Joseph Caridi
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Joseph "Joe C." Caridi (b. 1949) is a New York mobster and current Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family.
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[edit] Lucchese Family
Joseph Caridi was reportedly inducted into the Lucchese crime family sometime in the mid 1980s, under the notorious leaders Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, who went on to eliminate everyone who could either be feared rivals or potential informants. As US law enforcement finally had enough of the bloody leadership of the Lucchese crime family and put on massive indictments on each of the family's top members, most of them went to become fugitives. It was around the early 1990s, after Amuso's life conviction, that Caridi was one of the members who would be promoted. Caridi stepped up as Caporegime of the Long Island and Queens factions of the Lucchese crime family, and started cooperating with prominent family capos John Cerrella, Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede, Stephen "Wonderboy" Crea and even the fierce recognized Consigliere Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone of Queens, New York.
[edit] L.I. & Promotion
According to Mob expert Jerry Capeci; After Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede, the former Acting Boss of the Lucchese crime family, turned state's evidence upon his releasement from prison, he gave up Caridi, who at the time was recognized as a Caporegime in the family, and his entire crew mates, including soldiers Joseph Datello and Vincent "Vinny Baldy" Salanardi, who in one incident with Caridi extorted more than $7000 to $10,000 a night from the owners of a popular Freeport L.I. restaurant bar, who had solicited the Lucchese crime family to oust Lewis Kasman, an investor in the club who had begun diverting assets to himself, the prosecutors said. [1] DeFede also gave the prosecutors operations of racketeering, loansharking, illegal gambling, and even murder and conspiracy charges, which saw to it that official Consigliere and then-current Lucchese family Acting Boss, Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone, was put on trial in the year of 2003. This also led to the promotion of Caridi, who stepped up as the Acting Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family while Daidone was on trial.
[edit] Consigliere
As of late 2002, Caridi was recognized as the Acting Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family, and operated regularly with capo John "Johnny Sideburns" Cerrella in extortion, loansharking and racketeering activities in the Long Island and Queens factions of the Lucchese crime family. As Daidone and his crew mates were put on trial for various of charges, Vincent "Vinny Baldy" Salanardi, decided to turn state's evidence, and agreed to give up most of his associates, including Caridi, who was put on trial in early 2003 for the extortion operation with Salanardi and various of loansharking and racketeering charges around Long Island, New York. While on trial with Cerrella in 2003, Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. As Caridi and almost the entire Long Island and Queens factions were on trial, Vittorio "Vic" Amuso, the fierce imprisoned Boss of the Lucchese crime family since the 1980s, decided to promote the rivals of the East Harlem section of the Bronx, New York, Aniello "Neil" Migliore, Joseph "Joey Dee" DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna to run the day-to-day activities of the Lucchese crime family. Caridi, one of the top members of the family at the time, was named full Consigliere of the family and kept operating with the rivals from the Bronx faction.
[edit] Guilty Plea
Toward May of 2003, Caridi and Cerrella were among the indicted mobsters of the Lucchese crime family to plea guilty to the extortion and loansharking charges which was the result of a yearlong investigation by US law enforcement, plus over 1000 hours of taped conversations. Joseph Caridi was sentenced to eight years in prison, when due to the charges could have gotten 10, said the prosecutors. [2] [3]
As of January, 2008, Caridi is imprisoned at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Pennsylvania. His projected release-date is November 28, 2009. Despite being imprisoned, he is still the official Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family. [4]
