- 2002 in organized crime
"See also:"
2001 in organized crime ,
other events of 2002,2003 in organized crime and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'.----
Events
*A rift within the Sicilian Cosa Nostra becomes clear. On the one hand there are the hardline "
Corleonesi " in jail – led by Totò Riina and -{John Vataj}-Leoluca Bagarella – and on the other the more moderate "Palermitani" – led byBernardo Provenzano ,Antonino Giuffrè ,Salvatore Lo Piccolo andMatteo Messina Denaro .
*March 28 –Pietro Aglieri writes a letter to the National Anti-mafia Prosecutor (DNA),Pierluigi Vigna , and the Chief Prosecutor of Palermo,Pietro Grasso to ask for negotiations. His proposal is that mafiosi would get more lenient penalties (in particular the relaxation of thearticle 41-bis prison regime ) in return for recognizing the existence of Cosa Nostra and the authority of the Italian state.it icon [http://www.repubblica.it/online/politica/falcone/cosanostra/cosanostra.html "Pronti a sciogliere Cosa Nostra"] , La Repubblica, April 17, 2002.] Aglieri had been approached by Vigna in 2000 in an attempt to get mafiosi to "dissociate" from Cosa Nostra — without becoming collaborators of justice — a method that was used successfully in the struggle against theRed Brigades . Ex-Red Brigades members could publicly recognise their errors without having to admit their own criminal responsibilities. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000610/ai_n14301958 Cosa Nostra bosses provoke outrage with plea bargain offer] , The Independent, June 10, 2000; and it icon [http://www.ilvelino.it/edizione.php?IdVelino=259#9 Quando Vigna tentò di far dissociare i mafiosi] , Il Velino, April 26, 2001.]
*April 16 – Arrest ofAntonino Giuffrè . He started feeding investigators information even before he agreed to turn state' witness (orpentito ) in June, 2002. He is one of the most important mafia turncoats sinceTommaso Buscetta in 1984. His collaboration has updated investigators' knowledge and provided a new interpretation for the sensitive issue of Cosa Nostra's relations with politics in the early 1990s. Apparently the arrest of Giuffrè was made possible by an anonymous phone call that seems to have been made by loyalists to the Mafia hardliners Totò Riina andLeoluca Bagarella . The purpose was to send a message toBernardo Provenzano . The incarcerated bosses want something to be done about the harsh prison conditions (in particular the relaxation of the 41-bis incarceration regime) – and were believed to orchestrate a return to violence while serving multiple life sentences.
*April 29 -Genovese crime family soldierLawrence "Larry Glitz" Galizia , and associatesFrank Isoldi ,Christopher Demenna ,Anthony Hooks andRobert Schwall were indicted for making illegal loans ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 and collecting gambling debts to a gambling service run through an 800 number in Costa Rica.
*May 11 - Former Commission memberJoseph Bonanno died at the age of 97. Bonanno had survived a shooting war against rebels in his own family and had survived after his plan to kill fellow commission membersCarlo Gambino andThomas Lucchese was revealed to the commission. Bonanno also lived to write a book about his life.
*June - At a court appearanceLeoluca Bagarella makes some thinly veiled threats to the Italian government, saying the Mafia is "tired of being manipulated by political forces." [ [http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901020930-353520,00.html Are Mob Hits Bad for Business?] Time Magazine Europe, September 30, 2002]
*June 4 - A massive racketeering indictment was handed down againstGambino crime family bossPeter Gotti , captainsAnthony "Sonny" Ciccone andRichard V. Gotti , soldiersRichard G. Gotti ,Primo Cassarino ,Jerome Brancato , andPeter Piacenti , associatesVincent Nasso ,Julius Nasso ,Richard Bondi ,Salvatore Cannata ,Thomas Lisi ,Carmine Malara ,Anthony Pansini , [Jerome Orsino, Jr. The indictment alleged that the Gambino crime family controlled the Brooklyn and Staten Island waterfronts, engaged in shaking down waterfront businesses and trucking companies, cooperated with theGenovese crime family in ripping off the ILA benefit plans, and for a number of years the group extorted screen actorSteven Seagal , and were trying to force him to pay them $150,000 per movie he made. Staten Island Conservative Party boss and head of the Staten Island waterfront terminal was forced to pay Ciccone $2,000 per month for protection. All men would be sentenced to prison.
*June 11 - FormerGambino crime family godfatherJohn Gotti died of throat cancer in a prison hospital. Gotti's successor brother Peter was under indictment facing trial and would miss his brother's funeral services.
*June 20 -Gambino crime family captainsLouis Vallario andMichael DiLeonardo , soldiersFrank Fappiano andEdward Garafola were indicted for exerting illegal influence on construction companies, businesses in the Garment District, and wholesale produce distributors in New York City. A later indictment would also charge soldierThomas "Huck" Carbonaro and associateJohn Matera with taking part in the murder of Staten Island businessmanFred Weiss . DiLeonardo and Fappiano would become cooperating witnesses, and DiLeonardo would go on to testify againstJohn Gotti, Jr. and Colombo acting bossAlphonse "Allie Boy" Persico .
*September 6 - FormerGambino crime family underboss and number two man underJohn Gotti ,Salvatore Gravano , was sentenced to 20 years in prison for running a multimillion-dollar Ecstasy ring in Arizona. Gravano had admitted to committing 19 murders and his testimony was largely responsible for sending John Gotti and consigliere Frank LoCascio to prison for the rest of their lives.
*December 9 -Gambino crime family captain Ronald "Ronnie One Arm" Trucchio and his 25-year old soldier son Alphonse were indicted for operating a $30 million-a-year sports betting ring based inOzone Park, Queens . Prosecutors alleged that the operation was making $600,000 per week.
*December 23 -Bonanno crime family consigliereAnthony Graziano pleaded guilty to his involvement in a murder conspiracy, loansharking and evading over $100,000 in taxes.Births
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.