SCHAEFER EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(KK)
RIGHT NOW ON WPRI-DOT-COM AND
THE WPRI 12 NEWS APP ...
OUR 12 ON 12 DIGITAL ORIGINAL:
THE MAFIA TAPES.
(M)
TODAY MARKS THE---- 30TH
ANNIVERSARY OF A SECRET-----
F-B-I RECORDING THAT
CAPTURED----- A MAFIA INDUCTION
CEREMONY.
THE TAPES WERE USED IN MANY
CRIMINAL CASES THAT
-----CRIPPLED ORGANIZED CRIME IN
THE REGION AND NATIONALLY...
BECAUSE INVESTIGATORS WERE
FINALLY ABLE TO PROVE -----THE
EXISTENCE OF LA COSA NOSTRA
(KK)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR TIM WHITE
IS HERE NOW WITH NEW DETAILS ON
HOW THE F-B-I MANAGED TO PULL
OFF THAT LEGENDARY SURVEILLANCE
OPERATION.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE WE TALKED TO
FOR THIS INVESTIGATION WAS
RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT WALT
STEFFENS, WHO HAS NEVER TALKED
PUBLICLY ABOUT HIS ROLE IN THIS
CASE.
THE MAFIA INDUCTION CEREMONY
TOOK PLACE ON OCTOBER 29TH 1989
AT THIS HOME IN MEDFORD
MASSACHUSETTS.
IT WAS OWNED BY THE SISTER OF
ONE OF THE MEN WHO WAS SET TO BE
INDUCTED INTO THE CRIME FAMILY
THAT DAY,
24 HOURS BEFORE THE CEREMONY,
FBI AGENTS WERE WATCHING AS THE
HOMEOWNERS OF 34 GUILD STREET
PACKED UP, AND LEFT.
"That afternoon they threw a
couple of pieces of luggage in
the car and headed north, and
one of our surveillance teams
followed them up into New
Hampshire, once we confirmed
they were out of town presumably
for the weekend we set up entry
that night."
MICROPHONES WERE PLACED ON THE
FIRST FLOOR AND A FINISHED
SECTION OF THE BASEMENT BECAUSE
AGENTS WEREN'T SURE WHERE IN THE
HOUSE THE CEREMONY WOULD
ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE.
The decision was made to go with
a hard wire so posing as utility
men, some of our agents strung a
wire along the telephone poles
through the neighborhood.
WITH THE MICROPHONES INSIDE THE
HOME,
FBI TECHNICIANS STRUNG A WIRE
FROM 34 GUILD STREET OUT TO THE
TELEPHONE POLES AND UP THE ROAD
TO 16 GUILD STREET.
BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, 16 AND
34 GUILD STREET ARE ON THE SAME
SIDE, AND AROUND A SLIGHT BEND.
SO AGENTS WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME
TAKING PICTURES OF WHO WAS
COMING AND GOING FROM 34 GUILD
STREET,
WHICH WOULD HAVE MADE IT HARDER
TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO THEY WERE
LISTENING TO.
SO THE FBI TOOK A CHANCE:
A GROUP OF AGENTS KNOCKED ON THE
DOOR HERE, AT A HOME ACROSS THE
STREET.
THE HOMEOWNERS WERE LEAVING FOR
THE DAY, AND WITH NO QUESTIONS
ASKED, LET THEM SET UP.
BEFORE THE CEREMONY BEGAN...
MOB BOSS RAYMOND JUNIOR
PATRIARCA, HAD SOMETHING TO SAY.
YOU WILL OCCASSIONALLY HEAR A
TELEVISION IN THE BACKGROUND.
We're all here to bring in some
new members into our family and
more than that, to start maybe a
new beginning. Put all that's
got started behind us. 'Cause
they come into our family to
start a new thing with us.
Hopefully, that they'll leave
here with what we had years
past. And bygone are bygones and
a good future for all of us."
WE GO IN-DEPTH ON WHY JUNIOR
PATRIARCA WANTED TO START A NEW
BEGINNING IN THE CRIME FAMILY IN
OUR 12 ON 12 DIGITAL ORIGINAL
THE MAFIA TAPES ON WPRI-DOT-COM
AND THE WPRI NEWS APP.
