NEW YORK
A judge sentenced a Genovese crime family captain to two years and three months in prison for his leadership role in the mafia criminal organization.
Daniel Pagano, 61, plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy in March, officials said.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams sentenced Pagano on Friday.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Abrams ordered Pagano, of Rockland County, to pay a fine of $5,000 and forfeiture of $2,000.
“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,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
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, according to authorities.
In return, authorities said 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.”
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, officials said.
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, according to officials.
From 2009 through August 2014, officials said Pagano along with other members and associates of the Genovese Crime Family, committed a wide array of crimes including operating an illegal gambling business.