2002 in organized crime
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See also:
2001 in organized crime
,
other events of 2002,
2003 in organized crime
and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'
.
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2001 in organized crime
2001 in organized crime
See also:2000 in organized crime,other events of 2001,2002 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----Events:*April 5 - Bonanno crime family consigliere Anthony Spero was convicted of racketeering and ordering the murders of Louis Tuzzio, Paul Gulino and Vincent Bickelman...
,
other events of 2002,
2003 in organized crime
2003 in organized crime
See also:2002 in organized crime,other events of 2003,2004 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-Events:*August 11 - Susumu Kajiyama, a former senior member of a yakuza gang affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, who was dubbed the "loan shark kingpin", was arrested in Japan...
and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'
Timeline of organized crime
This is a timeline of the history of organized crime.Note: Sources included are Carl Sifakis's The Mafia Encyclopedia, Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York and others. Online references also include Thomas P...
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Events
- A rift within the Sicilian Cosa Nostra becomes clear. On the one hand there are the hardline "CorleonesiCorleonesiThe Corleonesi is the name given to a faction within the Sicilian Mafia that dominated Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and the 1990s. It was called the Corleonesi because its most important leaders came from the town of Corleone, first Luciano Leggio and later Totò Riina, Bernardo Provenzano and Leoluca...
" in jail – led by Totò RiinaSalvatore RiinaSalvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
and Leoluca BagarellaLeoluca BagarellaLeoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
– and on the other the more moderate "Palermitani" – led by Bernardo ProvenzanoBernardo ProvenzanoBernardo Provenzano is a member of the Sicilian Mafia and is suspected of having been the head of the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the village of Corleone, and de facto capo di tutti capi of the entire Sicilian Mafia until his arrest in 2006.His nickname is Binnu u tratturi...
, Antonino GiuffrèAntonino GiuffrèAntonino "Nino" Giuffrè is an Italian mafioso from Caccamo in the Province of Palermo, Sicily. He became one of the most important Mafia turncoats after his arrest in April 2002....
, Salvatore Lo PiccoloSalvatore Lo PiccoloSalvatore Lo Piccolo , also known as the Baron , is a Sicilian mafioso and one of the most powerful bosses of Palermo, Sicily. Lo Piccolo rose through the ranks of the Palermo mafia throughout the 1980s and he became the capo-mandamento of the San Lorenzo district in the early 1990s, replacing...
and Matteo Messina DenaroMatteo Messina DenaroMatteo Messina Denaro , also known as Diabolik, is a Sicilian mafioso. He got his nickname from the Italian comic book character of the same name. He is considered to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after the arrest of Bernardo Provenzano on April 11, 2006...
. - March 28 – Pietro AglieriPietro AglieriPietro Aglieri was a powerful mafioso from the Guadagna neighbourhood in Palermo. He is known as "'U Signurinu" for his relatively sophisticated education and refined manners. He had a classical education and studied Greek, Latin, philosophy, history and literature to a level that guaranteed him...
writes a letter to the National Anti-mafia Prosecutor (DNA), Pierluigi Vigna, and the Chief Prosecutor of Palermo, Pietro Grasso to ask for negotiations. His proposal is that mafiosi would get more lenient penalties (in particular the relaxation of the article 41-bis prison regimeArticle 41-bis prison regimeIn Italian law, Article 41-bis of the Prison Administration Act is a provision that allows the Minister of Justice or the Minister of the Interior to suspend certain prison regulations...
) in return for recognizing the existence of Cosa Nostra and the authority of the Italian state. Aglieri had been approached by Vigna in 2000 in an attempt to get mafiosi to "dissociate" from Cosa Nostra — without becoming collaborators of justice — a method that was used successfully in the struggle against the Red BrigadesRed BrigadesThe Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
. Ex-Red Brigades members could publicly recognise their errors without having to admit their own criminal responsibilities. - April 16 – Arrest of Antonino GiuffrèAntonino GiuffrèAntonino "Nino" Giuffrè is an Italian mafioso from Caccamo in the Province of Palermo, Sicily. He became one of the most important Mafia turncoats after his arrest in April 2002....
. He started feeding investigators information even before he agreed to turn state' witness (or pentitoPentitoPentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
) in June, 2002. He is one of the most important mafia turncoats since Tommaso BuscettaTommaso BuscettaTommaso Buscetta was a Sicilian mafioso. Although he was not the first pentito in the Italian witness protection program, he is widely recognized as the first important one breaking omertà...
in 1984. His collaboration has updated investigators' knowledge and provided a new interpretation for the sensitive issue of Cosa Nostra's relations with politics in the early 1990s. Apparently the arrest of Giuffrè was made possible by an anonymous phone call that seems to have been made by loyalists to the Mafia hardliners Totò RiinaSalvatore RiinaSalvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
and Leoluca BagarellaLeoluca BagarellaLeoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
. The purpose was to send a message to Bernardo ProvenzanoBernardo ProvenzanoBernardo Provenzano is a member of the Sicilian Mafia and is suspected of having been the head of the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the village of Corleone, and de facto capo di tutti capi of the entire Sicilian Mafia until his arrest in 2006.His nickname is Binnu u tratturi...
