Quiet Kenilworth neighborhood sees arrest of soldier in the Genovese crime family, three others in organized crime sweep
In the pre-dawn hours on a quiet residential street, just blocks from a high school and Catholic church, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested a borough man accused of being a soldier in the Genovese organized crime family as part of what is being hailed as one of the largest single-day crackdowns.
In the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 20, agents arrested 127 people accused of being members or associates of five crime families in the La Cosa Nostra, including 55-year-old Stephen “Beach” Depiro of Kenilworth and three other Kenilworth residents. A total of 15 New Jersey residents were arrested in the sweeping crackdown, accused of charges ranging from extorting dock workers to being part of an illegal gambling ring.
FBI agents arrested Depiro at a residential property on North 20th Street, and later released information that identified the man as a borough resident. A resident in the neighborhood who did not want to be identified said agents surrounded the area early this morning.
Depiro is charged with racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts of conspiring to extort International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members on the New Jersey piers, bookmaking, extortionate collection of credit, and illegal gambling.
Also charged in the massive roundup of supposed mafia associates was 41-year-old John “Lumpy” Hartmann, 32-year-old Guiseppe “Pepe” Pugliese, 32-year-old Tonino “Tony” Colantonio, all identified as Kenilworth residents.
Pugliese and Colantonio were both charged with illegal gambling conspiracy and illegal gambling. Hartmann was charged with bookmaking as part of an illegal gambling conspiracy and bookmaking in illegal gambling. FBI agents arrested Hartmann and Pugliese at residential properties in the borough while Colantonio was arrested in Roselle Park.
Documents released by the FBI and the Department of Justice today, Depiro managed the Genovese family’s illegal activities on the New Jersey piers. The documents further claim that Depiro oversaw the Genovese family’s long-standing conspiracy to extort ILA members each year during Christmas, when the longshoremen annually receive a portion of royalty payments paid by shipping companies using the ports of New York and New Jersey.
Depiro is also charged with racketeering conspiracy involving the collection of unlawful debt and charges relating to bookmaking and gambling.
Charges against Depiro carry a combined total of 90 years in prison if he convicted and each count also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.
Charges against Hartmann, Pugliese, and Colantonio carry a five-year prison sentence if convicted and a $250,000 maximum fine for each charge.
All four suspects were arraigned in federal court in Newark today
In a statement released after the arrests, Michael B. Ward, Special Agent In Charge of the Newark Division of the FBI said the charges were a reminder of existence of organized crime in New Jersey.
“It’s become almost cliché to link organized crime to New Jersey, with oft-repeated comments about the ‘Soprano State’ and bodies allegedly being buried in the Meadowlands. Today’s arrests will serve as a stark reminder that organized crime continues to operate in New Jersey through corruption, extortion, racketeering, and violence. Organized crime is not to be romanticized, but rather is now being targeted anew by the FBI in New Jersey by agents whose attention is focused on these groups 24/7.”
http://www.nj.com/cranford/index.ssf/2011/01/quiet_kenilworth_neighborhood.html
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