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Reputed Mobsters Busted In Major Roundup

By Jonathan Dienst, Joseph Valiquette and Alice McQuillan

UPDATED: 12:17 pm EST February 8, 2008

The hierarchy of the Gambino organized crime family -- from underboss to capo -- was arrested Thursday along with scores of street soldiers and associates in what authorities called the biggest mafia takedown in a generation.


  • Indictment Names: Elmo, Greaseball And The Nose
  • Read Indictment

  • 62 Charged In Mob Roundups

    Federal and local authorities targeted the family once famously run with an iron fist by the late John Gotti Sr., saying they smashed its leadership and solved seven homicides, including the 1976 slaying of a court officer poised to testify against the mob and the 1990 murder of a security guard during an airport heist.

    "Today we seek justice for those men and their families and we make clear that those crimes and those victims are not forgotten," said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell.

    Raids captured almost 60 alleged Gambino made men and associates, including the family's acting boss, John "Jackie the Nose" D'Amico. However, powerful capo Nicky "Little Nick" Corrozo avoided the dragnet and is now a fugitive, authorities said.

    Among those also caught: underboss Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalo, consigliere Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo, Gotti Sr.'s brother Vincent Gotti, nephew Richard Gotti and soldier Charles Carneglia, accused of killing 26-year-old court officer Albert Gelb and security guard Jose Delgado-Rivera, authorities said.

    "Carneglia, a Gambino soldier, has murdered at least five people who crossed him or the organization," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

    The sweeping 170-page indictment slaps a host of murder, conspiracy, racketeering, extortion, drug dealing, bribery and gambling charges on the family based on information provided by an informant and secretly made recordings, said New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

    "This case is noteworthy not only because of its breadth but also because it includes charges against the entire administration of the Gambino family of La Cosa Nostra," Cuomo said.

    Notably left out of this case was the late Gotti's son, John "Junior" Gotti, who has adamantly claimed that he left the mafia life years ago. Last November, he threw a public tirade on the steps of the White Plains courthouse, claiming that officials had spread false rumors that he become a turncoat.

    Three of the seven murder victims described in this indictment were not in the mafia, said Mark Mershon, head of the New York FBI office, adding, "It's a fallacy to think organized crime murders occur within the closed shop."

    Among them was court officer Albert Gelb, who in February 1975 saw Gambino soldier Carneglia with a gun inside a Queens diner, which led to his arrest, officials said. Just days before the 26-year-old Gelb was set to testify, Carneglia allegedly shot him multiple times on March 11, 1976, as he parked his car in Queens on the way home from church, officials said.

    Carneglia is also accused of gunning down and robbing security guard Delgado-Rivera as he was delivering cash to the American Airlines Terminal at John. F. Kennedy Airport, officials said.

    Several of the charges relate to alleged mob shakedowns at construction sites, including the Staten Island ferry, the Third Avenue water tunnel and the Bronx Croton filtration plant.

    Authorities timed Thursday's Gambino arrests with mafia busts in Italy of alleged members suspected of drug dealing on both sides of the Atlantic, officials said.

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    Investigative Team

    Emmy award-winning reporter Jonathan Dienst is a member of News 4 New York's investigative reporting team.
  • Jonathan Dienst's Bio & Reports