14 Mobsters Charged In Mafia Takedown, Feds Say

NEW YORK CITY — A sprawling mafia takedown unveiled Tuesday aims to effectively decapitate the leadership of one of La Cosa Nostra’s “Five Families,” federal authorities said.

Handcuffs clicked around the wrists of Colombo family boss Andrew "Mush" Russo, 87, and 12 other accused mobsters on Tuesday morning, authorities said. One reputed mobster remains at large.

The arrests stem from a slew of charges, from labor racketeering to extortion and money laundering, outlined in 45-page criminal indictment. Many charges relate to what authorities called a long-running effort to infiltrate and take control of a Queens-based labor union.

Mobsters demanded and received part of the salary of a senior union official, according to court documents. The official paid up after being subjected to threats, one of which is detailed in a document.

“I’ll put him in the ground right in front of his wife and kids, right in front of his f-----g house, you laugh all you want pal, I’m not afraid to go to jail, let me tell you something, to prove a point?" one accused mobster said, according to the document. "I would f-----g shoot him right in front of his wife and kids, call the police, f--k it, let me go, how long you think I’m gonna last anyway?"

The 19-count indictment not only covers Russo, but also Benjamin “Benji” Castellazzo, 83, and Ralph DiMatteo, 66, the family's respective underboss and the consigliere, authorities said.

Other Colombo captains, soldiers and associates, along with an alleged Bonanno family soldier, also face charges.

The accusations largely center around crimes in Queens, but the defendants mostly hail from Long Island.

“Today’s charges describe a long-standing, ruthless pattern by the administration of the Colombo crime family, its captains, members and associates, of conspiring to exert control over the management of a labor union by threatening to inflict bodily harm on one of its senior officials and devising a scheme to divert and launder vendor contract funds from its health care benefit program," Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, acting United States attorney, said in a statement. "In addition, for their own enrichment, the defendants conspired to engage in extortionate loansharking, money laundering and fraud, as well as drug trafficking."

Arraignments in the case were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors argued the defendants should be held without bail because of their repeated threats of violence and criminal acts.

Andrew Russo Et Al. Indictment by Matt Troutman

Andrew Russo Et Al. Detention Letter by Matt Troutman on Scribd

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