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Bookies on tape: Benefits not good
By KITTY CAPARELLA
On Aug. 20, 1999, when the news broke about mob boss Ralph Natale becoming a government witness, two bookies were gossiping about the state of the mob.
"I told ya, the benefits are not too good. They have no benefits," said bookmaker John Lucas.
"No Blue Cross, no Blue Shield, right?" replied Stephen Sharkey, who ran a bookmaking operation for the mob. "No pension. . .no 401(k).
"No Social Security. Nothin," added Lucas.
The bookmakers' conversation - recorded secretly by the FBI - was one of 27 played yesterday for the jury in the mob racketeering trial of reputed mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino and six other defendants.
Little did Sharkey know that the next day, Aug. 21, he'd be tapped - and taped by the FBI - to kick in for a new mob benefit: reputed mob consigliere George Borgesi's legal defense fund.
Borgesi wasted no time gathering funds, after learning Natale flipped, even though seven more months would go by before Borgesi would be charged with two murders, a murder conspiracy, bookmaking and extortion in a racketeering indictment.
What the legal fund meant to Sharkey and his bookmaker partner, William James Patton, was: "No more Christmas packages," said Sharkey.
Each Christmas, bookmakers and others involved in criminal activities had to pay money in the Mafia's annual "Christmas shakes," or shakedowns, in order to operate without problems in the underworld.
Sharkey told Patton that Borgesi wanted the money immediately "just for his defense thing; it's a hundred grand for his attorney."
"No way," replied Patton on tape. "A hundred grand and he's still gonna go to jail."
"Yep," said Sharkey. "He's upset, man. He hasn't slept in three days."
Sharkey said Borgesi asked him to obtain $2,000 from another bookmaker, Mark Tashie, according to the tape.
Borgesi "wanted his Christmas package early because he wasn't gonna be around," testified Patton yesterday.
According to the tape, Sharkey said Borgesi "already put somebody in his place." Sharkey was referring to Borgesi's replacement who "took over the bookmaking operation," Patton testified.
Sharkey might have been sitting with others at the defense table yesterday, except he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges shortly before the trial began.
Patton, who was on the witness stand yesterday, testified he gave $1,000 for the 1996 Christmas shakes to defendant Angelo Lutz, and $3,500 to the mob at Christmas 1997. In 1998, he had been arrested on gambling charges, Patton testified, and he didn't pay the annual shakedown.
On Friday, Peter "Pete the Crumb" Caprio, the mob capo-turned-government witness, testified that Merlino also tapped him for money.
Quizzed by Merlino's attorney Edwin Jacobs about how Caprio was ready to stab a mobster in the throat because he didn't show at Caprio's mob functions, the 71-year-old mobster replied: "That wasn't the only reason.
"I asked him for $50,000 for Joey Merlino to pay you," Caprio told the lawyer.
"I would have stabbed him too," quipped Jacobs
By KITTY CAPARELLA
On Aug. 20, 1999, when the news broke about mob boss Ralph Natale becoming a government witness, two bookies were gossiping about the state of the mob.
"I told ya, the benefits are not too good. They have no benefits," said bookmaker John Lucas.
"No Blue Cross, no Blue Shield, right?" replied Stephen Sharkey, who ran a bookmaking operation for the mob. "No pension. . .no 401(k).
"No Social Security. Nothin," added Lucas.
The bookmakers' conversation - recorded secretly by the FBI - was one of 27 played yesterday for the jury in the mob racketeering trial of reputed mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino and six other defendants.
Little did Sharkey know that the next day, Aug. 21, he'd be tapped - and taped by the FBI - to kick in for a new mob benefit: reputed mob consigliere George Borgesi's legal defense fund.
Borgesi wasted no time gathering funds, after learning Natale flipped, even though seven more months would go by before Borgesi would be charged with two murders, a murder conspiracy, bookmaking and extortion in a racketeering indictment.
What the legal fund meant to Sharkey and his bookmaker partner, William James Patton, was: "No more Christmas packages," said Sharkey.
Each Christmas, bookmakers and others involved in criminal activities had to pay money in the Mafia's annual "Christmas shakes," or shakedowns, in order to operate without problems in the underworld.
Sharkey told Patton that Borgesi wanted the money immediately "just for his defense thing; it's a hundred grand for his attorney."
"No way," replied Patton on tape. "A hundred grand and he's still gonna go to jail."
"Yep," said Sharkey. "He's upset, man. He hasn't slept in three days."
Sharkey said Borgesi asked him to obtain $2,000 from another bookmaker, Mark Tashie, according to the tape.
Borgesi "wanted his Christmas package early because he wasn't gonna be around," testified Patton yesterday.
According to the tape, Sharkey said Borgesi "already put somebody in his place." Sharkey was referring to Borgesi's replacement who "took over the bookmaking operation," Patton testified.
Sharkey might have been sitting with others at the defense table yesterday, except he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges shortly before the trial began.
Patton, who was on the witness stand yesterday, testified he gave $1,000 for the 1996 Christmas shakes to defendant Angelo Lutz, and $3,500 to the mob at Christmas 1997. In 1998, he had been arrested on gambling charges, Patton testified, and he didn't pay the annual shakedown.
On Friday, Peter "Pete the Crumb" Caprio, the mob capo-turned-government witness, testified that Merlino also tapped him for money.
Quizzed by Merlino's attorney Edwin Jacobs about how Caprio was ready to stab a mobster in the throat because he didn't show at Caprio's mob functions, the 71-year-old mobster replied: "That wasn't the only reason.
"I asked him for $50,000 for Joey Merlino to pay you," Caprio told the lawyer.
"I would have stabbed him too," quipped Jacobs