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“This family run business served more than just pizza to its customers, using store fronts like a pizzeria to import large amounts of cocaine,” said HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez.  “Like father like son, both of these defendants will likely be spending the next several years in jail.” 

“This case has sentiments of the famous Pizza Connection case- an organized crime family running a narcotics trafficking ring fronted from a family restaurant in New York.  Today’s guilty verdict matches the past.
[…]
One Defendant also Convicted of Weapons Charges in Connection with Possession of a Stash of Firearms Hidden in the Basement of his Queens Restaurant.” (US DOJ, 22 July 2016)

Last year: “Cocaine ring based in New York pizzeria broken up, say Italian police and FBI: At least 16 arrested in Calabria, Italy, and New York in operation that police say shows how ’Ndrangheta crime syndicate has expanded US ties” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/07/italian-police-fbi-pizza-restaurant-cocaine-ring

Italian news points out that it is similar to the “Pizza Connection” but as more and more frequently the case involved Calabrian crime families rather than Sicilian. Nonetheless, they seem to wonder about a possible connection with a Cosa Nostra family. http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2015/05/08/ndrangheta-a-new-york-e-il-boss-disse-mi-sono-mangiato-un-rene-e-un-cuore/1664866/


One is reminded of the late alleged New Orleans Mafia Boss, Carlos Marcello, testifying in 1972 that he merely sold tomatoes. Rumor has it that, under his rule, radioactive waste was buried in the foundation of a building in downtown New Orleans, which we know but won’t name since it is heresay: http://youtu.be/6Gdgwpci-ZI And, what about the incomplete tunnel under the Mississippi River? [Update note: at least part of the incomplete tunnel is now a parking garage for the casino.] Was Marcello ever proved friends with former Governor Edwin Edwards who appeared to protect the unfiltered and illegal burning of radioactive waste at Rollins in North Baton Rouge? What about the late Charles Roemer who was apparently involved in waste management? This says that Roemer was convicted of taking bribes and association with Marcello and that Edwards avoided conviction, but they did get Edwards on something: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Edwards (This Edwards should not be confused with the current Gov. Edwards).

This Wikipedia article suggests that Cosa Nostra and ‘Ndrangheta have worked together in the US, although they are supposed to be competitors in Europe: “The earliest evidence of ‘Ndrangheta activity in the U.S. points to an intimidation scheme run by the syndicate in Pennsylvania mining towns; this scheme was unearthed in 1906.[102] Current ‘Ndrangheta activities in America mainly involve drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and money laundering. It is known that the ‘Ndrangheta branches in North America have been associating with Italian-American organized crime. The Suraci family from Reggio Calabria has moved some of its operations to the U.S. The family was founded by Giuseppe Suraci who has been in the United States since 1962. His younger cousin, D’Agostino, runs the family in Calabria. On Tuesday, 11 February 2014, both F.B.I. and Italian Police intercepted the transatlantic network of U.S. and Italian crime families. The raid targeted the Gambino and Bonanno families in the U.S. while in Italy, it targeted the Ursino ‘ndrina from Gioiosa Jonica. The defendants were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses, based, in part, on their participation in a transnational heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving the ‘Ndrangheta.[103] The operation began in 2012 when investigators detected a plan by members of the Ursino clan of the ‘Ndrangheta to smuggle large amounts of drugs. An undercover agent was dispatched to Italy and was successful in infiltrating the clan. An undercover agent was also involved in the handover of 1.3 kg of heroin in New York as part of the infiltration operation.[104]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/’Ndrangheta#United_States

Is this D’Agostino any kin to former NNSA Administrator and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, Thomas P. D’Agostino who served 2007 to 13? Tom D’Agostino who agreed to the still-pending import of high level nuclear waste from Germany, while pretending it was about non-proliferation? Tom D’Agostino who quit and went to work for Fluor, contractor at the Savannah River Nuclear site to which it would be shipped? A far-fetched idea, but less far-fetched than the fact that Holtec’s Kris Singh has family ties to South Carolina governors Nikki Haley and gave large amounts of money to her campaign war chest, when hoping to build Small Modular Reactors in South Carolina. Migrants are sometimes kin due to people piggy backing in their relatives.

