Tag Archives: new york crime

Blog, Criminal, Legal News, Organized Crime

Former Mafia killer Anthony Arillotta denies assault charge; accused of throwing lemonade carton at relative

By Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com

SPRINGFIELD — The region’s most notorious mafia killer was arrested Sunday and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly hurled a carton of lemonade at a female relative.

The dispute was over a sick dog, which a witness said Anthony J. Arillotta threatened to kill, according to court records.

Arillotta, 50, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Springfield District Court. Judge John McKenna set his bail at $500.

Assistant District Attorney Tyson Fung asked the judge to set bail at $2,500 cash, saying Arillotta, of Springfield, was on federal probation.

Arillotta was the federal government’s star witness in two separate mob murder trials in New York City in 2011 and 2012. He began cooperating with law enforcement shortly after his 2010 arrest, according to court filings and testimony.

In 2010 he pleaded guilty to the 2003 murders of former mentor Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno and his former brother-in-law, Gary Westerman, and the attempted murder of a New York union boss. He served an eight-year prison sentence and opted out of witness protection. Sources said he returned to Springfield in the spring of 2017.

At his arraignment Monday, McKenna set Sept. 25 as a “clarification of counsel” date, saying Arillotta does not qualify for a court-appointed lawyer. Kevin Riva, a private practice bar advocate who was representing multiple defendants in district court Monday, represented Arillotta at the arraignment only.

Riva said Arillotta was working full time, and that a family member was at court to post bail.

According to Riva’s account of the incident, Arillotta is allergic to dogs; a family member left a sick dog at the home, and he wanted it removed.

Read Full Article – https://www.masslive.com/springfield/2019/07/former-mafia-killer-anthony-arillotta-denies-assault-charge-accused-of-throwing-lemonade-carton-at-relative.html

Blog, Criminal

‘Goodfellas’ heist case could be last old-school Mafia trial

October 19, 2015 | 12:54pm

 

Accused “Goodfellas” mobster Vincent Asaro personally handed off a case stuffed with jewelry from the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist to future Bonanno boss Joey Massino, a witness testified Monday as the first ever trial in the long unsolved crime got underway in Brooklyn federal court.

Veteran mafia snitch Salvatore “Good Lookin’ Sal” Vitale took riveted jurors inside the more than $6 million heist that gained legendary status after its depiction in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film.

“When Joe got in the car he had the case that Vinny gave him,” Vitale testified. “He had it in his lap…He opened up the case and he showed me all kinds of chains and he said ‘this is from the Lufthansa score.’”

Later that day, Vitale went to Massino’s Queens house and was shown a portion of the breathtaking haul.

“All of the jewelry was laid out on the dining room table,” Vitale said, griping that Massino tossed him just one measly necklace as a gift. “He was always a big spender,” Vitale quipped.
Eager to convert the glittering booty into cash, Vitale said he and Massino took a ride to Manhattan shortly after the big JFK score.

“A couple of days later I drove Joey to the diamond district on Canal Street and after I parked we entered into a jewelry store,” Vitale said. “There was a guy there — him and Joe went in the back with the case and I never saw the case again.”

Full article – http://nypost.com/2015/10/19/goodfellas-heist-case-could-be-last-old-school-mafia-trial/