Fraudster from Hornsey supplied luxury cars to gang members

London Street Gangs: Fraudster from Hornsey supplied luxury cars to gang members: "A FRAUDSTER from Hornsey who rented luxury cars to gang members while claiming £60,000 in benefits has been jailed.

Tyrone Somerszaul, of Kings Gate Mews, used three different alter egos — Tyrone Simmons, Dean Miller and Sean Kimani Taylor — to collect a fleet of high end cars including a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Aston Martin.

He then leased the cars to other criminals with a 'no questions asked' policy.

His bogus firm helped him live a lavish lifestyle propped up by a long-running fraudulent claim for incapacity benefit using one of his aliases.

But the four-year scam, between 2004 and 2009, caught the attention of Hackney Police after they arrested several gang members driving in cars rented from Somerszaul under company name Fineline or Taylor Prestige.

They quickly traced the car back to the 36-year-old who went on the run after a warrant was issued for his arrest."

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31-year fugitive from Black Tuna drug gang arrested - Miami-Dade Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com

31-year fugitive from Black Tuna drug gang arrested - Miami-Dade Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com: "A key member of the infamous Miami-based Black Tuna Gang, the biggest U.S. marijuana-smuggling operation of its time, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service Thursday morning in West Palm Beach -- more than 31 years after he skipped out of a federal trial.

Mark Steven Phillips, 62, was captured in his rented apartment at Century Village, a senior living community where he had been living in recent months, law enforcement officers said.

``The judge wants to see you, Mark,'' a deputy U.S. marshal told Phillips after rousting him out of bed.

``The judge wants to see me from 30 years ago,'' Phillips responded, according to the Marshals Service.

Phillips was charged in May 1979 along with 13 others in what was then the nation's biggest pot importation prosecution in history -- before the dawn of the Cocaine Cowboy era in Miami. The trial was before U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King, who is still on the bench. Phillips was convicted in absentia on racketeering, possession and distribution charges in February 1980."

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Johnny K-9 arrested for BC murders

 Johnny K-9 arrested for BC murders: "Former WWE jobber and Canadian independent wrestler/strongman Ion (John) Croitoru -- Johnny K-9 -- was one of seven men charged last week in B.C. for murders committed during a violent gang war in 2008 and 2009 that turned Vancouver’s streets into a war zone. Croitoru, 44, is charged with the first-degree murder of Jonathan Barber and the attempted murder of Vicky King.

This is not Croitoru’s first foray into crime. His association with the rival United Nations gang is only the tip of the iceberg: he was once charged with a double murder in Ontario, was alleged to be the head of a biker gang, was charged with trafficking cocaine and was a suspect in a police station bombing"

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U.S. arrests 'most wanted' fugitive at New York airport after extradition from Ukraine - Oneindia News

U.S. arrests 'most wanted' fugitive at New York airport after extradition from Ukraine - Oneindia News: "Veniamin Gonikman, 55, was charged in Detroit in 2005 in a 22-count indictment with trafficking in persons, forced labor, alien smuggling, money laundering, extortion collection, and conspiracy, among other charges. He absconded from the U.S. before being formally charged.


Gonikman, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Wednesday in Ukraine before being deported to the United States. HSI agents assigned to the Attaché Office in Germany coordinated Gonikman's arrest and deportation with Ukrainian officials.

According to court records, he came to the attention of HSI special agents in Detroit in 2005 when one of his victim's escaped and agents later confirmed he was operating 'Beauty Search, Inc.' in metro Detroit."

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Alleged gang member wanted in three murders arrested during Gardena raid

Alleged gang member wanted in three murders arrested during Gardena raid | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times: "series of raids Wednesday across L.A. County targeting members of the Gardena 13 gang led to 11 arrests, including that of a man wanted on suspicion of killing two brothers and another man at a 2008 car cruising event.

Luis Erasmo Garcia, 27, was taken into custody by Gardena police shortly before 6 a.m. as sheriff’s detectives, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and police officers raided several homes with the help of special weapons teams.

Garcia has been charged with capital murder in the killing of Jose Farias, 24, his brother Victor Manuel Farias, 25, and Vidal Hernandez Rebolledo, 23, in August 2008, according to court records.

