Matthew Madonna

Matthew Madonna (November 2, 1935)[1] is a former street boss of the Lucchese crime family.

Matthew Madonna
Born (1935-11-02) November 2, 1935
Selden, New York
OccupationMobster
AllegianceLucchese crime family
Conviction(s)Drug trafficking (1976)
Racketeering (2015)
Murder (2019)
Criminal penalty20 years' imprisonment
Five years' imprisonment
Life imprisonment (2020)

Narcotics trafficking

In 1959, while serving a sentence at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Upstate New York, Madonna became acquainted with Nicky Barnes, a young drug dealer from Harlem.[2][3] After their release from prison, Madonna started supplying large quantities of heroin to Barnes. Madonna would drop off a car with a trunk full of heroin at a Manhattan parking lot. Barnes would pick up the heroin later and exchange it for cash. A few days later, Madonna would return to pick up the car with the cash. Madonna and Barnes continued this arrangement until 1975, when Madonna was arrested for drug trafficking.[4] On December 21, 1976, Madonna was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.[5]

In December 1981, while still in prison, Madonna received a summons to testify before a grand jury about narcotics activity in the New York area. In two appearances before the grand jury, Madonna refused to testify, even after being granted immunity from self-incrimination. The judge finally held Madonna in contempt of court. Madonna received an extra 528 days added to his sentence.[6]

Release and promotion

In 1995, after serving 20 years in prison, Madonna was released from Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Around 1998, Madonna was inducted into the Lucchese crime family as a reward for his silence and to assist his return to earning money for the family.[7] Shortly thereafter, Madonna became a capo. Madonna was sent to prison again, but released on September 22, 2003.[8]

After the convictions of family leaders Steven Crea, Louis Daidone, Dominic Truscello and the cooperation of former acting boss Joseph DeFede, the Luccheses established a three-man ruling panel to govern the family. Madonna, along with Aniello Migliore and Joseph DiNapoli headed the panel.[7]

Acting boss

On December 18, 2007, New Jersey law enforcement arrested Madonna and 32 other members and associates of the Lucchese family. In a year-long investigation titled "Operation Heat", law enforcement agencies uncovered a $2.2 billion illegal gambling, money laundering and racketeering ring. The scheme involved collecting bets from gamblers on basketball, football, greyhound races and the lottery. The mob collected bets over the Internet and by phone from a location in Costa Rica, with help from Joseph Mancino, a senior member of the Gambino crime family.[9] Along with Madonna ruling panel member Joseph DiNapoli, top New Jersey Faction capos Ralph V. Perna and Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr. were indicted in May 2010.[10][11][12][13] Madonna was released on bail pending trial.

In 2008, The Village Voice reported that Madonna was an employee of Big Geyser, Inc., New York's largest distributor of health beverages. It was speculated that this was a no-show job for Madonna.[14]

After the ruling panel was disbanded in 2009, Matthew Madonna took over as acting boss and Joseph DiNapoli became the new consigliere. In late 2009, the parole restrictions expired on longtime underboss Steven Crea and he was able rejoin the family's leadership again.

On October 1, 2009 Madonna was indicted along with Joseph DiNapoli and 27 others in a large racketeering scheme. The indictment stated that Madonna was a key player in a vast operation that grossed approximately $400 million from illegal gambling, loansharking, gun trafficking and extortion.[15][16] A second part of the indictment charged that Madonna and other Lucchese mobsters ran a bribery scheme among New York City building inspectors.[17][18][19] On June 28, 2010, Madonna and the other defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.[20] Madonna was granted bail while the trial was delayed. In 2013, Madonna along with John Castellucci performed a secret initiation ceremony for John Pennisi in a basement of a Staten Island home.[21]

On June 17, 2015, Madonna agreed to plead guilty to the 2007 racketeering indictment, and was sentenced to five years in prison on September 30.[22][23][24]

Before his release date, Madonna and 18 others were charged on May 31, 2017, with a wide range of racketeering activities, including ordering the November 15, 2013 murder of East Harlem Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish.[25]

During the May 2019, testimony of government witness John Pennisi, it was revealed that in 2017, imprisoned for life boss Vic Amuso sent a letter to underboss Steven Crea which stated that Michael DeSantis would take over as acting boss replacing Bronx-based Madonna.[26] If Amuso's orders where not followed he approved of murdering a number of Bronx faction members.[26] DeSantis took over as acting boss after Madonna and Crea both stepped down and agreed to Amuso's orders.[26]

