An indictment was unsealed this morning in Brooklyn federal court charging ANTHONY ANTICO and JOSEPH BARRAFATO, JR. with multiple crimes, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and extortionate collection of credit.¹ According to the indictment, ANTICO, also known as “Tico” and “Big Nose,” is a captain in the Genovese organized crime family, and BARRAFATO is a Genovese family associate assigned to ANTICO. The defendants were arrested earlier today and are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James Orenstein, at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The case has been assigned to the United States District Judge Frederic Block.

The indictment was announced by Benton J. Campbell, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Mark J. Mershon, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

As detailed in a detention memorandum filed by the government, the defendants conspired to rob one individual who had won $1.6 million in the Pick Six, a horse racing wager that requires the bettor to pick the winners of six races. When ANTICO inquired about the status of the robbery, BARRAFATO said he “need[ed] the right ingredients to make the sauce,” an apparent reference to his efforts to recruit other participants in the robbery. Over the next several days, BARRAFATO reached out to others, informing them the target “hit a Pick Six for a million point six” and telling one individual, “I just spoke to Big Nose and . . . you are down on it . . . you and somebody else.” A few days later, ANTICO asked BARRATO, “going to rob anybody, hello?”

The defendants allegedly resorted to threats of violence in furtherance of their criminal activity. For example, in connection with the extortion of an individual associated with Bonanno family member Vincent Badalamenti, also known as “Vinny TV,” after the victim invoked Badalamenti’s name in an effort to protect himself, ANTICO directed BARRAFATO to tell the individual, “tell’em he can bring Vinny TVs, Vinny Magnavox, everybody.” ANTICO then directed BARRAFATO to slap the victim in the face after collecting the money. Subsequently, BARRAFATO was intercepted describing how he told the victim to “go get my money” before “I kill ya.” In another charged extortion, BARRAFATO allegedly threatened the victim that he would “stab [him] in the face.”

“These charges expose La Cosa Nostra for what it is – violent perpetrators who prey on our communities to line their own pockets,” stated United States Attorney Campbell. “There is no romance or glamor in organized crime. Investigating and prosecuting organized crime is a priority of the Department of Justice and of this office, and we will not rest until it is eliminated.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mershon stated, “The serious charges announced today are part of the FBI’s relentless campaign to investigate all members of the Genovese Organized Crime Family who engage in criminal activity.”

If convicted, ANTICO faces mandatory life imprisonment under the federal “three strikes law” because he has previously been convicted of two serious violent felonies. BARRAFATO faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Buretta and Nicole Argentieri.

The Defendants:

ANTHONY ANTICO
Age: 73

JOSEPH BARRAFATO, JR.
Age: 50

 

 

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¹ The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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