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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 4 – The remaining portion of the racketeering prosecution in which Vincent Esposito on April 10 pled guilty to extorting a union official and a financial adviser, resulted in finding of guilty by a  jury on December 3 in the case against Frank Giovinco, before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff. The case is US v. Giovinco, 18-cr-14 (Rakoff).

   In the government's closing on December 2, Giovinco was described as sent into the union to check up on Vincent Fyfe, the grandson of Genovese boss Vince "The Chin" Gigante. The search of Vincent Esposito's townhouse at 67 East 77th Street was described and photos shown, of $4 million in cash in bags and boxes.

  The townhouse was listed as "Triangle," an echo of the Triangle Social Club on Sullivan Street where The Chin based the Genovese family for a time.

 Notably the US Attorney's press office is making available all exhibits from the Giovinco prosecution, as it did with the Londonio trial in White Plains, while it withholds nearly all exhibits from the recent OneCoin crypto currency scam trial against Mark Scott, which according to some involves Eastern European or Russian organized crime.

  On December 4 the US Attorney announced convicted yesterday of conspiring to commit extortion and racketeering offenses with members and associates of the Genovese Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra following a six-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.  The jury found the defendant responsible for acts involving extortion, honest services fraud, and unlawful kickback payments related to the Genovese Crime Family’s control of two local chapters of a labor union.  U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “For years, Frank Giovinco, as a member of the Genovese Crime Family, instilled fear in victims and propagated kickback schemes to tighten the Family’s stranglehold over two labor unions.  Now, a jury has held Giovinco accountable for his crimes.”  Sentencing before Judge Rakoff is scheduled for March 11, 2020.

  We'll have more on this - and more of the Giovinco exhibits, pending the release of the OneCoin / Scott exhibits which Inner City Press has now requested under FOIA.

   Co-defendant Steven Arena, it emerged at a status conference before SDNY Judge Marrero on May 10, has rejected a plea offer from the U.S. Attorney's office and now resists agreeing to any stipulations in connection with the trial.

   Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ravener told Judge Marrero that what was scheduled, even before Esposito pled guilty, to be a two week trial beginning June 17 might now go three weeks or longer. She said that Arena through his lawyer Salvatore Strazzulla was resisting stipulating to the accuracy of bank records and e-mails.

 Judge Marrero called this a radical position, and asked Strazzula to explain the basis since this would require more time not only from the court but also from jurors. Strazzulla replied that the evidence against his client is weak, with Arena not appearing in many of the videos and e-mail chains the government has so far produced as discovery. (In the complaint, Arena is accused with others of threats to "induce a victim into providing annual cash payments... in order for the victim to maintain an official position with a labor union by threatening force and violence.")

 Additional discovery was provided by the government just this week and the trial will be pushed back. But will Arena and the other remaining co-defendant Frank Giovinco, reach a disposition or guilty plea by then? Or will Arena push the boundaries by disputing what have become routine stipulations? More on Patreon, here.

  Judge Marrero instructed Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravener to meet with Arena's lawyer Strazzulla about the stipulations, then to write him a letter is dispute still remain. How far does a defendant have to go in expediting the government's prosecution of him? Perhaps this trial, if there is one, will help illuminate this. The case is USA v. Esposito, et al., 18-cr-00014 (Marrero).

  Back on April 10 after his guilty plea, Esposito and two apparent family member rebuffed the media at the elevator, then again on Mulberry Street. Inner City Press Periscope video here. The control date is July 10

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