On November 15, 2019, Madonna, Crea, Christopher Londonio and Terrence Caldwell were convicted in White Plains federal court of executing the murder of Michael Meldish.[27] On July 27, 2020, Madonna was sentenced to life in prison for the Meldish murder, along with Londonio and Caldwell.[28][29]

References
  1. New York County District Attorney Office Archived 2011-02-05 at the Wayback Machine (October 1, 2009)
  2. Gangsters of Harlem: the gritty underworld of New York City's most famous neighborhood by Ron Chepesiuk (2007) p.126
  3. Organized Crime by Howard Abadinsky p.196
  4. Capeci, Jerry (March 14, 1999). "Ex-Druglord Is Free – 'Nicky' Barnes Said to Be Changed Man". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  5. "Metropolitan Briefs: Long Term in Drug Case" (PDF). New York Times. December 22, 1976. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  6. Matthew Madonna, Plaintiff-appellant, v. United States of America, Defendant-appellee United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. - 878 F.2d 62 Justia
  7. "What’s Left of the Mob" By Jerry Capeci New York Magazine May 21, 2005
  8. Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmate Locator "Matthew Madonna" (Released September 22, 2003)
  9. "Attorney General Milgram Announces Arrests of Two Top Bosses of Lucchese New York Crime Family and Top New Jersey Capo On Gambling, Money Laundering And Racketeering Charges" New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Press Release December 18, 2007
  10. "N.J. authorities indict 34 in Lucchese crime family bust from ‘Operation Heat’" Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine Mafia Today May 14, 2010
  11. "N.J. mob indictments handed to Lucchese crime family" Archived 2010-05-18 at the Wayback Machine New Jersey Newsroom.com 14 May 2010
  12. "Names of those charged in $2.2B gambling ring" NJ.com December 18, 2007
  13. New York Times: 'Alarming Alliance' of Mafia and Street Gang Is Broken Up by David W. Chen and David Kocieniewski (December 19, 2007) New York Times
  14. "Share A Slice of Mafia With Your Sparkling Water?" By Tom Robbins The Village Voice May 27, 2008
  15. Martinez, Jose (October 2, 2009). "49 indicted for bribery, racketeering schemes on a crazy Lucchese mob day". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  16. "Lucchese crime family members busted in mob raid". By Laura Italiano and Murray Weiss. New York Post. October 1, 2009
  17. Kates, Brian (October 19, 2009). "Three busted building inspectors - all with apparent ties to Lucchese family - had prior raps". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  18. Kates, Brian (October 10, 2009). "Luchese mob suspect Wayne Schumer, president of Ucon Corp., is missing, being hunted in bribe case". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  19. Ross, Barbara (September 29, 2009). "Department of Buildings bribe scheme may net Mob bigs". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  20. "More than 30 members of Lucchese crime family plead not guilty to N.J. racketeering, conspiracy" by Jim Lockwood The Star Ledger NJ.com June 28, 2010
  21. "Inside a secret Mafia initiation ritual in Staten Island basement". Staten Island Live. June 4, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  22. Markos, Kibret (July 19, 2015). "Lucchese crime family members plead guilty in multibillion-dollar gambling ring". North Jersey. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  23. "AG's Office: Lucchese Crime Family Boss Sentenced to Prison". Observer. April 20, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  24. "Crime boss sentenced in Morristown to 3 years in prison". Daily Record. April 20, 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  25. Whitehouse, Kaja (February 13, 2017). "Lucchese crime family members busted in murder of relative". New York Post. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  26. Capeci, Jerry (May 30, 2019). "Lucheses leadership changed hands in bloodless coup orchestrated from prison". New York Post. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  27. "Four Lucchese gangsters convicted of murder of notorious wiseguy Michael Meldish". nydailynews.com. November 15, 2019.
  28. "'Veal shank' mobster and two other Luccheses get life in prison". nypost.com. July 27, 2020.
  29. "3 Lucchese gangsters, including acting boss, get life for murder of notorious wiseguy Michael Meldish". New York Daily News. July 31, 2020.

Sources

  • United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. Summary of Testimony and Findings and Conclusions Resulting from Hearings in New York on Drug Law Enforcement. 1977. (pg. 59)
  • United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Government Operations. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Illicit Traffic in Weapons and Drugs Across the United States-Mexican Border: Hearing Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations. 1977.
  • Justice, Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations United States. Congress. House. Committee on appropriations. Subcommittee on Departments of State. Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations For Fiscal Year. 1979.
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