James Ida

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James Ida
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) surveillance photograph of James Ida
Born	1940 (age 83–84) New York City, New York, US
Other names	Little Guy
Allegiance	Genovese crime family
Criminal penalty	Murder, conspiracy to murder, and racketeering (life)
Imprisoned at	Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill

James Ida also known as "Little Guy" (born 1940) is an American mobster and former consigliere of the Genovese crime family.

Ida was born to first generation immigrants from Lombardy. Growing up in the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, Ida was inducted into the Genovese crime family in the late 1970s. Ida was placed in the Little Italy-based crew of captain Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, frequently serving as Ianniello's bodyguard and chauffeur. Ida's younger brother Joseph also served in Ianniello's crew.^{[citation needed]}

Racketeering in Little Italy

In 1988, after Ianniello was convicted on federal

Each vendor working at the Feast had to pay tribute to the Genovese family.[1] Ida helped oversee the collection of rents from some 400 vendors. While the mob typically demanded $4,000 a booth, the society running the festival would report to city officials that booth vendors had paid only $1,000 or so each. The city would then assess each vendor a 25 percent permit fee based on this rent. The result was that the city and charities received very little money.^[2]

Ida also owned a social club in Little Italy that he used for family business. However, in 1990, capo James Messera was sent to prison based partly on conversations recorded by law enforcement at the club. Ida soon switched to conducting business on walks through the neighborhood and meetings in diners and parks. To counter Ida's new strategy, Federal investigators in 1994 obtained warrants for use of roving bugs and were able to intercept six of Ida's conversations with family members and union associates.^{[citation needed]}

Protection for La Toya Jackson

In 1994, Ida was involved in the extortion of money from singer

On April 24, 1997, after an eight-week trial, Ida was convicted of the 1988 DiLorenzo murder, the conspiracies to murder Ralph DeSimone in 1991 and Dominic Tucci in 1995, and racketeering charges involving the San Gennaro Feast.[6] Ida received a life prison sentence.^[1] After Ida's imprisonment, former capo Ianniello retook control of Ida's Little Italy crew.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2012, Ida was serving life without parole at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a medium security facility in New York.^[7] As of 2020, he is serving his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill.^[8]

References

Further reading

• Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 1999.
  ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
• Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Busting the Mob: The United States vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994.
  ISBN 0-8147-4230-0
• Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005.
  ISBN 0-312-30094-8
• ISBN 0-89774-991-X
• United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1988.

• U.S. Indicts 19 in Genovese Mob Case by Don Van Natta, Jr.
• N.Y. crime family charged in racketeering indictment: Officials say Genovese kept low profile while extorting unions