I have decided to post the whole article this week SC if you want me too I will take it down


December 22, 2016 This Week in Gang Land
By Jerry Capeci

FBI Paid For Wiseguy Christmas Party At Pasquale's Rigoletto

Gang Land Exclusive!Pasquale's RigolettoThe Christmas wreaths, lights, and other decorations are up, but the atmosphere at Pasquale's Rigoletto is a far cry from what it was two years ago when the named owner of the popular Italian restaurant in The Bronx threw a gala Yuletide bash there for dozens of wiseguy friends and associates from New York to Florida — with the help of the FBI.

Law enforcement sources say the party was hosted by powerful Genovese capo Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello, and that the FBI picked up the tab.

The gala began at the landmark Arthur Avenue eatery in the Belmont section at about 9PM on December 8, 2014. It ended in the wee hours early on December 9 at a club on East Tremont Avenue in the Throgs Neck section of the borough.

Law enforcement sources say that night was the only time that Parrello and the two other wiseguys the feds describe as ringleaders of the alleged five family racketeering conspiracy — Genovese capo Eugene (Rooster) O'Nofrio and Philadelphia mob boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino — were all together during the five year-long investigation.

Pasquale ParrelloAt the party, according to one law enforcement source, the trio posed for a picture and actually "joked that the photo was going to get them arrested." Since you don't see it here, we assume you figured out that Gang Land does not have a copy. If and when we do, we'll be sure to pass it along.

The sources say all three mobsters were tape recorded discussing mob business by either John (J.R.) Rubeo, the longtime Parrello underling-turned cooperating witness, or the undercover FBI agent named "Jeff," whom Rubeo brought into the case. Both undercovers mingled with the trio and all the partygoers at the restaurant and at the Vapor Lounge — which opened earlier that year and features "exotic hookah, mixology and music," according to its website.

Eugene O'NofrioAt the party, which also served as a "going away" party for Merlino, who began a four month stint for parole violation in January of 2015, Skinny Joey formally introduced two of his key Philadelphia mobsters, Dominic (Baby Dom) Grande and Michael (Mikey Lance) Lancelotti to Parrello. Sources say Lancellotti, 52, a Merlino contemporary, is Skinny Joey's "main man" in Philadelphia, and that both Mikey Lance and Baby Dom, 35, are suspects in gangland-style slayings.

"It was the first time they (Merlino and Parrello) had seen each other in 22 years," said one law enforcement source. "That's when Joey came to New York to meet Patsy — 22 years ago over some dispute between Philadelphia and the Genoveses. Other than that night, they never laid eyes on each other," the source continued, stating that Rubeo served as "the go-between" in their joint gambling and health care fraud scams.

The source added that while each mobster was always looking for new ways to make money, they "were complete opposites. Joey always weaseled out of gambling debts and paying for things himself. Patsy put his hand in his pocket once in a while."

Joseph MerlinoIn an effort to ensure that Merlino would come to the party, and hopefully implicate himself in criminal conduct, the FBI — through Rubeo, who had many meetings with Skinny Joey during the investigation — paid for Merlino and his wife Debra to fly to New York, and to put them up in a hotel, said one law enforcement source. To pay for the party, the FBI laid out about $5000, according to the source.

It remains to be seen whether any of the conversations are indeed incriminating but sources say that during the party Merlino was true to form when it came to money. After codefendant Agostino (Augie) Camacho, a longtime Rubeo pal, gave Skinny Joey $1500, he told Rubeo he needed more money before he left town. The next day, the sources say, he got a $5000 tribute from the cooperating witness, which like virtually all of the discussions that Rubeo and FBI agent Jeff had during the investigation, were recorded and videotaped.

Michael LancelottiLaw enforcement sources say that Rubeo, and the FBI agent, whom J.R. had introduced into the investigation as "a friend from high school" earlier that year, did not pass up a chance to chat up an attendee. But for the most part, each hung out and did the bidding of his main mob superior at the affair — Rubeo's being Parrello, and Jeff's being O'Nofrio.

