Consigliere
The power in the Lucchese family shifted in early 2001, when Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone was promoted to acting boss, allowing Caridi to be promoted to consigliere. On November 14, 2002, Caridi was indicted on state charges of extorting money from an adult video store, loan sharking, and illegal gambling along with Lucchese family members John "Johnny Sideburns" Cerrella and Vincent "Vinny Casablanca" Mancione. On December 10, 2002, Caridi was indicted federal charges of extorting money from the Hudson & McCoy Fish House, based on testimony from former acting boss Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede and soldier Vincent Salanardi. The government had over 1,000 hours of taped conversations of Caridi and other Lucchese family members.
On March 23, 2003, Caridi pleaded guilty to extortion and to federal tax evasion between 1997 and 2002. Caridi also admitted running a sports betting operation from his house in East Northport, New York. As part of this federal plea agreement, the State of New York dropped its November 2002 charges. On December 18, 2003, Caridi was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison. In a separate case in 2003 the acting boss Louis Daidone was convicted and received a life sentence, this promoted Caridi to official consigliere.
Caridi served his sentence at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Allenwood, Pennsylvania before being released on November 27, 2009. His ally Cerrella was released from prison the same day.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Caridi