"Old School" South Philly Mobster Pleads Guilty To Murder

George Anastasia, a veteran organized crime reporter and the author of Gotti's Rules, reports on the guilty pled of Anthony Nicodemno for bigtrial.net.

He's a throwback, a standup guy in a mob decimated by turncoat witnesses.  

And as a result, he's looking at 23 more years in state prison.

On the eve of his retrial for the December 2012 murder of Gino DiPietro, mobster Anthony Nicodemo pleaded guilty this morning to third degree murder, conspiracy and weapons charges.

Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart, under the terms of a plea deal, sentenced the reputed South Philadelphia hitman to a minimum of 25 years in prison. With two years already served, Nicodemo, 43, will be able to apply for parole in 2038.

According to several sources, Nicodemo rejected offers to cooperate that could have resulted in substantially less jail time. The married father of two young children opted instead to live by an underworld code that has been shattered again and again by members of the Philadelphia mob.
Omerta, the code of silence, is like the Liberty Bell, broke and inoperative. So many members and associates of the Philadelphia mob have chosen to cooperate that the once secret society has
crumbled.

But Nicodemo, who is also a suspect in the murder of mobster John "Johnny Gongs" Casasanto, proved to be old school.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2015/02/nicodemo-gets-25-50-for-dipietro-murder.html#more

My review of Gotti's Rules will appear in the Philadelphia Inquirer on February 15th.

You can read an earlier post on Anastasia's new organized crime book via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2015/01/george-anastasias-gottis-rules-in-new.html

Judge Sends Former Philadelphia Police Officers to Prison for Robbery and Drug Scheme

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA—Former Philadelphia Police Officers Jonathan Garcia, 26, and Sydemy Joanis, 28, both of Philadelphia, were sentenced today to 210 months and 63 months, respectively, for a scheme to rob drug dealers of their cash proceeds.

Garcia pleaded guilty July 30, 2013 to distribution of heroin, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, attempted robbery, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Joanis pleaded guilty February 11, 2014 to conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, attempted robbery, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The defendants were assigned to the 17th Police District when, in December 2009, they entered into a scheme by which they agreed to rob suspected drug dealers. Sometimes the defendants would stop and frisk individuals who were allegedly loitering, and if the defendants recovered any drugs, they would arrest the person and steal some or all of his money.

Other times the defendants utilized Person #1, who, at the defendants’ direction, would meet with a suspected drug dealer inside the dealer’s car, buy a small quantity of drugs (usually crack cocaine), and then leave some of the drugs in plain view on the floorboard of the car. After Person #1 exited the dealer’s car, the defendants would pull up in their PPD patrol car, stop the dealer, and after seeing the drugs in plain view, arrest the dealer and ultimately steal some or all of the dealer’s money, which the defendants would split amongst themselves. When committing these robberies, the defendants wore their PPD uniform and openly carried firearms. To conceal their crimes, the defendants falsified police reports by failing to disclose their use of Person #1 and fabricating the basis for the stop, and by failing to disclose some or all of the money that they had stolen.

In addition to the prison terms, U.S. District Court Judge Legrome Davis ordered Garcia to pay a fine of $5,000, a special assessment of $900, and ordered five years of supervised release; Joanis was ordered to pay a fine of $2,000, a special assessment of $400, and was ordered to complete three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin R. Brenner.

FBI: Former Los Alamos Lab Workers Sentenced

The FBI web site offers a piece on the Los Alamos lab workers who tried to sell nuclear weapon secrets to an FBI undercover agent.

The reasons why he did it varied—he carried a grudge against his employer, he was frustrated with the U.S. government, he needed money, and he desired power and respect. But motivations aside, Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, a scientist formerly employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, broke the law when he sold some of our nation’s nuclear secrets to an individual he thought was a foreign government official. He also involved his wife—a Los Alamos employee at the time—in his illegal activities.

Both were charged and eventually pled guilty in connection with the plot. Last month, Pedro Mascheroni was sentenced to a federal prison term, while his wife—Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni—was sentenced last summer.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch the FBI video via the below link:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/february/former-los-alamos-lab-workers-sentenced/former-los-alamos-lab-workers-sentenced?utm_campaign=email-Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=fbi-top-stories&utm_content=401707 

A Little Night Music: Stanley Clarke's 'Pop Virgil"

You can listen to jazz great Stanley Clarke's Pop Virgil via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lorKc69yaJM

A Look Back At WWII's Dieppe Raid And James Bond Creator Ian Fleming's Role In The Military Operation

James Macgowan at the Toronto Star offers a review of David O'Keefe's One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada's Tragedy at Dieppe.    

More than 71 years after 907 Canadians were cut down on the stony beaches of Dieppe during Operation Jubilee, Canadian historian David O’Keefe has produced a fast-paced and convincing book, One Day in August, that clears up decades of misinformation about the ignoble raid and should provide comfort for the few remaining survivors of that notorious massacre.

 

Over the years many historians have speculated about the purpose of the Allies’ August 19, 1942, raid on the French coastal town. Was it to relieve pressure on the Eastern front, where the Soviet Union was going it alone against the Nazis? Or was it a trial run for a European invasion? Perhaps it was Winston Churchill’s gift to his wife Clementine, who had once visited Dieppe and was very fond of the seaside resort. Just what was it the Allies were doing that day, when 250 ships carrying more than 6,000 troops — 5,000 of them Canadian, of which 68 per cent were either killed wounded or captured — and numerous tanks crossed the channel?

 

In 1995, O’Keefe began the process of finding out. While conducting research at the National Archives in Britain he came across a just-declassified file that contained a cryptic reference to something called the 30 Assault Unit, a commando group formed by none other than James Bond creator Ian Fleming. (Fleming, as O’Keefe discovered, was much closer to a Bond-like character than previously thought.) Further on, he spied another mystery: A 13-word sentence that read, “As regards captures, the party concerned at DIEPPE did not reach their objective.”

 

What party? What captures? What objective?

 

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

 

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2013/11/05/one_day_in_august_by_david_okeefe_review.html

You can also read an excerpt from the book via the below link:

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/rbc-taylor-prize-nominees-david-okeefe-on-the-secrets-of-dieppe/ 

 

 

And you can read my Counterterrorism magazine piece on Ian Fleming's wartime service and his creation of the 30 Assault Unit via the below link:

 

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2011/11/look-back-at-30-assault-unit-british.html 

A Pervasive Cancer: Italy's New President Vows To Fight Organized Crime

The BBC News offers a piece on the new Italian president, who vows to fight organized crime.

Italy's new President, Sergio Mattarella, has promised to fight corruption and organised crime in his first speech since being sworn in on Tuesday morning.

The former judge told parliament the two issues were "absolute priorities".

Mr Mattarella, whose own brother was killed by the Mafia, described organised crime as a "pervasive cancer" that trampled on people's rights.

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

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31116734   

Cool Photo: Rainbow Forms Over The Bow Of An Aircraft Carrier At Sea

In the above photo a rainbow forms over the bow of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Pacific Ocean. 

 

The U.S. Navy photo was taken by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ignacio D. Perez.

 

Note: You can click on the photo to enlarge.