Rubeo introduced Jeff into the probe, said one source, when he took the agent with him to meet O'Nofrio, a Connecticut-based capo who ran two crews, one on Mulberry Street, and another in Springfield Massachusetts, at a scheduled meeting to discuss a bookmaking venture.

Rubeo "took Rooster on the side," the source said, and told him: "I got this good kid here, he's a good friend of mine. He steals cigarettes, but he ain't with anybody. I wanna put him with you."

Dominic GrandeO'Nofrio sought assurance. "J.R., this kid gonna give me problems?" he asked, according to the source.

Rubeo insisted Jeff was trustworthy, the source said, and O'Nofrio replied, "Fine, he's on record with me. Lemme talk to this kid."

It was a tricky move, since according to mob protocol, Rubeo should have put Jeff on record with Parrello, not O'Nofrio, but the FBI wanted to widen its probe to include more Genovese gangsters, and succeeded in its ploy.

The agent was never proposed, but according to a court filing, he became a "trusted associate" who "captured hundreds of hours of inculpatory conversations involving O'Nofrio and others" during the investigation. Jeff often drove Rooster to regular Thursday meetings at a South Ozone Park restaurant and tape recorded dinner meetings with wiseguys with three crime families, said one law enforcement source.

John RubeoLaw enforcement sources say that Skinny Joey wasn't the only gangster in the huge 46-defendant case who pestered Rubeo for money at the party.

Mob associate Bradford Wedra, who is charged only with cigarette buttlegging, also put the arm on him for dough. As Gang Land disclosed in August, Wedra, 61, is one of four defendants linked by tape recorded talks to a murder plot against an Albanian gangster who allegedly killed Pasquale Parrello Jr. But the longtime Parrello crew member doesn't have the juice that Merlino has.

When he told J.R. he was broke, and could use an infusion of cash, according to one source, "Rubeo told him to wait until after he had paid the bill," and never got back to him.

Bradford WedraSources say the other still living gangsters tied to the alleged murder conspiracy with Wedra and Parrello, Anthony (Anthony Boy) Zinzi, and Israel (Buddy) Torres, also attended the gala affair. Ronald (Ronnie The Beast) Mastrovincenzo, the fifth member and prime mover in the alleged plot against Viktor Mirdita, who was acquitted in 1995 of Parrello Jr.'s murder, died last year.

Judge Richard Sullivan, who has scheduled the next status conference in the case for January 5, granted requests by numerous defendants, including Wedra and Merlino, to relax bail restrictions so they can celebrate Christmas and the holiday season with relatives.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rebold was a bit of a scrooge with Skinny Joe. But Judge Sullivan okayed Merlino's request to extend his curfew from 7PM to 10PM from December 17 through January 10 so he and his wife could enjoy "meals, entertainment and holiday gatherings" with their two daughters on college break. Rebold wanted the extended hours to begin tomorrow and end on New Year's Day.

Judge From The Dark Side Plays Santa Claus

Jack ManninoMob turncoat Jack Mannino got an early Christmas gift last week when a judge who sounds like Darth Vader and who sometimes imposes prison terms as though he was from the Dark Side gave him "time served" for the Christmas season armed robbery of a Brooklyn bank five years ago.

Brooklyn Federal Judge William [BadWord] also ordered the recidivist bank robber, who testified against his accomplice in the December 29, 2011, $5,658 robbery of a Capital One branch in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to serve five years of post-prison supervised release. The judge also ordered Mannino to forfeit the amount of loot he and his cohort got away with.

It's unclear whether [BadWord], whose basso profundo voice sounds very much like the evil Star Wars character, referred to himself as Father Vader, as he often does, or if he used some of the other theatrical modes he has used in the past while he was imposing sentence against Mannino.

William [BadWord] reasons that make no sense to Gang Land, the proceeding — unlike the sentencing in the same courthouse of one of the most notorious cooperating witnesses in American history, Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano, and many others, including turncoat Mafia boss Joe Massino and his underboss, Salvatore Vitale — was sealed. (It's a story for another day, but in recent years, Gang Land has noticed more and more cases in which the government, contrary to justice department guidelines, and judges, contrary to provisions of the First Amendment and judicial precedents, seal documents and proceedings on dubious if not bogus legal grounds.)

Gang Land received no reports of "Ho, ho, ho, and to all a good night" spiraling out of [BadWord]'s sixth-floor courtroom last Thursday, but last month the judge broke new ground in his use of histrionics as he gave Mannino's codefendant, Gary Fama, 13 and a half years, the maximum term called for by the sentencing guidelines. Fama's original sentence had been more than 20 years greater than the recommended maximum — 35 years — and was reversed as overly harsh by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Gary FamaDuring Fama's sentencing, [BadWord] invoked the Sheriff Bullard character in the 1972 film classic, Deliverance, the Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington, as well as the evil Darth Vader as he advised the oft-arrested mob associate to behave himself in the future.

"Don't ever do nothin' like this again. Don't come back up here again," [BadWord] told Fama, uttering the same words that the Aintry County Sheriff (played by writer James Dickey who wrote the book on which the film was based) used to warn the Jon Voight character Ed Gantry near the end of the movie.

After [BadWord] justified his original harsh term as "appropriate at the time" because Fama had not voiced remorse at his first sentencing, and meted out the lesser but still pretty stiff prison term, [BadWord] strongly advised Fama to remember him the next time he was tempted to rob a bank.

"If not my Denzel Washington face, or my (Darth) Vader voice in the back of your head saying, 'It's just not worth it,'" [BadWord] told Fama in his booming basso profundo voice.

In addition to Mannino, the government also used a passerby who fingered Fama as a suspect he saw who looked like the Seinfeld character George Costanza — "little to no hair, stocky, wearing glasses" — to convict him at trial. Fama, 51, currently resides at a federal prison in Fairton, NJ. He is slated for release in January of 2024.

Despite his "time served" sentence, Mannino, 48, is still at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Most likely, whatever federal agency that is going to relocate him far away from his old haunts in Bensonhurst, is still finalizing its plans.

All I Want For Christmas Is A 30-Year Prison Term

Mark ReiterIn the abstract, wanting a prison term of 30 years is not something to write Santa Claus about, but everything in life is relative. So when you're 69 years old, and are serving two life sentences, and you have been behind bars for nearly 29 years, a gift-wrapped 30-year prison term from St. Nick is exactly what Mark Reiter wants for Christmas.

But even if he's got a hook with Santa it's a long shot. It means a federal judge would have to throw out two life sentences for the drug dealer — a John Gotti-pal no less — who was found guilty of heroin trafficking and two murders. That's a very tall order, even if you were sentenced illegally, as Reiter's noted appeals lawyer has pointed out in excruciating detail in two separate filings with Manhattan Federal Judge Vernon Broderick.

Reiter doesn't have much going for him besides the cogent legal arguments put forth by attorney Harlan Protass. And even if he wins the legal battle, he could still end up losing his fight for freedom. But hope springs eternal, and as Gang Land has reported previously, Protass has twice before gotten life sentences reversed and 30-year-prison terms for convicted drug dealers.

Harlan ProtassIn 2013, the attorney won the reversal of a life sentence for Myles Coker, a co-defendant of Bonanno wiseguy Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano in the notorious Blue Thunder case who was convicted of heroin trafficking in 1994. Last year, Protass got a similar decision for a second codefendant in that case, Ralph Rivera, who is slated for release next year.

