Updated news on the Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno, Lucchese and Colombo Organized Crime Families of New York City.

Friday, October 1, 2010

"Penn Hills Crime Family" Burglary Ring Suspects In Court For Preliminary Hearing


Location of Allegheny County in PennsylvaniaImage via WikipediaFour defendants in the so called "Penn Hills mafia" robbery, burglary and conspiracy case will soon learn how much evidence the government plans to present to determine whether they will face trial.

Two defendants who waived preliminary hearings today will testify as prosecution witnesses when the hearing continues.

Friday, more than a dozen witnesses testified that their homes or businesses were robbed, but few could point directly to the defendants.

Riona Coffen, assistant manager of Voccelli Pizza, testified she was robbed at gunpoint of a $1,500 bank night deposit, but she could not identify the gunman or an accomplice because they were masked.

Al Jackson, general manager of the Churchill Valley Country Club, acknowledged defendant Louis Amendola once worked there, but testified that surveillance video of the theft of a flatscreen TV revealed no faces.

Amendola is the alleged mastermind of the operation according to prosecutors.

When student Nick Perri testified about a robbery at his apartment, he said defendant Philip Vecchio visited for a party, but did not suspect him until Pittsburgh Police told him Vecchio's fingerprints linked him to the crime.

Vecchio faces additional charges filed this week involving cases from two years ago, according to his attorney, Philip DiLucente.

The hearing is scheduled to continue Tuesday with testimony from the two others who waived their hearing.

http://kdka.com/local/Penn.Hills.family.2.1942307.html
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