And just like that, the much-publicized federal racketeering conspiracy/extortion/drug case against 15 Philly Mobsters and associates is winding down without a trial and a flurry of guilty pleas.
In somewhat of a suprise move, popular former Mob Underboss Steve Mazzone is now scheduled for a “guilty plea hearing” later this month on charges stemming from the multi count indictment back in November 2020.
Mazzone’s brother, Salvatore “Sonny” Mazzone, has apparently also decided to enter a plea. He is also scheduled for a guilty plea hearing next week.
The Brothers Mazzone defense team had openly proclaimed throughout court proceedings and filings that they intended to go to trial in September after earlier attempts to work out a non-cooperating plea agreement failed to gain any traction with the local wise guys.
That all changed this week with the scheduling of those two guilty plea hearings. Lawyers for Steve Mazzone declined comment. No plea agreements have been filed yet by the government.
So far, none of the defendants who plead guilty or are scheduled to enter guilty pleas have decided to cooperate.
Two other co-defendants are expected to follow suit, bringing to 12 the number of defendants who either have or are expected to plead guilty. One defendant, Ken Arabia, passed away shortly after the indictments were announced.
The case against two final defendants, Daniel Malatesta Sr. and Joseph “Joey Electric” Servidio, are pending court action as of this date.
Mazzone was caught on tape with a number of others as the local Mob conducted a Mob induction ceremony at a home in South Philadelphia back in October 2015. The entire ceremony was caught on secretly recorded tapes by a wiseguy turned cooperator who was actually made during that Fall induction ceremony.
Fast-rising South Philly Wiseguy and Capo Domenic Grande was also caught on tape at that same ceremony and in several drug deals. He plead guilty last month to racketeering conspiracy and drug charges during a 30-minute hearing before federal court Judge Barclay Surrick in Philadelphia.
The 43-year-old Grande has been under house arrest since December 2020 after he was indicted along with 14 others on federal charges along with Mazzone.
A copy of Grande’s Plea Agreement obtained by Mobtalksitdown,com calls for Grande to serve 78 months or 6.5 years in federal prison. Grande is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2nd, so he gets to spend the Summer at home on modified house arrest.
There’s no word on what sentences the Mazzone brothers will face, but mob sources say Mazzone will do no more than 5 years. His brother Sonny no more than 2 years. The defense and prosecutors are not commenting.
Grande’s attorney, Brian McMonagle declined comment. The plea agreement says Grande was looking at a possible sentence of up to 20 years if he was convicted on the racketeering and drug counts. This is Grande’s first federal conviction.
Street sources say Grande had been discussing a potential plea deal for a while now but would only consider a deal if the agreed upon sentence amounted to 7 years or less in federal prison. No word on whether higher ups in the Philly Mob were consulted about Grande’s potential plea deal.
Grande was scheduled to go to trial in July along with three other defendants. Legal experts say Grande, a first-time offender, could have faced 10-15 years in federal prison on the drug counts alone if he went to trial and was found guilty. Grande was captured on secretly recorded tapes talking about alleged drug deals with a cooperating witness and others. Those tapes are said to be potentially damaging to Grande if played for a jury.
Drug defendant John Michael Payne, who was set to stand trial with Grande, changed his plea to guilty back on March 29th in connection with the drug charges against him.
Mazzone and four others were set for trial in September, pending any possible plea deals in their case, which does not include any drug counts.
Mob sources say Mazzone had been waiting to see if Grande took a deal before deciding whether to enter serious plea negotiations with federal prosecutors.
The Grande plea came after months of speculation as to whether a “good deal” would be offered to Grande or Mazzone in this case. It comes as thousands of pages of discovery, along with tape recorded conversations were released to defense attorneys and the defendants.
According to a document released several months ago, a confidential source recorded Grande back on July 4, 2016 in Atlantic City while they were talking about the mob’s involvement in cocaine deals, the source telling Grande he was about to “make a move.”
The source told Grande he wasn’t going to transport the drugs from Point A to Point B and wanted to “distance himself” , to which Grande responded “right.”
At one point the just released transcript says Grande lowered his voice and whispered, “You’ve got to be careful.”
The confidential informant tells Grande that he has a guy who can get bricks of cocaine. He went on to say that he wouldn’t do anything without “”letting you know first”. To which Grande responded, “I just want you to be careful.”
The informant continues by saying “I’m taking my time, I won’t make a move without checking with you.” Grande allegedly said,”Do what you got to do.”
Ironically, the warning Grande gave to the confidential source is eerily similar to a warning Mob Boss Joey Merlino once gave to FBI informant and Mob Captain Ron Previte in the late 1990s when he was trying to engage members of the Boston Mob in cocaine deals in Beantown. Merlino, not knowing Previte was working with the FBI, warned Previte saying, “Watch out up There. That’s a bad pinch. Be careful.”
