The FBI and police are searching and digging for bodies thought to be connected to an ongoing investigation into the Gambino crime family in Goshen, New York, multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the matter confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
The search — 65 miles northwest of midtown Manhattan — is linked to the arrests last week of 10 people accused of strong-arming their way into New York City garbage hauling and demolition businesses, two law enforcement officials said.
The indictment unsealed last week in federal court alleged that the 10 people used violent tactics, including intimidation with bats, to dominate the industries.
The group faces 16 counts in the indictment, including allegations of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, witness retaliation and union-related crimes, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
The group included Joseph Lanni, also known as “Joe Brooklyn” or “Mommino,” an alleged Gambino captain, as well as a number of other crime family members and associates who are accused of setting one another up with no-show jobs that brought perks such as pay and union benefits.
Four of those named in the suit were accused of wielding baseball bats as an intimidation tactic to get into the businesses, prosecutors said.
Others also allegedly “coordinated a violent hammer assault on the dispatcher” of a demolition company, which left the victim “bleeding and seriously injured,” according to the government.