In the government's opposition, prosecutor Timothy Capozzi's main argument seems to be that it's much too late in the game for Reiter to contest the sentence he got in 1988. But Capozzi tacitly concedes that the sentence may be illegal when he argued that Reiter is still a very bad guy and should die behind bars, just as the late judge Richard Owen intended when he sentenced him. To make sure Reiter never saw free air again, Owen sentenced him to two life sentences, asserts Capozzi, and the other one hasn't been challenged.

Protass is unfazed. Reiter's sentence was "plainly illegal" on one drug count, he argues, since it required a finding by Owen that the "offense involved more than 100 grams of heroin," and there was no such finding. As a result, Protass asserts, Reiter is entitled to be resentenced for the entire case. And today, the attorney wrote, Reiter is a loving grandfather of five, would never return to crime, and that 30 years is a "fair, just and reasonable sentence."

In the end, based on the filings by both sides, whether Reiter lives out his life as a free man or behind bars, lies firmly within the discretion of Judge Broderick, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan who was appointed to the bench in 2013.

Gang Land wishes all our readers, whether or not you celebrate Christmas or believe in Santa Claus, a very Merry Christmas.

Good post. Boggles the mind how some of the more respected guys in Philly actually take Merlino seriously.

They take Joey seriously cause of Stanfa. Despite his lack of business acumen, not many guys that young would have had the balls to hit a bosses son like that. Until someone else puts the murder game down ( And I mean, these guys just got through doing heavy time, they want To earn, not go back to jail..) and REALLY challenges him, you always gotta kind of respect that....

Funny thing, maybe the Bonnano Xmas party wasn't on the Feds radar cause they had all their resources tied into the bigger fish in the Genovese family. We're the parties the same year? Or was the Bonnano one a year later, I forget...

So the feds took 2yrs of undercover shit to bring gambling n loansharking charges. The genovese guy beat up a panhandler who probaly deserved it and taked about killing a guy who killed a innocent kid over his fathers misdeeds. Seems like they struck out. The health care scam seems like it was run by some eastern eurpeans guys who kicked up to some mob guys. Parello will get the most time probaly 5yts.

I bet the Feds absolutely implored their rat at that party to get Dom Grande liquored up and high , then proceed to bait him into talking about the Gino DiPietro hit, you can bet your life on that one!

I have also heard that Mikey Lance has a lot of rackets that extend a vast territory from South Philly all the way to the shore. Perfect example, he was the Caporegime that the Borgata Bookmaking ring kicked up to. This article also tells me that Dom Grande is now back to reporting to Mikey Lance again because he shouldn't have been with the boss in front of NY without his skipper there if Philly even still follows protocol....

What? This isn't exact science. A soldier can be in front of anybody...and Grande could be a capo for all we know.

I highly doubt Dom Grande is a Capo. He's under Lance if anything and accompanied Lance go NYC who in turn was accompanying Joey Merlino. This all makes sense and isn't really a mystery. If I had to speculate, I bet Dom Grande was brought along because he had some sort of role as a point man for Lance and Joey for the Philly guys and their stake in the joint gambling operation with Parello and the Genovese.

Also, does anyone have any info or idea on why Joey would have been meeting with Parello and the Genovese family 22 years ago (1994 roughly)? My guess is this was when he was taking over the Family officially because Stanfa was arrested in 1994. This would further reinforce speculation that Merlino and Natale were backed by the Genovese Family in their attempt to pry the family away from the auspices of the Gambino Family who backed Stanfa. Other that that maybe it was over Louis Cirillo Jr who was married to Maria Ciancaglini who was the daughter of Joe Chickie Ciancaglini (father of John, Michael, & Joey Chang). Louis was murdered by the Genovese shortly after he was married to Maria. Can't imagine why Joey Merlino would have any involvement in that murder though since that was Genovese business regardless of the Chang connection, which makes me speculate that Merlino/Natale were in fact backed by the Genovese Family going into the '93 Merlino-Stanfa War and has since been linked to the Genovese and under their auspices to varying degrees. However, you could argue that he wasn't backed by them due to the fact that Tino Fiumara supposedly called him to a meeting in New York and Merlino told them to either meet him in Philly or go screw themselves as he didn't want to end up like Tony Bananas, as well as the whole Genovese/Gambino plot to murder the Merlino Admin and take over the family through Pete The Crumb Caprio as their surrogate. Who knows? But any thoughts or insights would be appreciated!

