Mob figure pleads guilty to racketeering
A Philadelphia mobster pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to racketeering involving extortion and illegal gambling, officials said. Gaeton Lucibello, 59, of Philadelphia, admitted to U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno that, as a member of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra family, he helped to shake down a bookmaker for a "street tax." He also admitted operating two illegal video poker machines.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AWZJDWH2JFBQ7ICMZJ4EA3HDRM.jpg)
A Philadelphia mobster pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to racketeering involving extortion and illegal gambling, officials said.
Gaeton Lucibello, 59, of Philadelphia, admitted to U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno that, as a member of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra family, he helped to shake down a bookmaker for a "street tax." He also admitted operating two illegal video poker machines.
In April, Lucibello, also known as "Gate" and "the Big Guy," was expected to plead guilty to racketeering charges in a deal that called for a 63-month sentence.
But during a hearing before Robreno, Lucibello rejected the deal. Robreno called it unlikely he that would have accepted that deal anyway.
Caroline Cinquanto, Lucibello's court-appointed lawyer, said after the April hearing that her client looked forward to making his case before a jury.
Cinquanto said Lucibello, a former ironworker, initially decided to plead guilty because he needed hip-replacement surgery and expected to have it in a prison hospital. But Lucibello changed his mind and wanted to go to trial, Cinquanto said.
Lucibello is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 26. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
He was one of 14 reputed Philadelphia mobsters currently charged with crimes including loan sharking, witness tampering, extortion, illegal gambling, and theft from an employee benefit plan.
The others are reputed family boss Joseph Ligambi, Joseph "Mousie" Massimino, George Borgesi, Martin Angelina, Anthony Staino Jr., Damion "Dame" Canalichio, Louis "Sheep" Barretta, Gary Battaglini, Robert Verrecchia, Eric Esposito, Robert Ranieri, Joseph Licata, and Louis Fazzini.
Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Angelina, Staino, Canalichio, Barretta, Battaglini, Licata, and Fazzini are scheduled for trial in October. A trial date for the others has not been set.
Trial attorney John S. Han of the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Organized Crime and Gang Section is prosecuting the case with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor 3d and Suzanne B. Ercole.