Witnesses told sheriff’s detectives that a man now identified as Garcia pulled out a gun and began shooting on the night of Aug. 10, 2008, after an argument at a popular cruising event at Imperial Highway and Western Avenue in the Athens-Westmont area.

Jose Farias was pronounced dead at the scene. Victor Farias and Rebolledo were taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where Victor Farias was pronounced dead. Rebolledo died the next day."

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Two Lower Valley men waved goodbye to tearful relatives Thursday as they prepared to serve more than 50 years each in prison for a gang-related shooting in Sunnyside.

Gang members' long sentences may just be the first | Yakima Herald-Republic: "Two Lower Valley men waved goodbye to tearful relatives Thursday as they prepared to serve more than 50 years each in prison for a gang-related shooting in Sunnyside.

The case foreshadows a possible wave of lengthy prison terms for Yakima County defendants convicted of violent gang crimes, thanks to recent changes in state law intended to crack down on street gangs.

Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, was the prime sponsor of the 2008 legislation that boosted prison time for crimes designed to raise the profile of street gangs, such as drive-by shootings.

Despite protests from defense attorneys and grieving family members at Thursday's sentencing, Ross said in a telephone interview that the lengthy sentences were exactly what the Legislature envisioned when it approved the stiff sentencing laws. Judges can impose sentences of up to life for the most serious crimes, such as assault and homicide, if it's found the crime benefited the gang's reputation.

'Those are the people that we are absolutely trying to remove from the streets,' Ross said from Olympia."

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Street gang member convicted of rape

Street gang member convicted of rape The Republican-American: "teenage member of the Bloods street gang was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman during a gang rape in 2008.

Witness testimony and statements to police painted a picture of a brutal rape that occurred after the woman was locked inside a vacant apartment on Taylor Street and held against her will for hours.

It took a six-member jury in Waterbury Superior Court a matter of hours to convict 18-year-old Chywon Wright of two counts of aggravated first-degree sexual assault and conspiring to commit first-degree kidnapping and rape.

Wright, then 16, was one of five people arrested in 2008 when the woman reported the rape to police, saying the gang had locked her in the apartment and had hidden her clothes."

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Mohammed Sarwar, 30, taught at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester. Mr Sarwar is alleged to have been ‘managing director’ of an organised crime group

"A teacher allegedly led a double life as the mastermind behind a major drugs gang.

Mohammed Sarwar, 30, taught at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester. Mr Sarwar is alleged to have been ‘managing director’ of an organised crime group involved in the large scale commercial supply of cocaine across the city.

A jury was told that he conspired with a prison officer to supply inmates at Forest Bank prison in Salford with cannabis.

The secondary school teacher denies all the charges. He was arrested in 2009. It followed a 2008 police operation which bugged his car and kept his movements under surveillance, providing ‘limited but telling’ evidence.

Benjamin Davidson, one of the men alleged to be his employees, later agreed to give evidence against Mr Sarwar and others.

Richard Vardon, prosecuting at Manchester Crown Court, said that before Mr Davidson, 24, came forward, police knew just the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Mr Davidson – formerly of Stocks Lane, Stalybridge – has admitted drug offences and claims he was employed by Mr Sarwar to be a drugs courier in 2008.

He claimed he ferried up to a kilo of pure cocaine at a time around Manchester, supplying dealers in Levenshulme, Longsight, Moss Side and Wythenshawe."

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Ex-gang boss gets OK to gamble in New Jersey - BusinessWeek

Ex-gang boss gets OK to gamble in New Jersey - BusinessWeek: "A man who once was one of the top three leaders of a notorious Chinese street gang in New York that dealt in drugs, illegal gambling and other vices can now gamble in Atlantic City casinos.

Robin Chee says he's a changed man and 'a model citizen.' He was once one of the three top leaders of the Ghost Shadows.

The state Casino Control Commission on Wednesday removed Chee from a list of people barred from the casinos because of organized crime ties.

The panel had already issued a preliminary ruling in his favor, noting he has stayed out of trouble since his 2003 release from prison."

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Winnipeg street gang member deported - Worldnews.com

Winnipeg street gang member deported - Worldnews.com: "A member of Winnipeg's African Mafia street gang has been deported by the Canada Border Services Agency, the federal government reported Wednesday" Canada deported to Sierra Leone the reputed leader of a street gang called the "African Mafia," Public Security Minister Vic Toews announced Wednesday.

Between 2004 and 2008, Mohamed Mansaray was convicted 22 times of charges including assault and robbery, Toews said in a statement.

"I am pleased this serious convicted criminal will no longer pose a threat to the safety of Canadians and our communities. We do not tolerate those who come to this country and commit serious crimes," he said.

Toews said Mansaray, who had been granted refugee status and lived in Winnipeg, was flown back to Sierra Leone on January 10, escorted by Canadian border services agents.

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110 alleged organized crime suspects were arrested in New York

110 alleged organized crime suspects were arrested in New York, New Jersey and other parts of the Northeast in the largest Mob sweep in U.S. history, federal officials said Thursday.
The suspects, wanted on criminal charges ranging from murder and narcotics trafficking to fraud and extortion, represent New York's once dominant five crime families, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said at briefing in Brooklyn.

Holder said the suspects included bosses and associates of the five families — the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese clans — who allegedly carried out "classic Mob hits" and "truly senseless murders." Officials also arrested two men allegedly from the Decavalcante family in New Jersey and two men accused of being part of the New England Cosa Nostra.DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Alleged New England mobster arrested in federal crackdown

Alleged New England mobster arrested in federal crackdown: "Luigi 'Louie' Manocchio, 83, was charged in an indictment unsealed today in US District Court in Rhode Island. He was arrested Wednesday in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
The US attorney's office in Rhode Island said the indictment of Manocchio was part of a widespread campaign against the Mafia in the Northeast in which 91 members and associates of seven organized crime families were charged with racketeering and related federal crimes, including murder and extortion. Another 36 people also face charges for associated criminal activity.

'Today's arrests and charges mark an important step forward in disrupting La Cosa Nostra's illegal activities,' Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. 'This largest single day operation against La Cosa Nostra sends the message that our fight against traditional organized crime is strong and our commitment is unwavering.'

Manocchio was at various times a member, underboss, and boss of the New England organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra, prosecutors alleged in the Rhode Island indictment."

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FBI swoop on more than 100 Mafia suspects, including a former associate of Frank Sinatra

FBI swoop on more than 100 Mafia suspects, including a former associate of Frank Sinatra, but two organised crime experts tell Channel 4 News it will do little to stem crime in New York.

It was a scene straight out of hit mob drama The Sopranos: a coordinated dawn raid by the FBI and other law forces yielded high-ranking leaders from all of the so-called 'Five Families' or La Cosa Nostra - the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo and Bonanno.

The FBI described it the largest bust in its history, swooping on 129 people, and among their arrestees were Richard Fusco, 74, consigliere of the Colombo family, and a former associate of the singer Frank Sinatra. The picture above was taken in 1978 and shows Fusco, at the bottom in a light suit, with Mr Sinatra, in what became an iconic image.

US Attorney General Eric Holder and other top officials told a press conference that among the arrested people was an alleged Mafia member they believe murdered a man over a spilled drink in a bar in 1981.

According to the New York Times, the targets ranged from alleged small-time bookmakers to six reputed senior Mob figures from three crime families, including the entire current leadership of the Colombo crime family.DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder

Geriatric NY gangster, 93, gets 8 years in prison

Geriatric NY gangster, 93, gets 8 years in prison - Yahoo! News: "Convicted mob boss John 'Sonny' Franzese is so old, he knew Frank Sinatra in his heyday. He's so old, his recent extortion trial became nap time — even when his turncoat son took the witness stand against him.
But a federal judge decided Friday that Franzese is not so old that he can avoid prison.
Franzese, 93, was sentenced to eight years in prison for extorting Manhattan strip clubs and a pizzeria on New York's Long Island.
The jailed Franzese appeared alert while sitting in a wheelchair in federal court in Brooklyn. But when asked if he wanted to speak, he managed only a fragmented mumble: 'I never got a fair ...'"

