Mother, son with Mafia ties plead guilty to involvement in Taunton extortion ring

The wife and son of a Rhode Island mobster accused of shaking down bookies in Taunton for more than 20 years pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to charges of interstate extortion.
Anthony St. Laurent Jr., 44, and his mother, Dorothy St. Laurent, 71, entered their pleas as part of an agreement they reached last [...]

17 Indicted in Alleged Mob-Related Gambling Rings

Seventeen people were indicted Monday for allegedly taking part in illegal sports gambling rings believed to have mafia ties. Combined, the five operations generated $20 million a year, according the Kings County District Attorney’s office, which filed the charges.
“Illegal sports gambling is a cash cow for organized crime, and this case shines a bright light [...]

Songbird Son Slams Sonny; Mom: It’s Redemption For Both

A big hurdle the feds have to overcome in their prosecution of legendary gangster John (Sonny) Franzese is getting jurors to look past whatever disdain they acquired for the mobster’s spoiled-rotten, drug-addled, stool-pigeon son during his four days on the witness stand.
As distasteful as it may have been to listen to John Franzese Jr. spew [...]

Amanda Knox is innocent, jailed Italian mobster says his brother killed Meredith Kercher

“Foxy Knoxy” was framed.
That’s the tune an Italian mobster jailbird is singing, claiming his brother brutally murdered a female British college student, not American Amanda Knox.
Luciano Aviello, who is currently serving a 17-year sentence for his mafia ties, told Knox’s lawyers his brother Antonio slaughtered Meredith Kercher and asked him to hide the bloody knife [...]

Canadian Immigration rejects man and his mother for alleged Mafia ties

The government has told an Italian man living north of Toronto that he is ineligible to stay in Canada because they believe he is a member of the Mafia — along with his mother.
Adding meaning to the popular notation of a “Mafia family,” Antonio Coluccio, 40, was ruled ineligible for permanent residency after authorities said [...]

Scorsese’s Sinatra Movie focusing on Mafia ties

MARTIN SCORSESE has upset Frank Sinatra’s family with plans for a film focusing on the singer’s alleged Mafia links.
Tina Sinatra, the late singer’s daughter, is said to be unhappy with the ”dark direction” of the script, which also focuses on the less salubrious activities of the Rat Pack, and wants a more [...]

Russian ‘mafia’ marches on paradise

It was an influx of Russian tourists, businessmen and investors to the Caribbean island of Antigua that attracted the attention of United States law enforcement officials. When some of the Russians broke away from their groups and contacted local criminals with suspected Colombian or Sicilian mafia ties, the Americans’ suspicions about [...]

Beyond Gotti: New ways to make loot

The Gambino crime family has come home.
The gang of wiseguys that spawned John Gotti has returned to Brooklyn, the place where family boss Carlo Gambino gave his name to one of the world’s deadliest criminal enterprises.
The last time Brooklyn held such a distinction was when Gambino’s brother-in-law, Paul Castellano, headed the family. That ended in [...]