In May 2003, Angelo Mugnolo, owner of Sapienza’s Bagels, Deli and Restaurant, currently located on Cross Bay Boulevard, was shot several times as he was leaving for work, allegedly by Vincent and Richard Gotti and Angelo Ruggiero.
Five years later, the men, classified as “Gambino family soldiers” by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, are charged with conspiracy to murder and attempted murder.
In a stunning international sting, more than 60 mobsters, including the three men, were arrested last week in the United States and Sicily in what is being called the largest Mafia takedown in more than two decades.
Sixty-two members and associates of the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno crime families - including the Gambino family’s acting boss John (Jackie Nose) D’Amico; underboss, Domenico (The Greaseball) Cefalu, 61; and consigliere, Joseph (JoJo) Corozzo, 66 - were indicted on 80 counts of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, encompassing acts of murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, loan-sharking, illegal gambling, distribution of cocaine and marijuana, money laundering, mail fraud, bribery of labor officials, embezzlement of union funds, and theft of union benefits.
“NYPD vice detectives smashed a major Gambino gambling ring, and in partnership with the FBI, our Cold Case detectives tracked down killers whose victims, in some cases, were murdered decades ago,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
According to Cuomo, the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and its law enforcement partners developed an informant, identified in reports as Joseph Vollaro, owner of Andrews Trucking in Staten Island, who secretly recorded hundreds of the mobsters’ conversations - thousands of hours - that detailed 30 years of crimes, including eight acts of murder, murder conspiracy and attempted murder:
On March 11, 1976, Gelb’s body was discovered in the front seat of a car in Ozone Park with multiple gunshot wounds to his face and body, four days before the Brooklyn Criminal Court Officer was expected to testify at Carneglia’s trial.
The indictment also states that the Gambino family profited from extortion related rackets at construction sites in the New York City metropolitan area, including the proposed NASCAR construction site located in Staten Island and the Liberty View Harbor construction site located in Jersey City.
A Howard Beach resident reacted to the mob takedown with apathy.
“Like they’re in or they’re out,” he said. “They’re going to be here all the time. This is Howard Beach.”
Repeated calls to Mugnolo to find out his reaction to the arrests were not returned by press time.
Overseas, 23 mobsters in Sicily, with alleged relationships with the Gambino crime family, were also arrested.
