WCNYH

TWO ASSOCIATES OF DECAVALCANTE CRIME FAMILY ADMIT DISTRIBUTING COCAINE

December 2, 2015

           Two associates of the DeCavalcante organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra today admitted their roles in distributing more than 500 grams of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Capozzi, 34, of Union, New Jersey, and Mario Galli, 23, of Toms River, New Jersey, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an information charging them with one count of distribution of more than 500 grams of cocaine.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

           Capozzi and Galli were arrested and charged by complaint in March 2015, along with eight members of the DeCavalcante crime family. They both admitted that between Dec. 12, 2014, and March 2015, in conjunction with other family associates, they sold more than one-half a kilo of cocaine to an undercover FBI agent for at least $78,000.

           The drug distribution count to which Capozzi and Galli each pleaded guilty carries a mandatory minimum of five years, a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for March 21, 2016.

           U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark; the N.J. State Commission of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Executive Director Lee C. Seglem; the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, under the direction of Executive Director Walter M. Arsenault; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park.