Ronnie Trucchio
Encyclopedia
Ronald Joseph Trucchio also known as "One Armed Ronnie", is a New York mobster with the Gambino crime family
who ran the The Ozone Park Boys
crew during the 1990s.
and raised in Ozone Park, Queens
. As as a child, Trucchio was hit by an automobile and sustained severe damage to the scapula
and ulna
in the humerus
from a severe fracture in the forelimb, leaving his arm partially paralyzed. This injury led to his nickname of "One-Armed Ronnie". Trucchio is the father of reputed Gambino soldier Alphonse Trucchio. He lived in South Richmond Hill, Queens
as an adult.
In 1988 Trucchio, a protegee of Gambino boss John Gotti
, was inducted into the Gambino family.
and given control over the Ozone Park Boys, a Gambino crew in Queens. Trucchio reportedly drove around Ozone Park looking for recruits for his crew. He drove a silver Cadillac
, wore $5,000 suits, and displayed thick roll of bills. One police investigator compared Trucchio to Fagin
, the 19th century London gang leader in the Charles Dickens
novel Oliver Twist
.
The Ozone Park Boys specialized in illegal gambling, loansharking, bookmaking, fraud
and wire fraud
. Trucchio and Alphonse ran an illegal gambling operation that grossed approximately $30 million a year, with bettors who placed wagers as large as $15,000 on American football
and basketball
games. Trucchio owned a restaurant in Ozone Park that allegedly earned him $6.5 million but was forfeited by the Queens District Attorney due to charges of tax evasion
and tax fraud
. Also involved in criminal activities in South Florida, Trucchio's crew was frequently called "The Young Guns" and the "Liberty Posse".
In October 1995, Trucchio was allegedly involved in the shooting murders of three people in Florida. Gambino associate Mark Rizzuto was found dead in Boca Raton. Gambino associate and strip club
bouncer Vincent D'Angola, along with D'Angola's dancer girlfriend Jami Schneider, were discovered dead in D'Angola's Fort Lauderdale apartment. The Gambino family suspected the two men of skimming family profits and sent other Florida crew members to murder them. Schneider may have been an innocent bystander.
By 1997, Trucchio was reportedly concerned about the number of violent acts being committed by crew members in Florida and directed Gambino soldier Michael Ciaccio to watch them. Years later, Ciaccio would testify against Trucchio in Trucchio's 2003 racketeering trial.
, kidnapping
, drug trafficking, tampering with witnesses, retaliating against witnesses, credit card fraud, intrastate travel in aid of racketeering activity, interference with commerce by threats and violence, interstate transportation of stolen property, and thefts from interstate shipments. On April 14, 2003, Trucchio pleaded guilty to lesser charges. On October 29, 2003, Trucchio was sentenced to one to three years in state prison.
On December 4, 2003, Trucchio and other family members were indicted in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
for the 1995 Florida murders, two armed robberies in New York, and the 2003 Bosshart murder in New York. On January 9, 2004, Trucchio pleaded not guilty in court to all the charges. In August 2005, Trucchio was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. In October 2006, Trucchio and other Florida crew members went on trial in Tampa, Florida
on new federal racketeering and extortion charges. Truccchio was accused of using intimidation to gain control of valet parking
services for hospitals, restaurants, and adult entertainment clubs in the Tampa Bay
area. In December 2006, Trucchio was convicted and in March 2007 was sentenced to life in prison.
As of September 2010, Ronald Trucchio is serving a life sentence at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
. Trucchio reportedly underwent hip replacement
surgery a few years earlier and is not in robust health.
Gambino crime family
The 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...
who ran the The Ozone Park Boys
The Ozone Park Boys
The 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....
crew during the 1990s.
Biography
Trucchio was born in Ocean Hill, BrooklynOcean Hill, Brooklyn
Ocean Hill is a subsection of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Founded in 1890, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11233...
and raised in Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone 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....
. As as a child, Trucchio was hit by an automobile and sustained severe damage to the scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
and ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
in the humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
from a severe fracture in the forelimb, leaving his arm partially paralyzed. This injury led to his nickname of "One-Armed Ronnie". Trucchio is the father of reputed Gambino soldier Alphonse Trucchio. He lived in South Richmond Hill, Queens
Richmond Hill, Queens
Richmond Hill is a neighborhood in central-southern Queens, New York City, USA. It is bordered by Kew Gardens to the north, Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west, South Ozone Park to the south and South Jamaica to the east...
as an adult.
In 1988 Trucchio, a protegee of Gambino boss John Gotti
John Gotti
John 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...
, was inducted into the Gambino family.
The Young Guns
In the mid-1990s, Trucchio was promoted to caporegimeCaporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
and given control over the Ozone Park Boys, a Gambino crew in Queens. Trucchio reportedly drove around Ozone Park looking for recruits for his crew. He drove a silver Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, wore $5,000 suits, and displayed thick roll of bills. One police investigator compared Trucchio to Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
, the 19th century London gang leader in the Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
.
The Ozone Park Boys specialized in illegal gambling, loansharking, bookmaking, fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and wire fraud
Wire fraud
Mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. Together, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1346 reach any fraudulent scheme or artifice to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services with a nexus to mail or wire communication....
. Trucchio and Alphonse ran an illegal gambling operation that grossed approximately $30 million a year, with bettors who placed wagers as large as $15,000 on American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games. Trucchio owned a restaurant in Ozone Park that allegedly earned him $6.5 million but was forfeited by the Queens District Attorney due to charges of tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
and tax fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
. Also involved in criminal activities in South Florida, Trucchio's crew was frequently called "The Young Guns" and the "Liberty Posse".
In October 1995, Trucchio was allegedly involved in the shooting murders of three people in Florida. Gambino associate Mark Rizzuto was found dead in Boca Raton. Gambino associate and strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
bouncer Vincent D'Angola, along with D'Angola's dancer girlfriend Jami Schneider, were discovered dead in D'Angola's Fort Lauderdale apartment. The Gambino family suspected the two men of skimming family profits and sent other Florida crew members to murder them. Schneider may have been an innocent bystander.
By 1997, Trucchio was reportedly concerned about the number of violent acts being committed by crew members in Florida and directed Gambino soldier Michael Ciaccio to watch them. Years later, Ciaccio would testify against Trucchio in Trucchio's 2003 racketeering trial.
Convictions and prison
On December 9, 2002, Trucchio was indicted in New York state court on enterprise corruption, conspiracy, promoting gambling and possession of gambling records. The indictment stated that Trucchio conspired to engage in racketeering, murder, robbery, arson, extortionExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, drug trafficking, tampering with witnesses, retaliating against witnesses, credit card fraud, intrastate travel in aid of racketeering activity, interference with commerce by threats and violence, interstate transportation of stolen property, and thefts from interstate shipments. On April 14, 2003, Trucchio pleaded guilty to lesser charges. On October 29, 2003, Trucchio was sentenced to one to three years in state prison.
On December 4, 2003, Trucchio and other family members were indicted in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
for the 1995 Florida murders, two armed robberies in New York, and the 2003 Bosshart murder in New York. On January 9, 2004, Trucchio pleaded not guilty in court to all the charges. In August 2005, Trucchio was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. In October 2006, Trucchio and other Florida crew members went on trial in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
on new federal racketeering and extortion charges. Truccchio was accused of using intimidation to gain control of valet parking
Valet parking
Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses, particularly in North America. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet...
services for hospitals, restaurants, and adult entertainment clubs in the Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
area. In December 2006, Trucchio was convicted and in March 2007 was sentenced to life in prison.
As of September 2010, Ronald Trucchio is serving a life sentence at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport and north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region. The population was 5,620 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union...
. Trucchio reportedly underwent hip replacement
Hip replacement
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe...
surgery a few years earlier and is not in robust health.