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triad gang leader was run over and hacked to death outside a luxury Hong Kong hotel

Hong Kong gang boss executed in grisly revenge attack, court told - Monsters and Critics: "triad gang leader was run over and hacked to death outside a luxury Hong Kong hotel to avenge the humiliation of a rival gangster three years earlier, a news report said Thursday.
Gang boss Lee Tai-lung was run over by a van as he stepped out of a Mercedes at Hong Kong's Kowloon Shangri-la Hotel in August 2009.
The van threw Lee, 41, into the air, leaving him injured on the ground. Three gangsters then hacked him to death with large knives, Hong Kong's High Court heard Wednesday.
According to prosecutors at the murder trial, a rival gang leader, Leung Kwok-chung, known as Tattooed Chung, ordered Lee's killing to avenge a 3-year-old humiliation, the South China Morning Post reported.
Leung was left with a disfiguring scar down his face and neck in a bar brawl in July 2006 when a bottle of whisky was smashed over his head in a fight between the two gangs, prosecutors said.
'He was scarred and humiliated, and a grudge was born,' prosecutor Charlotte Draycott was quoted as saying. 'It seems men like this do not forget an injury or hurt pride.'"

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The secret grave of Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll

The secret grave of Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll - The Daily Record: "Feared gangland enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll still lies in an unmarked grave - a year after he was shot dead.
With no headstone, his final resting place bears only flowers and two cans of Red Bull.
The dad-of-two was gunned down a year ago today in a crowded supermarket car park. It was May before the Crown Office allowed his body to be released.
After a lavish underworld funeral, which included a procession led by a horsedrawn carriage, Gerbil was buried in Langfaulds Cemetery, Bearsden.
But the Record understands his devastated family chose not to erect a headstone for fear it would be defaced or toppled by a notorious crime clan.
An underworld source said: 'It was decided the grave would be unmarked so it could not be damaged in any way.
'Gerbil was accused of desecrating the headstone of a rival's son and his family did not want his grave to become a target for reprisals.'"

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Ex footy star in gun gang quiz | The Sun |News

Ex footy star in gun gang quiz | The Sun |News: "Ronnie Wallwork, who played for England at under-20 level, was detained as he flew into Britain by an elite crime fighting unit probing a racket in which high performance cars were stolen to use in a string of vicious raids across six counties.
The 33-year-old was questioned on suspicion of stealing cars and later bailed pending further inquiries.
Wallwork played for United 19 times and won an Old Trafford Young Player of the Year award before going on to forge a career with West Brom, Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday.
Six other men were also detained by detectives on suspicion of a range offences including attempted murder, conspiracy to rob and firearms offences. Four were subsequently charged."

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North Van crime kingpin still on the lam

BCLocalNews.com - North Van crime kingpin still on the lam: "North Shore crime lord wanted by both the Canadian Mounties and the American FBI may be hiding in Toronto, according to recent reports.

In December, Persian gangster Omid Tahvili made headlines in Toronto after it was learned that the FBI thinks he may be hiding out in the city.

Canadian authorities have been trying to find the former North Vancouver resident since he bribed a prison guard and escaped from a Port Coquitlam pre-trial centre more than three years ago.

At the time, Tahvili was awaiting sentencing for kidnapping and torturing a Surrey man at gunpoint in an effort to locate $350,000 in lost drug money.

But, on Nov. 15, 2007, the then-37-year-old walked out of jail disguised as a janitor with the help of prison guard Edwin Ticne.

Tahvili was sentenced in absentia to more than six years in prison for those crimes, but has been on the run ever since."

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2 Hilltop Crips defendants sentenced - Crime Reports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

2 Hilltop Crips defendants sentenced - Crime Reports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington: "Two men swept up in last year's crackdown on Tacoma's Hilltop Crips street gang were sentenced Friday, bringing to 23 the number of people sent to prison in the case.


Andre L. Bonds, 38, who previously pleaded guilty to riot and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received a five-year sentence from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Thomas Felnagle.

Adrian O. Jacobs, 22, who pleaded guilty to drive-by shooting and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received seven years, three months from Judge Frank Cuthbertson.

