The NYDA is ready to bust the Lucchese crime family for its alleged public corruption scheme involving some on-the-take and drug-dealing NYC building inspectors as reported by Barbara Ross and Greg B. Smith for the Daily News:
Those expected to be arrested as early as today include Matthew Madonna and Joseph DiNapoli, the reputed acting boss and underboss of the Lucchese crime family, the sources say. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is expected to charge about a half-dozen Department of Buildings employees with taking bribes from contractors, some of which were controlled by the mob, the sources say. * * * Prosecutors said they'd have an announcement today dealing with their rackets unit. As the Daily News reported in April, the probe arose during a gambling and loansharking investigation involving organized crime figures operating at a housing development called Boricua Village in the Bronx. Allegations surfaced that contractors on that job had paid bribes to city Buildings Department employees to expedite permits.