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. 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 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 ...

operating in

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. It was rumored that Vollaro was up for induction into the family in the mid-1990s before being sent to prison on drug dealing and

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 ...

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

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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 wealthy 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 Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

and charged with heading a large-scale

narcotics trafficking The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

operation. Facing a lifetime prison term, Vollaro chose to become a government witness for the U. S. Department of Labor-OIG, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and assist in an investigation into the stronghold the Organized Crime had over the construction industry. Vollaro quickly rose to one of Nick Corozzo's trusted aides and was even planning to propose Vollaro for induction into the family as a

made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...

or soldier. In early 2008, Vollaro's work resulted in a massive federal

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

(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 Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...

. In October 2008, Vollaro started legal proceedings for $600,000 in financial restitution from the Corozzos and other Gambino family members for extorting his business.

References

* Gordon, Cormac, "Gambinos' Greed Their Undoing", '' Staten Island Advance'', February 9, 2008. * Gould, Joe and Marzulli, John
"Mob turncoat Joseph Vollaro seeking more than $600K from Gambinos"
'' New York Daily News'', October 5, 2008. * Hamill, Dennis, "Year of the Rat proves prophetic", ''New York Daily News'', February 19, 2008. * Lauinger, John, "FBI's Gambino informant skips town, leaving pregnant wife in the dark", ''New York Daily News'', February 10, 2008. * Mangan, Dan, "Rat goes for see food", ''

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'', February 11, 2008. * Marzulli, John
"Supposed mob KO falls apart"
''New York Daily News'', May 29, 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", ''

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'', February 8, 2008. * Rashbaum, William K.
"Informant in Mob Case Had Power, and a Wire"
''The New York Times'', February 9, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vollaro, Joseph 1966 births Gambino crime family American gangsters of Italian descent Living people People who entered the United States Federal Witness Protection Program People from Staten Island