Topic category:  Other/General

by Jim Kouri, CPP

Two defendants -- one soldier and one capo of New York's Genovese Organized Crime Family -- pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court, before United States Magistrate Judge Henry Pitman, to conspiracy to commit murder and extortion.

According to documents filed in Manhattan federal court and the defendant's plea proceedings: Pasquale Deluca, a/k/a “Scop,” a soldier in the Genovese Organized Crime Family ("Genovese Crime Family"), pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Ralph Coppola.

In September of 1998, the then-Acting Boss of the Genovese Crime Family, Frank Serpico, a/k/a “Farby,” authorized the murder of Ralph Coppola, a Soldier in the Genovese Crime Family, with the consent of other leaders of the Family. Later the same month, at Serpico’s instruction, Deluca met with Coppola in the Bronx, New York. Following that meeting, Coppola was murdered by members and associates of the Genovese Crime Family.

During his guilty plea allocution, Deluca admitted belonging to the criminal enterprise described in the Information, namely the Genovese Crime Family, and that he helped to arrange a meeting in the Bronx between another participant in the conspiracy and Coppola, after which Coppola was killed.

Arthur Nigro, a capo in the Genovese Crime Family, pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with extortion. He and others used threats of violence and economic harm in an attempt to force the victim to rent a particular commercial property to Nigro and others at a below-market price.

Both defendants were originally charged in Manhattan federal court in an Indictment (United States v. Liborio S. Bellomo, et al., S1 06 Cr. 08 (LAK)) which charged 34 defendants -- including an Acting Boss and various members and associates of the Genovese Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra -- with wide-ranging racketeering crimes and other offenses spanning more than a decade, including: murder, violent extortions of various individuals and businesses, labor racketeering, obstruction of justice, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and firearms trafficking.

The Indictment targeted factions of the Genovese Crime Family based in the Bronx, East Harlem, and Westchester. The charges were the result of a Federal investigation that began in 2003, and a related investigation by state authorities in Westchester County that began in 2005. To date, 27 defendants have pleaded guilty.

These two defendants will be sentenced by the Honorable Lewis Kaplan; sentencing dates have not been set.

Deluca faces a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and maximum fine of $250,000. Nigro faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and maximum fine of $250,000.    

Jim Kouri
Chief of Police Magazine (Contributing Editor)

Biography - Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for a number of organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. Kouri holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and master of arts in public administration and he's a board certified protection professional.