The NYPD is being rocked by news that two former police officers were on the take from the mob, for their roles in eight murders. Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were arrested in Las Vegas, where they moved after retiring from the NYPD, and charged with racketeering conspiracy, two attempted murders, obstruction of justice, money laundering and more. The US Attorney's office claims that Eppolito and Caracappa used their ties in the NYPD to smoke out rival gangsters for the Lucchese family; the NY Times wrote, "in 1986, they flashed their badges and kidnapped a mobster, threw him in the trunk of their car and delivered him to a rival, who tortured and killed him." Also, it seems that the feds tried to connect the pair to the mob in 1994, but that case fell apart because the mob informant wasn't a reliable witness; it seems that the current informant is better suited. The Daily News has a list of the murders the two ex-cops were allegedly involved in.
Caracappa and Eppolito had moved to Las Vegas after retiring in 1992 and 1990 respectively; Eppolito had bit parts in films, including Goodfellas. The Post notes that they were arrested at restaurant, versus their homes, because Eppolito had a collection of 200 guns. The text of the indictment is pretty good reading, as it explains how La Cosa Nostra works, with definitions and everything. Eppolito wrote the book, Mafia Cop, and Newsday has an excerpt.
