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‘Mobsters’ Brought Down in Bloody Genovese Family Take-Down
A 18-member crew of Genovese Organized Crime Family members and associates was busted in a multi-year investigation that saw 17 of the defendants taken into custody in a coordinated takedown by the FBI, NYPD, and NCPD. The crew, led by soldiers Robert DeBello and Steven Pastore, was charged with a slew of racketeering offenses, including murder conspiracy, attempted murder, extortion conspiracy, and illegal gambling operation.
According to the indictment, the crew was involved in a number of violent crimes, including a murder conspiracy, attempted murder, and extortion. The indictment also charges a number of the remaining 14 defendants with involvement in a murder-for-hire conspiracy, participation in the illegal gambling operation, and firearms offenses.
‘Today’s charges show that the mob continues to wreak havoc in our communities, including through a recent murder conspiracy, attempted murder, and extortion,’ said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. ‘With today’s charges, we strike an important blow against the Genovese Crime Family. Whether you are an old school made member of the mob or a young street criminal looking to join it, the message today is clear: the life of a mobster is a dead-end street that ends nowhere good.’
Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas added: ‘Today’s arrests send a strong message that we are disrupting organized crime in New York. Working with our federal and local partners we are focused on breaking up criminal organizations that try to operate outside of the law.’
The case, captioned United States v. Robert DeBello, et al., is pending before United States District Judge Laura T. Swain of the Southern District of New York.
Of the 18 defendants charged in the Indictment, 17 are currently in custody, including 13 defendants who were arrested earlier today as part of a coordinated takedown by the FBI, NYPD, and NCPD. The 17 defendants in custody will be presented today before United States Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis of the Southern District of New York.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez said: ‘The crimes of extortion for so-called ‘protection,’ illegal gambling businesses, and conspiracy to commit murder are woven into the history of organized crime families, but so are the federal racketeering charges that wise guys face after committing those criminal activities.’
The 13 defendants who were arrested earlier today as part of the coordinated takedown by the FBI, NYPD, and NCPD are currently being held without bail. The remaining defendants will be arraigned in the coming days.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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