Friends of Ours

New Orleans Discovers Racketeering Law

The New Orleans District Attorney has brought a racketeering indictment against 15 suspected members of the 110'ers gang "involving 15 killings, numerous attempted murders and armed robberies and other violence across the city" as reported by John Simerman for The Times-Picayune.  Among the charged murders is the 2012 killing of a 5-year-old girl who was brought down by stray gunfire while attending a birthday party.  Apparently the DA only recently discovered the "obscure state racketeering statute."  Really?  Better late than never.

31 Arrests For Diamond Heist

Authorities "in three countries have arrested 31 people in connection with a spectacular diamond heist in February that saw robbers disguised as police steal an estimated $50 million worth of gemstones from a parked plane on a Belgian airport runway" last February as reported by Henry Chu for the Los Angeles Times.

Earlier Coverage:

Notorious Convict Blasts Out Of French Prison

A manhunt is underway throughout Europe after armed robber Redoine Faid "used explosives to blast his way out of a prison" in northern France on Saturday as reported by Karen Creed for France 24:  "it is believed that Faid's wife gave him the explosives hidden in tissues that she passed to her husband while visiting him earlier on Saturday morning," and "Faid took four wardens hostage in his daring escape from the prison."

$50 Million Diamond Heist

Eight men toting machine guns and wearing police uniforms last night robbed $50 million in diamonds from the cargo hold of a Swiss-bound plane on a Brussels runway as reported by Angelique Chrisafis for The Guardian.

Former Cop Charged As Mob Enforcer

The FBI has arrested reputed Genovese associate Stefano Mazzola on an extortion charge for allegedly threatening to hurt a victim over a $30,000 loan in New Jersey as reported by Peter J. Sampson for The Record. 

Mazzola was a former cop with the Passaic force for six years when he left in 1976 on a disability pension, and since then has served hard time on multiple convictions as reported by Louis C. Hochman for nj.com:  "Mazzola was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in 1999 for assaulting a debtor in a Passaic store," and "he previously served a decade in prison for armed robbery, extortion and racketeering."

Apparently Mazzola rubbed elbows in the past with the Clinton crew as previously reported by David Stout for The New York Times:  "on one occasion, he was photographed shaking hands with President Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper."