I suppose so.

There is not much info on the Frank Lagano killing, thought it does seem like he was a rat. Is it a suspected mob hit?

Yeah, it was a mob hit. Lagano was involved in the multi-family gambling bust in Jersey back in 2004. Rumors have been him being a possible informant and the order to hit him ultimately coming from the Genovese family despite him being a Lucchese member.

heres some proof:

Ex-investigator’s suit alleges corruption, coverup
Thursday, September 30, 2010

A former organized-crime investigator for the state Attorney General's Office claims his bosses squelched an investigation into alleged "wrongdoing and potential corruption of high-ranking members" of a New Jersey prosecutor's office — apparently the one in Bergen County.

Among the allegations in James Sweeney's lawsuit is that a "prominent employee" of the unnamed prosecutor's office had a "personal and business relationship" with a reputed mobster. In the lawsuit filed in Bergen County last month, Sweeney says he was terminated in retaliation for pursuing an investigation.

Sweeney claims he told supervisors that the relationship may have provided a possible motive for the still unsolved murder of the Lucchese crime family member, identified as "FL" — an apparent reference to the late Frank Lagano of Tenafly. The complaint includes the dates of Lagano's 2007 murder as well as his December 2004 arrest by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in an anti-gambling sweep that netted some 40 alleged mobsters and associates.

The so-called "prominent" member of the unnamed prosecutor's office that arrested FL is identified in the suit only as "MM." At the time of Lagano's arrest and murder, Michael Mordaga was the chief of detectives for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Mordaga, who retired in mid-2007, did not return two phone messages. His attorney, Martin Garbus, declined to comment. Attempts to reach a Lagano family member were unsuccessful.

Robert Tandy of Montvale, Sweeney's attorney, would not discuss why the lawsuit doesn't identify "MM" or "FL" by name.

"I'm not going to comment as to the initials and the identities at this time," Tandy said.

Asked if the county referenced in the suit is Bergen, Tandy said: "The allegations contained within the complaint speak for themselves."

Although the lawsuit alleges wrongdoing by "members" of the prosecutor's office, MM is the only individual employee referenced.

"FL and MM's personal and business relationship consisted of the lending of money by FL to MM, multiple business ventures together, social visits to each others homes, vacationing together, assisting with the plans for the construction of MM's family room for his new home, family dinners together, and dinners with FL's brothers …," the lawsuit states.

The suit says that sometime after FL's arrest, his relationship with MM "soured" and he became a source for Sweeney and the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Sweeney also alleges that after the arrest, FL was brought into MM's private office and MM handed him a business card for an attorney. FL was then told, according to the complaint, "that the attorney and MM could make ninety percent (90%) of his legal problems go away. MM further advised FL to provide the attorney with a $25,000 retainer for his legal representation."

The suit was brought in part under the New Jersey RICO or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It names as defendants the state of New Jersey, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Law and Public Safety and the Division of Criminal Justice.

Gregory Paw, former director of the Division of Criminal Justice, Paul Morris, chief of detectives for the division, and Deputy Attorney General Mark G. Eliades are also cited for their "role in an unlawful enterprise under NJRICO." Sweeney is seeking damages in part for economic losses and emotional distress.

Asked if federal or any other authorities were contacted about the claims in the suit, Tandy said: "I'm not going to comment on that at this time."

Morris, Eliades and Paw declined to comment.

Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli declined to comment through a spokesperson.

Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office, said the office does not comment on pending litigation. Asked if the state will examine Sweeney's claims, Loriquet would "neither confirm nor deny that an investigation will take place."

Sweeney spent most of his 44-year career in law enforcement as an organized-crime investigator, first for the New Jersey State Police and then for the State Commission of Investigation and the state Division of Criminal Justice, the suit says.

Loriquet said Sweeney was an "at-will employee," meaning that he served "at the pleasure of the appointing authority."

In the complaint, Sweeney alleges he let his supervisors know "of potential corruption within the hierarchy of that County Prosecutor's office including business dealings with alleged members of Organized Crime families and the unlawful seizure, retention and use of monies by high-ranking members of that County Prosecutor's office."

