Violent jail recordings keep associate behind bars
Allegations of guns, gangs and gangsters kept Richard Luthmann's co-defendant in the joint the first time.
This time, vicious jailhouse rantings and ravings have secured his spot in the slammer.
George Padula III, 29, the Staten Island man indicted in the scrap-metal scheme with the controversial lawyer, was again denied bail Friday after a hearing in Brooklyn federal court.
The defendant, who is charged with wire fraud, aggravated identify theft, and money laundering conspiracy, was caught on a series of prison calls threatening his lawyer, another inmate and a government witness, according to recent court filings by the U.S. Attorney.
In a Dec. 28 call, Padula is talking to his mother about how there's no way to beat the charges when he suddenly becomes irate when another inmate walks by him.
"If this guy walks past me one more time I'm going to smash his f------ head open," Padula said, according to allegations in the detention memo. The defendant then turns to the other inmate and allegedly says, "Yeah you, c---sucker."
In a few January calls, Padula allegedly fumes he's going to "snap" on his attorney, and threatens to choke him.
"This guy's lucky on the next visit I don't f------ just pummel him," Padula allegedly said in the Jan. 8 recording. "I'm gonna explode . . . I'm gonna snap . . . son of a f------ b----," he said during another conversation.
He then turns his wrath to the woman he believes is the government's confidential source.
He allegedly goes on, "All he had to . .. was say hey look it's not true we're not . . . It doesn't matter to anybody because it's only going to make things worse for me. A lot worse."
"You know I'm tired of being in the trenches for everyone else," he adds.
GUNPLAY
In 2012, Padula was busted for gun trafficking after he allegedly sold two firearms and ammunition to a cooperating witness, who is a former associate of the Colombo organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra, prosecutors said.
Padula and his father where caught on tape discussing alleged illegal activity with the witness, including selling firearms, plans to purchase cheap cigarettes from Indian reservations, put counterfeit tax stamps on them and sell them to delis in New York City, the memo alleges.
In another call with the ex-Colombo associate, authorities claim Padula admitted to shooting someone outside his house and lying to police about the incident. Before cops arrived at the scene, Padula allegedly went into his house and retrieved a bat and told the officers someone was shooting at him, according to court records.
"This statement along with the charged conduct, the guns found in the defendant's home and the other incidents where the defendant was seen with guns...demonstrate the defendant's dangerousness," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Kim Penza.
The defendant would allegedly brag about having guns in his house, saying he was "going to go collect money for the mob" and had to "put [his] bulletproof vest on."
Padula told government sources he had a Glock 9mm and hallow point bullets, which he called "cop-killer" bullets.
He allegedly said the prison term for having those bullets is "five years for each bullet," according to court records.
HOUSE SEARCH
During the raid of his Prince's Bay home, agents found a letter from reputed Luchese crime family associate Joseph Cutaia, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
In the letter, Cutaia promises that when Cutaia is released Padula will have it all- "Money GIRLS respect," prosecutors said.
Authorities found about 23 firearms, a ski mask, vest plates and tons of ammunition in the family's home.
Last month, Padula was denied bail for the weapons and his alleged mob ties.
His attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.
Padula's co-defendant, Michael Beck, was released on bail earlier this month.
Luthmann's bail hearing is still pending.
http://www.silive.com/news/2018/01/richard_luthmanns_accomplice.html
This time, vicious jailhouse rantings and ravings have secured his spot in the slammer.
George Padula III, 29, the Staten Island man indicted in the scrap-metal scheme with the controversial lawyer, was again denied bail Friday after a hearing in Brooklyn federal court.
The defendant, who is charged with wire fraud, aggravated identify theft, and money laundering conspiracy, was caught on a series of prison calls threatening his lawyer, another inmate and a government witness, according to recent court filings by the U.S. Attorney.
In a Dec. 28 call, Padula is talking to his mother about how there's no way to beat the charges when he suddenly becomes irate when another inmate walks by him.
"If this guy walks past me one more time I'm going to smash his f------ head open," Padula said, according to allegations in the detention memo. The defendant then turns to the other inmate and allegedly says, "Yeah you, c---sucker."
In a few January calls, Padula allegedly fumes he's going to "snap" on his attorney, and threatens to choke him.
"This guy's lucky on the next visit I don't f------ just pummel him," Padula allegedly said in the Jan. 8 recording. "I'm gonna explode . . . I'm gonna snap . . . son of a f------ b----," he said during another conversation.
He then turns his wrath to the woman he believes is the government's confidential source.
"I really can't wait to see her and spit in her face," he said in a Jan. 17 call, the court filing alleges.
In the recordings, Padula believes his
father, a city school teacher, who, according to the detainment memo
allegations, "clearly leads a double life," is at least partially to
blame for his current predicament.
"I'm pretty mad at Daddy. . . . ...And I do blame a lot of it on
Daddy because I told him years ago . . . 'Don't let on that we're, that
we, you know,'" he says during a rant to his mother, according to the
memo.He allegedly goes on, "All he had to . .. was say hey look it's not true we're not . . . It doesn't matter to anybody because it's only going to make things worse for me. A lot worse."
"You know I'm tired of being in the trenches for everyone else," he adds.
GUNPLAY
In 2012, Padula was busted for gun trafficking after he allegedly sold two firearms and ammunition to a cooperating witness, who is a former associate of the Colombo organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra, prosecutors said.
Padula and his father where caught on tape discussing alleged illegal activity with the witness, including selling firearms, plans to purchase cheap cigarettes from Indian reservations, put counterfeit tax stamps on them and sell them to delis in New York City, the memo alleges.
In another call with the ex-Colombo associate, authorities claim Padula admitted to shooting someone outside his house and lying to police about the incident. Before cops arrived at the scene, Padula allegedly went into his house and retrieved a bat and told the officers someone was shooting at him, according to court records.
"This statement along with the charged conduct, the guns found in the defendant's home and the other incidents where the defendant was seen with guns...demonstrate the defendant's dangerousness," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Kim Penza.
The defendant would allegedly brag about having guns in his house, saying he was "going to go collect money for the mob" and had to "put [his] bulletproof vest on."
Padula told government sources he had a Glock 9mm and hallow point bullets, which he called "cop-killer" bullets.
He allegedly said the prison term for having those bullets is "five years for each bullet," according to court records.
HOUSE SEARCH
During the raid of his Prince's Bay home, agents found a letter from reputed Luchese crime family associate Joseph Cutaia, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
In the letter, Cutaia promises that when Cutaia is released Padula will have it all- "Money GIRLS respect," prosecutors said.
Authorities found about 23 firearms, a ski mask, vest plates and tons of ammunition in the family's home.
Last month, Padula was denied bail for the weapons and his alleged mob ties.
His attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.
Padula's co-defendant, Michael Beck, was released on bail earlier this month.
Luthmann's bail hearing is still pending.
http://www.silive.com/news/2018/01/richard_luthmanns_accomplice.html
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