Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Court Hears of Mafia Help on FBI Probe

'Mississippi Burning' case cracked with aid from notorious hit man

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 30, 2007 10:15 AM CDT

(Newser) – Jurors heard shocking testimony yesterday in the trial of an ex-FBI agent charged with helping a Mafia informant complete four hits. The onetime girlfriend of a hit man known as the "Grim Reaper" testified that Gregory Scarpa was on the FBI's payroll, traveled to Mississippi, and provided the bureau with information about the notorious "Mississippi Burning" murders.

The Mob's involvement in the case has been rumored for years. Linda Schiro, the star witness at R. Lindley DeVecchio's trial, told the court that the FBI gave Scarpa a gun and paid him in cash for his services in Mississippi, the Post reports. Scarpa kidnapped a Klan member and learned the location of the corpses of three civil rights workers murdered there in 1964.

Former FBI Agent L. Lindley DeVecchio, right, sits in court with his attorney Ginnine Fried as his trial got underway Monday, Oct. 15, 2007, in New York at state Supreme Court in Brooklyn . Prosecutors... (Associated Press)

Former FBI agent R. Lindley DeVecchio exits Brooklyn State Supreme Court with his wife Carolyn, Monday, Oct. 29, 2007, in New York. DeVecchio is charged in state court with four counts of murder in what... (Associated Press)

Colombo crime family captain Gregory Scarpa Sr. appears at a New York news conference in this Aug. 28, 1992, file photo. Former FBI Agent L. Lindley DeVecchio is now on trial in state Supreme Court in... (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Reporter Tapes Kill Mob Hit Trial

Charges against renegade ex-FBI agent collapse

(NEWSER) - The mob murder trial of a former FBI agent collapsed yesterday after lawyers listened to a journalist's taped interviews revealing that the key prosecution witness had lied, reports the New York Times. Prosecutors decided to drop the case against Roy DeVecchio after a conference room drama that could could have come straight from an episode of TV's "Law & Order." More»

Leaky Case Against Ex-FBI Agent Collapses

Charges of aiding Mob hits dropped after witness changes tune

(NEWSER) - Retired FBI supervisor Roy Lindley DeVecchio left a Brooklyn court today exonerated of helping with Mafia murders after prosecutors dropped all charges in light of new evidence discrediting their main witness. Linda Schiro, a mobster's mistress, could face perjury charges, the New York Times reports, after her testimony in court contradicted statements she made to a Village Voice writer. More»

More Than 120 Arrested in Biggest NY Mob Bust Ever

FBI takes in members of Colombo, Gambino, 5 other families

(NEWSER) - It's not a good day to be a mobster: The FBI has arrested nearly 130 in what it's calling the biggest mob bust in New York history. The raids, which began yesterday and continued into the early morning, reeled in "basically the whole administration of the Colombo family," a source tells the New York Post . The raids also hit the Gambino syndicate, as well five other mob families in New York City, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, notes the New York Times . Charges include extortion, racketeering, drug trafficking, and murder. More»

Ex-FBI Agent Draws 40-Year Sentence in Murder, But ...

Judge's ruling all but guarantees appeal

(NEWSER) - A judge sentenced former FBI agent John Connolly to 40 years for a 1982 murder today, and simultaneously blew a giant hole in the prosecution’s case, the Miami Herald reports. The facts seem to be clear: Connolly told mobsters with whom he was in cahoots that an associate, who was promptly shot, was going to snitch. But the second-degree murder charge carried a statute of limitations of 4 years, which ran out long ago, the judge noted. More»

Sicilian Mafia Rebuilding US Family Ties

NY mob busts expose stronger links between Italians and Yanks

(NEWSER) - The Sicilian Mafia is sending people to the US to revitalize old family ties with its American cousins that faded in the '80s, according to a new report by the Italian government. The FBI nabbed more than 80 New York mobsters in a recent swoop code-named "Old Bridge," reports the BBC, referring to the transatlantic the mob link. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Court Hears of Mafia Help on FBI Probe

'Mississippi Burning' case cracked with aid from notorious hit man

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FBI • Mafia • R. Lindley DeVecchio • Linda Schiro • Gregory Scarpa

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Reporter Tapes Kill Mob Hit Trial

Charges against renegade ex-FBI agent collapse

Leaky Case Against Ex-FBI Agent Collapses

Charges of aiding Mob hits dropped after witness changes tune

More Than 120 Arrested in Biggest NY Mob Bust Ever

FBI takes in members of Colombo, Gambino, 5 other families

Ex-FBI Agent Draws 40-Year Sentence in Murder, But ...

Judge's ruling all but guarantees appeal

Sicilian Mafia Rebuilding US Family Ties

NY mob busts expose stronger links between Italians and Yanks

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?