Martin Taccetta

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Martin Taccetta
Martin (left) and Michael Taccetta (right) in 1988, after being acquitted on racketeering charges from the longest trial in US history
Born 1951
Flag of the United States Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Penalty 30-life
Status Alive (Released)
Occupation Caporegime of the Lucchese crime family
Boss of the Jersey Crew

Martin "Marty" Taccetta (b. 1951) is a New Jersey mobster and alleged to be the current Boss of the Jersey Crew, a powerful faction of the Lucchese crime family based in New Jersey. [1]

Contents

[edit] Early life and Made man

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1951, Martin Taccetta is the youngest of two brothers, the other being Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta, whom he would later succeed as the Boss of the Jersey Crew and captain in the New York based Lucchese crime family. During the late 1960s, both Martin and Michael Taccetta started with recognized street thug Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo in illegal gambling and loansharking operations, on the orders of Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese, then the current Boss of the Lucchese crime family. At that time, Taccetta was identifyed as an associate of the crime family, however, upon the year of 1976, Taccetta and his brother, as well as Accetturo, were 'made' into the Lucchese family, which was now being controlled by Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo, Accetturo's old mentor. [2]

[edit] Expanding into Philadelphia

On March 12, 1980, the Boss of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno, was shot to death, as his murder resulted in a huge powerstroke between Philip Testa and Nicodemo Scarfo, both fighting for the total control of the Philadelphia family. When Accetturo heard of this, he established a new crew in their turf, who represented the Lucchese crime family, using Taccetta as their new supervisor. But because of the bad relations between the two factions in Philadelphia's crime family, as well as both the Taccettas and Accetturo taking advantage of the situation, the relationship between Philadelphia and the Five Families eventually turned even worse. [3]

[edit] Activities and Rise

The Jersey Crew, a powerful faction of the Lucchese crime family, based in Northern New Jersey, is reportedly to have been looked at as its own crime family, as there were an own hierarchy divided inside the crew, which reportedly consisted of more than 20 members at the time. Taccetta, now a Lucchese made man, would reportedly operate along with his brother, who was recognized as Accetturo's Underboss, in large gambling and loansharking operations around Newark, New Jersey, as well as drug trafficking and money laundering activities during the early 1980s, through their legitimate business, Taccetta Group Enterprises. However, the business was obviesly under the control of the Lucchese crime family in New York. As indictments were put on the crew's leader Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo in the early 1980s, Accetturo fled New Jersey, and Martin's brother Michael Taccetta took over the day-to-day activities, with Martin as his Underboss.

[edit] Acting head of New Jersey

In 1983, the State of New Jersey put together an exclusion order on Michael Taccetta, as he was recognized as the acting leader of the Northern Jersey organized crime organization, on behalf of Accetturo. On January 6, 1984, he was excluded from the state, and Martin stepped up to serve as the crew's new Acting boss in the mid 1980s, although he followed orders from his brother. [4] [5]

[edit] 21 months of Trial

In 1985, as prosecutions which resulted in the Mafia Commission Trial were set up in New York, where Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo and the entire administration of the Lucchese crime family were brought on trial, Taccetta and 19 co-defendants would be arrested during that same year, and put on trial as well. The indictment was the result of a four-year investigation, provided by the law enforcement of New Jersey. The charges were 76 counts of labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, conspiracy and murder for hire. The longest trial ever in the United States, it went for more than 21 months, as it has been placed in the Guinness Book of Records. Stunningly, all 20 defendants were found not guilty on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act predicates, as both Martin and Michael Taccetta and Accetturo stormed out of the court in happiness, along with their co-defendants. But as the trial was over due, rivalry was being developed in the Jersey Crew. [6]

[edit] Accetturo Rivalry

During and trial, both Michael Taccetta and Anthony Accetturo agreed that it wasn't the right time for a war, however, in 1988, it became clear that Taccetta had claimed it on Accetturo, as the North Jersey crew broke up into two factions. One of the main reasons were that Accetturo had promoted his son, Anthony Accetturo, Jr. to reorganize the Jersey Crew upon his eventual retirement, which was something Taccetta had been eager to take over since the early 1980s. When the trial ended in acquittals for the defendants on all charges, Accetturo returned to Florida, acting on prior knowledge, and the Taccetta brothers continued to run most of the operations of the New Jersey faction.

[edit] New York Rivalry

After the conviction of Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo in 1986, and his protege Anthony "Buddy" Luongo was found murdered, Brooklyn faction leaders Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso chose themselves as the new Bosses of the Lucchese crime family. Only problem was that Amuso hadn't been satisfied with their profit from the New Jersey faction in the late 1980s, as he demanded 50% of Taccettas' total profit, where they both refused. Vic Amuso, a man of great fear and reportedly with dozens of murders on his hands, announced his order, which led "Whack Jersey". Summoned to a meeting in Brooklyn, New York with Amuso, the entire North Jersey faction who were fearful of being massacred, went into hiding. Over the next 12 months, most of the New Jersey crew members came back to the family. Amuso told the returned crew members that Accetturo needed to be disposed off, believing Accetturo was still much in charge. Reportedly, Martin and Michael Taccetta is to have sent messages to Amuso in Brooklyn, asking for a contract to be placed on Accetturo's life. Amuso is reportedly to have agreed, as Taccetta was now under the wings of Vittorio "Vic" Amsuo. [7]

[edit] Reputed Consigliere

With Accetturo out of the way, Michael and Martin Taccetta were reportedly the leaders of the New Jersey faction, as Taccetta started cooperating with Gambino crime family Boss John Gotti, through Gambino family captain, Thomas "Tommy" Gambino. During the last years of the 1980s, Taccetta's faction was much weakened due to encreased law enforcement and bad relations to Vittorio "Vic" Amuso. The new administration was accordingly to "NewJersey.Com", Michael Taccetta as the Boss of faction, Michael Perna as the Underboss and Martin as the official Consigliere, and aid to his brother. Reportedly, it was around this time that US law enforcement started seeing the NJ faction of the Lucchese crime family as its own family. [8]

[edit] Imprisonment

In the early 1990s, the entire New Jersey faction's administration was put on trail, including the elder Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo, who had been imprisoned due to the contract that was placed on his life. As it couldn't be any worse, Accetturo decided to turn state's evidence after he learned of all the criminal charges, testifying against the remaining defendants, as Michael and Martin Taccetta were sentenced to 30-life for racketeering, narcotics, illegal gambling, extortion, loansharking, conspiracy and murder in 1993. Taccetta's murder charge was the infamous 1984 golf-club rubout of contractor James "Jimmy Sinatra" Craporatta, a Mafia-connected contractor in New Jersey. Taccetta's fellow defendant and own cousin, Thomas Ricciardi, had also reputedly turned an informant and helped provide the charges. Both the Taccetta brothers were locked up, but remained in control of the Jersey Crew.

[edit] Possible Frame

In 2005, 12 years after the conviction, court officials learned that they had wrongfully accused Martin Taccetta in the 1984 murder of James "Jimmy Sinatra" Craporatta, as Thomas Ricciardi claimed that Taccetta was not involved in the hit-team who murdered Craporatta. However, as it turns out, the US prosecutors knew they had Taccetta wrongfully accused only four days after his conviction in 1993, as he has now served more than 12 years for something that he hasn't committed. In this way, US authorities believe that the FBI may have framed Taccetta for murder charges, as well as other possible criminal activities that he was convicted of in the early 1990s. Since the discovery, Ricciardi has tried surprisingly to have Taccetta released from prison, mostly because it was because of Ricciardi's testimony that Taccetta was sent to prison for a 30 year sentence. Although Michael Taccetta is still serving his sentence in Atlanta, Martin is to have been released from prison and gone back to Jersey Crew of the Lucchese crime family. [9] [10]

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Further reading

  • Raab, Selwyn. The Five Families: The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire. New York: St. Martins Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-36181-5
  • Rudolph, Robert C. The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds. New York: William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-813-52154-8

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Michael Taccetta		 Jersey Crew Boss
2005-present		 Succeeded by
current