A federal courthouse in Brooklyn was filled with tension as ten members of the alleged Gambino crime family, along with six others in Italy, faced federal racketeering charges. The charges include extortion, arson, multiple assaults, and union fraud, all in connection with an international conspiracy case. The suspects are accused of attempting to dominate New York City’s trash hauling and demolition industries while engaging in illegal activities such as scamming unions and violently attacking those who opposed them.
Among the accused is Joseph Lanni, also known as “Joe Brooklyn” and “Mommino,” who is believed to be the ringleader of the operation. According to court documents, Lanni was involved in an unrelated assault on a New Jersey restaurant owner and his wife. Other alleged members of the Gambino crime family, such as Diego Tantillo, Vito Rappa, and Francesco Vicari, were accused of targeting a carting business owner by threatening him with a bat, setting his porch on fire, and vandalizing his trucks. They also attacked one of his associates and threatened to harm the victim and his father-in-law if they didn’t comply with their demands.
In another incident, Robert Brooke, a demolition company owner, was beaten on a busy Manhattan street corner, allegedly by Tantillo and Kyle “Twin” Johnson, before one of Brooke’s employees was attacked with a hammer. The group is also accused of setting up “no-show” jobs to fraudulently collect union health benefits.
The indictment, consisting of 16 counts, also names other alleged members and associates of the Gambino crime family, including Angelo Gradilone, James LaForte, Salvatore DiLorenzo, and Vincent Minsquero. Nine of the ten defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Federal prosecutors argue that the defendants committed violent extortions, assaults, arson, witness retaliation, and other crimes in an attempt to establish dominance in the New York carting and demolition industries. The charges also include uncharged acts, such as the assault of a New Jersey couple outside their restaurant.
The case has drawn comparisons to scenes from popular TV series “The Sopranos,” as one of the incidents mirrors a violent encounter depicted in the show. Tantillo and Johnson allegedly beat an employee of a cargo transfer warehouse in an ongoing dispute, leading to the discovery of disturbing evidence on Johnson’s phone.
The defendants’ attorneys have denied all charges, including the uncharged acts mentioned by prosecutors. The trial is expected to shed light on the alleged criminal activities of the Gambino crime family and their attempts to control various industries in New York City.
