Steven Crea

Steven L. Crea

1992 FBI mugshot
Born (1947-07-18) July 18, 1947
Other names Stevie, Herbie, Wonderboy
Occupation Mobster
Criminal penalty (2003)
34 months (2004)
Allegiance Lucchese crime family
Conviction(s) Extortion (2003)
Corruption (2004)

Steven Lorenzo Crea (born July 18, 1947), is an American mobster. He is a member of the Mafia (Cosa Nostra) and the current street boss of the Lucchese crime family.

Early life

Steven Lorenzo Crea was born on July 18, 1947.[1] Crea earned his nickname "Wonderboy" after the fictional Quality Comics superhero.

Lucchese crime family

Rise to power

Crea was inducted into the Lucchese crime family sometime back in the 1980s, under the reign of boss Anthony Corallo. By 1990, family boss Victor Amuso appointed Crea capo, taking over "Sammy Bones" Castaldi crew in the Bronx.[2] Crea specialized in labor rackets, such as gaining power over Carpenter's Local 608 and using it to extort New York City contractors. Crea held a no-show job at Inner City Drywall, one of the city's largest drywall contractors and was on the Cement and Concrete Workers Union involved with Local 282.

In 1993, with Amuso and Anthony Casso's support, Crea became underboss of the Lucchese family. Using his new clout, Crea shifted the family's power center away from the Brooklyn crews and back to the Manhattan and Bronx crews who had historically controlled the family for decades. In the early 1990s, several Amuso/Casso loyalists, including George Zappola and Frank "Spaghetti Man" Gioia, Jr. hatched a plot to kill Crea, and take over the family.[3] They planned to lure Crea to a sitdown and then murder him. However, the plot fell through after Zapolla, Gioia, and the rest of Amuso/Casso regime were indicted and imprisoned.

Construction boss

From 1997 through 1999, Crea served as the head of the "Lucchese Construction Group", which also included Lucchese capos Dominic Truscello, head of the Prince Street Crew, and Joseph Tangorra, head of a Brooklyn crew. The Construction Group brokered the bribe payments and the "mob tax" payments to be received from contractors, and settled disputes over who would dominate a particular construction site. Also, the mobsters were placed on the company payroll so they could report legitimate taxable income to the U.S Internal Revenue Service (IRS). During its existence, the Construction Group controlled over $40 million in construction contracts, increasing overall construction costs by 5%.[4]

In 1998, after acting Lucchese boss Joseph DeFede was indicted on labor racketeering and extortion charges, Crea became the family's new acting boss.

In December 1999, Crea and Joseph Datello talked about bribery and extortion with Sean Richard, the son-in-law of John Riggi, the boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.[5] It was later revealed that Richard was wearing a hidden recording device.[5]

In 1999, it was revealed that Crea had formed an alliance with members of the Gambino crime family in extorting local officials of New York City's carpenters, laborers and bricklayers unions.[6]

Convicted on corruption charges

On September 6, 2000, Crea and other members of the Lucchese Construction Group were indicted in New York on state enterprise corruption, labor racketeering, extortion, and bid-rigging charges.[7][8] The District Attorney charged that these schemes had systematically siphoned off millions of dollars from both public and private construction projects. Specifically, Crea used mob associates to extort building contractors who wished to receive rights to no-bid jobs or who wanted to reduce the number of union members on their payrolls.[9] Crea pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption and restraint of trade charges, and in January 2004 he received a 34-month prison sentence.[10] Crea also pleaded guilty to federal charges and served his time concurrently.

Acting boss

On August 24, 2006, Crea was released from prison with parole restrictions that prohibited him from associating with other mobsters or union officials.[11][12] On November 17, 2009, Crea's parole restrictions expired.[13] Since his release it was speculated that he would take over the Lucchese crime family when his parole was up. In March 2010, the FBI observed at a Bronx social club Crea meeting with capo John Castelle.[14]

In February 2012, author Jerry Capeci reported that Crea was named the new boss of the Lucchese crime family.[15] In July 2014, author Capeci reported that Vic Amuso remains the official boss of the family despite his previous post.[16]

References

  1. ↑ New York County District Attorney's Office News Release September 6, 2000
  2. ↑ Guy Lawson and William Oldham. The Brotherhood: The True Story of Two Cops who murdered for the Mafia. (pg.244)
  3. ↑ "A Bronx Tale" by Jerry Capeci This Week in Gangland (March 30, 1998)
  4. ↑ Ross, Barbara (September 7, 2000). "MOB-EXTORTION PROBE LEADS TO 38 ARRESTS". New York Daily News. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 Chivers, C.J. (September 8, 2000). "Mob Turncoat Eager to Talk About Construction Rackets". New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  6. ↑ Raab, Selwyn (August 8, 1999). "Investigators Detail a New Mob Strategy on Building Trades". New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ Steven Crea Indictment
  8. ↑ The Indictment (September 6, 2000) Union Plain Facts
  9. ↑ "38 are charged in mob control of construction in the city". New York Times. September 7, 2000.
  10. ↑ Ross, Barbara (March 9, 2004). "Judge Goes Easy On Mob-tied Big". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  11. ↑ Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
  12. ↑ "With the Boss Behind Bars a Borough Battle Brews" Jerry Capeci New York Sun January 25, 2007
  13. ↑ "Inmate Population Information Search". Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  14. ↑ "International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 282 John Castelle" (PDF). Independent Review Board. March 16, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Lucheses Tap Stevie Wonder As New Boss; (That's Stevie From Creaville, Not Motown)" by Jerry Capeci (February 23, 2012) Gang Land News
  16. ↑ Capeci, Jerry (July 24, 2014). "Vic Amuso Begins 24th Year In Federal Custody As Luchese Family Boss". Gangland. Retrieved July 27, 2014.

Further reading

External links

Business positions
Preceded by
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso		 Lucchese crime family
Underboss
1993-present 		Incumbent
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