Two rising stars in Gambino crime family shipped off to prison
Two rising stars in the Gambino family were shipped off to federal prison Wednesday - one getting tearful waves from his family, the other getting smiles and thumbs up.
Michael "Roc" Roccaforte, 35, gave his family an exaggerated “What can I do?” shrug after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman socked him with a 118-month sentence that was four months harsher than what federal prosecutors sought.
A visibly relieved Anthony Moscatiello, 41, got 43 months from the same judge. He turned to his smiling family and jokingly advised an unidentified grinning man in a loud pin-striped suit to "Spend a few dollars. Buy a new suit."
Each had pleaded guilty in February to breaking various laws for more than a decade, including racketeering, selling drugs, gambling and loan sharking.
They were among 27 accused mobsters arrested in a 2011 sweep in the Southern District of Manhattan. Of the 27, two dozen have pleaded guilty, including 11 members of the Gambino family. As of yesterday, six Gambino associates have been put behind bars.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig said both men were handpicked by Gambino bosses Ronald and Alphonse Trucchio to be made men in the Gambino gang and predicted that both would come back to the Gambinos when they get out.
He said Roccaforte, a first offender, has promised to change his life after prison, but added: "He's not leaving the mob. If he wanted to say that, he could do so right now."
Honig noted that Roccaforte was the only person below the rank of captain in the Gambino family to attend a major mob summit of New York and Philadelphia gangsters in May 2010. "He is a rising star in the mob," he said.
Roccaforte's lawyer, Alan Futerfas, urged that his client, who had never been arrested before, get the minimum possible sentence of 97 months, but Honig said Roccaforte spent more than a decade breaking laws. "He didn't have a bad day.a bad week or a bad month. He had a bad 15 years."
As Roccaforte left the courtroom, the same man in the pinstriped suit that appeared at the Moscatiello sentencing sat with the mobster's family and waved vigorously. A dejected Roccaforte finally gave a weak wave back.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rising-stars-gambino-crime-family-shipped-prison-article-1.1087040#ixzz1wPFy6XA8
Michael "Roc" Roccaforte, 35, gave his family an exaggerated “What can I do?” shrug after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman socked him with a 118-month sentence that was four months harsher than what federal prosecutors sought.
A visibly relieved Anthony Moscatiello, 41, got 43 months from the same judge. He turned to his smiling family and jokingly advised an unidentified grinning man in a loud pin-striped suit to "Spend a few dollars. Buy a new suit."
Each had pleaded guilty in February to breaking various laws for more than a decade, including racketeering, selling drugs, gambling and loan sharking.
They were among 27 accused mobsters arrested in a 2011 sweep in the Southern District of Manhattan. Of the 27, two dozen have pleaded guilty, including 11 members of the Gambino family. As of yesterday, six Gambino associates have been put behind bars.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig said both men were handpicked by Gambino bosses Ronald and Alphonse Trucchio to be made men in the Gambino gang and predicted that both would come back to the Gambinos when they get out.
He said Roccaforte, a first offender, has promised to change his life after prison, but added: "He's not leaving the mob. If he wanted to say that, he could do so right now."
Honig noted that Roccaforte was the only person below the rank of captain in the Gambino family to attend a major mob summit of New York and Philadelphia gangsters in May 2010. "He is a rising star in the mob," he said.
Roccaforte's lawyer, Alan Futerfas, urged that his client, who had never been arrested before, get the minimum possible sentence of 97 months, but Honig said Roccaforte spent more than a decade breaking laws. "He didn't have a bad day.a bad week or a bad month. He had a bad 15 years."
As Roccaforte left the courtroom, the same man in the pinstriped suit that appeared at the Moscatiello sentencing sat with the mobster's family and waved vigorously. A dejected Roccaforte finally gave a weak wave back.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rising-stars-gambino-crime-family-shipped-prison-article-1.1087040#ixzz1wPFy6XA8
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