Eddie Garafola
Eddie "Cousin Eddie" Garafola (born 1939) of New York, is a Gambino crime family associate who was involved in the construction industry. Garafola was the brother-in-law of former underboss and informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. He is married to Fran, Salvatore Gravano's sister (see Gravano).
In May 1985, Garafola was charged with tax evasion for failing to report income from a New York discotheque that he owned with Gravano.[1] On March 2, 2000, Garafola was charged with racketeering in a classic "Pump and dump" stock fraud and money laundering scheme that allegedly cost investors $41 million over a three-year period. Garafola was specifically charged with trying to extort $100,000 from a stockbroker.[2]
Gravano later claimed that Garafola, in a jailhouse visit, suggested both of them cooperate with the government:
"It's my whining brother-in-law Eddie, a whining motherf**ker all my life, who puts the idea in my head. He's caused me nothing but trouble with his devious ways, always looking for the angle. A couple of guys in my crew wanted to whack him. You can't trust him, they said. But he's got a big edge with me. His wife is my sister and I ain't ever going to hurt her, even though he's treating her like shit."[3]
In September 1996, Peter Gotti visited his brother, Gambino boss John Gotti, in prison. Gotti reportedly told Peter, then acting boss, to have Thomas Carbonara and Garafola kill Gravano. Carbonara and Garafola reportedly made several trips to Arizona, where the media had revealed Gravano was hiding, to set up a hit. However, Gravano's arrest on drug charges in 2000 ended this venture.[4] On May 22, 2003, Garafola was indicted in New York for plotting to murder Gravano.[5]
In 2004, Garafola pleaded guilty to the murder of his cousin, Edward "The Chink" Garofalo (Garofalo, not Garafola). Garafola was ordered to kill his cousin. On September 6, 2007, Garafola was sentenced to 30 in prison.[6]
As of June 2010, Garafola is imprisoned at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Eastern Pennsylvania. His projected release date is November 16, 2028.[7]
Further reading
- Eppolito, Lou and Bob Drury. Mob: Stories of Death and Betrayal from Organized Crime. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 1-56025-324-X
- Maas, Peter. Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0-06-093096-9
- Milito, Lynda and Reg Potterton. Mafia Wife: My Story of Love, Murder, and Madness. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0-06-103216-6
External links
References
- ↑ "THE CITY; 3S.I. Men Charged With Tax Evasion By The Associated Press" New York Times May 4, 1985
- ↑ "19 Charged in Stock Scheme Tied to Mob" By ALAN FEUER New York Times March 3, 2000
- ↑ "Bull's Brother-In-Law In the Drink" by Jerry Capeci This Week in Gangland March 9, 2000
- ↑ "Gotti Crime Family Takes a Hit" JOHN T. FLOYD LAW FIRM
- ↑ "New York: Manhattan: Mobster's In-Law Charged In Plot" By Benjamin Weiser (NYT) New York Times May 22, 2003
- ↑ "Manhattan: Mob Soldier Sentenced" New York Times September 7, 2007
- ↑ Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
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