“The younger generation of the mafioso” isn’t killing people, a judge said this week in granting bail to two alleged members of New York’s Gambino crime family.
Diego “Danny” Tantillo and Angelo “Fifi” Gradilone will get to spend Thanksgiving at home under house arrest and strict monitoring, according to a court order. They are two of the 10 alleged Gambino associates who were detained Nov. 8 and accused of strong-arming their way into New York City’s garbage hauling and demolition businesses.
Tantillo, 48, and Gradilone, 57, have been charged with theft and conspiracy as part of a criminal organization (RICO conspiracy).
U.S. District Judge Frederic Block of Brooklyn said that in the past, murder suspects have been freed on bail and that this case isn’t “anything close to that.”
“The younger generation of the mafioso are not killing people these days, right?” Block asked at Tuesday’s hearing, adding that charges of RICO conspiracy aren’t necessarily allegations of crimes of violence.
Tantillo is accused of threatening a victim in the garbage hauling business with a baseball bat and setting fire to the steps of his house. Prosecutors also accuse him of assaulting a demolition company dispatcher with a hammer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Roddin said Gradilone has a criminal history stretching back to 2000, which involves the possession of weapons.
However, the most recent charges — theft and RICO conspiracy — aren’t related to crimes of violence. U.S. attorneys say Gradilone received paychecks and union health benefits he wasn’t entitled to.
The defendants’ bonds — $5 million for Tantillo and $1 million for Gradilone — were cosigned by their wives and other relatives. Tantillo faces more charges than Gradilone, including extortion, embezzlement and wire fraud.
Five other people who were charged alongside Tantillo and Gradilone have been granted conditional release, according to a court memorandum.
Natalie Kainz
Natalie Kainz is a news associate for NBC News.
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