15 Charged For Philly-Area Mob Activities: Federal Authorities

PHILADELPHIA — Federal authorities have filed charged against more than a dozen people accused of being part of a South Philadelphia- and Southern New Jersey-based criminal organization.

United States Attorney William M. McSwain Monday said a superseding indictment was unsealed today against 15 defendants, including alleged members and associates of the South Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey-based criminal organization La Cosa Nostra, known as the "mafia" or the "mob."

Charges in the indictment include racketeering conspiracy, illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, and drug trafficking.

The defendants charged are Steven Mazzone, 56; Domenic Grande, 41; Joseph Servidio, 60; Salvatore Mazzone, 55; Joseph Malone, 70; Louis Barretta, 56; Victor DeLuca, 56; Kenneth Arabia, 67; Daniel Castelli, 67; Carl Chianese, 81; Anthony Gifoli, 73; John Romeo, 58; Daniel Malatesta, 75; Daniel Bucceroni, 66; and John Michael Payne, 34.

Court documents allege Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra is one of a number of La Cosa Nostra organized crime families. The purpose of the La Cosa Nostra in Philadelphia and elsewhere is to make money through the commission of various crimes, including illegal gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, and extortion, officials allege.

The Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra is operated through a defined hierarchical structure, court documents allege. That includes a Boss, an Underboss (defendant Steven Mazzone), and Captains (Grande), who oversee "crews" consisting of "soldiers" and "associates."

As detailed in the superseding indictment, soldiers are members of the family who have been formally initiated through a ritual called a "making ceremony," during which they swear allegiance to La Cosa Nostra above all else, take a vow of secrecy about the organization (the Code of Silence or "Omerta"), and agree to commit violence on behalf of the La Cosa Nostra, if necessary.

After this ceremony, these men (who must be of 100 percent Italian ancestry) are then referred to as "made members" of the La Cosa Nostra, officials allege. Associates are men who engage in criminal activity on behalf of La Cosa Nostra but who have not been formally "made," either because they are up-and-coming and aspire to full membership, or because they are ineligible to be made because they lack fully Italian ancestry, court documents said.

"Made" members and associates who break Omerta may be targeted for death by other members of the group.

As described in the court documents, the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra sought to use its reputation and influence to exercise control over criminal rackets, like bookmaking and loansharking in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic City.

Starting in August 2015, 10 of the people charged allegedly conspired to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra through both a pattern of racketeering activity and through the collection of unlawful debts, authorities said.

The remaining five defendants are charged with allegedly committing a variety of other offenses, including conducting an illegal gambling business, conspiracy to make extortionate extensions of credit, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in partnership with other members and associates of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra.

Authorities allege that on Oct. 15, 2015, Steven Mazzone, Domenic Grande and Salvatore Mazzone participated in a "making ceremony" described above in a South Philadelphia residence, during which several new "soldiers" were inducted into the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra.

The indictment alleges the members distributed of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and oxycodone pills; disbursed and collected of tens of thousands of dollars of unlawful bookmaking and other debts "owed" to the group at interest rates as high as 400 percent and are alleged to have conspired to kidnap or murder a drug dealer to protect the reputation of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra after the dealer sold members of the group fake drugs.