TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gotti Case Gets Sent To N.Y.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 3, 2008

TAMPA - A federal judge has granted a motion by attorneys for John "Junior" Gotti to transfer his racketeering case to New York, saying allowing the case to proceed in Florida "stands athwart the manifest interests of justice."

Gotti's attorneys had argued the case should not have been filed in Tampa because most of the criminal charges stem from events in Gotti's home state. Prosecutors maintained the case should be tried here, partly because they allege Gotti led an effort to establish a foothold for the Gambino crime family in the Tampa area.

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday issued a ruling Tuesday morning granting the defense's request and ordering the case transferred to the Southern District of New York.

Gotti was arrested in August. At the same time, five other men were indicted, all accused of a vast racketeering conspiracy dating to 1983 under the umbrella of the Gambino crime family, once headed by Gotti's father, the late John J. Gotti, also known as the "Dapper Don." Among those indicted at the same time as John "Junior" Gotti was Tampa resident James V. Cadicamo.

It was unclear what effect, if any, Merryday's decision to move the Gotti case will have on the other five defendants.

In a 19-page opinion, Merryday concludes that the charges brought against Gotti in Tampa mirror charges brought by federal prosecutors against Gotti in New York, which resulted in three hung juries. As the judge wrote, Gotti was "tried repeatedly in New York - with results frustrating to the United States."

Report Details Crash Of Police Motorcycle
PLANT CITY - The motorcycle in a Plant City Police Department demonstration that injured two spectators, the police chief and the driver was going 37 mph when it skidded out of control, states a report on the Nov. 18 accident.

The department's preliminary report obtained Tuesday said that when Officer Chad Rader applied the front brakes of the 2005 Harley-Davidson he was driving outside police headquarters, the front wheel locked and the motorcycle skidded, leaving a 41-foot mark.

When Rader attempted to steer to the right, the cycle tipped over, throwing him, the report states. The 800-pound cycle slid 36 feet on its side, striking the bleachers holding 17 members of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce leadership program.

Boys Face Felony Charges In Vandalism At Lakeland

Five boys accused of discharging 80 fire extinguishers and causing $4,000 worth of damage to a building at a Lakeland apartment complex were arrested Tuesday on felony criminal mischief charges, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

The boys also were each charged with two counts of burglary of a structure and 80 counts of obstructing extinguishment of fire.

Witnesses told deputies the boys were seen Sunday and Monday outside of a building at the complex used for storage. Among the items kept inside the building were boxes of fire extinguishers.

Arrested were: Ronnie Comer, 14; Quartavis Crawley, 16; Jamichael McMurray, 16; Rodney Street, 12; and Quandavize Street, 11. The boys, who all live at the complex owned by the Lakeland Housing Authority, were being held Tuesday at the Polk County Juvenile Assessment Center.

Shooting By Robbers Was 2nd For Store Owner

ST. PETERSBURG - In the 10 years he has owned a St. Petersburg deli, Narendra Patel has been shot in two robberies.

Police were still searching Tuesday for two men they say shot Patel, 53, and robbed Star Deli Food Store, 2451 Fifth Ave. N., about 10:30 p.m. Monday.

Patel's son, Jay Patel, said Tuesday morning that his father is in stable condition at Bayfront Medical Center after he was shot in his hand and arm during the robbery.

Police said two men came into the store demanding money, shot the clerk and fled the scene. Narendra Patel's nephew, Sonny Patel, said he watched the surveillance video and saw that his uncle was shot after he gave money to the men.

In 2002, Narendra Patel was shot in his right lung during a robbery, his son said. Authorities eventually arrested two men who were later convicted of the crime.

'Operation Smackdown' Brings Drug-Ring Arrests

Investigators have broken up a Tampa-based drug trafficking organization responsible for the sale of up to 17.5 ounces of heroin a week, Tampa police say.

Thirteen arrests came through an investigation dubbed Operation Smackdown.

"This operation dismantled one of the more significant heroin trafficking groups in the Bay area," Tampa Police Department Lt. Kenny Morman says in a written statement. Morman said the organization's members were "serious players who committed serious crimes."

Police say the local supplier was Juan "Casper" Martir, 41, of Orlando, who got the drugs from a Miami-based source. The Tampa-based distributors were led by Benigno Borges Sr., 41; Benigno Borges Jr., 23; Raul Agosto-Ortiz, 33; and Josue Joel Martir, 20, police say.

The other people arrested were couriers or midlevel traffickers for the group, police say.

From September through November, detectives used electronic surveillance and participated in drug buys to identify the group's hierarchy and activities. Officers seized 14 vehicles, about $60,000, almost 7 ounces of heroin, five firearms and about 1 ounce of cocaine.

Juan Martir was arrested Monday in Orange County and charged with trafficking heroin, conspiracy to traffic heroin, racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. He remains in Orient Road Jail without bail.

A staff report

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT