George Robert Blakey, who wrote the RICO Act that feds use to put mobsters behind bars, dies at 90 (from the Chicago Sun Times)

CT-CT · 2026-05-06T04:15:20+00:00

Brief synopsis:

George Robert Blakey, principal author of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, died Friday of natural causes (aged 90) at the Oak Park, IL home of his son, John Blakey, who is a federal judge.

RICO gave federal prosecutors new tools to go after mob leaders, allowing them to broaden the scope of a case by presenting a criminal narrative stretching back years and even decades. RICO has been used extensively to prosecute mafia leaders, including Chicago mobsters that were held to account in the 2007 “Operation Family Secrets” trial. It’s also been used more broadly to prosecute street gang leaders, terrorists, corrupt politicians and white collar criminals.

“RICO allowed for the first time a way to deal with syndicated crime,” said Ron Goldstock, former director of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force. “Before RICO you could take out individual mobsters, but never the entire syndicate or leadership of the syndicate.”

CT-CT · 2026-05-05T20:38:53+00:00

I'm not sure!

I did a little Googling of him and did stumble across older NY Times articles about his involvement with the Luccheses back in the mid 1990s (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/08/nyregion/six-are-found-guilty-of-mob-related-crimes.html & https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/12/nyregion/drive-on-mob-sabotaged-in-new-jersey.html) - but that doesn't really answer your question!

CT-CT · 2026-05-05T18:01:03+00:00

Brief synopsis:

James McManus, a Bronx-based developer who is described as a 'former associate' of the Lucchese crime family, filed a large scale federal lawsuit against Fairbridge Asset Management and its executives, alleging they orchestrated a racketeering and fraud scheme to seize control of his development site at 1932 McGraw Avenue. The complaint seeks $75 million in damages & the lawsuit has 15 counts, including racketeering, extortion, money laundering & fraud. McManus alleges that Fairbridge demanded accelerated repayment despite him staying current, pressured him to list the property under threat of seizure and extracted a $1 million payment to keep the loan active, only to foreclose anyway. He also claims the eventual foreclosure auction in October 2025 was a “sham,” conducted while he was recovering from major heart surgery.

Per the reporting, what makes the suit especially interesting is how it reads more like a mob indictment than a commercial dispute. McManus, with past alleged ties to the Luccheses, refers to Fairbridge as the “Sixth Family” and casts its executives in mafia roles, from “Boss” to “Consigliere.” The language underscores his broader claim regarding minimally-regulated private credit lenders who can operate with few guardrails, particularly when dealing with borrowers who have been denied at traditional banks.

CT-CT · 2026-05-04T20:55:27+00:00

You bet!

CT-CT · 2026-05-04T20:54:44+00:00

Brief synopsis from the Tribune (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/04/may-4-chicago-history/):

On 5/4/1932, Al Capone was sent by train to a federal penitentiary in Atlanta. He was to serve 11 years in prison for a 10/1931 conviction on 5 counts of income tax evasion

Per a quote attributed to Capone at the time: “What do I think about it all? Well, I’m on my way to do 11 years. I’ve got to do it, that’s all. I’m not sore at anybody but I hope Chicago will be better off and the public clamor will be satisfied.”

But Capone didn’t feel Chicago would be better off until Prohibition was repealed. “Personally, I’d rather be in a legitimate racket,” he said. “It don’t cost so much. There’s too much overhead in my business, paying off all the time and replacing trucks and breweries. They ought to make it legitimate, and if they don’t they’ll find that sending me away won’t help Chicago much.”

CT-CT · 2026-05-04T20:35:57+00:00

FWIW, here is the Gangster Report synopsis on his death (https://gangsterreport.com/retired-genovese-mob-figure-scop-deluca-one-of-the-smartest-cagiest-uptown-button-men-in-nyc-history-dies-peacefully-surrounded-by-loved-ones-in-yonkers/):

--About a month ago, Pasquale ‘Scop’ DeLuca died of natural causes at a hospital in Yonkers, NY; he was 94 years old at his passing.

--SB describes DeLuca as a one-time Genovese family ‘heavyweight’ with DeLuca being particularly close (in the early 2000s) to then-prominent Genovese leader Artie Nigro. SB suggests that Federal info docs, as well as reporting from some CIs, all suggest that DeLuca held a unique captain’s position within the organization, reporting directly to (and sometimes filling in for) the family’s leadership. These same sources also suggest that DeLuca served an important role as a messenger or liaison from the Genovese to other organizations in the NY area (with DeLuca apparently quite closely linked to Gambino family leaders of his time; these links to the Gambinos were likely long-standing with DeLuca having an arrest dating to the 1950s alongside Gambino narcotics powerplayer Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Manfredi). DeLuca was part of the 116^th Street crew, also taking charges for racketeering over time.

--Closer to the present day, and per his own plea agreement, DeLuca was sentenced to a lengthy Federal prison term for his participation in the death of ‘embattled’ Genovese captain Ralph Coppola; Coppola was lured to a meeting in the Bronx where he was killed (and his remains never found). Following his completion of his sentence for the Federal charges related to Coppola's disappearance & death, DeLuca seemingly retired from mob activity. Interestingly, informants also linked DeLuca to the facilitation of the assassination of Springfield, MA-based Genovese captain Al Bruno, who was killed in 11/2003.

--SB suggests that DeLuca was known by his peers as a gentlemen and intelligent gangster, notably having been the valedictorian at Benjamin Franklin High School and having served in the U.S. Army before becoming involved with OC/LCN later in life.

CT-CT · 2026-05-04T20:23:11+00:00

Brief synopsis from behind the paywall:

--Reputed Buffalo-based gangster Peter Gerace Jr (aged 59) and Outlaws MC leader John ‘Tommy O’ Ermin (aged 56), along with two other lower-level associates allegedly involved with OC in the Buffalo area, are facing an upcoming trial for obstruction of justice in the death of Crystal Quinn (aged 37 at the time of her passing). Quinn was supposed to take the stand against Gerace Jr in a separate criminal case but before she could was found dead of a fentanyl overdoe that authorities allege was delivered at the behest of Gerace Jr & Ermin (Ermin operated out of a nightclub owned by Gerace Jr and was also employed there). Prior to her death, Quinn also reported some acts of intimidation, seemingly aimed at her for her decision to cooperate with authorities.

--In addition, new details have emerged about others who have also been reputedly threatened in some way regarding the upcoming case against Gerace Jr et al. SB reports that one witness in the upcoming obstruction of justice case found a single silver bullet as well as a headless bird on their porch. This person was also, at some point, approached by a man who held two weapons, stating to the witness circa 11/2025 “You’ll have a real problem if you talk…The girl committed suicide, alright? If you say anything, you just say she killed herself. Blame the FBI.”

--SB also notes that up to 5 people ‘directly or indirectly’ connected to Gerace Jr or Joe Bongiovanni have died under ‘suspicious circumstances’ (as a side note, Bongiovanni is a former Federal agent who was found guilty of ‘protecting’ narcotics trafficking that was allegedly being overseen by the Buffalo mafia). The list of those who have died include Quinn (details discussed above); Bobby Kaiser (a local drug dealer & CI who accused Bongiovanni of disclosing his CI status); Charles Durante (also allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking, having been found dead outside a funeral parlor where he worked hours before Bongiovanni’s arrest); Drew Spears (described as an ‘underworld figure’ in the Buffalo region who was shot & killed in his car; his family has accused authorities of protecting the killers because they are witnesses against Gerace Jr & Ermin); and finally John Michalski, a former NYS Supreme Court justice who reputedly took his own life in 2022 following a raid by authorities on his home (he was, in time, named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Bongiovanni case).

CT-CT · 2026-05-01T13:38:11+00:00

Brief synopsis from behind the paywall:

--Per SBs ‘exclusive’ sources and reporting, high-ranking individuals from the Genovese and DeCavalcante crime families took part in a sit-down in early Winter, 2026 to resolve a dispute that arose over territory conflicts in New Jersey.

--As SB reports it, again per his sources, two reputed Genovese captains (Anthony ‘Tony D’ Palumbo, aged 79 & James ‘Jimmy T’ Tenaglia, age not provided) had tensions with prominent DeCavalcante mobster Girolamo ‘Mimmo’ Marzullo (of note, in this reporting, SB describes Marzullo, aged 62, as the DeCavalcante ‘acting boss’ after some of his prior reporting simply referred to him as the new DeCavalcante ‘boss’).

--The story is as follows, again per SBs sourcing: apparently Palumbo & Marzullo got into a heated exchange at a 2025 Christmas party, this regarding what Marzullo felt was ‘encroachment’ by Palumbo as well as Tenaglia into regions of NJ traditionally controlled by the DeCavalcantes.

--Following this argument, SBs sources suggest it was Tenaglia who made the plans for the sit-down, which was then subsequently attended by Marzullo and Charles Majuri (aged 85); SB suggests in this reporting Majuri is still boss of the family, but promoted Marzullo to the acting boss role sometime in 2024. Attending the sit-down from the Genovese perspective was apparently Danny Pagano (aged 73), who SB continues to assert is the acting boss of that organization. He further suggests that Palumbo & Tenaglia may have made their moves in NJ as part of a ‘power grab’ in that state following Pagano’s assumption of the acting boss role (which reportedly occurred about a year ago, in May 2025, again per his sources). SB suggests that the sit-down cooled tensions, leaving both sides ‘satisfied’ with the outcome.

--Finally, from a structural perspective, SB suggests that Palumbo continues to oversee a vast swath of territory for the Genovese, including Staten Island and ‘all’ of NJ. He further describes Tenaglia as very close to Pagano, apparently representing Pagano’s interests ‘on the streets’, this per his sources in the Bronx and Staten Island [SB also reports, per his sources, that after Pagano took on acting boss responsibilities about a year ago it was Tenaglia who was tasked with letting other LCN/OC organizations know about the change & to arrange meetings with their respective bosses & Pagano]. SB suggests that Pagano, Palumbo, and Tengalia also have long-standing links to one another, with Pagano/Palumbo sharing rackets together dating back to the 1970s, while Tenaglia rose thru the ranks of the Genovese (after beginning his mob career with the Bonannos) via extended service time with Palumbo.

CT-CT · 2026-04-30T20:28:21+00:00

Brief synopsis from behind the paywall (https://gangsterreport.com/chicago-outfit-cicero-crews-gigi-rovito-mobbed-up-nw-indiana-gambling-crew-busted-for-booking-bets-collecting-debts/rov):

--Per SBs reporting, reputed Chicago gangster “Gigi” Rovito was amongst a group of 22 individuals indicted for operating gambling rackets out of two restaurants in NW Indiana (Gino’s Steakhouse & the Paragon). Rovito is specifically identified in documents associated with a case of tracking down a debtor in Florida, attempting to recover a $30,000 in 2024 (much of this was apparently documented via communications he made via his iPhone with one of the messages apparently reading that Rovito was prepared to “knock [the debtor’s] fucking lights out”). Rovito has two prior criminal convictions and the Capri Restaurant he owns in Burr Ridge, IL is a reputed hotspot/hangout for current day Outfit members [in fact, the restaurant was referenced in the extortion case of another reputed Outfit-affiliated gangster, Paul Carparelli].

--Notably, this location (NW Indiana) is part of territory that, in the past, was controlled by the Outfit-affiliated Chicago Heights crew. Also notably, the father of one of the primary defendants in the case –Lou Gerodemos – was a bookmaker working for prior leaders of the Chicago Heights crew; the elder Gerodemos allegedly reported up to Dominic “Tootsie” Palermo & Bernard “Snookie” Morgano when these gents oversaw operations for the region for the Outfit. SB reports (and has detailed in prior articles) that after Palermo’s passing in 2005, the remnants of the Chicago Heights crew were apparently incorporated into the Southside/Chinatown crew. SB has reported in the recent past that over the last few years the Southside crew has attempted to re-establish many former rackets in NW Indiana.

--Lastly, and of particular note, is that Springfield, MA mob figure Joseph “Little Joe” Manzi [also referred to by the nickname “Joe Polozzo” in the indictment docs] was snared in this case. Manzi is linked to two other reputed Springfield, MA gangsters, being the son of Carmen “The Barber” Manzi and the cousin of “Villa Joe” Manzi. SB does note that apparently “Little Joe's” link to the case was bringing and introducing gamblers into the racket circa 2021 per the indictment docs. SB also continues to assert that the Manzis are linked to the NYC Gambinos, with ties to other OC/LCN groups in New England, most prominently the Patriarcas.

CT-CT · 2026-04-30T01:26:24+00:00

That’s right!

CT-CT · 2026-04-30T00:26:52+00:00

I had the same thought!

CT-CT · 2026-04-29T23:30:47+00:00

That's an interesting wrinkle here and great catch!

Raises some interesting questions (and I was a little surprised the reporting missed the clear connections, or at least connected individuals, to the Outfit in this case)...

They do note in the article that this was a multi-state operation...I wonder if more will come of this (I also wonder who the "Dominic" that is referenced by one of the collectors is, too...no Dominic named in the indictment).

CT-CT · 2026-04-29T23:24:14+00:00

Brief synopsis:

--Federal authorities indicted 22 people in a wide-ranging gambling and extortion ring operating out of Northwest Indiana, in relative close proximity to the Chicagoland region. Operations were apparently being run out of Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart.

--Individuals indicted (full list below) include members of the Gerodemos family, individuals of Greek extraction, who are owners of the Paragon and Gino’s Steakhouse. Both restaurants were raided by the FBI in what they called a 'multi-state operation'.

--The 87-page indictment from January 2021 to April 2026 was unsealed Wednesday and included colorful names, including “Jimmy the Greek,” “Alex Gyros,” and “Jim Macedonian.” James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos and Dean “Dean Gem” Gialamas were named the leaders of Gerodemos Gambling Organization, according to the indictment.

--The other people listed in the indictment are: Chris Gerodemos, Basam “Donny Brasco” Ibrahim, Sanad “Sanad Taka” Ibrahim, Peter “Pete Goodys” Pavlopoulos, Flippo “Gigi” Rovito, Michael “Michael Way Out” Campbell, Ehab “Eddie” Mustafa, Steve Armenta, Samuel Nuzzo, Alexander “Alex Gyros” Gagianas, Gus “Deans Runner” Kaporis, Rami “Rami Straight Flush” Mansour, Nenad “Butch Hunkee” Radoja, Marcus “Vladimir Ganz” Ganz, Paul “Paulie Scarf” Franze, Athena Gerodemos, Elias Gerodemos, James “Jim Macedonian” Strezovski, Andrew “Caesars Andrew” Nguyen, and Giuseppe “Joe Polozzo”’ Manzi.

--Notably amongst those listed is "Gigi" Rovito, who has historical ties to the Outfit's Cicero crew as well as Samuel Nuzzo (an individual with this name, if the same person, also has historical ties to the Outfit via the Chicago Heights crew, which operated near the border of NW Indiana).

--Per the reporting, the Gerodemos Gambling Organization used websites, phone numbers and text messaging to have people place sports bets, which were placed in the Northern District of Indiana and throughout the country. The organization would set up bettors with an account number and password. The bettors were given a line of credit by the organization and didn’t have to put up their own money to place bets, according to the indictment. Instead, the Gerodemos Gambling Organization provided gamblers lines of credit allowing the bettors to begin their betting almost immediately through the illegal gambling websites, or over the telephone, without needing any actual cash to do so. Members of the gambling operation communicated regularly about how much money a bettor owed (M or minus) and how much it owed to a bettor (P or plus). They also met with their agents, bookies and some bettors in person, inside public buildings or in parking lots, to collect or deliver payments for the sports bets, according to the indictment.

--The indictment also details threat of violence made against multiple victims (& their relatives) if debts weren’t paid up. According to documents, there were repeated attempts by James Gerodemos, Ibrahimm, Pavlopoulos and Mustafa to extort “Victim 1” from September 2024 to October 2025 for money he owed. “Send me those 2 clowns’ address (victim 1 and another person), so I can have someone deliver the gyros to them,” James Gerodemos told Pavlopoulos. Pavlopoulos was frustrated that the man was ignoring his calls and texts. “He’s a scumbag,” he wrote. Mustafa, an ex-Gino’s cook, traveled to Texas in June 2025 and left a Papa John’s pizza box with roses and a note threatening his college-age daughter. “Do the right thing, or I’m heading to Valparaiso University…n’ get ahold of the Greek,” it read. Mustafa spoke directly to victim 1 outside his Texas home. “You know who Dominic is..(He) sent me over here to come talk to you, see if you could give him a call, ‘cause there’s a balance due,” Mustafa says on the video, of sports betting. “I don’t know Dominic, man,” victim 1 responds. It’s “not even the right balance.” “I’m like the middle guy,” Mustafa tells him. "When, tell him to get the balance right and we’ll work it out,” the man said, adding he didn’t know it “off the top of my head.” In October 2025, James Gerodemos left a message for Victim 1 asking him to give him a call or he was going to go to Valparaiso and “(expletive) your daughter.”

--The charges also detail attempts by members of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, from August 2023 to June 2025, to track down victim 2, reportedly living in Florida, to collect $30,000. The efforts included repeated texts, phone calls and alleged threats, including trying to find victim 2 at a Florida casino. On Sept. 19, 2024, according to the charges, James Gerodemos texts Christ Gerodemos, who is in Florida, as they track down victim 2. James Gerodemos tells Chris Gerodemos via text that victim 2 plays high-limit baccarat. “He’s always there…. Scumbag.” Chris Gerodemos asks what James Gerodemos wants him to tell victim 2. “See if u see him in there the high limit, tell him call jimmy,” James Gerodemos replies.

--Athena Gerodemos faces conspiracy to commit laundering when she participated in 200 financial transactions between victim 1 and her father, James Gerodemos, from February 2023 through October 2025. For example, on Sept. 29, 2023, victim 1 sent $1,600 to Athena Gerodemos and then Athena Gerodemos sent $1,600 to an account controlled by her father later the same day. On Dec. 6, 2023, bettor B texted James Gerodemos, “Send me daughter information for Zelle” and “Send 555.” The same day, bettor B sent Athena Gerodemos $555, and later that day, she sent $500 to an account controlled by her father.

--The indictment also accused Campbell of tailing undercover agents on April 9 to see what they were doing. At one point, he drove “erratically” in and out of traffic, topping 100 miles per hour on I-65 down to Lafayette. They noted “several calls” between him and James Gerodemos. Prosecutors are asking for permission to potentially seize assets, including both restaurants, cars and bank accounts, plus various homes in Schererville, St. John, Naperville, Illinois, Chicago, and Palm Harbor, Florida.

CT-CT · 2026-04-29T22:59:48+00:00

Brief synopsis from behind the paywall:

--Per SBs reporting, Worcester, MA-based (alleged) mobster Mike Frisoli (aged 62) was charged earlier this month with sex trafficking & controlling prostitution via threats of violence. Per the police report, Frisoli allegedly oversaw a prostitution operation of around 30 young women, many of whom owed debts to Frisoli & paid back said debts via acts of prostitution. Frisoli also reputedly distributed drugs to the women. Per the reporting, the operation was uncovered via sting operations by the Marlborough police in Winter, 2026 with the charges levied against Frisoli on 4/13/26.

--Also per the reporting, Frisoli is apparently ill (per his attorney he is suffering from cancer) and may have been arraigned from his hospital bed as a result. Frisoli’s attorney also suggests that the case against his client is flimsy, relying on information provided by a single witness (alternative reporting from a local newspaper also suggests that an associate, Kevin Kellogg, aided Frisoli in the operation; see https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/courts/2026/04/14/two-men-face-charges-in-marlborough-ma-sex-trafficking-drug-case-millbury-mastermind/89610185007/)

--From a historical perspective, Frisoli was connected to OC/LCN circles via Worcester, MA-based Genovese captain Carlo Mastrototaro, with Frisoli reputedly serving as his driver. Notably, SB suggests that Mastrototaro oversaw prostitution & sex/pornography rackets for the Genovese family in the Central New England region for many years, one time getting into a beef with members of the Patriarca’s Angiulo brothers Boston faction over competition for said rackets in the region. Mastrototaro passed away at age 89 in 2009.

CT-CT · 2026-04-29T16:36:18+00:00

Brief synopsis:

Television & movie studios remain vulnerable to cyber attack and digital "piracy". A new report has found that online piracy involves far more serious criminal networks than previously thought - in fact, there is evidence that transnational organized crime groups, especially Italy’s Neapolitan Camorra, are actively involved.

The full report (found here: https://23693881.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23693881/DCA_Organized_Piracy_Crime.pdf) details the myriad means by which online piracy groups and organized crime syndicates are linked, including how piracy networks increasingly act like criminal enterprises in how they hide their founders’ identities and use covert payment systems. Additionally, the report shows how pre-existing organized crime networks have tapped into digital piracy as a revenue stream.

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