- Lawrence Ricci
Lawrence A. Ricci (
June 17 ,1945 –November 30 ,2005 ) was a reputedGenovese crime family capo based inBrooklyn .Lawrence was born to first generation immigrants from
Macerata ,Italy . It is not known if he is a descendant of ItalianJesuit missionary Matteo Ricci . Officially a dairy products salesman, Ricci was actually a major mob figure on the Brooklyn waterfront for decades. In 1979, Ricci was sentenced to prison for attempting to extort $4,800 from aParsippany, New Jersey restaurant owner.In February 2005, Ricci was charged with
wire fraud andextortion . Allegedly using his control of aInternational Longshoremen’s Association local, Ricci diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars from a medical fund forlongshoremen . The scheme involved the steering of a union pharmaceutical contract to a company with known Mafia ties. The Genovese and Gambino crime families eventually netted over $400,000 and Ricci received $70,000. The trial began in mid-September and Ricci testified early in the proceedings. OnOctober 7 ,2005 , Ricci failed to show up in court. The judge issued anarrest warrant for Ricci and the trial continued. On November 7th, the absent Ricci and his two co-defendents were acquitted on all counts.On November 30th, 2005, a patron complained about a foul odor and flies around a car that had been parked for six weeks at the Huck Finn Diner in
Union, New Jersey . The manager called police, who discovered a rapidly decomposing body in the trunk. The body was later identified as that of Lawrence Ricci; he had been shot twice in the back. There was speculation that the Genovese family killed Ricci during his trial because he had refused to accept aplea bargain and a prison sentence in his case. Additionally, a law enforcement official was also quoted as saying the slaying was the result of an unrelated power struggle in Ricci's mob crew.In March 2007, federal authorities linked Genovese
capo Michael Coppola with the Ricci murder.External links
* [http://www.ganglandnews.com/column419.htm This Week in Gangland: Wiseguy In The Dock With ILA Trio] by Jerry Capeci
* [http://www.ganglandnews.com/column454.htm This Week in Gangland: An Empty Chair Marks His Spot] by Jerry Capeci
* [http://www.nlpc.org/view.asp?action=viewArticle&aid=1201 National Legal and Policy Center: LONGSHOREMEN (ILA) Body in Car Trunk Was Ricci’s; Funeral Held]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DEFDD1030F93AA15750C0A9619C8B63&scp=1&sq=Lawrence+Ricci&st=nyt New York Times: Metro Briefing | New York: Brooklyn: Court Papers Detail Mob Killing] By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM; COMPILED BY JOHN SULLIVAN
* [http://www.nlpc.org/view.asp?action=viewArticle&aid=1168 National Legal and Policy Center:LONGSHOREMEN (ILA)Union Officials, Mobster Found Not Guilty; Questions Remain]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/nyregion/01body.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Lawrence+Ricci&st=nyt&oref=slogin New York Times: Body Found in Car Is Said to Be Mob Figure's] By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E5DB1F38F934A15756C0A965948260&scp=24&sq=Lawrence+Ricci&st=nyt New York Times: THE REGION; Charge Reinstated Against Fiumara]
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