Since the arrest earlier this week of Matteo Messina Denaro, a picture of his time on the lam is starting to take shape.
Tag Archives: Organized Crime
Matteo Messina Denaro, Italian, Mafia Boss, Is Arrested
Matteo Messina Denaro, who was sentenced in absentia for the 1992 murder of two prosecutors and other crimes, was apprehended in a Sicilian hospital.
NYC Buildings Chief Resigns as Prosecutors Examine Gambling Ties
Eric Ulrich, a former city councilman under investigation from Manhattan prosecutors, resigned on Thursday from his post as commissioner of the city’s Buildings Department.
Louis Gigante, Priest Who Led South Bronx Revival, Dies at 90
The brother of a convicted Mafia boss, he became a Democratic Party leader and a city councilman, and helped build thousands of units of housing.
A NYC Mobster Dodged Hit After Hit. His Son Finally Got Him.
Anthony Zottola was convicted of murder-for-hire Wednesday. Prosecutors say he wanted the real estate business of his father, Sylvester, a reputed Bonnano crime family associate.
Where defending nature can be deadly
No region is more dangerous for environmentalists than Latin America. We explain why it’s getting worse.
Review: “The Godmother,” by Barbie Latza Nadeau.
In Barbie Latza Nadeau’s “The Godmother,” we meet the women who have run the mob, and the new generation poised to take over.
Mexico’s Leader Vowed ‘Hugs Not Bullets,’ but the Carnage Continues
The president disbanded the Federal Police and created the National Guard to tackle soaring violence, but three years later, criminal cartels have expanded their reach.
As Rome Burns (or at Least Its Garbage), a Mayor Dares to Dream
Could a solution to Rome’s perpetual trash crisis really be in sight? Mayor Roberto Gualtieri would like to think so.
Two of New York’s Oldest Mafia Clans Charged in Money Laundering Scheme
Nine members and associates of the Genovese and Bonanno families were charged with racketeering in a case that centered on the use of secret gambling parlors in Queens and Long Island.
Gerald Shargel, Criminal Defense Lawyer for the Mob, Dies at 77
He coupled legal scholarship with courtroom wit to decimate the prosecution’s cases against Mafia bosses.
Where Is Pete Panto?
A union leader on the Brooklyn docks disappeared 81 years ago, presumably murdered by the mob.
Violence in Rural Mexico Ensnares Doctors, Causing Worker Shortages
As criminal organizations control more territory in less-populated regions, health care workers, caught in the crossfire, grow reluctant to work in such places.
In a Former Mafia Stronghold, Art Remembers, and Warns
A public art campaign in Palermo, Sicily, is reminding residents of the city’s grim Mafia years, and is encouraging them to resist creeping organized crime influence.
Bodies Pulled From Parched Lake Mead Stir Wise-Guy Ghosts of Las Vegas
As climate change fuels grim discoveries across the West, Las Vegas is awash in bets on the identity of a suspected murder victim dumped in a barrel.
Discreetly, the Young in Japan Chip Away at a Taboo on Tattoos
Exposed to body art on social media, more young Japanese are getting tattoos, even if that means hiding them at work.
U.S. Crackdown Targets Boxing Figure Accused of Organized Crime
Daniel Kinahan is accused of leading an Irish organized crime group, and he has been involved with some of boxing’s biggest stars, including Tyson Fury.
Dominic Taddeo, Escaped Mob Hit Man, Is Recaptured in Florida
The apprehension of Dominic Taddeo, a notorious hit man from New York, came a week after he failed to return from a medical appointment to his halfway house in Florida.
New York Mob Hit Man Escapes Federal Custody, Officials Say
With less than a year before he would likely be released, Dominic Taddeo did not return to a halfway house in Florida earlier this week, officials said.
Paul Herman, Mainstay of Gangster Movies, Dies at 76
Over a four-decade career, he was perhaps best known for his role on “The Sopranos.” But he also had dozens of film credits, including “Goodfellas” and “The Irishman.”
Supreme Court Stops New Jersey From Dissolving Watchdog Agency
New York officials object to their neighbor’s move to eliminate an agency that was created to keep organized crime off the local docks.
Future of Agency Created to Keep Mob Off Docks Now Up to Supreme Court
New Jersey wants to dissolve a product of the “On the Waterfront” era. New York wants the country’s highest court to keep the bistate commission alive.
With ‘The Godfather,’ Art Imitated Mafia Life. And Vice Versa.
Federal wiretaps and Mob insiders suggest that many real-life wiseguys turned to the 1972 film for inspiration, validation and cues on how to speak and act and dress.
It Helped Catch Serial Killers. Can It Stop Elephant Poachers, Too?
Scientists used a genetic investigation technique with the aim of helping turn the tide against illicit hauls of ivory and other animal parts.
1972 Killing of North Carolina Family Was Work of ‘Dixie Mafia,’ Sheriff Says
Investigators recently identified four suspects in the 1972 killings of Bryce, Virginia and Bobby Durham. Three of the men are dead, and one is serving a life sentence for other murders.
Grisly Killing of North Carolina Family Was Work of ‘Dixie Mafia,’ Sheriff Says
Investigators identified four suspects in the 1972 killings of Bryce, Virginia and Bobby Durham. Three of the men are dead, and one is serving a life sentence for other murders.
Xiomara Castro’s Party in Honduras Splits, Threatening Reform Agenda
A split in the party of the president-elect, Xiomara Castro, has left her with little political means to fight corruption and organized crime.
