Genovese Family Soldier and 7 Genovese and Gambino Family Associates Charged With Racketeering Conspiracy, Loansharking, Extortion, Attempted Obstruction of Justice, Arson, and Murder

    NEW YORK, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An indictment was unsealed
 this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging Genovese family soldier
 JOHN GIGLIO, Genovese family associates VINCENT CASALE GARCIA, RICHARD
 DACUNTO, JOHN LAFORTE, and ANTHONY STOCCO, and Gambino family associates
 EDWARD FISHER, RAYMOND SPITALE, and SALVATORE PALMIERI with racketeering
 conspiracy, including charges of loansharking, extortion, attempted
 obstruction of justice, arson, and murder(1). GIGLIO, FISHER, DACUNTO,
 GARCIA, LAFORTE, and STOCCO will be arraigned later today before United
 States Magistrate Judge James Orenstein, at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman
 Plaza West, Brooklyn, New York. PALMIERI and SPITALE will be arraigned on
 the charges at a later date. The case has been assigned to United States
 District Judge David G. Trager.
     The charges were announced by Roslynn R. Mauskopf, United States
 Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Mark J. Mershon, Assistant
 Director-in- Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field
 Office, William G. McMahon, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol,
 Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Field Division, and Raymond W.
 Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
     As alleged in the indictment and the government's detention memorandum,
 FISHER and PALMIERI participated in the arson of My Deli & Grocery, located
 on Rhine Avenue in Staten Island, in the early morning of December 22,
 2001. Prior to the arson, the owner of My Deli & Grocery was approached and
 threatened by members and associates of organized crime because he planned
 to open another deli that would rival a deli whose owner was allegedly
 protected by members and associates of La Cosa Nostra. FISHER provided
 PALMIERI with the destructive device to be used in the arson, and PALMIERI
 threw the device into My Deli & Grocery, while store employees were
 present, destroying the store.
     PALMIERI is also charged with murdering Ronald Peteroy on September 27,
 1990. Peteroy's body, which had two gunshot wounds, was found near Emily's
 Bar, located on Forest Avenue on Staten Island.
     The defendants GIGLIO, FISHER, SPITALE, DACUNTO, GARCIA, PALMIERI,
 LAFORTE, and STOCCO are charged with a loansharking conspiracy, marked by
 violence and threats. GARCIA, for example, bragged to GIGLIO about
 threatening a debtor: "I went there ... I smacked him right in front of all
 his f----n' friends, 40 guys in the club ... I smacked him and I dragged
 him out by the hair and put the thing to his face ... "
     If convicted of the racketeering conspiracy, GIGLIO, GARCIA, DACUNTO,
 SPITALE, LAFORTE, and STOCCO face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
 If convicted of arson, arson conspiracy, and possession and use of a
 dangerous device, FISHER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in
 prison. PALMIERI, who is already serving a sentence on his prior conviction
 for conspiring to commit the My Deli & Grocery arson, faces a maximum
 sentence of life imprisonment.
     "We remain steadfast in our commitment to uproot the members and
 associates of organized crime who endanger our community by spreading
 violence and fear," stated United States Attorney Mauskopf. "Today's
 arrests are the result of outstanding cooperation among our federal and
 local law enforcement partners."
     FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mershon stated, "In the popular
 imagination, the mob is often thought to have evolved from crimes of
 violence to more sophisticated white collar schemes. That belief is
 mistaken, or at least grossly over-simplistic. The litany of charges
 against these defendants reads like the ABCs of traditional organized
 crime. The FBI will continue to police mobsters, whether their crimes are
 sophisticated or brutally unsophisticated."
     ATF Special Agent-in-Charge McMahon stated, "Five years ago today,
 cowards threw a fire bomb into an occupied grocery store and then ran away.
 For over three years, ATF Agents and NYPD Detectives doggedly pursued
 numerous investigative leads, which ultimately led to the apprehension of
 three subjects. These initial arrests and the investigation that followed
 led to the arrests made today and shows that acts of violence, threats and
 intimidation of law 3 abiding citizens will not be tolerated. ATF, along
 with our partners, remain committed to protecting the public and reducing
 violent crime."
     New York City Police Commissioner Kelly stated, "I want to commend our
 detectives and federal partners for stopping the mob from returning to the
 old days of routinely bombing their competitors out of business. They tried
 here and were arrested."
     The government's case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
 Attorney Amy Busa.
     The Defendants:
 
     Name: JOHN GIGLIO
     Alias: "Little John," "Johnny Bull," "Fat John"
     DOB: 4/11/1958
 
     Name: EDWARD FISHER
     Alias: "the Irishman"
     DOB: 11/3/1952
 
     Name: RAYMOND SPITALE
     DOB: 7/6/1944
 
     Name: VINCENT CASALE GARCIA
     Alias: "Vinny Basille"
     DOB: 9/7/1972
 
     Name: RICHARD DACUNTO
     DOB: 10/28/1962
 
     Name: SALVATORE PALMIERI
     DOB: 4/17/1955
 
     Name: JOHN LAFORTE
     Alias: "Hammer"
     DOB: 2/13/1968
 
     Name: ANTHONY STOCCO
     Alias: "The Retard"
     DOB: 10/18/1982
 
     (1) The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and
         the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
 
     Contact:
     Robert Nardoza
     United States Attorney's Office
     (718) 254-6323
 
     Joseph Green
     PIO, ATF New York Field Division
     (718) 650-4022
 
 

SOURCE United States Attorney's Office