On November 21, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that Ralph F Deleo of Somerville was sentenced to 199 months in prison.  U.S. District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock also sentenced Deleo to three years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine.  

Deleo was the Colombo Family street boss for the La Cosa Nostra.  The criminal organization engaged in the distribution of narcotics, extortion, loan sharking, racketeering, and more.  

The government was able to prove that Deleo engaged in the following criminal activity:

•    paid and arranged for a cocaine deal of two kilograms
•    traveled to Florida, New York, and Connecticut for criminal organization business
•    attempted to collect payments by extortion on March 11, 2009 in Canton, MA
•    arranged for the beating of a financial advisor for a businessman’s brother
•    imported large amounts of marijuana from Canada
•    hid at least 11 firearms, a silencer, ammunition, police uniforms, patches from police departments, wig, zip ties, and more

The mafia organization operates in different areas of the United States and Canada in groups known as “families.”  The most powerful families are located in New York City, and the Colombo family is one of the most powerful and dangerous families.  

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz stated, “Our office continues to investigate and prosecute organized crime wherever it attempts to establish a foothold in the Commonwealth.  We are prepared to prevent it from victimizing and corrupting any of its victims, including legitimate businesses.”  

Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge for Boston’s FBI, stated: “For the second time in one week, investigations by the FBI and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners have led to the conviction and sentencing of high ranking LCN members.  Last week, New England LCN’s leader was sentenced, and today, the acting street boss of the Colombo crime family faced justice.”  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 1, 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced that Phillip Monroe Ballard—an inmate at the Fort Worth Federal Correctional Institute—was charged for soliciting a murder-for-hire.  Ballard was charged for trying to hire an outside party to murder U.S. District Judge John McBryde in the Northern District of Texas.  

According to the FBI, Ballard was incarcerated in Fort Worth for tax charges and was set to go on trial before McBryde on October 1, 2012.  The case was cancelled on September 28, 2012, and Judge McBryde withdrew from the case.  

According to the complaint, an inmate at FCI Fort Worth was approached by Ballard earlier in September.  Ballard has specific requests for killing Judge McBryde because he was going to prison on tax charges.  Ballard believed Judge McBryde would sentence him to over 20 years in prison, so he asked the fellow inmate if he knew anybody on the outside.  Unknown to Ballard, the inmate was working with the FBI and the inmate told Ballard he in fact knew someone on the outside.  

Ballard told the inmate that he would pay $100,000 to have Judge McBryde killed so his case would be transferred.  Ballard gave specific instructions.  He said he wanted Judge McBryde killed with a high caliber rifle, and even offered a backup plan to plant a bomb in the judge’s vehicle.  

The inmate gave Ballard a letter from an undercover agent who was posing as the killer.  The letter stated the job would be fulfilled if Ballard transferred $5,000.  On September 26, 2012, Ballard requested that the $5,000 be sent to the address of the undercover agent.  

If convicted, Ballard faces maximum sentence of 20 years in jail and a fine of $250,000.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 12, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced that Eric Jordon was sentenced to 72 years in prison and 5 years of supervised in connection to three armed robberies around the Baltimore area.  

On April 30, 2012, Jordon was convicted of one count of conspiracy, three counts of robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.  The judge declared Jordan a career offender.  

According to court documents, Jordon and the co-defendant, Aaron Graham, were arrested after they robbed two different fast food restaurants in under an hour.  During the robberies, Jordan drove the getaway vehicle and Graham robbed the restaurants.  Graham brandished a weapon during both robberies, and he pistol whipped the clerk in the first robbery.  

Witnesses identified Graham during the robberies, and they also identified the getaway vehicle as a gray pick-up truck.  During the arrest, police found a .25 caliber semiautomatic pistol and approximately $1,083.56 in cash.  

During the trial, evidence proved that Jordan and Graham, as well as another man, previously robbed a gas station in Gwynn Oak, Maryland on February 1, 2011.  During the robbery, Graham beat the cashier and brandished the same pistol used in the other two crimes.  The other robber assaulted a customer who tried to run away during the robbery, and the same robber carried a sawed-off shotgun.  The sawed-off shotgun was found at Jordon’s residence along with a .357 caliber revolver, ammunition, and the clothing Graham wore during the robbery of the gas station.  

Graham received 147 years in prison for the crimes.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
 

On October 12, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced that Roberto A Darden of Newport News was sentenced to 50 years for producing child pornography and witness tampering.  

Darden pled guilty to both offenses on November 23, 2011.  Warning: the details of the crime are described below and may offend some readers.  

Darden admitted that he and the co-defendant, Ujima Crudup, received money to have the victim of 13 years of age perform sexual acts.  Both men transported the young girl around hotels in Hampton Roads for prostitution.  They provided the victim with illegal drugs and alcohol, and the defendants videotaped the victim as she engaged in sexual acts.  

Additionally, the defendants blackmailed the young girl into prostitution by using the videotape.  They made her sign a contract that explained the requirements of prostitution and working under the defendants.  

After they forced the young girl into prostitution, the defendants made fliers and other advertisements on the internet.  The young girl was also given a personal cell phone to contact customers for prostitution.  

After Darden was arrested, he contacted a woman from jail and told her to deny knowing him or anything about his business when talking with the investigators.  He also asked the woman to give the female victim money in order to stay quiet.  

United States Attorney Neil H. MacBride stated, “Roberto Darden changed a 13-year-old girl’s life forever by forcing her to endure violent sexual assaults and memorializing them all on video.  Today’s sentence is just punishment for a man who lured this young girl to a hotel, filmed her sexual abuse, and then used the videos to blackmail her into prostitution—a well-rehearsed pattern he has used on young women before this one.”  

Crudup received 30 years in prison for his role in the crime.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 3, 2012, the FBI’s Boston Field Office asked for assistance from the public in locating a wanted terrorist by the name of Ahmad Abousamra.  He is a U.S. citizen and lived in Mansfield, Massachusetts until he left the United States in 2006.  The FBI reports that he may be living in Aleppo, Syria with his wife, a daughter, and other family members.  

On September 28, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced that 66 people were indicted by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking in the Municipality of Ponce.  The investigation was led by the FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department.  

The defendants face six different counts for possession and intent to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana.  The members conspired to distribute the drugs around the Dr. Manuel De La Pila Iglesias Public Housing Project and other areas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.  

The FBI and Puerto Rico Police Department believe the crimes started around 2007.  The main leaders of the criminal organization are believed to be Franciso Santiago-Serrano, Edel Lopez, Rafael A Rodriguez-Garcia, Jomar Ramos-Rosado, Isueanette Lopez-Nazario, Wally Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Jesus E. Colon-Salinas, Israel Rodriguez-Zayas, Raymond Santiago Serrano, Justo Bermudez-Stevens, and Teddy Rivera.  These men are believed to have transported wholesale amounts of cocaine to co-conspirators.  

The FBI reports that the criminal organization moved its drug points from location to location in the Dr. Pila Housing Project to avoid investigation from law enforcement.  The organization is reported to have used force and violence in order to deter rival drug organizations.  The indictment found that there were 11 leaders, eight enforcers, nine runners, 31 sellers, one lookout, and six different suppliers.  

The defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.  The defendants also face fines up to $10 million.  28 of the defendants face a minimum term of 15 years in prison.  

Rosa Emilia Rodríquez-Vélez, the U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico, stated: “Violent drug organizations hold our communities hostage and promulgate fear, intimidation, and violence, threatening the well-being of law abiding citizens.  This investigation has taken dangerous criminals off the streets of Puerto Rico and sends a clear message to other violent gangs that we will break their grip on our communities and bring them to justice, no matter where they are.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 1, 2012, the Department of Justice announced that Louis Barretta of Philadelphia was sentenced to 33 months in prison for involvements in the La Cosa Nostra family.  Barretta was sentenced for participation in loan sharking and illegal gambling.  

Barretta is one of 14 members of the La Cosa Nostra family that were charged with crimes like racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, witness tampering, and theft.  These other members were charged in a 52-count superseding indictment: Joseph Ligambi, Joseph Massimino, George Borgesi, Martin Angelina, Anthony Staino, Jr., Gaeton Lucibello, Damion Canalichio, Gary Battaglini, Roberty Verrecchia, Eric Esposito, Robert Ranieri, Joseph Licata, and Louis Fazzini.  

In addition to his prison term, Barretta is also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay a fine of $7,500.  The penalties came after a plea where he admitted that he issued loans through usury and collected the loans by means of extortion.  He also admitted to a bookmaking business for sports.  

On August 2, 2012 Lucibello pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 51 months.  Angelina pleaded guilty to the same charges on August 8, 2012, and received 57 months.  

The Department of Justice states that the trial for Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Staino, Canalichio, Battaglini, Licata, and Fazzini is scheduled for October 9, 2012.  The trial for Verrecchia, Esposito, and Ranieri has not yet been scheduled.  

The investigation was led by the FB, the IRS’s Service-Criminal Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State police, the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the U.S. DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.  Trial attorney John S. Han and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor, III and Suzanne B. Ercole are prosecuting the case.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation