Charles Panarella
Charles Panarella | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1925 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Died | July 18, 2017 (aged 92) |
| Other names | Charlie Moose Len Conforti Chas Esposito John Garguilo Charles Panarello |
| Allegiance | Colombo crime family |
| Criminal charge | Assault, burglary, extortion, possession of a loaded firearm |
| Penalty | Conspiracy (1994; 18 months imprisonment) |
Charles Joseph Panarella a.k.a. "Charlie Moose" a.k.a. "Len Conforti" a.k.a. "Chas Esposito" (January 5, 1925 – July 18, 2017) was a New York City mobster and
Early years
Panarella was born in 1925 in Brooklyn, New York. He is also known to use January 5, 1922 as his birth date. He has used the aliases Charles Panarello, Chas Esposito, John Garguilo, Joseph Charles Panarella and Charles "Moose" Panarella. He stood at 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, had brown eyes and a scar on his bottom lip. In 1940, Panarella was arrested for the first time. His criminal record includes assault, burglary, extortion and possession of a loaded firearm.[1]
On August 11, 1972,
While in New York, Panarella had a large profitable crew that included
Exile to Las Vegas
In 1994, Panarella was convicted of attempting to launder money through the Maxim Casino (now called the Westin Las Vegas) in Las Vegas as part of a scheme to purchase a farm for $500,000 to $1 million. Panarella had drug profits deposited at a cashier's cage at the casino.[3] In August 1994, Panarella pleaded guilty to conspiracy and served 15 months of an 18-month sentence. In September 1996, Panarella was released from prison.[2]
Back to New York
Although living in Las Vegas, Panarella still kept some responsibilities back East. For a period of time, he was shuttling back to Brooklyn to oversee the Colombo family's interests in Locals 14 and 15 of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
In the summer of 2001, Panarella met in New York with Genovese family representatives over a dispute in Brooklyn. The Genovese family controlled most of the so-called "no-show" construction jobs in Brooklyn and the Colombo family wanted their fair share of them. Unfortunately for Panarella, the meeting location was bugged and law enforcement picked up clear evidence that he was acting as a member of the Colombo family.
On December 4, 2003, Panarella was indicted in New York on a federal
In February 2008, Panarella was living under house arrest at his home in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania.[6] The trial based on his 2005 racketeering indictment had been delayed due to Panarella's ill health and psychological problems.[4]
In December 2012, a federal judge granted Panarella permission to travel to
References
- ^ "Charles Joseph Panarella". NEVADA GAMING COMMISSION and STATE GAMING CONTROL BOARD Exclusion List. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c Smith, John L. (December 14, 2003). "Old-school mob man may be headed back to a familiar haunt". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ Kalil, J.M. (May 16, 2003). "Reputed mob soldier met with mayor at City Hall". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Marzulli, John (February 2, 2008). "Gangster's too ill for court, not wedding". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ Cornell Smith, Katie (December 5, 2003). ""CHARLIE MOOSE" IN COURT". New York Post. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ John Marzulli. Gangster's too ill for court, not wedding. New York Daily News. February 2, 2008. [1]
- ^ "Mobster, 90, who avoided trial claiming too ill, makes appearance to receive award". Daily News. New York.
- ^ "Name of dead mob associate removed from Nevada's 'Black Book'". July 27, 2019.
- ^ Alamo, Tony (August 5, 2019). "Order to Remove Charles Joseph Panarella from the List of Excluded Persons" (PDF). Nevada Gaming Commission. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
