New Jersey Men Indicted In Large-Scale Mob Murder Bust

Nineteen members of the Lucchese crime family were indicted Wednesday and will face charges for various crimes such as murder, extortion, money laundering and the importation and distribution of contraband, according to a federal indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Those indicted included four men with New Jersey ties: Brian Vaughan, 51, of Matawan; Carmine Garcia, 65, of Hawthorne; Matthew Madonna, 81, who is currently jailed in Trenton; and Joseph DiNapoli, 81, of the Bronx.

The indictment covers actions by the Luchese family committed between 2000 until May of this year, federal prosecutors said, but many of those indicted were long-time members of the mafia. Steven Crea Sr., who was the underboss; DiNapoli, the consiglieri and Madonna had long careers in the Luchese family, spanning decades, according to law enforcement officials.

Madonna, who was the Lucchese family acting boss, and DiNapoli were indicted in 2010 for racketeering, leading an organized New Jersey-based crime ring and other crimes by a state grand jury as part of "Operation Heat," according to the New Jersey attorney general's office. Madonna and DiNapoli have been serving prison sentences after pleading guilty to charges from "Operation Heat.

Several of the accused Lucchese members arrested had colorful nicknames such as Paul "Paulie Roast Beef" Cassano, James "Jimmy the Jew" Maffucci and Joseph "Joey Glasses" Datello — all considered "soldiers" of the family.

Fifteen of the defendants charged were taken into custody on Wednesday. Several Lucchese family mobsters who were arrested were also implicated in the November 2013 killing of notorious mob hitman Michael Meldish, according to the federal indictment.

Meldish was found shot dead in a car near Baisley and Ellsworth avenues in the Bronx. The indictment claimed Madonna, Crea Sr., Steven Crea Jr. and Christopher Londonio and Terrence Caldwell were involved in the murder.

Federal prosecutors also tied the Lucchese enterprise to the murders of two Bonanno crime family members in 2012 and 2013 and the attempted murder of a witness in 2016.

All defendants arrested were scheduled to appear in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy on Wednesday. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Cathy Seibel, who will hold an initial conference on Thursday at 2 p.m.

“As today’s charges demonstrate, La Cosa Nostra remains alive and active in New York City, but so does our commitment to eradicate the mob’s parasitic presence," Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said.
"We have charged 19 members and associates of the Luchese Crime Family, including its entire administration – the street boss, underboss and consigliere – with serious racketeering offenses. The defendants allegedly used violence and threats of violence, as the mob always has, to make illegal money, to enforce discipline in the ranks, and to silence witnesses. The mob members and associates charged today will answer for their alleged misdeeds in a court of law.”

Madonna's career in organized crime goes all the way back to the 50s. Through the 60s and 70s Madonna engaged in a scheme to import and distribute heroin with infamous Harlem drug lord Nicky Barnes, according to a Daily News article from 1999. Madonna would park a car full of heroin in a Manhattan parking lot, which would be picked up by Barnes. After distributing the drugs, Barnes would fill the car with cash and return it to Madonna, according to the article. The operation lasted until Madonna's arrest in 1975, according to the Daily News.

Here's a full list of the Luchese family members indicted Wednesday:

• Matthew Madonna, 81, Incarcerated
• Steven "Wonder Boy" Crea Sr., 69, of Crestwood, N.Y.
• Joseph DiNapoli, 81, Bronx, N.Y.
• Steven Crea Jr., 45, New Rochelle, NY
• Dominic "Dom" Truscello, 83, Staten Island, N.Y.
• John "Big John" Castelucci, 57, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Tindaro "Tino" Corso, 56, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Joseph Venice, 56, Yonkers, N.Y.
• James "Jimmy the Jew" Maffucci, 69, Manhattan, N.Y.
• Joseph "Big Joe," "Joey Glasses" Datello, 66, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Christopher Londonio, 43, Incarcerated
• Paul "Paulie Roast Beef" Cassano, 38, Yonkers, N.Y.
• Terrence "T" Caldwell, 59, Incarcerated
• Vincent Bruno, 33, Incarcerated
• Brian Vaughan, 51, Matawan
• Carmine "Spanish Carmine" Garcia, 65 Hawthorne
• Richard O'Connor, 63, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Robert Camilli, 60, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
• John Incatasciato, 42, Elmsford, N.Y.

La Cosa Nostra operates through entities known as “families.” In the New York City area, those families include the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonanno, Colombo and Decavalcante families, according to federal prosecutors. Each family operates through groups of individuals known as “crews” and “regimes.” Each “crew” has as its leader, a person known as a “caporegime,” “capo,” “captain” or “skipper,” who is responsible for supervising the criminal activities of his crew and providing “soldiers” and associates with support and protection. In return, the capo typically receives a share of the illegal earnings of each of his crew’s soldiers and associates.

See the full federal indictment below:

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Written by Brendan Krisel /Patch National Staff, with additional reporting by Michael Woyton/Patch Staff

NJ Attorney General's Office photo from Operation Heat