Eleven Defendants Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy Related to Bonanno Organized Crime Family
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 21, 2009 |
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Miami Regional Office, Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Ric L. Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, announced today that the Indictment of defendants Thomas Fiore, 46, of Boynton Beach, FL; Pasquale Rubbo, 43, of Coral Springs, FL, Frank D’Amato, 48, of West Palm Beach, FL, Joseph Rubbo, 45, of Coral Springs, FL, Kenneth Dunn, 44, of Boca Raton, FL, Billie Robertson, 34, of Boynton Beach, FL, Nicholas Fiore, 49, of Boca Raton, FL, Lee Klein, 39, of Boynton Beach, FL, Marc Broder, 42, of Coral Springs, FL, Daniel Young, 57, of Delray Beach, FL, and Guy Alessi, 81, of Delray Beach, FL, on one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d).
Nine of the eleven made their initial appearances in court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Seltzer. Defendant Pasquale Rubbo was already in federal custody and did not appear today. Defendant Frank D’Amato was arrested out of District and made his initial appearance in Fort Myers, where he agreed to be removed to the Southern District of Florida. The Court scheduled a bond hearing at 2:45 p.m. today as to defendants Billie Robertson, Daniel Young, and Joseph Rubbo. The Court scheduled a separate bond hearing for tomorrow, May 22, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. as to defendants Marc Broder, Lee Klein, and Kenneth Dunn. Lastly, the Court scheduled a pre-trial detention hearing as to defendants Thomas Fiore, Nicholas Fiore, and Guy Alessi for Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.
According to the Indictment, from in or around 2007 through the date of the Indictment, the defendants were employed by or were associates with a criminal enterprise, that is, a crew of criminals associated with the Bonanno Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra, commonly referred to as the Mafia.
The Indictment alleges that four of the defendants, Thomas and Nicholas Fiore, Pasquale, and Joseph Rubbo were on supervised release or probation, having previously been convicted of engaging in criminal activities with leaders and associates of the Bonanno Crime Family. The Indictment further alleges that the defendants conspired to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity that included conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, money laundering, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, fraud in connection with access devices, extortion, interstate transportation of stolen property, trafficking in contraband cigarettes, obstruction of justice, arson and solicitation to commit murder, among other crimes.
Specifically, the Indictment charges that defendant Thoms Fiore is a non-member associate of the Bonanno Crime Family, in charge of the South Florida operations. Fiore allegedly supervised and directed the activities of the members of the criminal crew, including the conspiracy to launder proceeds generated from the illegal manufacture and negotiation of fraudulent checks, the sale of identification documents, the trafficking in stolen consumer goods, the extortion of business owners by threats of violence, fraud against insurance providers and the Medicare Program, obstruction of a federal investigation and Florida state court proceeding, arson of a commercial building, acts of violence in exchange for monetary payment and conspiracy to commit murder.
According to the Indictment, an F.B.I. undercover agent infiltrated the criminal crew purporting to be a corrupt businessman with connection to corrupt bankers and foreign bank accounts. The defendants solicited the undercover agent’s help in connection with the negotiation of fraudulent checks, the laundering of criminally derived proceeds through foreign bank accounts, the distribution of narcotics, including oxycodone illegally obtained from pain management clinics, the sale of large quantities of stolen consumer goods (including plasma televisions and contraband cigarettes), and the sale of unauthorized identification documents (including social security numbers and health and life insurance applications). In addition, the Indictment alleges that members of the criminal crew used threats of force and violence, including conspiracy to commit murder, to advance the objectives of the enterprise.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, ATF, HHS-OIG, the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office in connection with the investigation of this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Paul F. Schwartz.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.