East Haven Man Among Federal Mob Crackdown: Indictment

EAST HAVEN, CT — An East Haven man is among 46 people who were arrested as part of a wide-ranging mafia bust, according to a federal indictment.

Eugene "Rooster" Onofrio was involved in a number of illegal behaviors including loansharking, according to the indictment.

Onofrio is part of the Genovese crime family and is in charge of groups in Springfield and Mulberry Street in New York, according to the Hartford Courant.

The indictment listed 46 people as members of the "East Coast LCN Enterprise," which engaged in crimes including extortion, arson, fraud, firearms trafficking and illegal gambling, among other crimes. In this case, LCN stands for "La Cosa Nostra," another way of saying "the mafia."

The indictment stated that the criminal enterprise operated along the East Coast including in New York City, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Florida. The enterprise was composed of members of the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonanno and the Philadelphia Organized Crime Family, according to the federal indictment.

"The charges applied today to these 46 individuals deal a significant blow to La Cosa Nostra, which the NYPD is committed to putting out of business," said NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. "As alleged, in typical mob fashion, the rackets ran from Springfield to South Florida and left no scheme behind. These mobsters seemed to use every scheme known to us, from arson, to shake-downs, violence, health care fraud, and even untaxed cigarettes to keep the racket going."

Of those arrested, 27 resided in New York, four in New Jersey, two in Massachusetts, seven in Florida, three in prison, one in Costa Rica, one in Connecticut and one alleged mobster's residence was listed as "unknown."

"Today’s charges against 46 men, including powerful leaders, members and associates of five different La Cosa Nostra families, demonstrate that the mob remains a scourge on this city and around the country," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

Additional reporting by Brendan Krisel (Patch National Staff)