also puts to rest the theory joey was making money behind everones back, back in philly. if the boss wants to make money with another family its his perogative. just shows you again why he should have had a buffer betwwen him and the snitch jr. still think its gonna be a weak case against him and the health scam charges fall apart or he would have been indicted in florida where the scam was hatched.

Ralphie though I agree this isn't an exact science, why would a capo bring with him to a major mob gathering a soldier from a different crew? Doesn't make any sense.

GR - thanks again for posting this my friend

Interesting that Mikey Lance is Joeys top guy in Philly according to Jerry...I would think he'd have to be the guys been super low key...The article mentions and I think others like PHL said that Mikey Lance has operations that extend far into South Jersey, but curious if anyone thinks he or any other capo like Georgie maybe has anything going on in Wilmington, DE? Its a 25 minute ride from the heart of South Philly and I would think with it having a Port as well and gambling via horse-racing at Dover downs that maybe its possible? Any thoughts?

Patsy Parello takes him seriously. Philly guys taking Joey seriously is not surprising.

I am really not sure why that is a thing. The guy is an accomplished killer.

Good thoughts. Only thing I'd say here is it clearly says the last time he saw Parello was when there was a dispute between Philly and the WS, which makes me think it was NOT about the Genovese backing Philly vs Stanfa.

Is this the first time we've seen snitches videotaping?

And thanks GR, as Mikey said.

Regarding Grande - agree with Dante this means he's probably under Lance, but not a guarantee.

Lancelotti is a very, very interesting figure. The next Philly indictment will be fascinating.

Thanks gangstereport. A lot of interesting info coming out of this indictment.

Joey Merlino is highly respected. Especially now that he's a little more low key and done a lot of time . Also the old time New York guys Love guys "with bodies" on there resume..and merlino probably has in excess of 20 and he's gotten away with them all..Not to mention he's seems to attract big money guys and never rats and has a large crew of killers behind him


As far as lancelotti not for nothing but he never gets indicted and when he does the charges are dropped. And he pops up in every investigation. He's a smart crafty guy. Only guys i can think of with a career like that is scarpa

Louie- idk how you're gettin Merlino has 20 bodies on his resume? Off the top of my head id say he was the shooter in what 2-3 amd ordered maybe 6 killings since hes been boss? I could be wrong and if so I apologize but i think 30 is an overstatement

In regards to Mike Lance are u saying you think hes an informant comparing him to Scarpa? Ive seen that said on here before but theres no real evidence to backup that claim other than hes stayed outta jail and outta headlines. As previously stated his name was mentioned in the Borgata bust from 2007 I believe but it was never tied to him

Scarfo Jr Shooting,The Turra Murder,The tony machines shooting,stanfa shooting,Joey Chang Shooting
Irish deluca,Felix Bocchino,Dutch avicoli,the Joey Sadano hit,Ron Turchi,Gino Depietro,Billy Veasey Hit,Gino Marconi Hit,,John Martorano,Rocco Maniscalco and Johnny Gongs. I'm sure there's others

Stanfa was backed by the Gambino Family. Formerly Nicky Scarfo was backed by the Genovese through Bobby Manna and the Chin. I think Ralph Natale had a connection to Joseph Gatto of the NJ Jersey crew or it might have been his father Louis Streaky Gatto who went to jail in 1991. Maybe both I can't remember. They wanted Genovese backing, but I think it didn't come to fruition as Stanfa went to jail. They made connections to the Family though.

