Alleged La Cosa Nostra associates arrested in Mass., part of massive East Coast organized crime bust

By News Staff

news@abc6.com

Five alleged La Cosa Nostra associates were arrested in Massachusetts on extortion related charges Thursday.

The arrests were 5 of 46 arrests made in a massive East Coast organized crime case.

Ralph Santaniello, 49, Giovanni Calabrese, aka John Calabrese, 53, Gerald Daniele, 51, Francesco Depergola, 60, and Richard Valentini, 51, all of western Massachusetts, were arrested and charged with various federal crimes related to extortion, conspiracy, interference with commerce by threats and violence, and the use of extortionate means to collect extensions of credit.  

The arrests were part of a massive indictment out of New York involving an additional 41 suspects who are charged with crimes such as extortion and illegal gambling that took place throughout the East Coast, including Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Authorities say the Massachusetts suspects were involved in loansharking, casino-style gambling, sports gambling, credit card fraud and health care fraud. Other crimes alleged in the indictment included firearms trafficking, arson, extortion and assault.

The indictment alleges that the five men from Western Mass. were associates of the Genovese La Cosa Nostra crime family in New York and were responsible for criminal activity in Springfield including loansharking and extortion from legitimate and illegitimate businesses, including illegal gambling businesses and the collection of unlawful debts.  

The defendants allegedly used violence, exploited their relationship with the LCN and implied threats of murder and physical violence to instill fear in their victims.

It is alleged that in 2013, the defendants tried to extort money from a Springfield businessman and Santaniello assaulted the businessman and threatened to cut off his head and bury his body if he did not comply. 

(C) WLNE-TV 2016