Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa
Encyclopedia
Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa are two former New York Police Department (NYPD) police detectives
who worked on behalf of the New York Mafia
while they committed various illegal activities. In 2006, they were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion
, narcotics, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice
, eight counts of murder
and conspiracy
to commit murder, charges stemming from the 1980s and the early 1990s in New York, and in the 2000s in Las Vegas. Both were sentenced to life in federal prison.
through his family. Louis Eppolito's paternal uncle and cousin, James Eppolito and James Eppolito Jr., were also both made
Gambino members in Capo
Nino Gaggi's
crew. They were eventually murdered by both Nino Gaggi and Gambino family soldier, Roy DeMeo
, with the permission of Gambino family boss, Paul Castellano
. However, Eppolito claimed to have avoided the Mafia lifestyle and therefore became a New York City
police detective, a job which garnered him a number of headlines. He was first a suspect in a corruption case where he was suspected of passing New York Police Department intelligence reports on to Rosario Gambino
, a distant relative of Carlo Gambino
and Paul Castellano
, the former leaders of the Gambino crime family, in 1983, but was cleared. Eppolito retired as a police officer in late 1990. In his book, he cites his tarnished reputation over the Rosario Gambino corruption
case as a reason for leaving. Over the next decade, after meeting the actor, Joe Pesci, in a Manhattan bistro, Cafe Central, a restaurant which was frequented by celebrities, he had a minor career as an actor, with small roles in movies including Lost Highway, Predator 2
and the gangster film Goodfellas
. In 1992, Eppolito wrote a book, Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob, in which he spoke of his attempts to avoid being dragged into the criminal life and fight for his reputation as a result of the Rosario Gambino corruption case.
unit in Brooklyn, New York, since the late 1970s before he eventually retired on a disability pension in 1992. He subsequently worked as a private investigator
and later retired from his work of the law, as he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
, in the mid-1990s, along with Eppolito. Since hooking up with Eppolito as partners, Caracappa turned to the underworld side of New York City
while collecting bribes from various Italian-American mobsters of various crime families of organized crime
, mostly Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
, the fierce and notorious Underboss
of the Lucchese crime family
. While on trial in 2006, both he and Eppolito claimed they were discriminated against during the proceedings.
, based in Brooklyn, New York, and both their reputations were diminished as they were known to use highly inappropriate methods to get results in their line of work. According to Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
, the Underboss of the Lucchese crime family, when he tried for Witness Protection
in 1994, he and his boss Vittorio "Vic" Amuso
had been paying Eppolito and Caracappa $375,000 in bribes and as payments for murder 'contracts' since 1985, after they were signed as NYPD detectives and partners. Among other things, Casso shared that, in 1986, the two police officers kidnapped and turned over an associate of the Gambino crime family named James Hydell to be murdered brutally by Gaspipe, on the orders of Casso and Amuso, as retaliation for an attempt on Casso's life. They also murdered Lucchese member
Bruno Facciolo with assistance of Louis Daidone
on the orders of Casso because they suspected him of being an informant for law enforcement. Facciolo's murder has been famous for the stuffed canary US law enforcement recovered in his mouth at the crime-scene, which was considered as a message to other informants. As the Genovese crime family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante
wanted to squeeze the rival John Gotti
of the Gambino crime family during the late 1980s, Casso ordered Eppolito and Caracappa to put pressure on the Gambinos. Casso shared that he ordered the murder of Gambino captain
Edward "Eddie" Lino as a favor for Gigante. On November 6, 1990, Lino was shot nine times as he sat in his 1990 Mercedes-Benz
by both Eppolito and Caracappa. The hit was in retaliation for the 1985 murder of Gotti's former boss and Gigante's ally, Paul Castellano
, who was murdered on the orders of Gotti to protect his brother from Castellano and become boss himself.
On April 13, 1991, Caracappa and Eppolito provided information that led to the murder of Gambino crime family soldier and Gotti's friend Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello
on the orders of Frank "Big Frank" Lastorino
, a captain in the Lucchese crime family who was the central suspect in Boriello's murder for years. Lastorino, acting on Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
's orders in the early 1990s while he was on the run, was reportedly promoted Consigliere
of the family for his work. As the relations between the Gambino and Lucchese crime families got even worse, Lastorino reputedly ordered Eppolito and Caracappa to murder former Gambino mobster and then-current Lucchese made man Patrick Testa in 1992, and make it look like the Gambinos did it, in an attempt to start a war with Gotti, who was jailed on federal racketeering and murder charges which he was sentenced to life imprisonment
for in 1992. Although never convicted of Testa's murder, US law enforcement estimates Lastorino was present during the shooting. Anthony Casso was still a reported fugitive at the time.