@MikeyBalls- With regards to Philly guys being in Delaware, coincidently speaking of Mike Lance, his nephew Albert Lancellotti who is a made guy in his 40s and is from South Philly, recently moved to the Wilmington, DE area and lives there with his wife and daughter. He has a legitimate job (I think he's an electrician or in plumbing?), but obviously since he's a made guy I've got to imagine he is involved in the rackets still. Now the question is does be commute back and forth and maintain a presence in South Philly or even South Jersey which is right over the bridge from DE also, OR did he move to Delaware for a reason? I would speculate that Allie Lance moved to Delaware on Mike Lance's orders to supervise gambling and loansharking operations (and any other rackets for that matter) in the Wilmington/Delaware area and any associates that they have in DE. Back in the 2008 Borgata gambling bust, which Mike Lance was supervising and busted in, one of the associates charged in the case was a young associate from Hockesin, DE. That leads me to believe that there are probably other young and older associates and gambling agents and what not operating under the auspices of the Philly Family and Albert Lancelotti Jr is the Philly soldier supervising this. All speculation though...

Joey has a ton of murders under him. The ones Louie listed are just half at least. Between murders that he actually committed himself and ones that he ordered under his tenure if put it at 20+ for sure. There are probably around ~6-7 murders that he's responsible for if not actually committed that we don't even know about. For instance, one murder that I just learned about that I didn't even know about that I just read about in Bobby Simone's book was a murder in like '84 that he and Tori Scafidi alledgedly committed. Apparently Tori and Joey got into a fight with a young Riccobene associate/supported in a South a Street night club and it spilled out of the club but then was broken up. Later on that night Tori and Joey followed the kid home and shot him to death outside of his house in front of his mother who was watching from the upstairs window. Tori was the only one of the two men who was positively ID'd by the mother, but Bobby Simone was able to get Tori off of the murder.

I'm not being a dick here - cos I know where Mike Balls is coming from, common people probably think someone like Sammy Gravano is a mass murderer when he only personally killed 1 or 2 people - but it's crazy that someone like Joey Merlino can be implicated in over a dozen murders yet people almost think the Feds have a "hard on" for him or something!

Yes. He has probably only pulled the trigger in two or three, but he has helped arrange up to 15 others.

George Borgesi bragged about participating in 11 murders, according to "Fag Finger Lou".

That is beyond fucked up. It's fucked up that people actually look up to the guy like some Robin Hood figure. He's evil.

Mikey Lance was charged in the Borgata betting ring but the charges were later dropped. They picked up Mikey Lance on a wire tap but his lawyer successfully argued that it wasn't Michael Lancelotti on the wire tap, but another Mike and charges were dropped.

"Also, does anyone have any info or idea on why Joey would have been meeting with Parello and the Genovese family 22 years ago (1994 roughly)? My guess is this was when he was taking over the Family officially because Stanfa was arrested in 1994. "

It would be a year or two off, but there was a big raid in 1995 or 1996 in the Bronx/Westchester where Barney Bellomo and a lot of the Genovese capos got arrested on gambling charges, but there was a Philly guy in that mix--John Praino. It could be that Merlino came up to straighten out his accounts.

Just because a guy never does time shoud not arise suspicion. The guy Lancelotti is probably smart enough to maintain plenty of insulation by only talking to a few select guys. Further, he seems primarily involved in gambling and nothing heavy.
You keep a low profile, surround yourself with a few trusted guys, and NEVER talk on a phone or in a car or the same place, you can have a good run.
Comparing him to Scarpa is a poor comparison. Scarpa had a lot of murders under his belt and was a strong capo in a NYC family who had direct contact with a ton of different guys.
Lancelotti doesnt even come close to that.

And north right up to Scoops , I know most consider Toms River( south) and his network goes right to Georgie's he is huge .

Dom is a smart guy and has a level head from what I hear and you don't have that these days with all these guys swallowing OxyContin's .

Toms River is Central Jersey and down by you Serp is South Jersey- Come on Serp!! Wait, Are you saying that Mikey Lance's rackets and network extends to Toms River area as well?