ROSLYNN R. MAUSKOPF, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and JOHN KLOCHAN, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York, today announced the unsealing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn charging four leading members of the Genovese Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra (the "Genovese family"), including acting boss DOMINICK "Quiet Dom" CIRILLO, and Genovese captains LAWRENCE "Little Larry" DENTICO, JOHN "Johnny Sausage," BARBATO and ANTHONY "Tico" ANTICO, with racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts of murder conspiracy, extortion, loansharking, and witness tampering.¹

The defendants were arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy, at the U. S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Sandra L. Townes.

The arrests announced today are the most recent product of a lengthy investigation into the criminal activities of the Genovese family, the largest mafia family operating in New York. To date, this investigation has resulted in the arrest and conviction of Genovese boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante² and the acting, or "street" bosses used by Gigante for the past decade, including Liborio Bellomo and Ernest "Ernie" Muscarella.³ In addition, more than 40 Genovese family members and associates have been charged in the Eastern District of New York, based largely upon hundreds of hours of tape recordings made by a cooperating Genovese associate. Today's indictment charges the current acting boss and long-standing leader of the Genovese family, as well as three powerful Genovese family captains.

The indictment alleges that the Genovese family has continued its involvement in crimes designed to enrich its members and associates through a variety of criminal means, including extortion, loansharking and fraud. The indictment further charges that the Genovese family used threats of economic injury and violence, including murder, to advance the family's goals. The current charges are the product of voluminous recordings made by the cooperating witness mentioned above, in addition to information provided by several other cooperating witnesses from the Genovese family, the Bonanno family, the Gambino family, and the DeCalvacante family, which operates principally in New Jersey.

As set forth in the indictment and in a detention letter filed by the government today, after Gigante was incarcerated in 1997, the leadership of the Genovese family passed to a committee known as the "administration." CIRILLO and DENTICO were allegedly members of the administration, and in that capacity represented the Genovese family in its dealings with other LCN families. In 2000, DENTICO personally represented the Genovese family at a commission meeting of all five New York families of LCN. In addition, in 2000, CIRILLO empaneled a committee of Genovese family leaders, including DENTICO, BARBATO and previouslyconvicted Genovese family captain Alan Longo, to determine whether to commit murder in the name of the criminal enterprise.

Each of the defendants charged today are alleged to have participated in acts of violence as predicate acts of racketeering. Specifically, CIRILLO is charged in predicate acts of extortion conspiracy, extortion, and loansharking conspiracy; DENTICO and BARBATO are charged in predicate acts of murder conspiracy, extortion conspiracy and extortion; and ANTICO is charged in predicate acts of extortion conspiracy, extortion and witness tampering. In addition, ANTICO is named in a separate count of witness tampering.

"With these arrests, law enforcement has effectively dismantled the present leadership of the Genovese family of La Cosa Nostra," stated United States AttorneyMAUSKOPF. "These defendants directed the day-to-day criminal activities of the family, and represented its interests in dealing with the other La Cosa Nostra families in New York. This prosecution brings us one step closer to ridding our city of the corrosive impact of organized crime." Ms. MAUSKOPF emphasized that the investigation was continuing.

FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge KLOCHAN stated, "These defendants have been ensconced in the hierarchy of the Genovese family not merely out of deference to their age and experience. They have held positions of leadership in the family for so long because of their ruthless proficiency in the kinds of acts charged today. Our hope is that the indictment will serve as their retirement papers."

All three defendants are charged with RICO and RICO conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment. ANTICO is also charged with witness tampering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.

The government's case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katya Jestin and Taryn A. Merkl.

The Defendants:

Name: DOMINICK CIRILLO
DOB: 07/04/29
Address:

Name: LAWRENCE DENTICO
DOB: 08/22/23
Address:

Name: JOHN BARBATO
DOB: 5/15/34
Address:

Name: ANTHONY ANTICO
DOB: 06/16/45
Address:

 

 

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¹ The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

² When Gigante was charged in 2002 in connection with this investigation, he was already serving a 12-year prison sentence based on a 1997 conviction in the Eastern District of New York.

³ In addition, former acting boss Frank "Farby" Serpico was arrested in April 2001, but died prior the conclusion of the case.

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