Albert Facchiano
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Albert Joseph Facchiano (March 10, 1910 – August 16, 2011), also known as "Chinkie" and "the Old Man", was a
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
mobster with the New York
Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...
who was involved in
loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
and
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
in
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. Facchiano achieved notoriety for being indicted on mob crimes at age 96.


Background

A longtime underworld figure, Facchiano oversaw armed robberies,
money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
,
bank fraud Bank fraud is the use of potentially illegal means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently posing as a bank or other financial institution. In many ins ...
and other criminal activities for the Genovese family for nearly 60 years. Although considered a "low-level figure" by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI), Facchiano has an extensive arrest record. In 1930, Facchiano was arrested in New York for
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
, but the charge was later dismissed."Once a Wiseguy, Always a Wiseguy"
By JERRY CAPECI New York Sun February 8, 2007
In 1932, Facchiano was convicted in
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of robbery and receiving stolen goods and was sentenced to two to five years in prison. In 1936, Facchiano was arrested in New York on
grand larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Engla ...
charges, in 1944 for
bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...
charges.


Federal investigation

In 1979, Facchino was convicted in
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of federal
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...
charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison. While still in prison, Facchiano became involved in an investigation of
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Raymond J. Donovan and his alleged ties to organized crime. Investigators claimed that in January 1979 Facchiano and Genovese mobster William Maselli had met with Donovan. The subject of this meeting was setting up so-called "
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" jobs for Genovese mobsters at Schiavoni Construction, Donovan's company, at sites near
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. Donovan denied that the meeting took place and claimed his innocence. In 1982, Facchiano reportedly testified to a New York
grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
on the Donovan case. In 1987, Donovan was tried and acquitted of larceny charges.


Later life

In the Fall of 1987, Facchiano was released from prison. In 2001, in a conversation recorded by the FBI while Facchiano was dining with other Genovese mobsters, he offered to do a killing if the family needed it. Mobster
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said that Facchiano should retire and leave murders to the younger guys. Facchiano, who was 91 at the time, allegedly responded 'that you’re never retired', and then reiterated his willingness to 'kill for the family'. In 2006, Facchiano was indicted in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on charges of supervising mob associates engaged in crimes such as robbery, money laundering and bank fraud from 1994 to 2006. That same year, Facchiano was indicted in New York for attempting to intimidate or kill a mob witness in Florida in 2005. In February 2007, Facchiano pleaded guilty to
witness tampering Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings. Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficul ...
and racketeering charges from both indictments. On June 4, 2007, Facchiano, 97 years old at the time, was sentenced to six months of
house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...
and 18 months of
probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
. He avoided jail time due to his advanced age and poor health. At the sentencing, Facchiano told the judge that he was “sorry” for his crimes. He also said that he “would never get mixed up anymore” and his “days in organized crime are over”."Albert "The Old Man" Facchiano gets 6 months of house arrest"
Associated Press - Pravda May 25, 2007
On August 16, 2011, Facchiano died in Florida of natural causes.


References


External links



by David Amoruso
Legal Humor.com: Lucky FacchianoGardens Man, 72, Accused Of Heading Mob Family
by Jon Burstein (July 1, 2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Facchiano, Albert 1910 births 2011 deaths American gangsters of Italian descent American centenarians Men centenarians People from Miami Genovese crime family