29 charged in DOB-mob corruption sting

NEW YORK Among the individual defendants are members and associates of the Cosa Nostra Lucchese Organized Crime Family, including three inspectors formerly employed by the New York City Department of Buildings and two members of the family ruling panel; three other former building inspectors; and individuals and companies in the construction and real estate industry.

The indictment is the result of a two-year investigation, which began in September 2007 and employed a variety of investigative techniques, including court-authorized wiretaps of 64 target telephones and the installation of a bug in a restaurant.

In addition, three rounds of court-authorized search warrants, totaling 54 search warrants of physical locations, including offices and workplaces of Department of Buildings (DOB) employees, and three Internet search warrants, were conducted between May 2008 and April 2009, during which more than $430,000 in cash, gambling records, firearms and narcotics were seized.

Approximately $400 million worth of illegal sports bets were taken during the course of the investigation.

The indictment charges that the criminal enterprise consisted of individuals and companies, and included DOB employees, members and associates of the Lucchese Crime Family, and people and companies in the construction and real estate industry. The goal was to make money by committing a wide-range of crimes, including bribe receiving, bribery, illegal gambling, narcotics dealing, weapons trafficking, extortion, loan sharking and filing false written documents with public offices.

The suspects are identified as:

JOSEPH DINAPOLI, 7/12/1935, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

MATTHEW MADONNA, 11/2/1935, Selden, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

ANTHONY CROCE, 12/24/1932, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

MICHAEL GUERRIERO, 7/24/1954, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

GARY MEDURE, 12/27/1953, New City, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

JOSEPH PRELLI, 12/6/1935, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

MICHAEL PRELLI, 6/6/1962, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts)

MICHAEL BARBIERI, 3/28/1962, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Promoting Gambling in the First Degree (six counts) and Possession of Gambling Records in the First Degree (two counts)

STEPHEN ROCCO, 3/23/1964, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

DENNIS "CAPI" BURBRIDGE, 12/8/1936, Cranford, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

EDWARD "ACKIE" ACKERMAN, 2/18/1936, Hastings-on-Hudson, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

HAROLD THOMAS, 4/8/1945, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

JOHN CALISE, 6/26/1974, Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

MICHAEL SCARPELLI, 2/21/1970, Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

JOSEPH "SONNY" BRANCACCIO, 11/7/1932, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

CARMINE "SNAPPY" FRANCOMANO, SR., 2/4/1938, Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree, Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree, Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct in the Second Degree (three counts) and Grand Larceny in the Second Degree

FRANK FRANCOMANO, 4/29/64, Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree

CARMINE FRANCOMANO, JR., 4/23/1966, Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree, Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree (seven counts), Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct in the Second Degree (seven counts) and Grand Larceny in the Second Degree

ANGEL LUIS AVILES, 8/18/1953, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree, and Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree (two counts)

EXEL PLASS, 11/25/1977, Queens, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree (four counts)

EARL PRENTICE, 5/17/1955, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

THOMAS MASUCCI, 11/15/1949, Staten Island, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

RICHARD KELLY, 11/4/1957, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Bribery in the Third Degree

COSTEL MIRAUTI, 6/8/1968, Whitestone, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribery in the Third Degree (two counts) and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree

NICOLETT MOSKOVER, 10/5/1954, West Babylon, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribery in the Second Degree and Rewarding Official Misconduct in the Second Degree

STEVEN GOWOREK, 1/22/1968, Bronx, Charges: Enterprise Corruption and Bribery in the Third Degree (three counts)

WAYNE SCHUMER, 3/10/1967, New York, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribery in the Third Degree and Rewarding Official Misconduct in the Second Degree (three counts)

LEO DOYLE, 2/2/1967, Stormville, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

MICHAEL LEON, 05/28/1966, Fort Lee, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

ABANNO BUILDING MAINTENANCE, INC., Maspeth, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribery in the Third Degree (two counts) and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree

EURO EXCAVATION, INC., Yonkers, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

SFG ASSOCIATES, INC., Staten Island, Charges: Enterprise Corruption

UCON CORPORATION, Brooklyn, Charges: Enterprise Corruption, Bribery in the Third Degree and Rewarding Official Misconduct in the Second Degree (three counts)

Enterprise Corruption is a class B felony. Bribe Receiving in the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, and Bribery in the Second Degree, are each class C felonies. Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree and Bribery in the Third Degree are both class D felonies. Promoting Gambling in the First Degree, Possession of Gambling Records in the First Degree, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct in the Second Degree, Rewarding Official Misconduct in the Second Degree, are each class E felonies.

A class B felony is punishable by up to 8? to 25 years, a class C felony is punishable by up to 5 to 15 years, a class D felony is punishable by up to 2? to 7 years, and a class E felony 1? to 4 years, all in prison.

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