New York mafia family hit by wave of arrests
Ten members of a New York mafia family were arrested Tuesday on charges including attempted murder and extortion, prosecutors said, the latest blow against the area's organized crime syndicates.
All of the suspects are believed to belong to the Bonanno family, one of five major Italian-American mob organizations in the northeastern United States -- along with the Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families.
The charges stem from alleged crimes committed over a nearly 20-year span, beginning in 1998. They centered in New York's bayside Howard Beach neighborhood, close to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, and were the result of a long-term investigation that included wiretaps, cooperating witnesses and surveillance.
Ronald "Ronnie G." Giallanzo, an acting captain in the Bonanno family, was the ringleader of a loansharking operation that, at one point, reached $3 million in "extortionate loans," according to Bridget Rohde, acting federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.
"Even while incarcerated, Giallanzo kept watch over his illicit loansharking book, directing his associates to commit acts of violence to ensure that the customers paid the exorbitant weekly interest rate," a statement read.
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