Word: masselli
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...construct a subway tunnel. Schiavone was obliged to give 10% of the work to a minority-owned enterprise. The enterprise it chose was Jo-Pel Contracting and Trucking Corp., a firm set up by New York State Senator Joseph Galiber, who is black, and William (Billy the Butcher) Masselli, who has been identified by the FBI as a Mafia soldier. Merola charged that Jo-Pel was a mere front and that Schiavone had siphoned cash out of the contract by leasing Jo-Pel heavy equipment and receiving rental fees. Donovan, Schiavone and the other defendants contended that...
Donovan's problems began in 1976, when William Masselli, a soldier in the Genovese Mafia family, took over a small construction firm that held subcontracts on large Schiavone projects. When Schiavone won the subway contract, Masselli was given a piece of the action. U.S. law requires that any contractor receiving a federal public works grant must award 10% of the business to minority-owned companies. Since 80% of Schiavone's contract was federally financed, the firm had to find a minority subcontractor. So Masselli created the Jo-Pel Contracting and Trucking Co. and claimed that at least...
Merola claims that he gained significant evidence against Donovan and the other defendants from a 1979 FBI wiretap on the telephone at Masselli's Bronx meat-packing warehouse. In 1981, after Donovan had faced confirmation by the Senate as Labor Secretary, the FBI advised the lawmakers about his alleged organized crime connections but for some reason did not mention the incriminating wiretap. Nor did the FBI reveal that it was aware, as the Senate considered Donovan's qualifications, that "possibly fraudulent schemes" to hike minority participation in the Schiavone subway work had been disclosed by the recorded conversations. The bureau...
...wiretapped talks released by the FBI to Bronx prosecutors, Masselli describes the Jo-Pel operation and speaks of his bond with Schiavone executives: "They trust me, them guys. I'm the only guy they'll work with." The D.A.'s office also claims that Donovan cosigned a $200,000 check to Masselli as payment in the equipment-rental agreement...
Merola's assistant Stephen Bookin obtained a court order for the Masselli tapes early this year, but was stalled for months by the FBI before getting them. In the New York FBI office, Walton admitted barring his agents from talking to Merola's staff. At least one agent was disciplined for giving information to the Bronx investigators anyway. FBI headquarters last week ordered an internal investigation into the way its New York office had handled the Masselli wiretap evidence. Despite the lack of FBI assistance, Bronx Detectives Michael Geary and Lawrence Doherty finally put together the case that...