Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DANIEL PAGANO, a Captain of the Genovese Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra (the “Genovese Crime Family”) was sentenced to a term of 27 months in prison for his leadership role in the Genovese Crime Family. PAGANO pled guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy in March 2015 and was sentenced today before by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Danny Pagano, a Captain in the Genovese Crime Family, has been sentenced today for his leadership role in a racketeering conspiracy. Pagano’s conviction and sentence reinforce a simple truth: if you join the mob and choose a life of crime, you end up behind bars.”
According to the Indictment and other documents filed in this case, and statements made during the plea and sentencing proceedings:
The Genovese Crime Family is part of a nationwide criminal organization known by various names, including the “Mafia” and “La Cosa Nostra” (“LCN”), which operates through entities known as “Families.” The Genovese Crime Family operates through groups of individuals known as “crews” and “regimes,” most of which are based in New York City. Each “crew” has as its leader a person known as a “Caporegime,” “Capo,” “Captain,” or “Skipper,” who is responsible for supervising the criminal activities of his crew and providing “Soldiers” and associates with support and protection. In return, the Capo typically receives a share of the illegal earnings of each of his crew’s Soldiers and associates, which is sometimes referred to as ?tribute.? DANIEL PAGANO is a Caporegime or Captain in the Genovese Crime Family.
Each crew consists of “made” members, sometimes known as “Soldiers,” “wiseguys,” “friends of ours,” and “good fellows.” Soldiers are aided in their criminal endeavors by other trusted individuals, known as “associates,” who sometimes are referred to as “connected” or identified as “with” a Soldier or other member of the Family. Associates participate in the various activities of the crew and its members. In order for an associate to become a made member of the Family, the associate must first be of Italian descent and typically needed to demonstrate the ability to generate income for the Family and/or the willingness to commit acts of violence.
From 2009 through August 2014, PAGANO, along with other members and associates of the Genovese Crime Family, committed a wide array of crimes including operating an illegal gambling business. PAGANO, a Captain, exercised a leadership role within the Family by, among other things, settling disputes between and among associates of the Family.
As the Court noted, PAGANO had previously been convicted of racketeering conspiracy and served a term of over eight years in prison. As a repeat offender, a sentence of incarceration was warranted to deter him from future crimes.
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In addition to the prison term, Judge Abrams sentenced PAGANO, 61, of Rockland County, to a term of three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a fine of $5,000 and forfeiture of $2,000.
Mr. Bharara thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Burns, Rahul Mukhi, and Abigail Kurland are in charge of the prosecution.
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