Mob son says he's not in the "family business", files suit over ouster
Hey, yo! I ain't no mobster.
An ousted cement-workers union official whose dad and grandfather were full-fledged Colombo gangsters swears he's not in that family -- and is suing his former bosses for lumping him in with his criminal kin.
Ralph Scopo charged he was stripped of his position in Concrete Workers Local 6A by a "kangaroo court" because he shares the family name with his grandfather, Ralph "Little Ralphie" Scopo, who died in prison while serving a 100-year sentence, and his father, Ralph Scopo Jr., another Colombo member.
"Not only have I never engaged in criminal activity, but the FBI has confirmed that on more than one occasion," he said yesterday.
Scopo, 41, who began his career as a construction worker, rose through the ranks of Local 6A to hold posts including business manager and secretary treasurer. He said he was evaluated as doing "a great job" by the local's parent, Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA).
But in March, Scopo and the local's whole executive board were ousted and the local was placed under a trusteeship by LIUNA, which claimed the union was owned "lock, stock and cement mixer" by the Colombos.
"I'm not my father. I'm not my grandfather. I felt I was going to get a fair decision based on my history in the union," Scopo told The Post.
But, he said, "They used double and triple hearsay," allegedly from mob informants. "I thought they would see through all that."
Scopo filed a federal suit in Central Islip, LI, on Thursday against the local, the international and others alleging he was ousted on trumped-up charges involving a vacation-check scam, when it was really all about his last name.
"The sins of the father should not be borne by the son," said his attorney, Peter Famighetti.
Efforts to get a union response to the suit were unsuccessful.
Ties between Colombos -- including the Scopos -- and the cement-workers union stretch back decades. Scopo's grandfather was reported to be a Colombo consigliere while president of the union.
His uncle, Joseph Scopo, was a former vice president of Local 6A when he was gunned down in a mob war in 1993.
Scopo said he was overwhelmed by being ousted.
"I feel devastated," he said. "I'm suffering from chronic osteoarthritis pain. I've suffered enough pain."
An ousted cement-workers union official whose dad and grandfather were full-fledged Colombo gangsters swears he's not in that family -- and is suing his former bosses for lumping him in with his criminal kin.
Ralph Scopo charged he was stripped of his position in Concrete Workers Local 6A by a "kangaroo court" because he shares the family name with his grandfather, Ralph "Little Ralphie" Scopo, who died in prison while serving a 100-year sentence, and his father, Ralph Scopo Jr., another Colombo member.
"Not only have I never engaged in criminal activity, but the FBI has confirmed that on more than one occasion," he said yesterday.
RALPH SCOPO
Family in Mafia.
Family in Mafia.
But in March, Scopo and the local's whole executive board were ousted and the local was placed under a trusteeship by LIUNA, which claimed the union was owned "lock, stock and cement mixer" by the Colombos.
"I'm not my father. I'm not my grandfather. I felt I was going to get a fair decision based on my history in the union," Scopo told The Post.
But, he said, "They used double and triple hearsay," allegedly from mob informants. "I thought they would see through all that."
Scopo filed a federal suit in Central Islip, LI, on Thursday against the local, the international and others alleging he was ousted on trumped-up charges involving a vacation-check scam, when it was really all about his last name.
"The sins of the father should not be borne by the son," said his attorney, Peter Famighetti.
Efforts to get a union response to the suit were unsuccessful.
Ties between Colombos -- including the Scopos -- and the cement-workers union stretch back decades. Scopo's grandfather was reported to be a Colombo consigliere while president of the union.
His uncle, Joseph Scopo, was a former vice president of Local 6A when he was gunned down in a mob war in 1993.
Scopo said he was overwhelmed by being ousted.
"I feel devastated," he said. "I'm suffering from chronic osteoarthritis pain. I've suffered enough pain."
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