Genovese crime family member
Vincent "Vinnie" DiNapoli, then considered by federal authorities to be the tenth most influential U.S. mobster, is convicted on racketeering charges and sentenced to twenty-four years' imprisonment.
The
Albanian Boys, an Albanian American gang, is established in
Pelham Parkway, Bronx, New York City The gang's founder, Sekret Kukaj, is shot dead on October 26, 1988.[1]
January 12 –
Giuseppe Insalaco, former mayor of
Palermo is killed. During the brief stint as mayor in 1984 he had tried to clean up the area of city contracts. Now that the moratorium on violence observed during the
Maxi Trial had lapsed, Insalaco was killed.
February 23 –
Gambino crime family underboss
Joseph Armone was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $820,000 for participating in a racketeering scheme involving extortion and bribery.
April – Sports agent
Norby Walters, reportedly an associate of
Michael Franzese, is convicted of fraud and racketeering after signing college players to professional teams before their eligibility expired.
April 17 –
GambinoCaptainAnthony Gaggi dies of natural causes while being housed at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center.
May 12 –
Gambino crime family associate George Yudzevich, who testified against Gambino underboss
Joseph Armone in his racketeering trial, was found shot to death in California.
May 16 – Los Angeles LCN boss
Peter J. Milano was sentenced to 6 years in prison on federal racketeering charges. Milano's brother
Carmen Milano, the underboss of the family, was sentenced to 2 years for his role in the family's extortion activity which involved levying a street tax on Southern California bookmakers, loansharks and drug dealers. Also convicted in the case were caporegimes
Vincent Caci and
Luigi Gelfuso, Jr. and soldiers
Stephen Cino and
Rocco Zangari.
August 26 – The longest criminal case in federal history officially comes to an end. In United States v. Anthony Accetturo et al., twenty members of the
Lucchese Family New Jersey faction, headed by
Anthony Accetturo and
Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta, were found not guilty on all charges.
August 29 – New York mobster
Wilfred "Willy Boy" Johnson is murdered after almost two decades as a government informant.
September 25 – Judge
Antonino Saetta is killed with one of his sons as they are returning to
Palermo after a weekend in the country. Saetta was a president of the Palermo Court of Appeal and was scheduled to hear the appeal of the
Maxi Trial and had shown to be incorruptible.
September 26 –
Mauro Rostagno, a former student radical of
Lotta Continua and journalist who had started a drug rehabilitation centre in
Sicily, is killed. Rostagno courageously denounced Mafia drug traffickers on local television.
September 28 –
Giovanni Bontade, the brother of murdered Mafia boss
Stefano Bontade, and his wife are killed at their home. Giovanni Bontade had been spared during the
Second Mafia War by allying himself with the
Corleonesi against his older brother.
Stephen Maltese, reportedly a member of the
Genovese crime family, is charged and later convicted of racketeering and murder and sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment.
December 12 –
Anthony Provenzano, at the age of 71, dies of a heart attack at a federal penitentiary in
Lompoc, California while serving a 20-year prison sentence for labor racketeering.
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