NYC settles final lawsuits linked to Mafia Cops
The final tab is official — the murderous NYPD Mafia Cops have cost taxpayers a whopping $18.4 million to settle seven lawsuits with the families of their innocent and mobbed-up slay victims.
The remaining five civil cases were wrapped up this week with a total payout of $8.4 million to the survivors of two Gambino made men, two Lucchese mobsters and a mob-connected painters' union leader.
"These settlements bring to a close incidents that occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s involving two rogue detectives acting at the behest of organized crime," said a city Law Department spokesman. "In light of court rulings during the litigation, it was in the city's best interest to settle these cases."
Federal Judge Raymond Dearie had ruled the case should go to trial because there was sufficient evidence that the victims would not have been whacked had then-NYPD Commissioner Benjamin Ward booted Louis Eppolito off the force in 1984 when the corrupt detective was caught red-handed leaking confidential information to a mobster.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs deposed former police officials involved in Eppolito's disciplinary case including a retired Supreme Court justice, a former deputy commissioner, NYPD lawyers and investigators — and could not solve the mystery of Eppolito beating the charges despite an mountain of evidence against him.
Stephen Caracappa (l.) and Eppolito were on the payroll of the Lucchese crime family for years and personally carried out some hits.
"I think the people we questioned, other than those who couldn't remember, were so afraid that this could come back to haunt them in a bad way," said lawyer Mark Longo who represented the mother of mistaken identity murder victim Nicholas Guido whose lawsuit settled for $5 million.
The city agreed to pay $1.85 million to the estate of Lucchese soldier Anthony DiLapi; $1.8 million to Lucchese associate John "Otto" Heidel; $1.75 million to painter's union head and informant James Bishop; $1.5 million each to Gambino capo Edward Lino and soldier Bartholomew "Bobby" Borriello. The wife of diamond dealer Israel Greenwald received $5 million.
Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were on the payroll of the Lucchese crime family for years, providing information on the victims to underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, and they personally carried out some of the hits.
They are both convicted of eight murders and are serving life sentences — while still collecting their NYPD pensions.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nypd-mafia-cops-lawsuits-finally-settled-article-1.2341014
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