It is fairly debatable if the US and UK legally dispose of their radioactive waste any better than the mafia have illegally anyway. It appears no better and arguably worse. See the Clive Nuclear Waste dump owned by EnergySolutions below. The owner of EnergySolutions lead partner is Doug Kimmelman, Goldman Sachs Alumnus, who donated over $300,000 to Trump’s campaign and sponsored a fundraiser for him. This is the Goldman Sachs man we need to fear the most:
Clive Utah zoom in variety waste
The US DOJ is investigating attempt by EnergySolutions to buy WCS in Texas which clearly violates anti-trust laws. Trump needs to take his salary to pay Doug Kimmelman back!
Rad Waste Barrels WCS Texas

Who would guess, either, that Leon Panetta, former Clinton White House Chief of Staff 1993-94 (during part of the Yugoslav Wars which were so beneficial to Ndrangheta’s allies, the Albanian-Kosovo mafia) and more recently CIA director (2009-2011) and Sec. of Defense (2011-2013), has parents from a Ndrangheta village named Siderno? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siderno. It is alleged by some that one is born ‘Ndrangheta. It is tightly kin based and hard to break for this reason. ‘Ndrangheta is actually Andrangheta, probably related to Greek Andro(s), male.

Of course, there is the professor named Ed Calabrese (i.e. from Calabria) who has pushed for the US to increase its radiation exposure limits by 100 fold or more: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/us-nrc-spreading-the-italian-triangle-of-death-to-america-refuse-omerta-remember-to-comment-by-september-8th/. https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/hormesis-advocates-dodge-scientific-rigor-with-special-pleadings-ties-to-tobacco-industry-koch-brother-exposed-by-chp-emeritus-november-19th-comment-deadline-looms/. https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/proponent-of-radiation-is-good-for-you-has-solar-panels-on-his-own-roof-mark-l-miller-of-lockheed-martin-run-sandia-national-lab/
Ndrangheta are alleged implicated in illegal radioactive waste dumping, too. A mere coincidence? Or not? You decide.

Why does the US DOJ not call it Ndrangheta? Because they have worked with other American Mafia Groups?

Back to the Story at Hand:
“Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 22, 2016
Queens Father And Son Convicted At Trial For Their Participation In A Transnational Cocaine Trafficking Operation

One Defendant also Convicted of Weapons Charges in Connection with Possession of a Stash of Firearms Hidden in the Basement of his Queens Restaurant

This afternoon, following a two week trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, returned a guilty verdict against Gregorio and Angelo Gigliotti for their operation of a transnational cocaine trafficking operation that stretched from Italy, to Queens and to Costa Rica.  Gregorio Gigliotti was also convicted of possessing a stash of firearms in connection with the operation.  When sentenced by United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  Gregorio Gigliotti faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and Angelo Gigliotti faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.     

The verdict was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; and Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

“This case serves as a powerful example of the impact of international cooperation in combatting criminal organizations whose activities transcend national borders,” stated United States Attorney Capers. Mr. Capers thanked our law enforcement partners in Italy, including the Prosecutor of the Republic of Reggio Calabria; the Italian National Police (INP), and in particular, the Squadra Mobile of Reggio Calabria and the Servizio Centrale Operativo; the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga; and the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia, as well as our law enforcement partners in Costa Rica, including the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial.  Mr. Capers also expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justice Attaché and the Offices of the HSI and FBI Legal Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, as well as the FBI Legal Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Panama City, who coordinated extensive evidence-sharing and coordinated operations.  Mr. Capers also thanked the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their assistance in this matter.

“This family run business served more than just pizza to its customers, using store fronts like a pizzeria to import large amounts of cocaine,” said HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez.  “Like father like son, both of these defendants will likely be spending the next several years in jail.” 

“This case has sentiments of the famous Pizza Connection case- an organized crime family running a narcotics trafficking ring fronted from a family restaurant in New York.  Today’s guilty verdict matches the past.  We are pleased to say that another organized crime enterprise’s attempt at evading law enforcement has been disrupted.  We thank our law enforcement partners here, in Italy and Costa Rica for their continued cooperation,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez.           

Evidence presented at trial  – including court-authorized wiretaps and physical surveillance – revealed that Gregorio Gigliotti, together with his wife, owned and operated several businesses in New York City that were used to facilitate their narcotics-trafficking operation, including Cucino Amodo Mio, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Corona, Queens, and Fresh Farm Produce Export Corp., an import company. 

