WASHINGTON – In a shocking turn of events, Gaeton Lucibello, 59, a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family, has pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving extortion and illegal gambling.
At the plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno, Lucibello admitted to conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family through a pattern of racketeering activity. He confessed to shaking down a bookmaker for ‘street tax’ payments and operating two illegal video poker machine businesses in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.
Lucibello’s sentencing is scheduled for November 26, 2012. The 59-year-old mobster is facing significant time behind bars, but his cooperation with authorities could potentially lead to a reduced sentence.
The case against Lucibello is part of a larger crackdown on the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family, which has been accused of engaging in a wide range of illicit activities, including extortion, loan sharking, and witness tampering. In July, 14 members and associates of the family were charged with crimes related to the racketeering conspiracy.
The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Philadelphia, includes charges against several high-ranking members of the family, including boss Joseph Ligambi and underboss Joseph Massimino. The trial for Ligambi, Massimino, and several other defendants is scheduled to begin on October 9, 2012.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
The investigation into the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family was a collaborative effort involving the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
Lucibello’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family, which has long been a powerful and feared presence in the city’s underworld. The case is a reminder that law enforcement is committed to taking down organized crime families and bringing their leaders to justice.
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