vito Pipitone, and his wife Paula, lived through that scenario in October 2009. This would be the first of several failed attempts by the couple to take a honeymoon in the last year, while Pipitone was on trial and then house arrest for assault charges. The couple learned yesterday that they would finally get their honeymoon...in about three and a half years. more ›

As every great mobster knows, the surefire way to prove your innocence is by silencing your prime witness. Preferably via pay-off, intimidation, or, if all else fails, calling a hit on them. So if former Queens limo driver Rajeev Kumar wanted us to think he was innocent of raping a grad student, he's doing an exemplary job of it by trying (and failing) to hire a hit man to kill her. And the whole endeavor was allegedly aided by a photo of the accuser he received from his perfectly-named defense lawyer, Nelson Schmukler. more ›

The son of Hell's Kitchen mobster Mickey Spillane died yesterday after falling out of the window of his sixth-floor apartment. Robert "Bobby" Spillane, an actor on shows like "Rescue Me" and "Law & Order," had allegedly leaned on the window to call out to his brother, who was on the street below. The screen collapsed and he fell to the ground. Spillane's uncle, Jim McManus, said, "Michael [Bobby's brother] said he'll never forget the thump when he hit the ground. He said, 'That will be in my mind forever.'" more ›

A federal judge has suggested to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that a mobster not face the death penalty because it's, well, pricey. Judge Nicholas Garaufis noted how Bonnano crime family figure Vincent Basciano (aka Vinny Gorgeous) had already cost taxpayers $3 million for various fees, "The possibility of a death sentence ensures that these costs will grow substantially." more ›

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 ›

A 65-year-old Mafia associate is accused of arranging to meet a man who was selling an engagement ring on Craiglist — then spraying the man in the face with mace. According to the Post, mobster Gerald DeGerolamo responded to an ad for a ring posted by victim David Cushman and agreed to meet on Dec. 26 in front of 125 Christopher Street. When Cushman pulled out the ring, the suspect grabbed it and sprayed him with the irritant. An onlooker alerted cops, who nabbed the DeGerolamo. 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 ›

In the latest case against John Gotti Jr., federal prosecutors claim the Teflon Don's son orchestrated three mob hits in NYC and ran a huge coke ring in Florida. A U.S. Attorney said, "This indictment captures a lifetime of criminality." The Daily News has a timeline (time horizon?) of cases brought against the two John Gottis and also details crimes of the friend who ratted Junior out (the friend had once smuggled another mobster's sperm out of jail). And Gotti Jr.'s alleged would-be hit victim, Curtis Sliwa, says he'd be happy to testify in this next trial. more ›

Interesting NY Times article about a NJ paralegal who is suing the FBI for information on a mobster's past. Angela Clemente, who has been researching corruption with government informants (she worked with the Brooklyn DA on the Lindsey DeVecchio case), wants all FBI details about Scarpa, "especially those related to Carlos Marcello, a New Orleans don suspected by some of having played a role in the Kennedy assassination on Nov. 22, 1963." more ›