Mafia Commission Trial

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The Mafia Commission Trial was a criminal trial in New York City, USA, that took place in the mid-1980s and saw many of the top Mafia bosses in the city put away for life. "The Commission" is the name given to the bosses of the five major Mafia families in New York who regularly meet to resolve disputes or discuss criminal activities. The Commission could be roughly described as organized crime's equivalent of a board of directors.

The eight defendants were:

Anthony Salerno, boss of the Genovese family
Anthony Corallo, boss of the Lucchese family
Phillip Rastelli, boss of the Bonanno family
Jerry Langella, acting boss of the Colombo family
Carmine Persico, capo in the Colombo family
Salvatore Sanaro, underboss of the Lucchese family
Christopher Funrari, consigliere of the Lucchese family
Ralph Scopo, capo in the Colombo family

The defendants were arrested in early 1985 in a major operation by the FBI and they were charged under the RICO statute. The bosses were released on $1,000,000 bail. At the trial itself, which began in 1986, Carmine Persico acted as his own attorney.

Paul Castellano, boss of the Gambino family, and his underboss Aniello Dellacroce, were also indicted, but both died before they came to trial. Castellano was murdered on the orders of his successor, John Gotti, and Dellacroce died from cancer.

The trial lasted until 1987. It resulted in convictions for all the defendants, with the top bosses receiving 100-year sentences.

External link

[Overview of the case, with photos of the defendants]

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