La Cosa Nostra Underboss Sentenced to 188 Months in Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 11, 2013 |
PHILADELPHIA—Joseph Massimino, 63, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy involving extortion, loan sharking, and illegal gambling. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno ordered three years of supervised release. Massimino must also pay a $5,000 fine.
On February 5, 2013, after a four-month trial, a jury convicted Massimino of conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) family through a pattern of racketeering activity. The evidence at trial proved that, in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, Massimino, as a “made” member and underboss, extorted “street tax” payments from a bookmaker, used threats of violence against debtors to collect loan sharking payments, and forced the owners of a vending company to sell the portion of their business related to the operation of illegal video poker machines. In addition, Massimino ran an illegal electronic gambling device business for the mob, providing video poker machines and other gambling devices for bars, restaurants, convenience stores, coffee shops, and other locations in Philadelphia and its suburbs. In one of these locations, Massimino also operated an illegal sports bookmaking business.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor, III and Suzanne B. Ercole and Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Gang Section. Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.