19 indicted in New York in Luchese family organized crime bust
NEW YORK -- Nineteen people were charged Wednesday in an organized crime bust, according to a racketeering indictment released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
The majority of the defendants named are alleged members and associates of the Luchese crime family, part of an overarching organized criminal enterprise known as La Cosa Nostra, the indictment says. It alleges they were involved in a racketeering conspiracy from about 2000 up to May 2017 in the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan and the Bronx as well as Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Duchess, and Sullivan counties.
The indictment names some defendants as high-ranking leaders of the Luchese family "administration." It says Matthew Madonna was the "street boss" of the Luchese family, alleging he ran the crime group's affairs on behalf of the imprisoned boss. It also names Steven Crea, Sr., known as "Wonder Boy," as the family's "Underboss," and Joseph Dinapoli as the" Consigliere."
Others are named as "made" members or "soldiers" of the Luchese family, including Joseph Datello, known as "Big Joe" or "Joey Glasses," and Paul Cassano, known as "Paulie Roast Beef."
The allegations include murder, assault, robbery, extortion, narcotics distribution, gambling, money laundering, and witness intimidation. It accuses five defedants – Madonna, Crea Sr., Steven Crea Jr., Christopher Londonio and Terrence Caldwell -- of involvement in the November 2013 murder of Michael Meldish, a notorious gangster who was found shot to death in his car in the Bronx. Londonio and Caldwell were already charged in the case.
The indictment also describes an alleged 2012 attempted assault of a Bonanno family associate in retaliation for a "showing of disrespect," and an alleged October 2016 attempted assault in retaliation for a victim providing information to law enforcement.
The suspects are expected to be arraigned in White Plains federal court later Wednesday, reports CBS New York.
