Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito
Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were former New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives who committed various illegal activities on behalf of the Five Families of the American Mafia, principally the Lucchese and Gambino crime families. The two subsequently became known as the "Mafia Cops".[1]
In 2005, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York indicted Caracappa and Eppolito on charges of racketeering conspiracy for a pattern of murders, kidnappings, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and narcotics dealing with mobsters and mob associates, spanning from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s. Both were convicted in 2006 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009.[2][3][4] Both died in prison in the late 2010s.[5][6]
Police careers
Caracappa
Stephen Caracappa | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1942 New York Police Department |
| Service years | 1969–1992 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer: 1969 Detective: 1979 |
Stephen Caracappa (November 12, 1942 – April 8, 2017) had worked in the Organized Crime Homicide Unit of the
Eppolito
Louis Eppolito | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 22, 1948 New York Police Department |
| Service years | 1969–1990 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer: 1969 Detective: 1977 |
| Conviction(s) | Racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion and eight counts of murder and conspiracy |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment plus 100 years and fined more than $4 million |
Louis Eppolito (July 22, 1948 – November 3, 2019) was born in
Eppolito eventually rose to the rank of detective in 1977, a job which garnered him a number of headlines. In 1983, he was suspected and cleared of passing NYPD intelligence reports to Rosario Gambino, a distant relative of Castellano and Carlo Gambino. He retired as a police officer in late 1990. In 1992, Eppolito wrote a book, Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob, in which he spoke of his attempts to avoid being dragged into the Mafia and having to fight for his reputation as a result of the Rosario Gambino case, which he cited as a reason for his leaving the NYPD.
After meeting actor Joe Pesci in Cafe Central, a restaurant frequented by celebrities, Eppolito had a minor career as an actor, with small roles in movies including Lost Highway, Predator 2 and Goodfellas.[5] He moved to Las Vegas around 1994 and sold automobiles at an Infiniti dealership, where he would entertain fellow salesmen with crime scene photos from his time on the force.
Mafia careers
By 1985, federal authorities recognized Caracappa and Eppolito as associates of the Mafia in New York City. Both were known for using inappropriate methods to get results in their police work.
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
According to
Later, again on Casso's orders, Caracappa and Eppolito murdered made Lucchese member Bruno Facciolo with the assistance of
Las Vegas "retirement"
After wholesale
Lastorino also wanted the detectives to murder the underboss of the Lucchese family,
Convictions and sentencing
After a long investigation, highlighted by
On June 30, 2006, the presiding federal judge, Jack B. Weinstein, threw out a racketeering murder conviction against Caracappa and Eppolito on a technicality – the five-year statute of limitations had expired on the key charge of racketeering conspiracy. On September 17, 2008, their racketeering convictions were ordered reinstated by a federal appeals court.[8] New York City paid $18.4 million to settle seven lawsuits brought by families of the victims of Caracappa and Eppolito.[9]
The federal government can take my life. I'm a man. They can't take my soul. They can't take my pride. They can't take my dignity... I was a hard-working cop. I never hurt anybody. I never kidnapped anybody... I never did any of this.
—Louis Eppolito at his sentencing[9]
On March 6, 2009, Eppolito was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 100 years, and Caracappa to life plus 80 years. Each was fined more than $4 million.[1] On July 23, 2010, their convictions were upheld by the Second Circuit.[10]
Incarceration and death
Caracappa was incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida.[11] He was transferred to a federal prison in North Carolina before dying of cancer on April 8, 2017.[12][13]
Eppolito was incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson, a high-security federal prison.[9] He died on November 3, 2019, in federal custody at a Tucson hospital.[9] His cause of death has not been disclosed.[5]
References
- ^ a b Marzulli, John (March 6, 2009). "'Mafia Cops' Louis Eppolito, Stephen Caracappa sentenced to life in prison". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ "Two Former NYPD Detectives Who Secretly Worked as Mafia Associates Indicted for Racketeering". U.S. Department of Justice. US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York. March 10, 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Two Former Nypd Detectives Who Secretly Worked as Mafia Associates Convicted of Racketeering". U.S. Department of Justice. US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York. April 6, 2006. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Two Former Nypd Detectives Who Secretly Worked as Mafia Associates Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Racketeering and Murder". U.S. Department of Justice. US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Shanahan, Ed (November 7, 2019). "Louis Eppolito, Police Officer Turned Mob Hit Man, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Lore, Diane C. (April 12, 2017). "Report: 'Mob cop' with Staten Island ties dies in prison". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Ackman, Dan (March 17, 2006). "Dispatches from a Mob Trial". Slate. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
- ^ Weiser, Benjamin (September 18, 2008). "Convictions Reinstated in Mob Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Annese, John (November 5, 2019). "Former NYPD detective Louis Eppolito, who killed for the mob, dies in federal custody". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ "United States v. Caracappa (2010)". FindLaw. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ "Inmate Locator". BOP. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ Annese, John (April 12, 2017). "NYPD cop who worked as mob hitman dies in prison". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ Colon, David (April 12, 2017). "NYPD Cop Turned Mafia Hitman Dies In Prison". Gothamist. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
Further reading
- Lawson, Guy; Oldham, William (November 2006). The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia. Scribner. ISBN 9780743289443.
- Eppolito, Lou; Drury, Bob (1992). Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob. ISBN 9781416517016.
- Smith, Greg B (December 2006). Mob Cops. New York: Berkley. ISBN 9780425215722.
External links
- New York Daily News article relating to the arrests, 2005.
- Transcript of the indictment against both men (Archived February 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, courtesy of ISPN.org, 2005).
- Report of conviction, BBC, 2006.
- "Mafia Cops Facing Life in Prison", AP, June 5, 2006.
- "Alleged Mafia Cop Speaks Out", 60 Minutes, 2006.
- Louis Eppolito at IMDb
