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The FBI is digging up two horse farms in upstate New York as it searches for bodies potentially buried by the notorious Gambino mob crime family. Federal authorities have turned their attention to the properties in Orange County amid an ongoing investigation into the crime syndicate. They used shovels and diggers to comb the farm in Campbell Hall on Tuesday and one in Goshen on Wednesday.
It comes after ten people with connections to the Gambino organization were arrested on a slew of racketeering charges last week. No bodies were found during the search on Wednesday, a source confirmed to NBC New York, however it is scheduled to resume on Thursday. The FBI declined to reveal who they believe could be buried at the farms, which list a Giovanni DiLorenzo as the property owner, the outlet reports.
Salvatore DiLorenzo was named as among the ten alleged Gambino members on an explosive 16-page indictment which claimed the Sicilian syndicate used violence and intimidation to try and dominate New York’s garbage hauling and demolition businesses. Others charged were Vito Rappa, 46, and Francesco Vicari (pictured), 46 – who is known as ‘Uncle Ciccio.’ Vincent Minsquero, 36, known as ‘Vinny Slick,’ Kyle Johnson, 46, known as ‘Twin,’ and Angelo Gradilone, 57, known as ‘Fifi,’ were also arrested.
The alleged captain of the Gambino crime ring – 52-year-old Joseph Lanni – was also charged with the slew of federal crimes. He is known by nicknames ‘Joe Brooklyn,’ and ‘Mommino.’ Diego ‘Danny’ Tantillo, James LaForte and Robert Brooke were also charged. The infamous Italian-American crime syndicate made up one of the ‘Five Families’ known for their racketeering, gambling and loansharking. The defendants now variously face maximum sentences between 20 and 180 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
Among the charges are allegations that Tantillo, Rappa, Vicari and Johnson threatened a man known as ‘John Doe 1’ ‘with a bat’, set fire to the steps to his home, damaged one of his carting trucks and violently assaulted one of his associates as part of a campaign of intimidation.
The individual was attacked with a hammer in 2020, with Johnson texting Tantillo three thumbs up emojis for his ‘work today,’ according to prosecutors. The indictment states that Tantillo and Vicari were captured on ‘judicially-authorized wiretaps discussing threats they made to John Doe 1 and John Doe 1’s father-in-law.’ Rappa stated that Vicari ‘acted like the ‘Last of the Samurai,’ when he picked up a knife and directed John Doe 1’s father-in-law to threaten to cut John Doe 1 in half in order to get him to make extortionate payments, according to the documents.
When the victim finally made a payment of $4,000 to Vicari, he and Rappa met and sent Tantillo a photo of Vicari raising a small champagne bottle, cheering in a toast. The alleged incident is one of a host of violent extortion schemes linked to the defendants by investigators. Nine of the defendants pleaded not guilty to their charges during a court appearance on Wednesday. LaForte was not arraigned because he is in jail in Pennsylvania, but will be arraigned another day.
James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI, said as the arrests were announced: ‘These defendants learned the hard way that the FBI is united with our law enforcement locally and internationally in our efforts to eradicate the insidious organized crime threat. Those arrested are alleged to have taken part in a racketeering conspiracy in an attempt to control the carting and demolition industries in the city. The FBI will continue to lead the fight against organized crime and ensure that individuals willing to cross the line face punishment in the criminal justice system.’
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