Raymond Argentina

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Raymond "Ray" Argentina was a New York hitman and soldier for the Lucchese crime family in the Queens-based crew of Louis "Louie Crossbay/Louie Bagels" Daidone. Argentina had originally been in the crew of Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco.

In 1988, Argentina was the trigger-man and driver in an armored car robbery that netted his crew $1.2 million in cash. Eventually, D'Arco started cooperating with the government and provided enough information to indict Argentina. Federal authorities claimed that Argentina became a caporegime around this time.On August 10, 1989, D'Arco permitted family caporegime Sal Avellino to have Argentina murder two Long Island, New York carters who refused to pay extortion money to the mob.

After his release from prison, Argentina recruited his son James, brother Peter, and several others to start up a new crew. Argentina's crew became involved in intricate financial scams, drug trafficking, and the robbery and extortion of other drug dealers. On December 8, 1999, Argentina ordered James and associate Kenneth Cardona to beat Donald Meyer II to death inside his Long Island home. Meyer was tortured and beaten for 12 hours with hammers, an aluminum baseball bat, and the group's fists. Eventually, Cardona would implicate Argentina in this murder.

On March 28, 2001, Argentina was arrested for orchestrating a "well-integrated mortgage fraud scam" to "flip" six properties in Brooklyn and on Long Island by purchasing homes, re-appraising them at inflated prices and selling them. Also included were charges for the kidnap and murder of Meyer. Argentina was sentenced to life in prison.