‘Trainer to the Trainers’ in a Dog Fighting Ring Is Sentenced to 5 Years
Vernon Vegas trained dogs for fights hosted by a multistate cocaine trafficking and dog fighting ring, federal prosecutors said.
Italian Mafia Fugitive Caught In Spain Thanks to Google Maps
Investigators had tracked the man to a town in Spain, and an image found online confirmed that the police were on the right track.
Search for Jimmy Hoffa Leads the F.B.I. to Jersey City Landfill
A deathbed statement by a man who claimed to bury the Teamster boss’ body in a steel drum brought agents to the site for an inspection.
He Was a Boxer and Married to the Mob. He Wasn’t Prepared for Guardianship.
Marvin Stein lived an eventful and prosperous life. But a battle among his family over his fortune broke out in his 89th year, and he suddenly found himself powerless to fight for himself.
Italian Police Break Up Drug Smuggling Ring Tied to Calabria Mob
Over 100 people were arrested in Italy as members of a mafia ring that smuggled drugs from Latin America and infiltrated businesses in southern and northern Italy.
New Zealand Wants a 90% Vaccination Rate. Its Street Gangs May Hold the Key.
The country’s leaders have set aside some misgivings and cooperated with gang leaders to reach their communities.
In Venezuela, a Rum Maker Offers Gangsters a Life Outside of Crime
In the process, the family running the company, Ron Santa Teresa, has gone from bankruptcy to exporting an award-winning vintage rum.
Catholic Church in Sicily Bans Godparents For Now
Part of the Catholic church in Sicily has imposed a three-year prohibition on naming godparents, arguing that the tradition has become merely a way to fortify family ties — and mob ties, too.
Al Capone’s Possessions Sell for More Than $3 Million at Auction
More than 170 items once belonging to the infamous mob boss were sold at an auction in California last week, including his “favorite” pistol. It went for more than $1 million.
Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister, Gets Extra Security
Signs of concern for the country’s leader have rattled many in the Netherlands, but experts are split on whether criminal organizations there would really risk targeting politicians.
A Car Racing Fan From Liverpool Is Mistaken for a Mafia Boss
The British man was arrested by armed Dutch police at the request of the Italian authorities, who believed him to be a fugitive Sicilian mobster.
Colombo Family Crime Boss and 12 Others Are Arrested, Prosecutors Say
An indictment unsealed on Tuesday accuses the organization of orchestrating a two-decade scheme to extort a labor union.
Developers Plan to Demolish Al Capone’s Mansion. Some Want It Preserved.
The gangster’s former refuge on Palm Island, Fla., near Miami Beach, is dividing residents and city officials: Should it be razed to make way for a modern home?
Al Capone’s Possessions, Now for Sale, Show Two Sides of the Gangster
His granddaughters said they hoped an auction of his belongings would show that Capone was more than a ruthless mob boss. He was also a family man.
Montenegro Pledges to Stamp Out a Deadly Trade: Cigarette Smuggling
Investigators and journalists were killed while trying to expose smugglers. Now the country is cracking down on a trade it once protected.
Anthony M. Scotto, Former Union Power on the Docks, Dies at 87
He rose to leadership in the longshoremen’s union as a polished reformer, but the U.S. called him a Mafia boss, and he served prison time in a racketeering case.
R. Kelly Trial: Decades of Accusations in the Making
The R&B artist was acquitted in 2008. But the culture around allegations of sexual misconduct has shifted dramatically since then, and he faces more formidable charges this time.
Bitcoin and Encryption: A Race Between Criminals and the F.B.I.
The F.B.I. scored two major victories, recovering a Bitcoin ransom and tricking lawbreakers with an encryption app. But criminals may still have the upper hand.
FBI sold phones to organized crime and read 27 million “encrypted” messages
Enlarge / A digital Trojan horse. (credit: Getty Images | posteriori)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation created a company that sold encrypted devices to hundreds of organized crime syndicates, resulting in 800 arrests in 16 countries, law-enforcement authorities announced today. The FBI and agencies in other countries intercepted 27 million messages over 18 months before making the arrests in recent days, and more arrests are planned.
The FBI teamed up with Australian Federal Police to target drug trafficking and money laundering. They “strategically developed and covertly operated an encrypted device company, called ANOM, which grew to service more than 12,000 encrypted devices to over 300 criminal syndicates operating in more than 100 countries, including Italian organized crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and international drug trafficking organizations,” Europol said today.
Distribution of the devices began in October 2018. The cellphones sold by the FBI-run company were “procured on the black market” and “performed a single function hidden behind a calculator app: sending encrypted messages and photos,” The New York Times wrote today. The cellphones were “stripped of all normal functions,” with the faux calculator being the only working app. Once users entered a code, they could use the app to send messages that they thought were protected by end-to-end encryption.
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Hundreds Arrested in Global Sting Using App Run by F.B.I.
Global law enforcement officials revealed a three-year operation in which they said they had intercepted over 20 million messages. Hundreds of arrests were made in more than a dozen countries.
Mafia Killer Who Became a Turncoat Is Released from Prison in Italy
Giovanni Brusca completed 25 years in prison for murder, including the killings of Giovanni Falcone, an anti-mafia crusader, and a 14-year-old boy he dissolved in acid. He later became an informant.
Claims From an Organized Crime Boss Rock Turkey’s Government
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, already hampered by an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus cases, is now battling allegations of corruption in his ranks.
When the Mafia Serves Coffee in the Courthouse
Investigators in a small southern Italian city say they discovered a criminal network that expanded all the way to a cafe at the judicial building.