Sweeney claims in the lawsuit that members of the prosecutor's office did not adequately account for funds and items seized from FL.

Morris and Eliades took no action "in the face of his corruption claims," Sweeney says. The lawsuit says that in May 2006 Sweeney sent an e-mail to Paw asking to present "situations of corruption confronting the Organized Crime Bureau" but Paw did not respond.

The complaint goes on to say that from May 2006 to April 2007 he "continued to advise his supervisors of allegations of corruption and potentially illegal activities by MM and/or other members of that County Prosecutor's office." The lawsuit alleges that the state did not investigate his claims in part because the prosecutor "was being considered for a high-ranking position" in the Attorney General's Office. Molinelli was Bergen County prosecutor at the time.

In April, days after FL's murder, Sweeney claims he sent Morris an e-mail with "data concerning MM and FL's relationship and the relationship of other county professionals." Lagano was murdered in 2007, found gunned down in the parking lot of his East Brunswick diner on April 12. The suit specifies that FL was murdered on or about April 12, 2007.

"Plaintiff advised he believed the data could potentially have created a motive for FL's murder," the complaint says.

The following month, the suit claims, Sweeney wrote a memorandum to Morris — this time noting that members of traditional organized-crime groups had denied involvement in the Lagano murder, and were themselves trying to learn who was responsible.

"… Plaintiff's memorandum provided a possible motive for FL's murder possibly arising out of FL's relationship with and connections to MM," the complaint reads. Sweeney, it says, sought authorization to further investigate his theory.

The suit says both Morris and Eliades told him to stop his investigation into FL's murder.

At one point, the complaint says, local authorities investigating the killing learned FL was an informant for the Division of Criminal Justice. Sweeney maintains Morris ordered him to deny that FL was ever a source for the division if asked and "directed plaintiff to take immediate action to eliminate any connection between FL and the Division of Criminal Justice."

In fall of 2007, Sweeney alleges, he was denied a promotion and by winter was removed from his position as "Primary/Back up Duty Officer."

The complaint lays out Sweeney's recounting of the events that immediately preceded his termination. In 2008, the complaint says, Sweeney's cellphone number appeared on the electronic surveillance for the source in a federal investigation, who was also arrested with FL in the 2004 gambling sweep. Morris apparently believed this meant Sweeney was still investigating FL's murder, according to the complaint.

Shortly thereafter, Sweeney says in the complaint, he was removed from his position as "acting SSI," which Tandy said is a supervising investigator. He was placed in the records department, Tandy said, and was no longer investigating organized crime.

He was terminated Sept. 4, 2008, with no explanation, the complaint alleges.

Lagano's murder has been under investigation by federal and Middlesex County authorities.

The 2004 criminal case involving Lagano and the alleged mob-run gambling ring was fraught with problems. Initially, a Superior Court judge suppressed all wiretap and search-warrant evidence and vacated all pleas after learning the prosecutor's office had failed to notify her that a wiretap picked up a conversation between an investigator from the state Division of Criminal Justice and a confidential state informant who was a target in the county case. After protracted closed-door proceedings between Bergen County and the Attorney General's Office, and an appeal, some cases were reinstated. Lagano's would have been one of them, but he had died by that time.

In his lawsuit, Sweeney mentions having communication with a source who was later arrested in a mob-related gambling case along with FL. The lawsuit notes that county officials claimed that communication was to blame for the dismissal of the case. Sweeney says that he wanted to defend his actions but was never given the opportunity to meet with internal-affairs officers investigating the matter and was never told of the investigation's outcome.

The complaint says Sweeney was told the state didn't take over the gambling case because it did not want to act against the interests of the county prosecutor who "would potentially have been the next boss …."

http://www.northjersey.com/news/10413383...p.html?page=all

For everybody who keeps track, or wants to keep track, two made men of the Genovese Family and one made man of the Gambino Family recently died.

