Bonanno mobster John ‘The Maniac’ Ragano’s extortion victim says COVID made him borrow mob cash

A Long Island operation institution proprietor said helium got into heavy indebtedness with the mafia and Bonnano worker John “The Maniac” Ragano due to the fact that the COVID pandemic each but killed his business.

Vincent Martino, 47, a mob subordinate and on-again, off-again marijuana distributor, described the circumstances that brought him into the orbit of Ragano — a contentious narration that the feds accidental ended with the hulking, blustery mobster forcing him to portion naked to beryllium helium wasn’t wearing a wire.

Ragano, 62, is connected proceedings successful Brooklyn Federal Court for extortion and different charges for forcing Martino to support paying his indebtedness adjacent aft Ragano was sentenced to 5 years successful prison for, among different crimes, extorting Martino implicit that aforesaid loan.

Cash payments that Martino made to Ragano done Koslosky. (Government Exhibit)

“On July 5, 2023, the defendant, John Ragano, forced a antheral who owed him wealth [Martino] to portion bare successful a store successful Queens and threatened to slap the s–t retired of him,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Reich said successful his opening statement Tuesday. “What helium didn’t cognize and what helium couldn’t cognize is that Martino inactive managed to grounds the full thing.”

Martino’s testimony, which started Tuesday afternoon, hasn’t covered the store occurrence yet, oregon wherever helium hid the signaling device. He’ll proceed connected the basal Wednesday.

Ragano, who besides goes by the nickname “Bazoo,” and Martino were co-defendant’s successful a national shakedown indictment that led to the convictions of the full enactment of the Colombo transgression family. Martino was charged with going into the marijuana trafficking concern with Ragano and others.

His concern was already struggling, and successful 2020, “Basically the full state was unopen down,” helium said. Though helium got immoderate COVID alleviation funds, helium needed more, and helium couldn’t find a slope to lend him money, helium said.

“I went to the thoroughfare loans,” helium said.

Martino, who had ties to the mob, said helium knew Ragano from a fewer mafia parties.

He archetypal borrowed $25,000 from a Colombo transgression household mobster, past different $100,000 from longtime Colombo worker Michael Uvino, helium said. His indebtedness kept “snowballing,” helium said, truthful helium borrowed $150,000 from Ragano, with the knowing that his play payments of $2,250 were meant to screen the involvement alone.

Informant Andrew Koslosky — a classical tenor and theatre performer who’s present singing for the feds — testified  helium acted arsenic go-between, collecting play payments from Martino.

Ragano wanted the businessman to cognize that he’d “slap the s–t retired of” Martino if helium fell behind, truthful Koslosky warned him to support making payments.

“John was well-known by everybody arsenic idiosyncratic who was intimidating,” Koslosky, 66, said. “He wasn’t idiosyncratic you should beryllium fooling astir with…. When helium enactment his fist down connected the desk, the full country shook.”

As to wherefore Koslosky turned snitch, the religion vocalist explained, “For 2 reasons. I didn’t privation to spell to jail, and I didn’t privation to spell to hell.”

LUFTHANSA

John “Bazoo” Ragano, a Bonanno transgression household worker with a transgression past spanning much than 2 decades, is pictured successful Manhattan successful 2014. (Jefferson Siegel / New York Daily News)

Martino testified helium was making regular payments until the Sept. 2021 takedown that led to his and Ragano’s arrest.

Ragano was yet convicted successful the union shakedown indictment — portion of which included the indebtedness to Martino — and started his five-year situation condemnation connected July 10, 2023.

But contempt that apprehension and the looming sentence, helium inactive pressured Martino to support paying his debt, unaware that Martino had gone to the FBI and started signaling their interactions, the feds allege.

At each tribunal conference, Ragano would attack Martino asking him astir the money, Martino said.

He told Martino to interaction an associate, Simone Barca, who’d cod connected his behalf, but Martino ducked Barca’s calls, acrophobic of violating the presumption of his bail, helium testified.

When Ragano near a voicemail connected Martino’s telephone wishing him a blessed caller year, Martino realized it was clip to telephone the FBI, helium said. From there, helium agreed to deterioration a wire, and started calling Barca, arranging telephone calls and meetings that the feds could record, helium said.

Ragano’s lawyer, Ken Womble, said prosecutors were lone providing portion of the picture. “Yes, John Ragano was successful the mafia. We admit that. You tin justice him morally for that. Don’t clasp that against him,” helium said.

Womble said that Ragano was simply trying to person a indebtedness repaid, and wasn’t threatening Martino.

“Asking for a indebtedness to beryllium paid backmost is nary transgression astatine all,” helium said. “Folks, the telephone is coming from wrong the location … This is simply a lawsuit astir wealth amongst mobsters. That’s the full communicative of this case.”