Former Mobster And Cooperating Witness Pens Open Letter To Genevese Crime Family Planning To Murder Him

Jerry Capeci at the New York Post offers a piece on a mob “rat” who wrote an open letter to his former criminal cohorts warning them not to try to murder him.

Wanna whack me? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Genovese turncoat Michael “Cookie” D’Urso, who is now using a different identity after testifying against the mob, wrote an open letter to his former colleagues, warning them against trying to take revenge.

D’Urso, 49, apparently heard that members of the Genovese family were discussing his new name and whereabouts at an Upper East Side steakhouse.

“I am ready, able and willing to defend my family and myself,” D’Urso threatens in the letter, first obtained by Gang Land News. “A bat and a knife won’t help you so you will have to use a gun.”

D’Urso was an up-and-coming gangster when, in 1994, he survived a bullet to the head over a gambling debt during a predawn card game in a Williamsburg social club. The hit also killed a beloved cousin, but the mob family wouldn’t allow D’Urso to seek retribution, an episode he alludes to in the letter.

He says the acting boss of the Genoveses, Frank “Farby” Serpico, threatened to assassinate him, which drove D’Urso to begin wearing a wire in 1998.

D’Urso’s testimony helped the feds convict more than 70 mobsters and associates, including Vincent “Chin” Gigante, as well as current Genovese family boss Liborio “Barney” Bellomo. For his cooperation, D’Urso received probation and a $200 fine.

Despite how many people he betrayed, D’Urso argues that it would be foolish to go after him — and that his would-be hitmen should “focus on their families” instead.

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

https://nypost.com/2020/01/09/former-mob-rat-michael-cookie-durso-writes-open-letter-to-the-mafia/

A Little Humor: The Deer Hunter

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day.

That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight point buck.

“Where’s Henry?”  one of the men in camp asked.

“Henry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail.”

“You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back!?!”

“A tough call,” nodded the hunter, “but I figured no one is going to steal Henry!”

Illegal Alien Known As The “Rittenhouse Rapist” Sentenced To Federal Prison For Illegally Reentering The United States

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Milton Mateo Garcia-Vasquez, 32, of Philadelphia, PA and a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 24 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond for unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.

Garcia-Vasquez pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation in August 2019. The defendant was previously deported and removed from the United States on June 18, 2013, and never requested or received authorization to re-enter the country. Nonetheless, he broke the law by re-entering the country and then proceeded to brutally rape a young woman near Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The defendant grabbed the young woman from behind while she was walking back to her apartment, pushed her into the apartment and sexually assaulted her. He then left, but soon returned to the apartment and sexually assaulted the victim a second time. Garcia-Vasquez was arrested on June 23, 2014 by Philadelphia Police and charged with burglary, kidnapping and rape. He pleaded guilty to those charges in 2015 and was sentenced to a total of 22-44 years in state prison.

“Responsible public policy involves protecting public safety by setting up incentives for people to follow the law. Sanctuary city polices do just the opposite by incentivizing illegal aliens to come to sanctuary jurisdictions, like Philadelphia, where they are led to believe that our nation’s immigration laws will not apply to them,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “A natural consequence of this policymaking is that illegal aliens are drawn to Philadelphia, where some of them commit heinous crimes that never would have occurred if they weren’t here in the first place. This is a terrible tragedy for the innocent victims of such crimes. But it is also a tragedy for our justice system because it normalizes the unfair and un-American idea that the rule of law should not apply to a certain segment of society -- namely, illegal aliens. Anyone who cares about the rule of law or equal treatment under the law should find sanctuary city policies utterly repugnant. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to enforce the rule of law in a neutral, non-partisan manner, rather than playing favorites.”

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.

Note To Iran: This Is Something You Don't Want Coming At You

In the above photo released by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as part of an around-the-world deployment that includes a homeport shift to San Diego.

The Lincoln has been underway in support of maritime security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas of operation since April 1, 2019.

Note: The photo was taken by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aja B. Jackson.

Social Security Administration Warns Of Emailed Fake Documents In New Twist To Social Security Phone Scams

The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail S. Ennis, is warning the public that telephone scammers may send faked documents by email to convince victims to comply with their demands. The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has received reports of victims who received emails with attached letters and reports that appeared to be from Social Security or Social Security OIG. The letters may use official letterhead and government “jargon” to convince victims they are legitimate; they may also contain misspellings and grammar mistakes.

This is the latest variation on Social Security phone scams, which continue to be widespread throughout the United States. Using robocalls or live callers, fraudsters pretend to be government employees and claim there is identity theft or another problem with one’s Social Security number, account, or benefits. They may threaten arrest or other legal action, or may offer to increase benefits, protect assets, or resolve identity theft. They often demand payment via retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency such as Bitcoin, or pre-paid debit card.

Inspector General Ennis urges continued vigilance against all types of phone scams no matter what “proof” callers may offer. As we continue to increase public awareness of phone scams, criminals will come up with new ways to convince people of their legitimacy. Social Security will never:

• threaten you with arrest or other legal action unless you immediately pay a fine or fee;
• promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment;
• require payment by retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency, or prepaid debit card; or
• send official letters or reports containing personally identifiable information via email.

If there is ever a problem with your Social Security number or record, in most cases Social Security will mail you a letter. If you do need to submit payments to Social Security, the agency will send a letter with instructions and payment options. You should never pay a government fee or fine using retail gift cards, cash, internet currency, wire transfers, or pre-paid debit cards. The scammers ask for payment this way because it is very difficult to trace and recover.

If you receive a call or email that you believe to be suspicious, about a problem with your Social Security number or account, hang up or do not respond. We encourage the public to report Social Security phone scams using our dedicated online form, at https://oig.ssa.gov. Please share this information with your friends and family, to help spread awareness about phone scams. For more information, please visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam.

The Takedown Of Robert Hanssen, America's First Cyber Spy: My Q&A With Former Undercover FBI Operative Eric O' Neill

My Q&A with former FBI operative Eric O'Neill, author of Gray Day: My Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy, was published by Counterterrorism magazine.

You can read the Q&A above and below:

Homegrown Terrorists: My Counterterrorism Magazine Piece On The Threat Of Domestic Terrorism

My piece on the threat of domestic terrorism was published by Counterterrorism magazine.

You can read the piece above and below: