Alleged arson, upper left; the baseball bat allegedly used in an extortion threat, lower left, and alleged Gambino crime family “soldiers” Diego Tantillo and Angelo Gradilone. (Still photos from from court documents)
Ten alleged members of the notorious Gambino organized crime family and a member of the Sicilian Mafia are accused in a racketeering conspiracy alleging years of extortions and assaults that included a hammer attack, a beatdown in midtown Manhattan, a threat with a metal baseball bat and arson, authorities said.
A 16-count indictment charges 10 men with racketeering conspiracy, extortion, witness retaliation, and union-related crimes committed trying to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The arrests occurred in coordination with a parallel investigation by Italian law enforcement, who arrested six organized crime members and associates, authorities said.
“As alleged, for years, the defendants committed violent extortions, assaults, arson, witness retaliation and other crimes in an attempt to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.
Authorities identified the defendants as Gambino “captain” Joseph “Joe Brooklyn” or “Mommino” Lanni, 52; “soldiers” Diego Tantillo, 48, Angelo “Fifi” Gradilone, 57, and James LaForte, 46; associates Robert Brook, 55, Salvatore DiLorenzo, 66, Kyle “Twin” Johnson, 46, Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero, 36, and Francesco “Uncle Ciccio” Vicari, 46; Sicilian Mafia member Vito Rappa, 46.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Brooke’s attorney, Vincent Martnelli, denied his client’s involvement in the racketeering conspiracy.
“He was merely charged with a relatively isolated, tiny business dispute, completely unrelated to the RICO conspiracy,” he said. “And we intend to prove he is completely innocent of any alleged ‘violent extortion’ related to it. To claim he extorted anyone is utter nonsense.”
Vicari’s attorney, Eylan Schulman, said his client denies the charges and “will vigorously contest the allegations.”
“We believe a closer examination of the evidence will demonstrate Mr. Vicari’s innocence, and we are committed to navigating the legal process to ensure a fair and just outcome,” Schulman said.
Lanni’s attorney, Fred Sosinsky, told the Asbury Park Press his client is innocent.
“Joe Lanni did not commit any crime charged in this indictment nor any uncharged act to which the government makes reference,” Sosinsky said. “Until now, he has never even been accused of any act of violence. We look forward to getting Joe released on a bond and to a vigorous challenge to the charges.”
Attorneys for the others did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Law&Crime. LaForte doesn’t have an attorney yet, officials said. He is in jail in Pennsylvania and will be arraigned later.
Court documents detail the allegations.
At 9:40 p.m. on Sept. 22, 2020, someone set fire to the steps of John Doe 1’s home while his wife and children were inside.
Less than a month later, on Oct. 15, an individual whom Tantillo and Johnson sent broke into a business owned by John Doe 1 and tried to slash the tires of several of his hauling trucks. But when those efforts failed, the individual let the air out of the tires, court documents said.
Two weeks later, on Oct. 29, 2020, an employee at “Demolition Company 1,” who often gave business to John Doe 1’s hauling company and was a close business associate of John Doe 1, was assaulted with a hammer. The employee bled badly and was hospitalized, authorities said.
Rappa and Vicari called Tantillo immediately afterward to summarize the events and reported to Tantillo that the associate “almost started crying,” court documents said.
During another intercepted phone call, Rappa allegedly told Tantillo that Vicari “acted like the ‘Last of the Samurai'” during their meeting with the associate.
Rappa described how Vicari picked up a knife and directed John Doe 1’s associate to threaten to cut John Doe 1 in half to get John Doe 1 to make payments: “Get this axe, and you make him – two,” the documents said.
Shortly after the defendants approached John Doe 1’s associate, John Doe 1 resumed making payments to Tantillo, allegedly coordinated through Rappa and Vicari.
After John Doe 1 paid Vicari, Rappa and Vicari met and took a photo of Vicari making a toast with a small champagne bottle.
Brooke is accused of punching a demolition company owner in the face repeatedly on a street corner in midtown Manhattan when the company did not make a $40,000 extortion payment.
On Oct. 29, 2020, an employee was violently assaulted with a hammer by an individual sent by Tantillo and Johnson. The assailant stopped the attack when another employee arrived and disrupted the assault.
Minutes after the assault, Johnson texted Tantillo three thumbs-up emojis followed by “work today,” court documents said.
In February 2021, LaForte and Minsquero allegedly assaulted “John Doe 6,” who they believed had provided information to law enforcement about members and associates of organized crime, while Lanni sat nearby, the document said.
That evening, John Doe 6, his girlfriend, and their friends went to Sei Less, a restaurant near West 38th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. According to witnesses, while the group was waiting to pay their bill, LaForte and Minsquero approached their table. LaForte called John Doe 6 a “rat” and hit John Doe 6 in the face with a bottle.
“LaForte and Minsquero also flipped John Doe 6’s table, sending drinks and shattered glass everywhere,” court documents said. “John Doe 6 suffered a bloody nose from being hit with the bottle by LaForte.”
On Sept. 1 of this year, Lanni and Minsquero allegedly argued with a patron at a restaurant in New Jersey, and the staff asked them to leave. While being escorted out, Lanni and Minsquero became belligerent. Minsquero damaged a painting and punched a wall, the documents said. Lanni told the owner he would “burn this place down with you in it” and referred to himself as a “Gambino.” Police were called, and officers responded, telling Lanni and Minsquero not to return. They left.
But it didn’t stop there, authorities allege. Surveillance video from a gas station across the street allegedly showed him buying a red gas container, walking to a pump, and trying to fill the container with gas before apparently being dissuaded by Minsquero and a gas station attendant, the documents said. The video then shows Minsquero reentering the gas station and returning the gas container, and Lanni tries to prevent him from doing so.
He allegedly didn’t quit then either, court documents say. Telephone records show that Lanni called the restaurant about 39 times. At one point, an officer took the phone, and Lanni, thinking he was still on the phone with the owner, allegedly said, “Apologize to me,” and “Beg for my forgiveness. Beg for my forgiveness. Beg for my forgiveness … Beg. Beg. Beg for my forgiveness. Beg. Beg. Beg for my forgiveness. Say, ‘I’m sorry, Joe.'”
Hours later, when the owner was in his car in the parking lot, Lanni got into the passenger seat and punched the owner in the head, put a knife to his neck, and threatened to kill him, authorities alleged.
When the owner’s spouse ran over to help, the spouse was punched and knocked to the ground by a second man. Both men then beat the spouse before the man with the knife slashed the owner’s tires, pointed it at the spouse and left, court documents said.