Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: SAC, BU
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 1/4/68
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hotej.

DATE: 11-14-2017

JFK Assassination System

Date:

5/20/201

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY :

RECORD NUMBER :

RECORD SERIES :

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

FBI

124-10289-10279

HQ

92-6054-2267

Document Information

ORIGINATOR :

FROM:

TO :

TITLE :

FBI

SAC, BU

DIRECTOR, FBI

DATE: 01/04/1968

'PAGES:

5

SUBJECTS :

LCN, SACCO, JOHN C., ASSOC, BURGLARY RING A/O

FENCING OPERATION, RAID, ARREST, INDICTMENTS, B/F

INT, RECOVERY STOLEN PROPERTY, SUR

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: 4

CURRENT STATUS: Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 07/09/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

v9.1

DocId: 32306119

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62

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Beleased under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note).

DATE: 11-14-2017

DIRECTOR, FBI (92-6054)

ATIN: SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION

AND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

SAC, BUFFALO (67-369)

1/4/68

LA COSA NOSTRA

BUFFALO DIVISION

AR

PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS

Remytels 12/22 and 12/29/67.

Bureau has been previously advised of continuing

investigation by Buffalo Office of ICN burglary ring headed

by ICN member JOHN C. SACCO.

Our Investigation of SACCO

and his associates culminated in a joint FBI and local raid

on 12/5/67 of premises located in Buffalo, N.Y., at which time

over $105,000 worth of expensive mink fur coats and fur pieces

were recovered.

The loss of these furs and the arrest of

JAMES JAY WADE by our Agents and local authorities was &

substantial blow to SACCO and local IN operated enterprise.

It is also noted that a number of individuals, including

RUSSELL DE CICCO and GREGORY JAMES PARNESS are principal

suspects in the recent DU PONT robbery in Miami.

SACCO ' g

group is made up of young, hard-nosed Italian individuals

capable of almost any offense.

As a result of my previous recommendations to the

sureau, SAS JOSEPH E. GRIFFIN, JR. and FRANCIS D. CONNERS

received individual letters of commendation from the Bureau.

because of their handling of informants and developing the

Investigation which resulted in the recovery of the furs and

the collecting of physical evidence of assistance to local

authorities in connection with their case.

The purpose of this communication is to recommend

additional personnel action.

In further developments in the fur case, the evidence

has been submitted to the Erle County Grand Jury by the New

York State Police and by Agents of this office. As a result

REC-21

92-6054-2267

3. - Bureau

5 - Buffalo

NJW :afe

(8)

1E 2R001100

199 FEE

503

ORIGINAL FILED IN

DocId: 32306149 Page 2

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Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hote).

DATE: 11-14-2017'

BU 67-369

of this testimony, it is expected that JOHN C. SACCO, RUSSELI

will be indicted by the local grand jury and bench

warrants will be issued for their arrest. Latent fingerprint

examinations by the New York State Police and the FBI Identifi-

cation Division were key factors in these indictments and it

appears that at long last local authorities will be able to

deal effectively with SACCO and his burglary ring, who as

individuals and as a group have defied the best efforts of

local law enforcement for a number of years.

This gang has

become highly successful major burglars and as indicated by

their possible involvement in the million dollar DU PONT

robbery, they are major offenders of primary interest to all

law enforcement agencies.

Following the fur recovery, PCI HARRISON I. GALLAGHER

advised SA FRANCIS D. CONNERS that RUSSELL DE CICCO and GREGORY

JAMES PARNESS had committed the $55,000 burglary of the Pitt

Petri Jewelry firm in Buffalo at which time a substantial

quantity of expensive silver pieces and other Jewelry items

had been taken.

night of 11/16-17/67. The PCI also advised that JOHN C. SACCO

was the fence handling the stolen goods from this burglary.

It is noted that local authorities had been completely

unsuccessful in their investigation of this burglary in

attempting to develop suspects.

On 12/11/67, BU 305-C-TE advised SA JOSEPH E.

GRIFFIN, JR. that SACCO was fencing stolen silverware along with

a considerable quantity of other stolen merchandise and that he

believed because of the heat generated by the fur recovery that

SACCO would soon be moving his stolen goods to a new location.

Acting on this information,

Auburn St. in Buffalo.

Investigation determined that an

associate of SACCO had rented the truck under an assumed name.

Despite the fact that SACCO and his associate were extremely

surveillance conscious, the Agents were able to maintain a

discreet surveillance and determine that SACCO unloaded a

number of boxes from the truck which were placed in a garage

at the rear of the property at 315 Auburn St.

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ReTeased under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note).

DATE: 11-14-2017

BỤ 67-369

On 12/12/67, BU 305-C-TE advised SA GRIFFIN that

a new hiding place had been found by SAcco in a garage.

SACCO further indicated that he would be moving all of his

stolen goods to the new location inasmuch as local authorities,

who were being assisted by the FBI, were putting pressure on

he and his group and he was afraid that some of the stolen

property which he had in his possession in various locations

in Buffalo may be found by the authorities. Informant further

said that this property which SACCO was currently attempting to

fence would be located, according to sacce, in an apartment

near where the garage was located. According to the informant;

SACCO also had a large quantity of stolen cigarettes, antiques,

gifts and jewelry for sale.

Our coverage of SACCO indicated

that he was making frequent trips to New York City in an

effort

to fence these items through LCN contacts in New York

and he was also contacting other major fences in the northeast

part of the country.

on 12/13/07, SA JOHN L. POPE and Secretary GAIL P.

HOFFMAN made a pretext inquiry at 315 Auburn st. and determined

that the second floor rear apartment was for rent. They were

successiul,

despite the general uncooperative atmosphere in the

neighborhood, in determining the entire layout of the property

without arousing any suspicions. This was extremely valuable

information and was subsequently of extreme value in the prepara-

tion and execution of the search warrants.

On 12/21/67, BU 305-C-TE advised SA GRIFFIN that

SACCO's entire inventory of stolen property had been moved

on the previous night to the residence at 315 Auburn St.

At

this point appropriate dissemination was made to trusted officers

of the Buffalo PD and the New York State Police. Based on

Information furnished by the Agents obtained from their informants

and from their surveillances and other investigation, local search

warrants were obtained.

On 12/22/67, a raid was conducted at the premises at

315 Auburn st. in Buffalo by the New York State Police and the

Buffalo PD with Bureau Agents from this office as observers.

Over $200,000 in stolen property was recovered from the premises

at 315 Auburn St.

• his noteded the

This included the entire Pitt Petri loot as

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