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News and Features about Organized Crime, Mafia and La Cosa Nostra taken from National and Local News Sources. In an attempt to get you this type of coverage in a timely manner we can not be responsible for the content of the following material. |
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2-25-00 Devil Dogs, mobster hook up in suburbs.
By Edythe Jensen It's an unlikely pairing of two very different families: one tied to New York's powerful Mafia, the other to a bunch of bullies who formed a racist gang in Gilbert that became known as the Devil Dogs. It took root in 1995 when turncoat Mafia hit man Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano moved to Arizona in the Witness Protection Program and his son, Gerard, struck up a friendship with Devil Dog founder Mike Papa who also hailed from New York. The two allegedly brought current and former Devil Dog members into a far-reaching criminal enterprise that helped the elder Gravano distribute tens of thousands of designer drug tablets every weekend. Thursday's arrest of longtime gang members Papa and Jovan Isailovic, along with accusations that the gang provided up to 30 members for intimidation purposes, brought yet another black eye to Gilbert leaders who for years downplayed the gang's influence. "I'm glad to see justice is finally being done," said Floyd Galloway, president of the East Valley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "People now know these gang members are criminals, not just a bunch of jocks acting out." Cheri Jarvis, the mother of a Devil Dog beating victim, said she also feels vindicated by the arrests and is speaking out despite a threat taped to her door last week that read "You will pay. It's not over yet. wyb." Police told her that meant "Watch your back." "We've had to deal with continued threats and intimidation by these gang members," she said. "We've had to be silent while listening to community leaders dismiss these activities as just normal teenage behavior." Jarvis' teenage son was beaten so badly by Devil Dogs outside Isailovic's house in the upscale Gilbert Carriage Parc Estates last May that he needs several plastic surgeries on his face. Mike Papa, 23, is the older brother of convicted Devil Dog Kevin Papa, 17, who faces sentencing next week for assaulting Jarvis' son. Kevin Papa, a Highland High School student and wrestling team member, was not in class Thursday. He was on his front lawn in Gilbert's Vista Escondida neighborhood talking on a cell phone. "No comment," Kevin Papa said, as he held up his palm and hurried into the house. Gilbert police say a White supremacist gang has been in existence in the town since at least 1993, when it formed under the name "Hitler's Youth." It later became "White Power," founded by Papa, and then evolved into the Devil Dogs. At some point, police say, Gerard Gravano introduced his father to Papa. In the drug investigation, police said Sammy the Bull Gravano served as a criminal mentor to the gang members. Investigators say a changing group of 15 to 20 hard-core members has been carrying on the gang's influence, while hangers-on may have bolstered the ranks to as many as 200. Mayor Cynthia Dunham has repeatedly disputed the figure and recently opened a gang summit by saying the larger estimate was based on "blatant misinformation." Dunham did not return several phone messages seeking comment Thursday. Gilbert Police Chief John Brewer said at a Phoenix news conference that his department assisted in the probe and has always taken the gang seriously. Seven gang members already have been prosecuted and pleaded guilty for their roles in beatings that left one teenager disfigured and put another in the hospital. They've also been prosecuted for terrorizing an Asian couple by threatening to tip over their boat in a Gilbert lake. There is also evidence gang members are involved in "ultimate fighting," a no-holds-barred form of combat that has been known to cause serious injury and even death. According to publicity releases announcing winners of Valley ultimate fighting competitions, Isailovic and Mike Papa are fighters. Councilman Mike Evans said he expects more to come out of this investigation and is confident that the town's Police Department is following all leads. The arrest of older gang members confirms one of the councilman's suspicions. "I've said all along, it's not just the kids; it's got to be their families," he said. Councilman Les Presmyk said he would like to think the arrests will put an end the White supremacy gang problems in Gilbert, "but this may be like the mythological Hydra." "You lop off a couple of heads, and more grow to take up the slack," he said. Town Manager Kent Cooper lives in Carriage Parc Estates near Greenfield and Guadalupe roads where federal and local agencies were swarming around Isailovic's home searching for drugs Thursday morning. He said he knew something was going to happen that day because the police chief wouldn't be able to attend the regular staff meeting. "But I didn't know it would be in my neighborhood."
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