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| United States v. Salerno | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | United States District Court for the Southern District of New York |
| Full case name | United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al |
| Decided | November 19, 1986 (verdict) January 13, 1987 (sentencing) |
| Verdict | Guilty as to 8 defendants (see text) |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Richard Owen |
The Mafia Commission Trial (in full, United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al)[1] was a criminal trial before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City, United States, that lasted from February 25, 1985, until November 19, 1986. Using evidence obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 11 organized crime figures, including the heads of New York City's "Five Families", were indicted by United States Attorney Rudolph Giuliani under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) on charges including extortion, labor racketeering, and murder. Eight of them were convicted under RICO, and most were sentenced to 100 years in prison on January 13, 1987, the maximum possible sentence under that law.
The case struck a blow against "The Commission", a ruling committee consisting of the New York Five Families bosses that meet to resolve disputes or discuss criminal activities. Time called the trial the "Case of Cases" and possibly "the most significant assault on the infrastructure of organized crime since the high command of the Chicago Mafia was swept away in 1943", and quoted Giuliani's stated intention: "Our approach ... is to wipe out the five families."[2]
- ^ Raab, p. 273
- ^ Stengel, Richard. Stengel, Richard (June 24, 2001). "The Passionate Prosecutor". Time. Archived from the original on December 4, 2007. Retrieved November 15, 2006. Time online, posted June 24, 2001.