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Federal agents stunned Louis Eppolito, 56, and Stephen Caracappa, 63, when they grabbed the ex-cops at Piero's Italian restaurant in Las Vegas Wednesday night.
Eppolito, a cop-turned-actor who retired in 1990, had bit parts in movies like "Goodfellas." A much-decorated detective, he was the subject of a 1992 book, "Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob."Nearly 20 years after he allegedly began disgracing the badge, he was still playing the tough-guy role.
"Louie was trying to be brave, but Caracappa was really shaken," said a law enforcement source.Law enforcement officials were still in disbelief yesterday over the extent of the crimes - including eight murders, two attempted murders, murder conspiracy, drug distribution and money laundering - and how long they went unsolved.
It's just "stunning," said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf, who announced the indictment at a news conference. "These corrupt former detectives betrayed their shields, their colleagues and the citizens they were sworn to protect."
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, whose office played a key role in breaking the case, called it "one of the most shocking examples of criminal activity I've ever witnessed."Police Commissioner Ray Kelly called the alleged crimes "shocking and disgraceful."According to the indictment, Luchese underboss Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso began paying the detectives $4,000 a month in 1986 for confidential information - including the identities of police informants, who were then whacked.
Casso referred to the detectives as his "Crystal Ball."When Casso became a turncoat in 1994, he told the feds that Eppolito and Caracappa accepted a $65,000 contract and murdered Gambino soldier Edward Lino on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn on Nov. 6, 1992. He said Caracappa, who had retired on a disability pension that year, was the shooter.Casso also blabbed that in September 1986 the pair had abducted another Gambino thug, James Hydell, who was behind a murder attempt on the underboss.The detectives stuffed Hydell into their car trunk and delivered him to Casso, authorities said. The victim was tortured and killed. His body, thought to be buried in Canarsie, Brooklyn, was never found.But Casso had a lot of baggage and the case wouldn't fly on his word alone, a law enforcement source said.
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