Joseph Masella homicide
| Tracking # |
1331819-000, AP-2015-05208 |
| Submitted | June 25, 2015 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Howard Weiner
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
All documents relating to the investigation of the homicide of Joseph Masella in Brooklyn, New York on October 10, 1998.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Howard Weiner
From: Mcguinn, Lauren S. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Weiner,
The FBI has received your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request and it will be forwarded to Initial Processing for review. Your request will be processed under the provisions of FOIPA and a response will be mailed to you at a later date.
Requests for fee waivers and expedited processing will be addressed once your request has been assigned a FOIPA request number. You will receive written notification of the FBI’s decision.
You have requested records concerning one or more third party individuals. The FBI recognizes an important privacy interest in the requested information. You may receive greater access to these records (if they exist) by providing one of the following: (1) an authorization and consent from the individual(s) (i.e., express authorization and consent of the third party); (2) proof of death (i.e., proof that your subject is deceased); or (3) a justification that the public interest in disclosure outweighs personal privacy (i.e., a clear demonstration that the public interest in disclosure outweighs personal property interests).
The U. S. Department of Justice CERTIFICATION OF IDENTITY (Authorization to Release Information to Another Person)-FORM DOJ-361<http://www.fbi.gov/foia/u.s.-department-of-justice-form-361-certification-of-identity>, and is also available at http://www.fbi.gov<http://www.fbi.gov>/, http://www.fbi.gov/foia/<http://foia.fbi.gov> or http://www.justice.gov/oip/. Note-please provide the following information on the OPTIONAL: Authorization to Release Information to Another Person line: Your name, title/business (if applicable) and a complete and current mailing address. Acceptable forms of proof of death include; obituaries, death certificates, recognized sources that can be documented, written media, Who’s Who in America, FBI file that indicates person is deceased or the Social Security Death Index. A waiver or proof of death is not required if date of birth is 100 years ago or greater. Note-a web link in itself does not satisfy proof of death.
Please return the form or letter to one of the following: by mail: FBI, Attn: FOIPA Request, 170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843, by fax: (540) 868-4391/4997 or by e-mail: foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov. You may submit an attachment listing additional information that may aid in locating responsive records. Please place your name and contact information on the attachment.
Information regarding the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy is available at http://www.fbi.gov<http://www.fbi.gov>/ or http://www.fbi.gov/foia/. If you require additional assistance please contact the Public Information Officer.
Thank you,
Lauren McGuinn
Public Liaison/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
E-mail: foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>
Questions E-mail: foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at http://www.fbi.gov/foia by clicking on the CHECK STATUS OF YOUR FOI/PA REQUEST under the FOIA INDEX located on the right side of the page. Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
-
~WRD000
From: Howard Weiner
Attached please find an article from CNN (http://archives.cnn.com/1999/US/12/03/mafia.sweep.01/index.html) dated 12/3/99 detailing charges in an Indictment from the Southern District of New York. Paragraph 11 states: Alleged Decavalcante associate, Anthony Greco, was charged with the murder of another Decavalcante associate, Joseph "Joey O" Masella, on October 10, 1998.
Thank you.
Howard Weiner
US
FBI nabs 40 mobsters in 4-state sweep
fbi.jail
Murder, racketeering charged
In this story:
Authorities want to 'disrupt and weaken' mob family
Sale of counterfeit merchandise among charges
'We do need to maintain vigilance'
RELATED STORIES, SITES icon
December 3, 1999
Web posted at: 7:06 a.m. EST (1206 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN) -- FBI agents and other law officers have arrested nearly 40 members of five different Mafia families in sweeping raids and charged them with murder, extortion and racketeering for offenses over a 10-year span.
Caught up in the dragnet were members of five mob families -- the New York-based Gambino, Bonanno, Colombo and Luchese families as well as the New Jersey-based Dacavalcante family, which had been expanding into New York.
Thirty-three suspects were nabbed in early morning busts on Thursday; another six were picked up later in the day. The arrests were made in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
New York's notorious "Five families" have been in disarray in recent years with their most powerful chieftains behind bars.
These include John Gotti, the former "Dapper Don" of the Gambinos, who has been recently treated for throat cancer, and Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, the Genovese family godfather known for his bathrobe strolls in Greenwich Village.
The indictments mark the first major prosecution of the New York faction of the Decavalcante family and the culmination of a two-year investigation into an alleged criminal enterprise spanning a decade.
Authorities want to 'disrupt and weaken' mob family
U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White filed indictments on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, charging the 39 defendants with wide-ranging racketeering offenses including murder, attempted murder, loan sharking, extortion, receipt of stolen property and bookmaking.
"The impact should be to significantly disrupt and weaken the hierarchy of the Decavalcante family itself and to effectively decimate the presence of this New Jersey-based crime family in New York City," she said.
In the largest of the three indictments, containing a total of 42 counts, three reputed top members of the Decavalcante hierarchy -- an acting boss and two captains -- were charged along with a dozen reputed family members and associates.
Prosecutors identified Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo as acting boss of New York operations and Joseph Giacobbe and Anthony Rotondo as the two street captains.
Alleged Decavalcante associate, Anthony Greco, was charged with the murder of another Decavalcante associate, Joseph "Joey O" Masella, on October 10, 1998.
Sale of counterfeit merchandise among charges
Other defendants were charged with the attempted robbery of a payroll office at a Times Square building, and the attempted sale of counterfeit Tommy Hilfiger and Jordache merchandise.
Prosecutors say the Decavalcantes, who have historically worked with the Gambinos, formed alliances with the Lucheses, Bonannos and Colombos to to set up their own New York operations.
The alleged criminal enterprise, said White, reflects "the traditional and changing face of organized crime which more and more involves joint venture arrangements between different crime families."
The second indictment charges members and associates of the Gambino and Colombo families with running an illegal bookmaking network in conjunction with the Decavalcante family.
The third charges various defendants of operating a stolen property ring and trying to sell (among other things) 2,250 cases of stolen Due Torri Pino Grigio wine, 29,000 packages of Centrum vitamins and 56 Minolta digital copiers.
'We do need to maintain vigilance'
New York FBI chief Louis Schiliro said the crackdown hurt the expanding Decavalcante Family, in particular, but added: "That is not to suggest that the Cosa Nostra families are dead. There's a lot of work we need to do. We need to maintain our vigilance. And certainly the case represented here shows they are not out of New York City."
The defendants appeared before a Judge Wednesday. Prosecutor David Kelley said some were released, others detained. Some of the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
RELATED STORIES:
Danforth wants ballistics tests on FBI weapons
November 13, 1999
ATF director resigning
October 29, 1999
Tape shows FBI fired into Waco compound, attorneys contend
October 21, 1999
Senate Republicans launch probe of FBI, Justice Department
September 23, 1999
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Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI Home Page
House Committee on Government Reform
U.S. Department of Justice
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From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
An interim response, stating the request is being processed.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
A no responsive documents response.
From: Howard Weiner
The subject of my request (Joseph Masella homicide) was a subject of a federal prosecution (docket number 99-cr-1199 in the SDNY) so there must be responsive documents. Please perform another search, including any cross-referenced records relevant to my inquiry, as well as a search of ELSUR records. Thank you.
From: OIP-NoReply
Please do not reply to this e-mail, as this account is not monitored. To ensure a prompt reply, please direct any inquiries to the contact information listed in the correspondence provided to you. Thank you.
From: OIP-NoReply
Please do not reply to this e-mail, as this account is not monitored. To ensure a prompt reply, please direct any inquiries to the contact information listed in the correspondence provided to you. Thank you.
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