White Collar Crime News

Superseding Indictment Unsealed Charging Luchese and Bonanno Captains, Soldier, and Associates Variously with Racketeering February 26, 2010

An 18-count superseding indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging nine defendants variously with racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and other crimes relating to their involvement with the Luchese and/or Bonanno organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra. 

According to the indictment and a detention memorandum filed by the government, Mannone is a captain in the Bonanno family; Caramelli is a Bonanno associate; Domenico Cutaia is a captain and Profeta is an acting captain in the Luchese family; Salvatore Cutaia is a soldier in the Luchese family; and Joseph Cutaia and Eric Maione are associates of the Luchese family. The charges include counts pertaining to Mannone, Caramelli, Profeta, Salvatore Cutaia, and others, engaging in extortionate means to collect money from three individuals involved in a gambling operation run by Caramelli. During recorded conversations, Mannone and Caramelli, with support from Profeta and Salvatore Cutaia, threatened the individuals with physical harm for failing to repay their debt. In one conversation, Caramelli, acting at the direction of Mannone, was recorded threatening one of the victims—“Tomorrow, all [expletive] is going to break loose. I thought you were going to call with something significant and that was going to be the missing element…but that’s not the case so, there’s nothing really I can do…he [Mannone] already made the decision this is not gonna end good.”

The Defendants include:

NICHOLAS BERNARDO
Age: 25

JEROME CARAMELLI, also known as “Jerry”
Age: 40

JOHN PAUL CRUZ
Age: 29

DOMENICO CUTAIA
Age: 74

JOSEPH CUTAIA, also known as “Joey,” “Joseph DeGerolamo” and “The Kid”
Age: 32

SALVATORE CUTAIA, also known as “Sal”
Age: 50

ERIC MAIONE
Age: 34

ANTHONY MANNONE, also known as “Anthony from Elmont” and “Anthony from the Five Towns”
Age: 70

CARLO PROFETA
Age: 68