Dozens of mobsters busted in East Coast takedown

Dozens of mobsters busted in East Coast takedown

 

 

Dozens of wiseguys, including Philly crime boss Joseph "Joey" Merlino, were busted by the feds this morning in a massive takedown spanning from Florida to Westchester, according to court papers and sources.
The alleged gangsters ran illegal gambling operations, sold untaxed cigarettes and committed healthcare fraud as part of the conspiracy, court documents note.
Members of the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonnano and Philadelphia crime families were implicated in the indictment.
They face charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering, use of fire to commit a felony and firearms trafficking, according to a Manhattan federal court indictment.
Several of those indicted allegedly ran an illegal casino in Yonkers. The club held poker and dice tournaments several times per week and took bets on horse races. They also installed illegal poker machines, court papers charge.
One of the men associated with the Yonkers club, Mark "Sytmie" Maiuzzo, set fire to the car of a rival bookmaker in 2011.
Pasquale "Patsy" Parello - who runs an Italian restaurant on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx - ordered several underlings to break a nearby panhandler's knees for bothering his customers.
The men grabbed and threatened a man whom they thought was the panhandler - but wasn't - and then beat another man "with glass jars, sharp objects and steel-tipped boots, causing bodily harm," court papers say.
The untaxed cigarettes trafficked in the scheme had a street value of more than $3 million, the feds also allege.