South Philadelphia Autobody Shop Owner With Godfather Complex Takes Another Hit

Veteran organized crime reporter and author George Anastasia (seen in the above photo) offers a piece at bigtrial.net on a South Philly autobody shop owner who faces additional charges.

More bad news for Ron Galati, the South Philadelphia autobody shop owner with the Godfather complex.
 

The Philadelphia District Office announced this morning that it has expanded the insurance fraud charges against Galati and two of his co-defendants, his son Ron Jr. and Robert Otterson.
 

The new charges include allegations that the three set up a scheme that steered repair work on Philadelphia Police Department and other city vehicles to Galati's autobody shop where charges were inflated and repair work exaggerated. The DA alleges that the scheme netted the trio $400,000 in illegal funds.
 

Galati, his son and Otterson are among a group of defendants scheduled for trial in September. An original indictment alleged a $5 million insurance fraud scheme and included charges that Galati Sr. had hired two hitmen to kill two rival autobody shop operators who were cooperating in a grand jury investigation.
 

Galati, 65, is already serving a lengthy federal sentence following his conviction on charges that he hired the same two hitmen to murder his then estranged daughter's boyfriend. The boyfriend survived the shooting and the hitmen became cooperating witnesses.  

“Ronald Galati, Sr.; Ronald Galati, Jr., and Robert Otterson thought that defrauding the people of the City of Philadelphia of over four hundred thousand dollars was a good idea; it wasn’t," District Attorney Seth Williams said in announcing the expanded charges. "And I can assure them that my Office and our partners in government will do everything we can to ensure that they are punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2016/03/galati-and-son-take-another-hit.html#more

Lawyer For South Philly Man Accused In Murder-For-Hire & Insurance Fraud Cases Bows Out

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia (seen in the above photo) offers a piece on South Philly auto repair owner who is accused of murder-for-hire and insurance fraud for Bigtrial.net.

Wannabe wiseguy Ron Galati, the South Philadelphia auto body shop owner with a Godfather fixation, wants to keep fighting. But it looks like he'll have to do battle without the services of topnotch criminal defense attorney Anthony Voci Jr.

Voci has filed motions to withdraw as Galati's attorney in a pending murder-for-hire case and a massive insurance fraud conspiracy case. Both are listed for trial in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.

"My client does not have sufficient funds to allow me to continue," Voci said in a brief comment today when asked about the withdrawal motions. Voci, a former Assistant District Attorney, represented Galati in another murder-for-hire case in federal court in Camden earlier this year.

In that case, Galati was convicted of hiring two hitmen to murder the boyfriend of his estranged daughter. The boyfriend survived the hit and was one of several key witnesses. The two hitmen, a third conspirator and Galati's daughter Tiffany also took the stand for the government. 
 You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/12/galatis-lawyer-bows-out.html#more 

South Philly "Wannabe Wiseguy" Convicted In Murder-For-Hire Case

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the murder-for-hire case of a South Philly auto repair shop owner with alleged organized crime connections for bigtrial.net.

Wannabe wiseguy Ron Galati was convicted of murder-for-hire and conspiracy charges today in a case that offered a look into a bizarre and twisted South Philadelphia family dynamic.

A federal jury deliberated for about five hours before returning guilty verdicts on all four charges Galati faced. No date has been set for sentencing, but the 64-year-old auto body shop owner is looking at from 20 years to life.

With a prior conviction for insurance fraud and with two other cases pending in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, Galati could very well spend the rest of his life in prison.

"We're not surprised, but we're disappointed," said Anthony Voci Jr., Galati's defense attorney. Voci said Galati took the verdict well. But members of his family were "devastated," according to Galati's twin sister Renee.

"I can't believe it," she said through tears. "This is something my brother is not capable of."

The jury of 10 women and two men, after hearing five days of testimony and deliberating for about six hours, thought otherwise. The verdict was an endorsement of the prosecution case and a clear rejection of an alternative motive offered by Voci during an impassioned defense and closing argument.
Galati was convicted of hiring hitmen to kill the boyfriend of his estranged daughter Tiffany.

The boyfriend, Andrew Tuono, 35, was shot as he and Tiffany left their Atlantic City townhouse on Nov. 30 of last year. Tuono, shot three times, survived the assault. He was one of several witnesses called by the prosecution.

While Galati liked to play the role of The Godfather and frequently quoted lines from famous gangster movies, the plot he was convicted of setting in motion was strictly a grade-B operation.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/09/galati-convicted-in-murder-for-hire-case.html#more

South Philly Auto Body Shop Owner With Alleged Ties To Organized Crime And Allegedly Hired Two Hitmen To Kill His Daughter's Boyfriend, Prepares For Trial, May Take Stand

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia offers a look a the defense of Ron Galati at Bigtrial.net.

Ron Galati has decided to roll the dice and put his future in the hands of a federal jury that will begin hearing testimony later this month in his murder-for-hire case.

What's more, the South Philadelphia auto body shop owner and wannabe wiseguy is considering taking the stand in his own defense, a move that was hinted at in a motion filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Richardson, the prosecutor in the case.

In the same motion, Richardson alleged that Galati has made frequent payments to two prominent South Philadelphia organized crime figures, mob boss Joseph Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi, but offered no explanation of what the payments were for.

Galati, 64, faces from 15 years to life if convicted. His apparent resolve to go to trial and perhaps tell his story in his own words to the jury undercuts speculation and media reports that he might cooperate with authorities.

"I don't know anything about anybody," he has reportedly told those close to him. 

Prior to the start of a pre-trial hearing this morning, Galati's defense attorney, Anthony J. Voci Jr., said no decision had been made on whether Galati would testify. Voci spent most of the hearing  attempting to block the introduction of evidence detailing Galati's alleged prior criminal activities. Voci said that evidence would be highly prejudicial and would make it impossible for his client to receive a fair trial. The prosecution says the evidence should be permitted, but has agreed not to introduce evidence alleging mob involvement. 
You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/09/galati-prepares-for-trial-may-take-stand.html

Feds Hope Wiseguy-Wannabe Ronald Galati Is Ready To Turn

Jeremy Roebuck at the Philadelphia Inquirer offers a piece on organized crime in South Philadelphia.

Andrew Tuono's new girlfriend came with a warning.

Dating Tiffany Galati, daughter of an auto mechanic with long-held ties to the Philadelphia mob, would one day get him killed, friends advised.

That prediction nearly proved prescient last year, with an attack that left Tuono alive, but with three bullets in his gut - and his girlfriend's father accused of ordering the hit.

Now, the details of that attempt on Tuono's life, sketched in government court filings this month, offer the latest account of one facet of Ronald Galati's deepening legal morass. As additional allegations ranging from witness intimidation to insurance fraud have piled up against him, a portrait of the 63-year-old auto-shop owner has emerged.

Friends and law enforcement sources describe Galati as a mob hanger-on, eager to cozy up to Mafia dons and trade quips from Goodfellas, his favorite film.

... And though no "made man" himself, Galati's recent legal problems have authorities salivating. Longtime friendships with current and former Philadelphia mob bosses like Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino and Joseph Ligambi make Galati a valuable target to turn.

Now that he faces three separate cases - the Tuono charges in Camden and counts related to insurance fraud and witness intimidation in Philadelphia - officials wonder whether Galati finally has incentive to cooperate.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140824_Feds_hope_wiseguy-wannabe_Ronald_Galati_is_ready_to_turn.html 

More Problems Ahead For South Philly Auto Shop Don

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering organized crime trials for Bigtrial.net.

Ron Galati, the Don Corleone of the South Philadelphia auto repair business, was arraigned earlier this week on murder-for-hire, conspiracy and witness intimidation charges.

The wannabe wiseguy pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail pending trial. He is also the target of two other investigations, an insurance fraud probe in Philadelphia and another murder-for-hire and fraud case in New Jersey.

Galati, if the District Attorney's allegations prove true, has apparently turned an insurance fraud pinch that could have landed him in jail for from five to six years into an attempted murder-witness intimidation fiasco that could result in a prison sentence of up to 30 years. That's not a pleasant prospect for the 63-year-old mob associate who underworld sources say always talked a better game than he played.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:


http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/02/more-problems-ahead-for-auto-shop.html