Reputed Colombo crime family mobster Scott Fappiano is headed to trial in Manhattan for extortion charges. He is charged with helping to orchestrate an effort by New York Mafia families to control the garbage-carting industry in New York and New Jersey. Prosecutors claim Fappiano tried to shake down the owner of a waste hauling company on behalf of the mob to secretly assume control of their business operations. He was one of 31 reputed mobsters arrested in January in a massive mob take down involved with the extortion scheme. Prosecutors say Fappiano is part of the Colombo family but he also has deep ties in the Gambino crime family through three of his uncles Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo, Frank “Frankie Fap” Fappiano, and Frank DeCicco who were all high ranking made members of the Gambino’s.

“Scott Fappiano”

Fappiano was arrested in 1983 when he was a 22 year old wannabe wiseguy for the rape and sodomizing of a cops wife. A Jury found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 to 50 years in prison and was sent to Attica before being cleared due to new DNA evidence collected by the Innocence Project proved he could not have committed the crime. He spent 22 years in prison before being cleared and set free in 2006. But since then Fappiano has not been able to keep his nose clean getting arrested again in the massive mafia sweep in 2011. He coped a plea to loan sharking and extortion charges then and was sentenced to one month of time served and three years probation , a light sentence influenced somewhat by his previous wrongful conviction.

This time around Fappiano may not see the same sort of lenient sentencing if convicted. According to his lawyer Fappiano may testify on his own behalf in a effort to make a sympathetic plea to the jury. This is a seldom seen move by mobsters because it opens them up to being cross-examined about mafia activities they may have been involved in. Fappiano said he was unsure if the jury would be sympathetic after hearing his story because the cards are stacked against him in federal court.