Cops bust NJ man in guilty conscience mob rat tale
The case of the New Jersey mob rat who killed his nemesis and then killed himself before he could testify for the feds took a shocking turn this morning when Garden State cops arrested another man in connection with the case, sources told The Post.
In a daring pre-dawn raid, SWAT cops from Essex County put the cuffs on a Union Township man identified as Jose "Lucky" Rivera, sources said.
Authorities believe Rivera "helped" Gambino family stool pigeon Nicholas “Nicky Skins” Stefanelli off Joseph Rossi Sr. at Rossi's Bloomfield business on Feb. 24.
Charges have not been made public and both the cops and feds were keeping a tight lid on information this morning.
Officials would not even say where the arrested man was being held.
Stefanelli had been working with the feds for two years after he and his son, Nicholas Jr., were arrested on drug charges two years ago. The mobster blamed Rossi for the arrest that led him to become a turncoat.
Feds said Stefanelli shot Rossi in cold blood. He was found at a Meadowlands hotel two days later after apparently killing himself.
Sources told The Post that Stefanelli had paid for his own funeral before killing Rossi. At the time of his death, Stefanelli was being prepped to take the witness stand in an untold number of mob cases from Manhattan to Philadelphia.
Feds last night were still trying to figure out how many of those cases are now at risk of collapsing because of the death of a star witness.
Authorities would not say this morning what role they believe Rivera played in the Rossi hit, just that Stefanelli was "not alone" in committing the crime.
Prosecutors declined to comment.
In a daring pre-dawn raid, SWAT cops from Essex County put the cuffs on a Union Township man identified as Jose "Lucky" Rivera, sources said.
Authorities believe Rivera "helped" Gambino family stool pigeon Nicholas “Nicky Skins” Stefanelli off Joseph Rossi Sr. at Rossi's Bloomfield business on Feb. 24.
Charges have not been made public and both the cops and feds were keeping a tight lid on information this morning.
Officials would not even say where the arrested man was being held.
Stefanelli had been working with the feds for two years after he and his son, Nicholas Jr., were arrested on drug charges two years ago. The mobster blamed Rossi for the arrest that led him to become a turncoat.
Feds said Stefanelli shot Rossi in cold blood. He was found at a Meadowlands hotel two days later after apparently killing himself.
Sources told The Post that Stefanelli had paid for his own funeral before killing Rossi. At the time of his death, Stefanelli was being prepped to take the witness stand in an untold number of mob cases from Manhattan to Philadelphia.
Feds last night were still trying to figure out how many of those cases are now at risk of collapsing because of the death of a star witness.
Authorities would not say this morning what role they believe Rivera played in the Rossi hit, just that Stefanelli was "not alone" in committing the crime.
Prosecutors declined to comment.
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