The FBI is excavating two horse farms in upstate New York in search of bodies possibly buried by the notorious Gambino crime family.
Federal authorities have turned their attention to the Orange County properties amid an ongoing investigation into the crime syndicate.
They used shovels and diggers to comb the farm in Campbell Hall on Tuesday and one in Goshen on Wednesday.
It comes after ten people with connections to the Gambino organization were arrested last week on a slew of racketeering charges.
No bodies were found during the search on Wednesday, a source confirmed NBC New York, however, will resume Thursday.
The FBI has begun excavating two farms in upstate New York in search of bodies possibly buried by the notorious Gambino crime family.
The properties in Campbell Hall and Goshen were searched on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, but have so far yielded no results
The search follows a series of racketeering charges filed against ten men linked to the Gambino crime syndicate
The FBI declined to reveal who they believe might be buried at the ranches, which list Giovanni DiLorenzo as the property owner, the outlet reported.
Salvatore DiLorenzo was named as one of 10 alleged Gambino members in an explosive 16-page indictment alleging that the Sicilian syndicate used violence and intimidation to try to dominate New York’s waste hauling and demolition companies.
Others charged were Vito Rappa, 46, and Francesco Vicari, 46, known as “Uncle Ciccio.”
Vincent Minsquero, 36, known as “Vinny Slick,” Kyle Johnson, 46, known as “Twin,” and Angelo Gradilone, 57, known as “Fifi,” were also arrested.
The alleged captain of the Gambino crime ring – 52-year-old Joseph Lanni – was also charged with a slew of federal crimes. He is known by the nicknames ‘Joe Brooklyn’ and ‘Mommino.’
Diego “Danny” Tantillo, James LaForte and Robert Brooke were also charged.
The infamous Italian-American crime syndicate formed one of the ‘Five Families’ known for their extortion, gambling and loansharking.
The suspects now face a maximum prison sentence of 20 to 180 years if found guilty.
Francesco Vicari, 46 – known as “Uncle Ciccio” – is pictured in a detention memo cheering with a bottle of champagne after successfully getting a victim to make a $4,000 payment in one of the country’s alleged violent extortion schemes crime family
A metal bat discovered during a police raid, which was allegedly used to threaten John Doe 1
The sidewalk of John Doe 1’s home went up in flames on September 22, 2020. The victim was allegedly threatened, extorted and physically intimidated by members of the family
Among the charges are allegations that Tantillo, Rappa, Vicari and Johnson threatened a man known as “John Doe 1” “with a bat,” set fire to the steps to his home, destroyed one of his cart trucks damaged and violently attacked one of his trucks. employees as part of an intimidation campaign.
The person was attacked with a hammer in 2020, with Johnson texting Tantillo three thumbs up emojis for his “work today,” prosecutors said.
The indictment states that Tantillo and Vicari were captured during “court-approved wiretaps discussing threats they made against John Doe 1 and John Doe 1’s father-in-law.”
Rappa stated that Vicari “acted like the ‘Last of the Samurai,'” when he took a knife and ordered John Doe 1’s father-in-law to threaten to cut John Doe 1 in half to get him to make excessive payments. according to the documents.
When the victim eventually made a $4,000 payment to Vicari, he and Rappa met and sent Tantillo a photo of Vicari holding up a small champagne bottle and making a toast.
The alleged incident is part of a host of violent extortion schemes linked to the defendants by investigators.
Nine of the defendants pleaded not guilty to their charges during a court hearing on Wednesday. LaForte was not charged because he is in jail in Pennsylvania, but will be arraigned on another day.
After one of John Doe’s employees was attacked with a hammer and sent to the hospital with serious injuries, Johnson texted Tantillo three thumbs up emojis for his “work today”
James Smith, deputy director of the FBI, said when the arrests were announced: “These defendants have learned the hard way that the FBI is united with our law enforcement, both locally and internationally, in our efforts to combat the insidious threat of organized crime.” exterminate.
“Those arrested are alleged to have participated in a racketeering conspiracy in an attempt to control the city’s cartel and demolition industries.
“The FBI will continue to lead the fight against organized crime and ensure that individuals willing to cross the line are punished in the criminal justice system.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban also vowed to eliminate members of any organized crime group wherever they operate.
He said Wednesday: “Today’s arrests should serve as a warning to others who believe they can operate in plain sight and with apparent impunity – the NYPD and our law enforcement partners are here to shatter that idea.
“And we will continue to take out members of traditional organized crime wherever they operate.”