Joseph Vollaro, also known
as "Joey V" and "Joe Andrews" (born 1966), is a Staten Island
-based American trucking executive and Gambino crime family associate who is
now a government informant and witness.
A high school drop-out, Vollaro did construction work and worked in
several gyms as a young man. Vollaro became an associate of the
Gambino family in the 1990s.
Vollaro's father, Anthony Vollaro, was a Gambino bookmaker operating in New Jersey
. It was rumored Vollaro that was up for
induction into the family in the mid-1990s before being sent to
prison on drug dealing and
loansharking
charges.
Mob connections
While in prison, Vollaro shared a cell with Gambino family
mobster
Nicholas "Little Nick"
Corozzo. Vollaro became close to Corozzo, and when released
from prison, Vollaro started making payments to Corozzo and his
brother
Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo.
Vollaro's company, Andrews Trucking, quickly became one of the
city's leading construction truckers, hauling dirt from the city's
excavation sites. Vollaro and Gambino soldier
Joseph Spinnato co-owned several Staten
Island businesses which they used to produce money for the
Gambinos, and to extort other business owners. Vollaro was
responsible for getting the Gambino family involved in a
NASCAR speedway that was planned for Staten Island;
Andrews Trucking received a lucrative hauling contract at the site.
Vollaro and the Gambinos soon came to dominate the construction
business in Staten Island. At one point, the wealth Vollaro owned
three 40-foot yachts named "No Limits", "Cat in the Act", and "All
Fired Up".
Government informant
In 2004, Vollaro was arrested with two kilograms of
cocaine and charged with heading a large-scale
narcotics trafficking
operation.
Facing a lifetime prison term, Vollaro chose
to become a government witness and assist with surveillance for the
Federal
Bureau of Investigation
(FBI). The operation was originally focused
on narcotics, but Vollaro's rise to one of Nick Corozzo's trusted
aides changed the operation's complexion. Corozzo was even planning
to propose Vollaro for induction into the family as a
made man or soldier.
In early 2008, Vollaro's work resulted in a massive federal
Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment that
snagged both Corozzo brothers, acting boss
John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, underboss
Domenico Cefalu,
capo Frank Cali, and
over 40 capos, soldiers, and associates. However, the racketeering
cases were weak and the government was forced to accept lesser
plea bargain deals from the plaintiffs
for extorting payments from Vollaro's business.
Current status
Vollaro is currently part of the federal
Witness Protection Program. In
October 2008, Vollaro started legal proceedings for $600,000 in
financial restitution from the Corrozzos and other Gambino family
members for extorting his business.
References
- Gordon, Cormac, "Gambinos' Greed Their Undoing", Staten Island Advance, February
9, 2008.
- Hamill, Dennis, "Year of the Rat proves prophetic",
NY Daily News, February 19,
2008.
- Lauinger, John, "FBI's Gambino informant skips town, leaving
pregnant wife in the dark", NY Daily News, February 10,
2008.
- Mangan, Dan, "Rat goes for see food", New York Post, February 11, 2008.
- Rashbaum, William K., "Gambino crime family indicted in New York sweep",
International Herald
Tribune, February 8, 2008.
- Rashbaum, William K., "Accused Gambino Leaders Indicted in
Sweep", The New York
Times, February 8, 2008.
External links
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