Their son, Angelo Gigliotti, played the role of Gregorio’s trusted assistant, including handling the drug trafficking operation when Gregorio was out of the country.  In October 2014, law enforcement intercepted a shipment of cassava (a starchy root also referred to as yucca) that was shipped to the United States from Costa Rica and bound for Fresh Farm Produce Export Corp. in New York.  The shipment was found to contain approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine secreted inside cardboard boxes of cassava. 

Earlier, Gigliotti’s wife traveled to Costa Rica with more than $360,000 in cash that she delivered to the sources of supply.  In September 2014, Franco Fazio, a relative and Italian national, traveled from Italy to New York and then to Costa Rica to deliver another $170,000 in cash to the sources of supply. 

In December 2014, law enforcement intercepted a second shipment of cassava bound for Fresh Farm Produce Export Corp. in New York that had also been shipped from Costa Rica and seized approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine secreted within the cardboard boxes of the produce.  Prior to the arrival of this shipment of cocaine, Fazio had made two additional trips to Costa Rica to meet with the sources of supply.

The Gigliotti defendants were arrested on March 11, 2015, in New York.  That same day, law enforcement searched Cucino Amodo Mio as well as Gregorio and his wife’s residence.  In the restaurant they seized one 12 gauge shotgun, one loaded .357 magnum Trooper revolver, one loaded .22 caliber Colt pistol, one.38 caliber Charter Arms revolver, one 9 mm Keltec pistol, one .762 Czech pistol, one .38 caliber Derringer that had a defaced serial number, ammunition magazines, loose ammunition, two handgun holsters, brass knuckles, more than $100,000 in cash, and a drug ledger detailing the disbursement of money made on the sale of narcotics.  In the Gigliotti residence, agents recovered a loaded handgun and more than $18,000 in cash.

The charges in the indictment against co-defendants Eleonora Gigliotti and Franco Fazio remain pending.  These charges are merely allegations, and these defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret E. Gandy and Keith D. Edelman are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
GREGORIO GIGLIOTTI
Age:  60
Queens, New York
ANGELO GIGLIOTTI
Age:  36
Queens, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-204 (S-2) (RJD)
USAO – New York, Eastern
Topic: 
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Updated September 1, 2016
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/queens-father-and-son-convicted-trial-their-participation-transnational-cocaine

“Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Four Defendants Charged In Brooklyn And Sixteen Charged In Italy For Their Participation In A Transnational Cocaine Trafficking Operation

Three Queens, New York, Family Members And An Italian Citizen Charged With Conspiring To Import And Importing More Than 50 Kilograms Of Cocaine Into The U.S. From Costa Rica In Shipments Of Produce
Queens Defendants Also Charged with Possessing Illegal Firearms

A six-count superseding indictment was unsealed yesterday in Brooklyn federal court charging husband and wife defendants Gregorio and Eleonora Gigliotti, their son Angelo Gigliotti, and a relative who is an Italian citizen, Franco Fazio, with conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, importation of cocaine, and attempted possession of cocaine. In addition, the Gigliotti defendants were charged with unlawful use and possession of firearms. The charges arise from the defendants’ participation in an international narcotics-trafficking operation between July 1, 2014 and March 11, 2015.

The charges were announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Raymond R. Parmer, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; and Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).

The unsealing of the superseding indictment coincides with the arrest of thirteen defendants in Italy today on related drug-trafficking charges resulting from the collaboration between the United States and Italian law enforcement agencies. Among those arrested by the Italian authorities was Franco Fazio, who will face charges in Italy before the United States seeks his extradition to face the charges contained in the Brooklyn superseding indictment. The Gigliotti defendants, who remain in custody in the United States, were also charged with narcotics-trafficking offenses by the Italian authorities.

“This case is a powerful example of the impact of international cooperation in combatting criminal organizations whose activities transcend national borders,” stated Acting United States Attorney Currie. Mr. Currie extended his grateful appreciation to Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and thanked our law enforcement partners in Italy, including the Prosecutor of the Republic of Reggio Calabria; the Italian National Police (INP), and in particular, the Squadra Mobile of Reggio Calabria and the Servizio Centrale Operativo; the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga; and the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia. Mr. Currie also expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justice Attaché and the Offices of the HSI and FBI Legal Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, who coordinated extensive evidence-sharing and coordinated operations.