Albert Scibelli

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/former_springfield_mobster_alb.html

(The article mentions Anthony Scibelli, a brother. But I´m sure the writer confused him with Frankie, a third brother, who actually was the one with a capo status.)

"Uncle" Danny Cilenti

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/mob_uncle_dies_ZcqUayBxsRd1q0JSZQELWN

(I find it hard to believe Cilenti was made in 1947. That would have made him 19 when inducted.)

Nicky "Skin" Stefanelli

http://www.ganglandnews.com/

Rocco Maniscalco Riccobene's grandson? I thought he was killed by a lone white guy?

Saverio "Sibby" Maimone (2003) was my grandfather....I would love to get any info I can on him....he hid that part of his life from most of us. I get stories from uncles, but would love to learn more. Please feel free to email me.

I saw your new to this board welcome, did you mean to most it in this thread, did he get whacked?

There was a case against him a year after Apalachin.

http://ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19591116_0046938.NY.htm/qx

The FBI had a page on him from MAFIA: United States Treasury Department of Narcotics. I don't have a scanner so you'll have to order the book online. The gist of it is your grandfather was a partner of 'John Ormento' and 'Salvatore Giordano'. The law often recorded him hanging out in produce shops, some of which he owned. Some of his charges (1993 - 1959) were robbery, assault and robbery, and hijacking. In 1959 he was convicted of Narcotics laws, and at that point he was probably at the height of his power. Through his connections at the Brooklyn waterfront, he was receiving huge shipments of smuggled narcotics, and his pipeline went from Brooklyn to Boston, Washington (doesn't specify) and Philly. You'll probably want to order the book though, there's mentions of his relatives, etc.

Barrettt nice post is that a monthly publication, of different events of the past related to OC?? Or are they selling individual books on top of it??

This? Well basically in the 50's the US Treasury grew dissatisfied with the FBI's 'there is no mafia' lecture, realized there was a mafia, and put together pages of and pages of a list of top mob guy. It's good if you need to find obscure crime figures or if you only have an alias to go off of. It's not much of a 'book', it's built for historians like us. A lot of times you will find individual FBI files on the internet but this is a compilation.

Maimone´s address was listed at 1757 58th Street which is located in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. But he mainly operated out of the South Brooklyn area. In the 1940s, he was the owner of a restaurant and cafe located at 233 Columbia Street. Ten years later, he was the owner of Manny´s Fruit Store at 244 Columbia Street. It is my personal belief that Maimone was made into the Lucchese crime Family sometimes around the mid 1950s and was later put under Christy "Tick" Furnari. He doesn´t seem to have been elevated above the rank of an ordinary soldier.

In 1945 he was shot through his both shoulders. But he refused to identify his assailants.

- From The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Oct 17, 1945:

"CAFE OWNER SHOT, HIS TWO STORIES CLASH"

"Police are investigating the mysterous shooting of Saverio Maimone, 32 of 1757 58th Street, who walked into Israel Zion Hospital with bullet wounds in both shoulders early today and told conflicting stories of an attempt to kill him. Maimone, the owner of a restaurant at 233 Columbia Street, on the Brooklyn waterfront, first told Detective Thomas O´Brien of the Butler Street station that he was shot by unidentified man in the elevated station of the BMT 62nd street and New Utrecht Avenue as he alighted from a train. After police checked the story and found no witnesses, Maimone came up with another version. He said he was driving his automobil along Henry Street when he was forced to the curb at Kane Street and an occupant of the other car jumped out and shot him. In great pain, he declared, he drove to the 37th street and Fort Hamilton Parkway.

Second Version Seems True

His own car broke down, he said, so he hailed a cab and was driven to the hospital. The second version apparently was true as a car was found deserted at the spot Maimone said he left his. Maimone's wife, reached at their home, could give no reason for the shooting and police said they had found no definite motive. Officials at the hospital reported Maimone told various versions of the shooting when he walked in. First claiming he was held up, and later telling of the attack in his automobil. Maimone was transfered to Kings County Hospital where his condition was reported as fair.