After massive indictments were issued on almost every crime family in New York City during the mid 1990s, both Eppolito and Caracappa retired to Las Vegas, Nevada, however, Casso has later confirmed that both of the "Mafia Cops" were still much in business although considered in retirement, as they had been contacted in 1993 by Frank Lastorino
, now one of the most powerful members in the Lucchese crime family, to murder then-current head of the Gambino crime family John "Junior" Gotti, son of imprisoned John Gotti, and Gotti's rival Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo
, another top member of the Gambinos, a plot which never succeeded. They were also contacted when Lastorino conspired into murdering the Underboss of the Lucchese crime family, Stephen "Wonderboy" Crea
, which also didn't succeed due to the indictments toward the family at the time. It has also been proved toward the late 1990s that both Eppolito and Caracappa conspired to kill former Gambino crime family Underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano
, who entered the Witness Protection Program in 1992 after testifying against his boss John Gotti, to collect the reward which was placed on his head by Peter Gotti
. Gravano was later arrested and convicted of drug trafficking in 2003 where he received 19 years in prison.
, extortion and eight counts of murder and conspiracy, including the murders of James Hydell, Nicholas Guido, John "Otto" Heidel, John Doe, Anthony DiLapi
, Bruno Facciolo, Edward Lino and Bartholomew Boriello
, and the murder conspiracy on Sammy Gravano, hatched by Peter Gotti.
On April 6, 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted on all charges. Kaplan, a businessman and career criminal, who had been the link between Casso and the two policemen, was the chief accuser, giving two days of riveting testimony. On June 5, 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were sentenced to life imprisonment.
On June 30, 2006, a judge threw out a racketeering murder conviction against the two detectives on a technicality - the five-year statute of limitations had expired on the key charge of racketeering conspiracy. (Although there is no statute of limitations
for murder in the State of New York, the case had been prosecuted in federal court because it was thought more likely to yield a conviction.) On September 17, 2008, their racketeering convictions were ordered reinstated by a federal appeals court.
On March 6, 2009, Eppolito was sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years. Caracappa received life plus 80 years. Each was fined more than $4 million. On July 23, 2010, their convictions were upheld by a New York City appeals court. As of July 2011, Eppolito was incarcerated at USP Tucson (Arizona, 10 miles from Tucson) and Caracappa was incarcerated at USP Atwater (California, 130 miles from San Francisco); both are high security institutions.
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
who worked on behalf of the New York Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
while they committed various illegal activities. In 2006, they were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, narcotics, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
, eight counts of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to commit murder, charges stemming from the 1980s and the early 1990s in New York, and in the 2000s in Las Vegas. Both were sentenced to life in federal prison.
Eppolito
Louis Eppolito is the son of Ralph Eppolito and knew a number of members of the Cosa NostraMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
through his family. Louis Eppolito's paternal uncle and cousin, James Eppolito and James Eppolito Jr., were also both made
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
Gambino members in Capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Nino Gaggi's
Anthony Gaggi
Anthony "Antonino" "Nino" Frank Gaggi was a captain in the New York Gambino crime family who supervised the infamous DeMeo crew, headed by Roy DeMeo. It is estimated that the DeMeo crew murdered between 75 and 200 people....
crew. They were eventually murdered by both Nino Gaggi and Gambino family soldier, Roy DeMeo
Roy DeMeo
Roy Albert DeMeo was a soldier in the Gambino crime family. He is infamous for heading the DeMeo crew, a gang suspected by the FBI of murdering at least 70 people between 1973 and 1983. The vast majority were disposed of so thoroughly that they were never found...
, with the permission of Gambino family boss, Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
. However, Eppolito claimed to have avoided the Mafia lifestyle and therefore became a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
police detective, a job which garnered him a number of headlines. He was first a suspect in a corruption case where he was suspected of passing New York Police Department intelligence reports on to Rosario Gambino
Rosario Gambino
Rosario "Sal" Gambino is an Italian mobster in the Gambino crime family. He became nationally known when he and his brothers set up a multimillion dollar heroin cartel during the 1970s and 1980s...