“The arrests in New York and Italy dismantle a global network of alleged drug smugglers believed responsible for importing more than 50 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S.,” said HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Parmer. “This investigation is another example of the collective efforts of our federal and international law enforcement partners to bring down those responsible for the proliferation of illegal drugs in our communities, no matter where in the world they hide.”

“Using their family’s businesses in New York as a front for a narcotics trafficking operation, the defendants, as alleged, sought to establish a global cocaine ring. We also used a global team to take on this case, working closely with our partners in Italy,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez. “As today’s arrests show, we are committed to working together to disrupt and dismantle organized criminal enterprises.”

The charges detailed in the Brooklyn indictment are the product of a lengthy investigation by HSI and the FBI that involved the use of court-authorized wiretaps and physical surveillance, and revealed that between October and December 2014 alone, the defendants imported over 55 kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Costa Rica, which was recovered by law enforcement.

As alleged, Gregorio and Eleonora Gigliotti owned and operated several businesses in New York City that were used to facilitate their narcotics-trafficking operation, including Cucino Amodo Mio, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Corona, Queens, and Fresh Farms Export Corp., an import/export company. In October 2014, law enforcement intercepted a shipment of cassava (a starchy root) that was shipped to the United States from Costa Rica and bound for Farm Fresh Export Corp. in New York. The shipment was found to contain approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine secreted inside cardboard boxes of cassava. Earlier, Eleonora Gigliotti allegedly traveled to Costa Rica with approximately $400,000 in cash that she delivered to the sources of supply. In September 2014, Franco Fazio allegedly traveled from Italy to New York and then to Costa Rica to deliver another $170,000 in cash to the sources of supply.

In December 2014, law enforcement intercepted a second shipment of cassava bound for Fresh Farms Export Corp. in New York that had also been shipped from Costa Rica and seized approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine secreted within the cardboard boxes of produce. Prior to the arrival of this shipment of cocaine, defendant Franco Fazio allegedly made two additional trips to Costa Rica to meet with the sources of supply.

The Gigliotti defendants were arrested on March 11, 2015, in New York. That same day, law enforcement searched Cucino Amodo Mio and Gregorio and Eleonora Gigliotti’s residence. In the restaurant they seized one 12 gauge shotgun; one loaded .357 magnum Trooper revolver; one loaded .22 caliber Colt pistol; one loaded .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver; one 9 mm Keltec pistol; one .762 Czech pistol; one .38 caliber Derringer that had a defaced serial number; ammunition magazines; loose ammunition; two handgun holsters; brass knuckles; and more than $100,000 in cash. In the Gigliotti residence agents recovered a loaded .45 caliber Llama handgun and more than $18,000 in cash.

The charges in Italy relate to the defendants’ narcotics trafficking distribution ring in that country – as a quantity of the cocaine imported into the United States was destined for exportation to and distribution in Italy. Based in part upon the U.S. investigation, Italian law enforcement disabled a narcotics distribution ring allegedly operating in Calabria on behalf of the U.S.-based defendants.

The charges in the superseding indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, they face a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. The Brooklyn defendants will be arraigned at a later date before United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie.

The government’s case is being prosecuted jointly by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section and the Long Island Criminal Section. Assistant United States Attorneys James Miskiewicz, Nicole M. Argentieri and Margaret E. Gandy are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
GREGORIO GIGLIOTTI
Age: 59
Malba, New York
ELEONORA GIGLIOTTI
Age: 54
Malba, New York
ANGELO GIGLIOTTI
Age: 34
Woodside, New York
FRANCO FAZIO
Age: 56
Calabria, Italy
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-204 (RJD)
USAO – New York, Eastern
Topic: 
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/four-defendants-charged-brooklyn-and-sixteen-charged-italy-their-participation

SPELL CHECK CORRECTED COSA NOSTRA TO COSA NOSTRADAMUS SO IF YOU SEE SOMETHING ELSE LIKE THIS, IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE HYPER-ACTIVE SPELL-CHECK.