. The incarcerated bosses want something to be done about the harsh prison conditions (in particular the relaxation of the 41-bis incarceration regime) – and were believed to orchestrate a return to violence while serving multiple life sentences. - April 29 - Genovese crime familyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
soldier Lawrence "Larry Glitz" Galizia, and associates Frank Isoldi, Christopher Demenna, Anthony Hooks and Robert Schwall were indicted for making illegal loans ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 and collecting gambling debts to a gambling service run through an 800 number in Costa Rica. - May 12 - Former Commission member Joseph BonannoJoseph BonannoJoseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
died at the age of 97. Bonanno had survived a shooting war against rebels in his own family and had survived after his plan to kill fellow commission members Carlo GambinoCarlo Gambino"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
and Thomas Lucchese was revealed to the commission. Bonanno also lived to write a book about his life. - June - At a court appearance Leoluca BagarellaLeoluca BagarellaLeoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
makes some thinly veiled threats to the Italian government, saying the Mafia is "tired of being manipulated by political forces." - June 4 - A massive racketeering indictment was handed down against Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
boss Peter GottiPeter GottiPeter Gotti, also known as "One Eyed Pete", "Petey Boy", "One Eye" , is a New York mobster who is the former boss of the Gambino crime family and the older brother of deceased Gambino boss John Gotti.-Background:...
, captains Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone and Richard V. GottiRichard V. GottiRichard V. Gotti is a capo in the Gambino crime family.Richard was born in 1942 to John Gotti, Sr. and his wife Fannie. Richard's brothers included deceased Gambino boss John Gotti, capo Gene Gotti, current boss Peter, and Vincent Gotti. Richard has a son, Richard G. Gotti, who also belongs to...
, soldiers Richard G. GottiRichard G. GottiRichard G. Gotti is a member of the Gambino crime family. His father is Gambino capo Richard V. Gotti and cousins are capo John A. "Junior" Gotti, former reality television star Victoria Gotti, and Peter Gotti, Jr...
, Primo CassarinoPrimo CassarinoPrimo Cassarino is a New York mobster who became an enforcer for Gambino crime family, and extorted money from actor Steven Seagal.-Foulest mouth in Brooklyn:...
, Jerome Brancato, and Peter Piacenti, associates Vincent Nasso, Julius Nasso, Richard Bondi, Salvatore Cannata, Thomas Lisi, Carmine Malara, Anthony Pansini, Jerome Orsino, Jr. The indictment alleged that the Gambino crime family controlled the Brooklyn and Staten Island waterfronts, engaged in shaking down waterfront businesses and trucking companies, cooperated with the Genovese crime familyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
in ripping off the ILA benefit plans, and for a number of years the group extorted screen actor Steven SeagalSteven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
, and were trying to force him to pay them $150,000 per movie he made. Staten Island Conservative Party boss and head of the Staten Island waterfront terminal was forced to pay Ciccone $2,000 per month for protection. All men would be sentenced to prison. - June 11 - Former Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
godfather John GottiJohn GottiJohn Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
died of throat cancer in a prison hospital. Gotti's successor brother Peter was under indictment facing trial and would miss his brother's funeral services. - June 20 - Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
captains Louis VallarioLouis VallarioLouis Vallario, also known as "Big Louie" and "Big Lou" , is a member of the Gambino crime family who was a top aide to boss John Gotti and Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano in the late 1980s.-Criminal history:...
and Michael DiLeonardoMichael DiLeonardoMichael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo is an Italian-American New York mobster who formerly belonged to the Gambino crime family and is now a government informant.-Background:...
, soldiers Frank Fappiano and Edward Garafola were indicted for exerting illegal influence on construction companies, businesses in the Garment District, and wholesale produce distributors in New York City. A later indictment would also charge soldier Thomas "Huck" Carbonaro and associate John Matera with taking part in the murder of Staten Island businessman Fred Weiss. DiLeonardo and Fappiano would become cooperating witnesses, and DiLeonardo would go on to testify against John Gotti, Jr. and Colombo acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico. - September 6 - Former Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
underboss and number two man under John GottiJohn GottiJohn Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
, Salvatore Gravano, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for running a multimillion-dollar Ecstasy ring in Arizona. Gravano had admitted to committing 19 murders and his testimony was largely responsible for sending John Gotti and consigliere Frank LoCascio to prison for the rest of their lives. - December 9 - Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
captain Ronald "Ronnie One Arm" TrucchioThe Ozone Park BoysThe Ozone Park Boys, also known as "Liberty Posse" and "The Young Guns" are a Gambino crime family Mafia crew based in Ozone Park, Queens. They are infamous for their massive number of crimes, including an illegal $30 million-a-year sports gambling enterprise....
and his 25-year old soldier son Alphonse were indicted for operating a $30 million-a-year sports betting ring based in Ozone Park, QueensOzone Park, QueensOzone Park is a working class neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and City Line, Brooklyn....
. Prosecutors alleged that the operation was making $600,000 per week. - December 23 - Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
consigliere Anthony GrazianoAnthony GrazianoAnthony "T.G." Graziano is a New York mobster and former consigliere of the Bonanno crime family.- Bonanno captain :...
pleaded guilty to his involvement in a murder conspiracy, loansharking and evading over $100,000 in taxes.
Arts and literature
- All About the BenjaminsAll about the BenjaminsAll About the Benjamins is a 2002 action movie/comedy movie directed by Kevin Bray, and starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps as a bounty hunter and repeat offender who join forces to find a group of diamond thieves, the former for glory, and the latter to retrieve a winning lottery ticket.-Cast:*Ice...
(film) - Dark Blue (film)
- EmpireEmpire (2002 film)-Plot:Victor Rosa is a drug dealer in New York who sells a specific brand of heroin called "Empire". His area, or "turf", is located in the South Bronx, where his other rivals all maintain an uneasy truce. They generally respect each other's borders and sanctity...
(film) - Gangs of New YorkGangs of New YorkGangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(film) - NarcNarc (film)Narc is a 2002 crime film about corrupt police involved in the illegal drug trade. It was released to critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. It was written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The plot revolves around the efforts of two police detectives as they search for the murderer of an...
(film) - Road to PerditionRoad to PerditionRoad to Perdition is a 2002 American crime film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self, from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig...
(film) - The Good Thief (film)