, a distant relative of Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
and Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
, the former leaders of the Gambino crime family, in 1983, but was cleared. Eppolito retired as a police officer in late 1990. In his book, he cites his tarnished reputation over the Rosario Gambino corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
case as a reason for leaving. Over the next decade, after meeting the actor, Joe Pesci, in a Manhattan bistro, Cafe Central, a restaurant which was frequented by celebrities, he had a minor career as an actor, with small roles in movies including Lost Highway, Predator 2
Predator 2
Predator 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Rubén Blades, and Bill Paxton. Written by Jim and John Thomas and directed by Stephen Hopkins, the film is a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall again playing the role of the...
and the gangster film Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
. In 1992, Eppolito wrote a book, Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob, in which he spoke of his attempts to avoid being dragged into the criminal life and fight for his reputation as a result of the Rosario Gambino corruption case.
Caracappa
Stephen Caracappa had worked in the NYPD's organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
unit in Brooklyn, New York, since the late 1970s before he eventually retired on a disability pension in 1992. He subsequently worked as a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
and later retired from his work of the law, as he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, in the mid-1990s, along with Eppolito. Since hooking up with Eppolito as partners, Caracappa turned to the underworld side of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
while collecting bribes from various Italian-American mobsters of various crime families of organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, mostly Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
Anthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
, the fierce and notorious Underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
of the Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. While on trial in 2006, both he and Eppolito claimed they were discriminated against during the proceedings.
Working for the Mob
By 1985, US authorities recognized Eppolito and Caracappa as associates and workers for the New York Mafia. Caracappa was at this point a member of the Organized Crime Homicide Unit within the Major Case SquadMajor case squad
The Major Case Squad is a division within some police departments. The detectives of these divisions typically investigate crimes beyond the scope of normal squads. These functions vary from department to department.-New York City Police Department:...
, based in Brooklyn, New York, and both their reputations were diminished as they were known to use highly inappropriate methods to get results in their line of work. According to Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
Anthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
, the Underboss of the Lucchese crime family, when he tried for Witness Protection
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
in 1994, he and his boss Vittorio "Vic" Amuso
Victor Amuso
Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso is a New York mobster and, as of 2011, the reputed Boss of the Lucchese crime family. Amuso is currently serving life at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas on murder and racketeering charges....
had been paying Eppolito and Caracappa $375,000 in bribes and as payments for murder 'contracts' since 1985, after they were signed as NYPD detectives and partners. Among other things, Casso shared that, in 1986, the two police officers kidnapped and turned over an associate of the Gambino crime family named James Hydell to be murdered brutally by Gaspipe, on the orders of Casso and Amuso, as retaliation for an attempt on Casso's life. They also murdered Lucchese member
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
Bruno Facciolo with assistance of Louis Daidone
Louis Daidone
Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone is a New York mobster and former acting boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Sidewalk soldier:...
on the orders of Casso because they suspected him of being an informant for law enforcement. Facciolo's murder has been famous for the stuffed canary US law enforcement recovered in his mouth at the crime-scene, which was considered as a message to other informants. As the Genovese crime family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
wanted to squeeze the rival John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
of the Gambino crime family during the late 1980s, Casso ordered Eppolito and Caracappa to put pressure on the Gambinos. Casso shared that he ordered the murder of Gambino captain
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Edward "Eddie" Lino as a favor for Gigante. On November 6, 1990, Lino was shot nine times as he sat in his 1990 Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
by both Eppolito and Caracappa. The hit was in retaliation for the 1985 murder of Gotti's former boss and Gigante's ally, Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
, who was murdered on the orders of Gotti to protect his brother from Castellano and become boss himself.
On April 13, 1991, Caracappa and Eppolito provided information that led to the murder of Gambino crime family soldier and Gotti's friend Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello
Bartholomew Boriello
Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello was a New York mobster who belonged to the Gambino crime family and served as boss John Gotti's favorite bodyguard and chauffeur...
on the orders of Frank "Big Frank" Lastorino
Frank Lastorino
Frank "Big Frank" Lastorino is a New York City mobster and former Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family.-Lucchese hitman:Raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Lastorino soon joined the Lucchese crime family under Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo in extortion, loansharking and illegal gambling operations...
, a captain in the Lucchese crime family who was the central suspect in Boriello's murder for years. Lastorino, acting on Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
Anthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
's orders in the early 1990s while he was on the run, was reportedly promoted Consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
of the family for his work. As the relations between the Gambino and Lucchese crime families got even worse, Lastorino reputedly ordered Eppolito and Caracappa to murder former Gambino mobster and then-current Lucchese made man Patrick Testa in 1992, and make it look like the Gambinos did it, in an attempt to start a war with Gotti, who was jailed on federal racketeering and murder charges which he was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for in 1992. Although never convicted of Testa's murder, US law enforcement estimates Lastorino was present during the shooting. Anthony Casso was still a reported fugitive at the time.
After massive indictments were issued on almost every crime family in New York City during the mid 1990s, both Eppolito and Caracappa retired to Las Vegas, Nevada, however, Casso has later confirmed that both of the "Mafia Cops" were still much in business although considered in retirement, as they had been contacted in 1993 by Frank Lastorino
Frank Lastorino
Frank "Big Frank" Lastorino is a New York City mobster and former Consigliere of the Lucchese crime family.-Lucchese hitman:Raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Lastorino soon joined the Lucchese crime family under Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo in extortion, loansharking and illegal gambling operations...
, now one of the most powerful members in the Lucchese crime family, to murder then-current head of the Gambino crime family John "Junior" Gotti, son of imprisoned John Gotti, and Gotti's rival Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo
Nicholas Corozzo
Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo is a New York mobster who is the reputed acting boss of the Gambino crime family.-Biography:...
, another top member of the Gambinos, a plot which never succeeded. They were also contacted when Lastorino conspired into murdering the Underboss of the Lucchese crime family, Stephen "Wonderboy" Crea
Steven Crea
Steven L. Crea , also known as "Wonderboy", or "Herbie", is a New York mobster heavily involved in labor racketeering who eventually became the acting boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Rise to power:...
, which also didn't succeed due to the indictments toward the family at the time. It has also been proved toward the late 1990s that both Eppolito and Caracappa conspired to kill former Gambino crime family Underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano
Sammy Gravano
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is a former underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is known as the man who helped bring down John Gotti, the family's boss, by agreeing to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant and turn state's evidence.Originally a mobster for the Colombo crime...
, who entered the Witness Protection Program in 1992 after testifying against his boss John Gotti, to collect the reward which was placed on his head by Peter Gotti
Peter Gotti
Peter Gotti, also known as "One Eyed Pete", "Petey Boy", "One Eye" , is a New York mobster who is the former boss of the Gambino crime family and the older brother of deceased Gambino boss John Gotti.-Background:...
. Gravano was later arrested and convicted of drug trafficking in 2003 where he received 19 years in prison.
Mafia indictments
After a long investigation, highlighted by Burton Kaplan's decision to testify against his former confederates, both Eppolito and Caracappa were arrested in March 2005 and charged with counts of racketeering, obstruction of justiceObstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
, extortion and eight counts of murder and conspiracy, including the murders of James Hydell, Nicholas Guido, John "Otto" Heidel, John Doe, Anthony DiLapi
Anthony DiLapi
Anthony DiLapi also known as "Blue Eyes over the Bridges" was a Teamsters union leader in New York City's Garment District and a soldier in the Lucchese crime family.-Garment District Boss:...
, Bruno Facciolo, Edward Lino and Bartholomew Boriello
Bartholomew Boriello
Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello was a New York mobster who belonged to the Gambino crime family and served as boss John Gotti's favorite bodyguard and chauffeur...
, and the murder conspiracy on Sammy Gravano, hatched by Peter Gotti.
On April 6, 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted on all charges. Kaplan, a businessman and career criminal, who had been the link between Casso and the two policemen, was the chief accuser, giving two days of riveting testimony. On June 5, 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were sentenced to life imprisonment.
On June 30, 2006, a judge threw out a racketeering murder conviction against the two detectives on a technicality - the five-year statute of limitations had expired on the key charge of racketeering conspiracy. (Although there is no statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
for murder in the State of New York, the case had been prosecuted in federal court because it was thought more likely to yield a conviction.) On September 17, 2008, their racketeering convictions were ordered reinstated by a federal appeals court.
On March 6, 2009, Eppolito was sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years. Caracappa received life plus 80 years. Each was fined more than $4 million. On July 23, 2010, their convictions were upheld by a New York City appeals court. As of July 2011, Eppolito was incarcerated at USP Tucson (Arizona, 10 miles from Tucson) and Caracappa was incarcerated at USP Atwater (California, 130 miles from San Francisco); both are high security institutions.
Further reading
- Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob. ISBN 1-4165-2399-5.
- The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia. ISBN 978-0-7432-8944-3.
External links
- New York Daily News article relating to the arrests
- Transcript of the indictment against both men - courtesy of ISPN.org
- Report of conviction
- "Mafia Cops Facing Life in Prison", APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, June 5, 2006 - 60 Minutes
- Fox News Conviction thrown out, 2006-06-30.
- Recorded Podcast of Barry Gibbs 2006. First Person Narrative of Barry Gibbs, one of the men exonerated after the detectives helped convict him of murder. Barry served 19 years on a 20-year murder charge before having his conviction reversed.
- Internet Movie Database entry to Louis Eppolito