The two men were among 36 people charged in February 2009 as local law enforcement tried to gut one of the city’s oldest and arguably most dangerous gangs."

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2 Hilltop Crips defendants sentenced - Crime Reports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

2 Hilltop Crips defendants sentenced - Crime Reports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington: "Two men swept up in last year's crackdown on Tacoma's Hilltop Crips street gang were sentenced Friday, bringing to 23 the number of people sent to prison in the case.


Andre L. Bonds, 38, who previously pleaded guilty to riot and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received a five-year sentence from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Thomas Felnagle.

Adrian O. Jacobs, 22, who pleaded guilty to drive-by shooting and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received seven years, three months from Judge Frank Cuthbertson.

The two men were among 36 people charged in February 2009 as local law enforcement tried to gut one of the city’s oldest and arguably most dangerous gangs."

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Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Clue to Biggie Smalls murder

Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Clue to Biggie Smalls murder: "murder investigation into the controversial shooting of rap legend ­Notorious B.I.G. has quietly been reopened 13 years after the star’s death.

Authorities in Los ­Angeles decided to “reinvigorate” the case after new information emerged a few months ago.

The singer, who was born Christopher Wallace, transformed himself from a Brooklyn street hustler – once selling crack cocaine to pregnant women – into a worldwide star.

He was widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

The story of his life and death was told in the 2009 movie Notorious, with ­virtual unknown lookalike Jamal Woolard cast as the rapper, who was also known as Biggie Smalls.

He was gunned down aged 24 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, as he was riding in a 4x4 ­vehicle after a music industry ­party."


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Gangland widow's statement can be evidence

Gangland widow's statement can be evidence: "NEW statement made by gangland widow Wendy Peirce incriminating her former husband in the 1988 Walsh Street shootings of two policemen can be used by the State Coroner in a new investigation, despite her reluctance to give evidence at a hearing, legal experts say.

Within weeks, the Coroner is expected to notify the families of murdered police constables Steven Tynan, 22, and Damian Eyre, 20, as to whether a new inquest will be held.

The Sunday Age has confirmed Ms Peirce made a signed statement to police last year incriminating her late husband Victor Peirce in the murders, allegedly carried out in revenge for the police shooting of his friend Graeme Jensen on October 11, 1988.

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Ms Peirce has admitted she lied to protect her husband, initially providing an alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the murders."

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Mafia killer George Barone who inspired West Side Story dies at 86 of natural causes | Mail Online

Mafia killer George Barone who inspired West Side Story dies at 86 of natural causes | Mail Online: "One of the Mafia’s most feared hit men has died at the age of 86.

George Barone is suspected of personally murdering at least 20 people during his reign of terror on New York’s mob-run waterfront.

But he eventually turned ‘rat’ to put many of his old organised crime colleagues behind bars.

The gangster became an informer after his own Genovese family put a price on his head. He was one of only three members of the ultra-secretive family ever to break ‘omerta’, the mob’s traditional code of silence."

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Peckham Young Guns Gangster who shot student in drive-by gets 24 years in jail | News

Gangster who shot student in drive-by gets 24 years in jail | News: "teenage gangster who shot dead an innocent student buying a pint of milk was jailed for a minimum of 24 years today.

Ashley Bucknor was 19 when he gunned down Ryan Bravo in a drive-by shooting outside a Costcutter store in Walworth.

Mr Bravo, 18, had only gone to the store because milk was 20p cheaper there than at another shop, but he became the victim of a clash between two rival south London gangs.

Bucknor, now 21, carried out the shooting in August 2008 with other gang members after being released from jail early on licence after stabbing a 40-year-old man. He was convicted of murder last year but the Appeal Court quashed the verdict and ordered a retrial which ended with a second guilty verdict.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Gerald Gordon QC said: “A wholly innocent young man lost his life in an appalling tragedy with which his family will have to live for the rest of their lives. At the very least there was an intention to shoot and hit somebody. It may be that as a group they just didn't care whether their intended victim or victims died or not.”

Bucknor was a member of the Organised Criminals gang based in Brixton which had earlier been shot at by members of the Peckham Young Guns.

A revenge attack was organised and the gang set off on mopeds."

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