Bonanno Family Indicted for Mob Ties in Loan Shark Bust
There seems to be a prevailing sentiment that the mob is no longer a force to be reckoned with on the streets of New York or elsewhere. Well, that notion came crashing down Tuesday when members of the Bonanno organized crime family were busted on a litany of different charges.
The arrests come after a two year investigation that found that the mob members were still very active in organized crime despite many of their legendary bosses now either locked away or dead. They certainly still have the classic attitude you would expect from any member of the mob.
"Go f--- your mother," the imposing Anthony (Skinny) Santoro, 49, yelled at a crew of photographers snapping pictures of the mob members. Several other of the suspects also yelled obscenities and flashed their middle fingers for the camera.
In total, the indictment included nine men, eight of whom belonged to the Bonanno family. Seven of them were arrested on Tuesday, on charges ranging from loan-sharking to union control and everything in between.
"Times have changed since Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, but organized crime still exerts a corrupting influence in our city," Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a Manhattan district attorney, said at a news conference for the FBI. "Many mistakenly believe that the mob has disappeared entirely."
One of the biggest finds in the investigation indicated that the Bonanno family had been able to strong-arm one of their own into office as a high-level official for the Teamsters union. Nicholas Bernhard was accused of unfairly becoming elected as the president of the Teamsters Local 917, a union comprised of 1900 members which handles liquor store and parking lot employees.
"Whatever name it's called, the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, the mob, this indictment demonstrates that organized crime is still operating in New York City and still has its hooks in the labor movement," Vance said.