Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Capo Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

In a shocking turn of events, Martin Angelina, 50, a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Family, pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling. Angelina’s plea marks a significant blow to the notorious crime family, which has been embroiled in a wide-ranging investigation.

According to court documents, Angelina admitted to conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia LCN Family through a pattern of racketeering activity. He also confessed to attempting to collect payments related to usurious loans by using extortionate means and operating an illegal video poker machine business in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.

The case against Angelina is part of a larger investigation that has led to charges against 14 members and associates of the Philadelphia LCN Family, including boss Joseph Ligambi and underboss Joseph Massimino. The defendants are accused of crimes involving racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, witness tampering, and theft from an employee benefit plan.

The trial for Ligambi, Massimino, and several other defendants is scheduled to begin on October 9, 2012. Meanwhile, Angelina is set to be sentenced on December 3, 2012, and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years.

The investigation into the Philadelphia LCN Family has been 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, and Employee Benefits Security Administration.

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.

Angelina’s guilty plea marks a significant victory for law enforcement, which has been working to dismantle the Philadelphia LCN Family’s operations for years. The case serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by organized crime and the importance of continued efforts to combat it.

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