The “bad pinch” the government contended meant drug charges if Previte and the Boston wise guys got busted. They subsequently got charged with drug counts in a wide sweeping racketeering indictment. Previte eventually testified against Merlino and the others, but Merlino, however, beat the charges at his trial here in Philadelphia on the Boston drug charges.
The release of these tape recordings comes as half a dozen mob associates charged in this latest racketeering indictment have either plead guilty or have hearings set to plead guilty in upcoming weeks. There’s been no word if Grande or Steve Mazzone, the reputed underboss, are trying to negotiate a plea deal with federal prosecutors
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have not commented at this point.
Here’s more on the Tapes in this case from a prior article posted on Mobtalksitdown.com about Grande and one time Mob Underboss Steven Mazzone:
For years they could often be seen together around South Philadelphia, laughing and joking on street corners, looking like the closest of friends, fellow Mobsters Steven Mazzone and Domenic Grande.
Mazzone, the one time alleged Underboss and Grande, an up and coming young Capo often seen as a possible leader of the local Mob in the future, were almost inseparable some days. But now a federal judge’s ruling may separate the two sharp looking wiseguys as they head to trial next Spring in the latest Racketeering Conspiracy case against the Philly Mob.
This week, Judge Barclay Surrick told defense attorneys and prosecutors he wants three separate trials for the 14 remaining defendants in the case due to the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. The judge told both sides to try and work out how the defendants would be grouped for trial sometime next Spring. And that may lead to Mazzone and Grande going their separate ways in this case that took five years for the FBI to build.
Mazzone is targeted in the indictments as one of the leaders of the Philly Mob, described in the indictments as the one time underboss. He is charged with racketeering conspiracy, gambling and loansharking counts.
Grande on the other hand is charged with racketeering conspiracy, loansharking and serious drug offenses. In court papers, Prosecutors have pointed to secretly recorded conversations of both mobsters.
Mazzone on tape allegedly giving marching orders to newly inducted mobsters at a Oct. 15, 2015 tape recorded Mob Induction ceremony and post ceremony dinner. Grande at the same ceremony and in separate and very damaging conversations regarding alleged drug dealing.
Although defense attorneys and prosecutors are not yet commenting on which defendants should be tried together, it is expected that Mazzone’s lawyers could argue not to try Mazzone and his good friend Grande together. You see Mazzone is not charged with any drug counts in the indictment, and sitting him next to Grande at trial, could hurt Mazzone, especially with those damaging drug tapes being used against Grande.
Grande’s lawyer could likewise argue that the damaging tapes of Mazzone giving orders to fellow wiseguys at the Mob making ceremony and afterwards could hurt Grande at trial. We’ll have to see which direction defense attorneys head.
Prosecutors also haven’t commented, but are expected to ask the judge to group Mazzone, Grande, Mazzone’s brother, made guy Salvatore “Sonny” Mazzone, and Mob Soldier Joseph Servidio together as the highest ranking members of the racketeering conspiracy. Again no court papers have been filed as of this date.
Some background on the case:
Underworld sources tell Mobtalksitdown.com the October 2015 ceremony was held at a South Philadelphia location and allegedly conducted by acting Mob Street Boss Michael “Lance” Lancelotti., who was not indicted in last November’s 7-count federal indictment charging 15 local Mobsters and associates in a wide sweeping racketeering case.
Jerry Capeci from Gang Land News in New York first broke the details from inside the ceremony and who was there.
According to Capeci’s article, he has an FBI transcript that indicates Lancelotti, Mazzone, former Mob Boss and now consigliere Joe Ligambi, Mob Captains George Borgesi, John Ciancaglini and Dom Grande were present. According to Capeci, Mob soldiers Sonny Mazzone, Anthony Accardo and Anthony Borgesi were also in attendance along with 3-4 more unnamed wiseguys.
Sources indicate that two or three new Mob soldiers were initiated into the South Philly crime family at that making ceremony.
Capeci’s article and underworld sources say it was Lancelotti who was caught on tape by FBI informant Anthony Persiano as he himself was being initiated into the resurgent crime family. Again, Lancelotti is not charged in this case.
Prosecutors have not revealed who tape recorded the ceremony or who their cooperating witness is. They have successfully argued for a protective order so his identity would not be publicly revealed.
Previously released court documents indicated that during the ceremony these words were picked up by a secret recording device worn by a government informant.
“Now, you’ll use these, for us. Right?” while pointing to a gun and a knife. Lancelotti allegedly stated, according to Capeci. “If I betray this family, betray my friends, I’ll burn in hell forever.”
The new members were then formally introduced to the Philly LCN hierarchy and made members who were present and participating in the ceremony. That included Mazzone, who was noted as having the title of “Underboss” and was charged back in November as the highest ranking mobster in the case..
Sources say the bombshell tape transcripts reveal Lancelotti, Mazzone and Grande’s alleged participation in the Mob making ceremony where the new members of the LCN were made, including Mazzone’s brother Sonny. Grande was introduced as a new “Caporegime” or Capo during the ceremony.
The local wiseguys have long maintained, along with their lawyers, that being a member of the Mob unto itself is not a crime. They maintain it is no different than being a member of any other organzation. Federal prosecutors and investigators beg to differ.
Lancelotti has not been charged with any crimes. He did not face charges in at least three major Philly Mob cases brought by the FBI and the local U.S. Attorney in the last 21 years that have sent many of his South Philly pals to prison
Following the induction ceremony, Capeci and sources say, high ranking Philly wiseguys, including Lancelotti, Mazzone, Grande and the newly initiated Mobsters, attended a traditional celebration dinner at a local restaurant in Collingswood, N.J.
In a previously released court document, the FBI revealed that Mazzone stated, “Got to get a hold back on Atlantic City, buddy! That’s what I want. That’s what I want. We have to get that back.” Then later, when explaining the manner in which to establish LCN control over the area, Mazzone stated, “I don’t want nobody just glomming our f…king shit. You
know what I mean? You understand what I’m saying? But we’re still street guys. Let’s face it…We’re f….king, we’re gangsters. I mean, you know, I’m not going to let no sucker take that.”
The document says Mazzone then continued “to name specific known criminals who he wished the LCN to extort, named specific LCN members and associates through whom the LCN would exert control, and the manner in which local criminals would pay illegal proceeds to the LCN.”
In court documents involving Grande, federal prosecutors again revealed conversations involving Grande captured on tape by an undercover FBI informant.
Here is a segment of that released court document:
“For instance, Grande was recorded, extensively, directing the activities of others, including LCN members and associates, in an effort to extort local bookmakers and loan sharks into paying monies to the LCN. In that portion of the case, Grande instructed another LCN member to “plant the flag” of the LCN in the Atlantic City area and regain control of bookmakers and loan sharks. He acknowledged that associates had their “hooks into” the local criminals and that the local criminals had to either pair with the LCN or “get the f… out.”
During discussions of how to exert full control over the local criminals, Grande warned that because of their activities that they could soon “catch, like, an extortion beef.”
After a series of successful extortion attempts of local bookmakers, Grande was then recorded negotiating the manner in which an extorted bookmaker would split proceeds with the LCN. Grande provided contact information to the local bookmaker for the LCN bookmaking operation, run by codefendant Louis Barretta, and explained the manner in which the operation functioned. From there, Grande was later recorded collecting gambling debts, or making gambling payments, over 30 times.
Regarding loansharking, Grande said, “see, like, I’m a loan shark. . . . I could put out, like, $42,000 right now and I got to tell people, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’”
Grande then continued on the recordings to arrange several loan shark loans on his own behalf, and allegedly on behalf of Steve Mazzone, with an FBI informant. Both Grande and Mazzone were then recorded several times, allegedly accepting “juice”, or interest payments, and principal payments on those loan shark loans.
Grande was also recorded allegedly discussing drug trafficking. He was recorded telling an FBI informant to be “careful” when obtaining a kilogram of cocaine for sale, but that the informant should “do what you gotta do” in order to sell the drugs.
When speaking of obtaining and selling oxycodone and counterfeit oxycodone (made with heroin and fentanyl) Grande allegedly stated, “if you can get that man, I can f…ing move thousands of them. . . . You know these kids sell them for f…ing $20 a piece?”
Mazzone and Grande were charged in the 40-page, seven-count Racketeering indictment that included racketeering conspiracy, bookmaking, loansharking, extortionate extensions of credit, Hobbs Act violations as well as drug trafficking against Grande and Servidio.
Mazzone and Grande were arrested in early morning raids last November.
Those arrests, followed raids a week earlier just before 6 a.m. when “Sonny” Mazzone, along with four other associates were arrested in an ongoing federal racketeering investigation.
Steve Mazzone was arrested at his row home around 6 a.m. by a large group of FBI agents and Pennsylvania State Police. The arrest drew the attention of neighbors on the block as Mazzone was lead away by authorities.
Grande, 42, was arrested at his 17th Street home in Packer Park. FBI agents and State Troopers spent hours searching his home after he was lead away by investigators. Prosecutors have said more evidence was recovered at Grande’s home during their search.
His arrest was really no surprise, coming after a very public two and half year drug trafficking investigation in South Jersey and Philadelphia.
Grande is charged with RICO conspiracy and drug trafficking along with other charges.
Steve and Salvatore “Sonny” Mazzone are not charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
The defendants, if convicted, could face serious prison time, from five to 40 years.