No Link to Dock Strike

Police said the shooting had no connection with the longshoremen's strike. The mystery was increased through an apparent attempt by Maimone to keep his address secret, for he used the name Emanuel, not Saverio, in his restaurant and telephone listings."

///Interesting...his father´s name was Emanuel.
In 1947, Maimone, together with five others, was convicted for their involvement in a truck hijacking case.
In this next article, note the name of Salvatore Imperiale who the FBI later listed as a soldier in the Colombo Family.

- From The Brooklyn Eagle Oct, 21 1947:

"Six Truck Hijackers Convicted In US Court"

"Sentences will be imposed Oct. 30 on six Brooklyn men convicted last night of hijacking by a jury of five men and seven women in Brooklyn Federal Court before Judge Harold M. Kennedy.
Joe Sherman, 36, of 42 Harrison Ave., and Frank Whalen, 35, who is being held at Raymond St. Jail on another charge, were found guilty of stealing from a truck with 41 bales of cotton buck canvas on March. 5, 1946, at Pier 18, at the foot of Montague Street.
Salvatore Maimone, 34, of 1757 58th St., William Mostramarino, 28, of 915 40th St.; Vincent J. Grimaldi, 32, of 165 13th Ave., and Paul Impirello, 46, of 1122 Blake Court, were convicted of receiving and possessing goods stolen from an interstate shipment. All six were convicted of conspiracy to steal from an interstate shipment. Salvatore Imperiale, 34, brought from Sing Sing, where he is serving time on another charge, and Alphonse Salzano, 26, pleaded guilty to the indictment last Wednesday when the trial began.
Two other defendants in the case last Wednesday were granted a severance of trial. They are Ernest Oliva, 27,. of 254 5th Ave., and Romeo Garafola, 39, who is serving a sentence in a Federal penitentiary in a different case. The jury recommended clemency for Mastramarino because of his service record."

///In the 1950s, Maimone was engaged in narcotics trafficking. He got busted in 1958, together with other (mainly) Lucchese members and associates who at the time were indicted in several narcotics cases. Tony Mirra, who was a Bonanno associate at the time, was also indicted in the Maimone case.
After an unsuccessful appeal, Maimone was sentenced to a four and a half year prison term in 1959. Barrett (the poster in here) have linked to the case, described on the very useful Find a case site. The details of the appeal are described in this next article.

- From the Long Island City Star Journal Oct 20, 1959:

"A Forest Hills man, now serving time in Attica State Prison, is one of 12 men who were ordered to serve jail terms for participating in an international narcotics peddling conspiracy.
The Supreme Court yesterday refused to review the 1958 convictions and let stand the prior actions of the Federal District Court and the Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City. The court's action yesterday meant that the 12 defendants must serve terms ranging from two-and-one-half to five years in Federal prisons.
• • •
Among the defendants was Nathan Behrmann, 45, of 64-34 102nd street, Forest Hills, who was sentenced to five years on April 24. 1958, for his part in the global $20,000,000-a-year ring. Also given a five-year sentence was Harry (Nig Rosen) Stromberg who has figured in congressional hearings on rackets and crime in Philadelphia and New York. Stromberg, besides his five year sentence, was fined $10,000, by the trial court.
The case grew out of an indictment charging 46 individuals with participating in a six and a-half -year conspiracy through which narcotics were purchased abroad and smuggled into the United States. Testimony showed the ring's operations centered in New York and extended into other cities.
• • •
Ninteen of the accused conspirators were tried at the same time. One of them was acquitted by the trial court and convictions of three custom officials, two of which lived in Queens, Saul Snyder, 47, of 91-41 Queens boulevard, Forest Hills, and Herman Samnick, 46, of 143-17 Hoover avenue, Jamaica, were ordered reversed by the U. S. Court of Appeals.
Twelve of the other defendants asked the high court for the review. They attacked the "masstrial" procedure on grounds it denied them a fair trial.
The defendants also claimed that the government based its case partly on the unsupported testimony of a well-paid government informer who gained the confidence of some of the conspirators and partly on testimony of two of the gang members themselves who should not have been trusted as witnesses.
• • •
They further contended that improper procedures objected, among other things, to an anti-crime speech made by the government prosecutor during the time of the trial and said some of the jurors read newspaper accounts of the speech.
In addition to Behrmann and Stromberg, the defendants were: Martin Lessa, Martin DeSaverio, both five years; Salvatore Maimone, four and a half years; Steve Puco, Nicholas Lessa, Henry Teitelbaum and Jean Aron, four years; Anthony Mirra and George Brisbois, three and a half years and Leo Seto, two and a half years. Brisbois also received a $ 10,000 fine."

///Sometimes Maimone´s first name is given as Salvatore. Perhaps Salvatore was his middle name? In his Social Security Death Index, however, his name is only listed as Saverio Maimone:

Name: Saverio Maimone
State of Issue: New York
Date of Birth: Thursday April 03, 1913
Date of Death: Wednesday July 30, 2003
Est. Age at Death: 90 years, 3 months, 27 days
Confirmation: Verified

Last known residence:
City: Pompano Beach; Coconut Creek; Margate County: Broward
State: Florida
ZIP Code: 33063

///You might, if you want to, make a FBI FOIA request on Maimone. I´m sure the FBI has got some files on him.

http://www.fbi.gov/foia/

Damn, it should probably be listed under Genovese hits for that reason (you usually see it listed under Lucchese hits).

Just further proof that the one American Mafia family that won't hesitate to kill you in the 21st Century if you're a legitimate threat or even a rulebreaker (Ricci) is the Genovese.

The others will of course kill you if you make enough of a nuisance of yourself, but the Genovese seem twice as violent as the other New York families, maybe even if you adjust for size differences ("hits per capita"? hey why not).

anybody have any theories on why he was killed??

im referring to maimone (see above) not frank lagano

Sorry, my mistake.

Oh...I also thought you were referring to Lagano.
Maimone died of natural causes, so he wasn´t killed.

thanks

We would need a whole thread to rundown all of the Montreal mafia victims over the past couple of years. It's amazing how much more you can apparently get away with north of the border, or I should say, how much more willing mobsters are to take the ultimate step and murder somebody nowadays. It has to be the lack of Rico statutes in Canada that makes whacking someone a more viable option up there.

im guessing some young kid who sold drugs for a friend of a friend of the colombo family in brooklyn or staten got shot or killed this week. they recruit killers at the age of 18 look at john pappa killing a underboss scopo, who was highly respected around all families. i wonder whats going on with the francis guerra trial any one know, i bet it's in deleberations. if tommy shots beat his 6 murders i think he got a chance.

Pappa may have been an exception, I have not heard of Columbos recruiting killers in Brooklyn at any ages. Where there any particular Brooklyn killings this week that you were referring to ?

good post is there not more to add now. not including canada in this of course

The Bonanos Associate Randy Pizzolo in 2005

I'm pretty sure Ivy posted alist of all the mob hits since 2000 quite recently.

How about the most recent hits for the small families?
L.A.
Tampa
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Cleveland
San Francisco/Jose
Denver
Dallas
Buffalino
New Orleans
I know some of these families aren't even active anymore but when was the last one

Philly - DiPietro in December of 2012 in broad daylight ... South Philly

Angelesco and giangrande were killing people up until 2004 in bosTON..

patrick patsy squillante was there most recent hit malden 2004

they also killed mark elderidge in 2002 somerville

L.A. and Buffalo soldier kill Herbie Blitzstein in 1997.
from wikipedia

On 6 January 1997, Blitzstein was killed execution style in his Las Vegas home.He was shot by mob members from Buffalo and Los Angeles who planned to take over his street rackets,which included prostitution, insurance fraud and loansharking.

Case in point for the Genovese: William Romano

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/nyregion/25slay.html

Murdered in Gravesend, BK, 2009. His girlfriend with him. According to the article, this also had something to do with the Bonannos.