March 1, 2000

By FRANK DONNELLY
Staten Island ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

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Two reputed members of a Luchese crime family crew based on Staten Island pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to murdering a mob snitch who was part of their gang.

Anthony (Tony Bones) Loffredo, 32, of Morningstar Road, Elm Park, and Frank (Skip) DiPietro, 43, of 13th Street, Brooklyn, admitted to rubbing out George (Booty) Van Name in November 1990 in retaliation for his grand jury testimony about drug dealing.

Both men also pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to racketeering and narcotics trafficking. DiPietro, who uses the aliases Frank Rosiello and Frank Pietro, also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

Loffredo and DiPietro were among 10 members of the reputed "Port Richmond Crew" who were federally indicted in September 1998 on 48 counts under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

Gang members, almost all of whom lived on the Island, operated throughout the metropolitan area and were charged with murder, narcotics trafficking, extortion, arson, loan sharking, money laundering, racketeering and obstruction of justice.

Under terms of an agreement with the U.S. attorney's office for New York's Eastern District, Loffredo will be sentenced to 21 years in prison, and DiPietro 19 years. The two men are already serving state prison terms -- Loffredo on drug charges, DiPietro for robbery.

Yesterday, DiPietro admitted he shot and killed Van Name, of Port Richmond Avenue, Port Richmond, two months after Van Name testified before a federal grand jury about drug trafficking.

Loffredo said he took Van Name to a secluded area where the assassination took place. Van Name's body was later found on Travis Avenue in Bulls Head.

By pleading guilty before Judge Charles P. Sifton, the two men avoided a jury trial. DiPietro was facing the death penalty or the possibility of life without parole, said his attorney Mathew J. Mari, of Manhattan. Sifton will sentence the two men May 9.

Martin Stolar, Loffredo's attorney, could not be reached yesterday afternoon for comment. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gurin declined to comment on the agreement.

Yesterday, Loffredo briefly described his narcotics-trafficking activities in court.

Dressed in blue prison-type scrubs, he said he distributed cocaine from Aruba, St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic throughout New York City and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The drugs were processed on Staten Island. Authorities said the group reportedly moved "kilo-weight" cocaine with a street value of $8,000 to $14,000 per kilo.

DiPietro, in addition to firing the shots that killed Van Name, admitted to receiving money and drugs for personal use from crew member Rocco (Rocky Pops) Papapietro. DiPietro also said he was "on call" for Papapietro "whenever he had problems." He did not elaborate.

Papapietro, of Toddy Avenue, New Springville, is among six other gang members who have entered guilty pleas in the case, Gurin said.

Also pleading guilty previously were Brendon Schlitz of the 100 block of Rustic Place, Great Kills; Vincent Alexandrini, a.k.a. Vin Alessio, of the 100 block of Todt Hill Road, Castleton Corners; Luigi (Lou) Esposito, of the 200 block of Decker Avenue, Port Richmond; Robert Bloome, of the 100 block of Clinton Place, Port Richmond; and Kevin Van Name, of Lexington Avenue, Port Richmond.

Kevin Van Name remained with the crew even after his brother George was murdered, authorities said.

Gurin said Nicholas (Nicky) DiConstanza of Helena Road, Dongan Hills, reputedly the crew's ringleader or capo, has been severed from the case for medical reasons. DiConstanza, also known as Nicky Edkins and Nicola DiConstanzo, reportedly suffered a stroke several years ago.

The final crew member indicted, Michael (Smurf) Bloome, a.k.a. David Parisi, of Clinton Place, Port Richmond, is awaiting trial, Gurin said. Michael Bloome is Robert Bloome's brother.

Mari said the government has agreed to suspend further prosecution of DiPietro and Loffredo based on any currently known evidence against them.

"The stakes were high, and this was the best way to resolve the case," Mari said. "Under the circumstances, I'm satisfied with the plea arrangement."

In announcing the gang's arrests in 1998, Lewis D. Schiliro, associate director of the FBI in New York, called them a "crucial step in eliminating the Luchese Family's Port Richmond Crew."

The office of Staten Island District Attorney William L. Murphy broke the case through wiretaps, Chief Assistant District Attorney David W. Lehr said when the indictment came down. The 10 suspects allegedly committed the crimes between Jan. 1, 1990, and Feb. 28, 1995, authorities said.

Sifton told Loffredo and DiPietro he is not bound to the prison-time agreement and could change it at the sentencing. Sifton said they can withdraw their guilty pleas and opt for a jury trial should he impose more severe sentences.

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