Friends of Ours

Vito Don't Want No Love At Trial

What's in a name?

For Vito Cortesiano his apparent nickname "Vito Love" carries unwanted baggage, and the reputed Gambino associate doesn't want the jury to hear it at his upcoming racketeering and gambling trial as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News:  "'The only reason the government wants to include aliases when presenting the indictment to the jury is to indicate that people who use aliases are inherently untrustworthy and engaged in questionable activities,' defense lawyer Pat Brown wrote in a motion filed Wednesday in Brooklyn Federal Court."

Of course, Cortesiano's nickname could be the least of his troubles when he comes before the jury which may judge him by the company he allegedly keeps.  Federal "prosecutors say Cortesiano has a close relationship with Bartolomeo Vernace, a Gambino captain who sits on the crime family’s ruling panel" as reported by Mitchel Maddux for the New York Post.

The nickname's not the problem; a reputed mobster by any other name would smell as foul.

Costa Rica Extradites Accused Mobster

Frank Cetta finally is facing charges for his alleged role in a Lucchese gambling ring which took over $2.2 billion in bets over a 15-month period.

The 73-year-old was in Costa Rica when the indictment came down in May 2010 but earlier this month the Central American country extradited his goombah ass to New Jersey as reported by Dan Goldberg for The Star-Ledger:  "He was the man 'who minded the store,' state officials say, supervising up to two dozen others who took bets by phone from a wire room in Costa Rica and processed online wagers for the Lucchese crime family."

Two Charged In Notable Home Purchase

Apparently not every home is having trouble selling at top dollar in an otherwise soft real estate market.

Two brothers have been charged with mortgage fraud in connection with their $2.2 million purchase of the Narragansett home of one-time reputed Patriarca associate Frederick Carrozza Sr. as reported by Jim Taricani for WJAR:

Police allege in 2006, Carrozza sold the home to Dr. Timothy O'Brien and his brother, Eugene O'Brien, for $2.4 million. The home was valued at about $900,000. The alleged scheme involved Dr. Timothy O'Brien lying on a mortgage application and getting a $2.2 million mortgage for the purchase of the Ocean Road home and the sale proceeds going to Carrozza.

Investigators "began looking into the sale of the home after the lender foreclosed last year, state police Lieutenant Michael Winquist said" as reported by Laura Crimaldi for The Boston Globe.  Carrozza, who once "ran a business from the same Providence office as the late reputed mob boss Raymond L.S. Patriarca," has not been charged.

NJ Lawyer Paul Bergrin Faces Drug Trial

A federal judge in New Jersey is breaking up the criminal case against alleged bad boy lawyer Paul Bergrin as reported by Peter J. Sampson for The Record:

His ruling . . . directed that prosecutors proceed next with 14 drug-related charges that form part of a pending 33-count indictment. The remaining charges, alleging racketeering conspiracies, murder, witness tampering, prostitution and tax evasion, can be tried at a later date.  The drug counts include charges that Bergrin, with help from Paramus attorney Thomas J. Moran Jr., plotted in 2008 to hire a Chicago hit man to kill witnesses against a client accused of cocaine distribution.

Last month the same judge declared a mistrial in a murder case against Bergrin after the jury couldn't agree on whether the once high flying legal eagle whacked an FBI informant who was dishing on another of his drug clients.

A Good Plaintiff Is Hard To Find

A class action which alleges Iowa discriminates against blacks in state employment hit a speed bump after a named plaintiff "pleaded guilty to embezzling unemployment benefits" as reported by The Gazette:  "attorneys filed a motion Thursday seeking permission to remove Linda Pippen as one of 29 class representatives in the lawsuit, which covers up to 6,000 blacks who applied for jobs dating back to 2003."

Further reading that may be of interest:

Congress Must Investigate The Trial Lawyers