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Mob-Related Charges Surprise Cadicamo's Co-Worker

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By BAIRD HELGESON and HOWARD ALTMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

TAMPA - From the outside, James Cadicamo appeared to be a relatively ordinary nightclub manager.

Friends and co-workers called him "Jimmy." He reportedly drove a 2005 Mercedes-Benz and had a sometimes stormy marriage, a gun in the house and a lot of cash.

Now, the 33-year-old general manager of Club Mirage on Hillsborough Avenue is at the center of an indictment that came down Tuesday that links him to John Gotti Jr. and the Gambino crime family in New York.

"I can't fathom him being connected in any way, shape or form," said Lenny Woods, assistant manager of the club. "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. I'm the one who's the mean one. I'm a Marine."

Cadicamo and Gotti are among six men charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy under the umbrella of New York's Gambino crime family. Cadicamo is accused of threatening to beat up or kill defendant-turned-informant Michael Malone to prevent him from testifying at a 2006 mob trial in Tampa.

Before the indictment, Cadicamo's most serious run-in with the law involved a New York car-theft enterprise in the mid-1990s. He was sentenced to a year in prison.

Around 2001 he moved to Tampa and joined Club Mirage, which authorities think was used as a front to hide illegal income.

Cadicamo's wife, Amy, declined to comment.

Amy and James Cadicamo married Aug. 10, 2005. Less than a year later, she got a temporary injunction against her husband after accusing him of threats and abuse. They had a 6-month-old son.

She said in a court filing that her husband became violent when he found out she had contacted a divorce lawyer.

To make her case, Amy Cadicamo included two text messages she said were from her husband.

The first one read: "Amy you will pay for taking my son away from me."

The other: "Please kisss him and that daddy loves him often. You will pay."

She said it was not the first time he was violent.

In October 2003, "he gave me a bloody nose. I scratched him while defending myself. I called 911 and both of us were arrested. The charges were not pursued."

Even though Cadicamo was a convicted felon, she said he had a gun in the house registered in someone else's name.

In a court filing about assets, she said her husband "has approximately $100,000 in our attic," and $65,000 more in the bank. She also listed the Mirage, two rental properties and a $277,000 town house they were about to buy.

In August 2006, Amy Cadicamo filed for a divorce. A month later, she changed her mind.

Now, James Cadicamo is being held without bail, but the indictment paints him as a relatively small player in an organized-crime saga.

Gotti remains the biggest target in the indictment.

Despite efforts to keep John "Junior" Gotti in New York until his trial, he likely will be in Tampa by late next week or the beginning of the subsequent week for a court appearance, said his attorney, Charles Carnesi.

Gotti was indicted in Tampa on federal charges of participating in organized crime killings in New York from 1988 through 1991 and trafficking in 5 kilos of cocaine.

"I think that we are going to try and suggest that rather than coming down here, we arrange a videotape arraignment," Carnesi said.

Despite Carnesi's wishes, Gotti, who is held without bail, most likely will be heading south, said U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill. O'Neill said that ultimately it will be up to the trial judge, Steven D. Merryday. Judicial rules prohibit Merryday from commenting.

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini and researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report. Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at bhelgeson@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7668. Assignment Editor Howard Altman can be reached at (813) 259-7629 or haltman@tampatr

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