WITH THE TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS
SL EWN.
(M)
RIGHT NOW ON WPRI-DOT-COM
----AND THE WPRI NEWS APP...
OUR 12 ON 12 DIGITAL ORIGINAL:
THE MAFIA TAPES
(KK)
TODAY MARKS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY
OF A SECRET RECORDING THAT
FOREVER CHANGED THE FACE OF
ORGANIZED CRIME...
F-B-I AGENTS BUGGED A NEW
ENGLAND HOME -- AND CAPTURED A
MAFIA INDUCTION CEREMONY ON TAPE
-- FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
(M)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR TIM WHITE
JOINS US NOW WITH MORE OF ---THE
STUNNING AUDIO -- AND DETAILS ON
HOW THE RECORDING -----WOUND UP
DEVASTATING THE MOB FOR DECADES
TO COME.
THE INDUCTION CEREMONY TOOK
PLACE ON OCTOBER 29 1989.
FOUR MEN WERE SWORN INTO THE
CRIME FAMILY THAT DAY.
AS WE SHOWED YOU AT FIVE: THE
FBI HAD WIRED UP THE HOUSE WITH
MICROPHONES, THE NIGHT BEFORE.
AS MEMBERS, AND FUTURE MEMBERS,
OF THE PATRIARCA CRIME FAMILY
ARRIVED AT 34 GUILD STREET --
THE FBI WAS WATCHING...
AND LISTENING.
ONE OF THE MEN WHO WAS SWORN IN
THAT DAY,
WAS ROBERT BOBBY DELUCA OF
LINCOLN RHODE ISLAND
THE IMAGE OF THE PATRIARCA
FAMILY'S PATRON SAINT IS BURNED
IN HIS HANDS.
Diagacomo:
Now would you put your hands
like this. We're gonna burn this
saint.
Quintina: Bounce it around,
Bobby.
DiGiacomo:
Come si brucia (As burns)
DeLuca: Come si brucia (As
burns)
DiGiacomo: Questa Santa (This
saint)
DeLuca: Questa Santa (This
saint)
DiGiacomo: Cosi si brucera' (So
will burn)
DeLuca: Cosi si brucera' (So
will burn)
DiGiacomo: La mia anima (My
soul)
DeLuca: La mia anima (My soul)
"This solved the problem of
proving the existence of the
organization.
WALT STEFFENS WAS ONE OF THE FBI
AGENTS WHO WORKED THE CASE AND
WAS LISTENING IN THAT DAY.
SEVERAL MOBSTERS WERE ARRESTED
IN THE WAKE OF THE RECORDINGS,
BUT NOT BECAUSE ANYTHING ILLEGAL
WAS SAID AT THE CEREMONY.
"All that is perfectly legal, go
and have as many ceremonies as
you want, but in proving the
organization which is essential
for RICO statute which allows
enhanced sentences enhanced
fines, you have to be able to
prove the organization."
THE TAPES MADE NATIONAL NEWS --
THIS IS THEN ATTORNEY GENERAL
RICHARD THORNBERG
"This is the first time it has
been established beyond doubt
this secret clandestine
organization exists"
JOSEPH BONOVALANTA IS THE
SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF
BOSTON OFFICE OF THE FBI.
That code of silence, that oath
of omerta, as we all know
through cases that we've taken
down through several years... is
not nearly followed as it once
was. It's in a way, it's kind of
been shattered.
YEARS LATER BOBBY DELUCA WOULD
END UP BREAKING THE OATH HE TOOK
THAT DAY AND BECOMING A
GOVERNMENT WITNESS.
WE EXPLAIN WHY IN OUR 12 ON 12
DIGITAL ORIGINAL THE MAFIA
TAPES.
YOU CAN WATCH IT RIGHT NOW ON
THE WPRI NEWS APP.
DELUCA IS NOW SERVING A PRISON
SENTENCE FOR LYING TO FEDERAL
INVESTIGATORS ABOUT WHAT HE KNEW
OF A 1993 GANGLAND SLAYING.
WITH THE TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS