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Operation Old Bridge

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Operation Old Bridgeis the code name for the February 7, 2008 arrests in Italy and the United States that targeted theGambino crime family;among the indicted were the reputed acting bossesJackie D'Amico,Nicholas CorozzoandJoseph Corozzo.The indictments included murder, drug trafficking, robbery, and extortion.[1]

Operation[edit]

TheFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) was able to collect the needed information through informantJoseph Vollaro,(owner of a truck company on Staten Island) who secretly recorded several conversations with members of the Gambino family.[1]More than 80 people were indicted in theEastern District of New York.The case is now referred to asUnited States of America v. Agate et al.It was initially assigned to JudgeNicholas Garaufis,but later reassigned to JudgeJack B. Weinstein.

Gambino crime family boss Nicholas Corozzo turned fugitive after he was tipped off by his daughter who witnessed her husband and fellow mobster being led away by the US authorities. On May 29, 2008, Corozzo finally couldn't take life on the run anymore and so he turned himself in to authorities with his lawyer by his side. Of the 62 American defendants, 60 pleaded guilty with at least 52 of them facing no more than three years in prison.[2][3][4]

The operation broke up a growing alliance between the Gambinos and theSicilian Mafia,who wanted to get further into thedrug trade.One of those arrested in the raids in the US wasFrank Cali,a captain in the Gambino family. He was allegedly the "ambassador" in the US for the Inzerillo crime family.[5]

The name of the police operation, "Old Bridge", refers to the historical ties of an exile group of Sicilian Mafiosi across the Atlantic Ocean. After theSecond Mafia Warin the beginning of the 1980s the surviving members of theInzerillo mafia familyhad been "allowed" to migrate to New York to avoid extermination by theCorleonesifaction and then victorious Sicilian boss of bossesSalvatore Riina.The Inzerillo's American relatives and associates of New York's Gambino family intervened on their behalf. They were allowed to settle in the States in exchange for a pledge: neither they nor their offspring would ever again set foot on Sicilian soil. They became known asgli Scappati,the Runaways. Two decades later, the Runaways were returning to Palermo. The exiles had good reasons: Riina and his successorBernardo Provenzanowere both arrested and are serving life terms in Italy. The runaway Inzerillo clan was allegedly rebuilding the "Old Bridge" between America and Sicily, reestablishing the business and drug trafficking ties between the Sicilian and American mobs.[6]

Convictions[edit]

The following list contains some of the most notable charged and does not include most of those convicted.

Name
Charge Verdict Sentence Release date[7]
Thomas Cacciopoli Extortion April 4, 2011
Frank Cali Racketeering, extortion, and conspiracy Pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges 16 months June 4, 2009
Charles Carneglia Murder Guilty by jury of four murders[8] Life imprisonment[8] N/A
Domenico Cefalu Racketeering Pleaded guilty to extortion[2] Two years[9] November 3, 2009
Joseph Corozzo Racketeering, drug trafficking[2] Pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge 46 months June 10, 2011
Nicholas Corozzo Enterprise corruption and murder Pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption charge and was found guilty by jury of murder 13½ years March 2, 2020
Jackie D'Amico Racketeering[2] Pleaded guilty to extortion[2] Two years[10] November 3, 2009
Leonard DiMaria Pleaded guilty to racketeering, extortion, and conspiracy August 31, 2012
Richard G. Gotti Attempted murder[11] Pleaded guilty Eight years[12] February 22, 2015
Vincent Gotti[11] Attempted murder Pleaded guilty[11] Eight years[12] February 22, 2015
Richard Ranieri Extortion[13] March 1, 2010
Vincent Dragonetti Extortion[14] 37 months[14] May 28, 2011[14]

Other indicted Mafiosi[edit]

American Mafiosi indicted[edit]

Those without a release date listed either weren't sentenced to jail time or weren't imprisoned in aFederal Bureau of Prisons.

  • Joseph Agate
  • Vincent "Elmo" Amarante
  • Jerome "Jerry" Brancato (released September 3, 2010)
  • Nicholas Calvo (released January 12, 2010)
  • Joseph "Joe Rackets" Casiere
  • Mario "Lanza" Cassarino (released September 15, 2010)
  • John Cavallo
  • Gino Cracolici
  • Sarah Dauria
  • Vincent "Vinny Hot" Decongilio (released January 22, 2010)
  • Salvatore DeGrazia
  • Vincent Donnis
  • Robert Francis "Bobby the Jew" Epifania (released June 6, 2010)
  • Cody Farrell
  • Louis Faustino
  • Russell "One Eye" Ferrisi (released December 5, 2008)
  • Louis Filippelli (released December 9, 2008)
  • Ronald Flam
  • Joseph "Joe Gag" Gaggi
  • Abid "Han" Ghani (released February 14, 2008)
  • Anthony "Buckwheat" Giammarino
  • Ernest "Ernie" Grillo (released April 13, 2010)[15]
  • Christopher Howard
  • Steven Francis "Stevie I" Iaria (released March 31, 2009)
  • Eddie James
  • John Kasgorgis (released April 4, 2008)
  • William Kilgannon
  • Michael King
  • Anthony Licata (released February 1, 2011)
  • Joseph Marsilio
  • De facto Morganelli
  • Anthony O'Donnell
  • James Outerie (released June 25, 2010)
  • Vincent "Vinny Basile" Pacelli (released May 5, 2010)
  • John "Johnny Red Rose" Pisano (released September 30, 2008)
  • Todd Polakoff
  • Giulio "Gino" Pomponio
  • John "Reeg" Regis (released October 3, 2008)
  • Jerry Romano
  • Angelo "Little Ang" Ruggiero, Jr. (release date: May 2, 2013)
  • Steven Sabella
  • Jimmy Scalzo
  • Anthony John Scibelli (released January 26, 2011)
  • Augustus "Gus" Sclafani
  • Joseph Scopo (released July 27, 2010)
  • William "Billy" Scotto
  • Edward "Eddie" Sobol
  • Joseph Spinnato (released January 30, 2009)
  • Michael "Mike the Electrician" Urciuoli (released June 24, 2008)
  • Frank "Frankie" Vassallo
  • Tara "Big Tara" Vega
  • Arthur Zagari

Sicilian mafiosi indicted[edit]

  • Francesco Adelfio (66)
  • Salvatore Adelfio (42)
  • Giuseppe Brunettini (37)
  • Filippo Casamento (82) (Bocadifalco clan member, Bonanno family associate, former Catalano-Ganci Consortium member and Pizza Connection defendant) (released May 7, 2010)
  • Antonino Chiappara (42)
  • Sergio Corallo (42)
  • Giovanni De Simone (46)
  • Maurizio Di Fede (40)
  • Salvatore Emanuele Di Maggio (59) (Torrettaclan member)
  • Nicola Di Salvo (70)
  • Melchiorre Guglielmini (49)
  • Giovanni Inzerillo(36) (son ofSalvatore Inzerillo)
  • Tommaso Lo Presti (33)
  • Giovanni Lo Verde (69)
  • Stefano Marino (36)
  • Gianni Nicchi(27) (Pagliarelli capo-mafia, successor to Rotolo, Sicilian emissary to New York)
  • Pietro Pipitone (54)
  • Gaetano Savoca (41) (Brancaccio)
  • Vincenzo Savoca (77) (Brancaccio)

Sicilian mafiosi already in prison who were indicted[edit]

  • Andrea Adamo (46) (Brancaccio capo-mafia, ally ofSalvatore Lo Piccolo)
  • Calogero Di Gioia (60)
  • Lorenzo Di Fede (83)
  • Benedetto Graviano (50)
  • Tommaso Inzerillo (59)
  • Cesare Carmelo Lupo (47)
  • Antonio Rotolo(62) (Pagliarelli capo-mafia, Palermo Federation leader, rival ofSalvatore Lo Piccolo)
  • Giuseppe "Pino" Savoca (74) (Brancaccio capo-mafia)
  • Salvatore Sorrentino (43)

Sicilian mafiosi on the run[edit]

  • Salvatore Parisi (54)

Sicilian mafiosi indicted who turned pentito[edit]

  • Giovanni Adelfio (70) (Villagrazia clan member)

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Feds bust Gambino bigs".NY Daily News.New York. February 8, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  2. ^abcde"Supposed mob KO falls apart".NY Daily News.New York. May 29, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  3. ^"Alleged hit man, fugitive capo out of plea deals for bigs in Gambino round up".NY Daily News.New York. February 28, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  4. ^"Sixty Gambino Mobsters, Associates Plead Guilty - National Legal and Policy Center".Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2014.Retrieved17 September2014.
  5. ^"BBC News - 'Mafiosi' held in US and Sicily".February 7, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  6. ^"The Case of the Exiled Mobsters".TIME.com.7 February 2008. Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  7. ^"Inmate Locator".Archived fromthe originalon 11 September 2013.Retrieved17 September2014.
  8. ^ab"Smirking Gambino 'acid' killer gets life".New York Post.18 September 2009.Retrieved17 September2014.
  9. ^"Reputed Mafia underboss sentenced to 2 years in jail".NY Daily News.New York. August 12, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  10. ^"Broke Gamibino crime boss gets 2 years".NY Daily News.New York. August 19, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  11. ^abc"Two Gotti gang members plead guilty".UPI.Retrieved17 September2014.
  12. ^ab"Gotti Bro Jailed For Failed Hit".New York Post.6 December 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  13. ^"School bus driver arrested for molesting 3-year-old girl with speech impediment".NY Daily News.New York. March 9, 2008.Retrieved17 September2014.
  14. ^abcGang Land News.Jerry Capeci.March 3, 2011[1]
  15. ^Maddux, Mitchel (2 March 2012)."Thug must pay back NASCAR - New York Post".New York Post.Retrieved17 September2014.

Further reading[edit]

  • De Risi, Giuliano.79 Arresti Tra Sicilia e USA,Mafia, Stroncato L'Asse Palermo-New York,AGI News On. February 7, 2008.
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