Bonanno Crime Family Member Convicted of Extorting Witness

Bonanno crime family member convicted of extortion, faces up to 20 years for threatening a victim to repay a $150,000 loan.Photo byTom RitsononUnsplash

A member of the Bonanno crime family, John Ragano, also known as “Bazoo,” was convicted of extortion for forcing a victim to repay a $150,000 loan under threats and coercion, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York announced Friday.

Ragano, 54, was found guilty following a four-day trial and now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

According to the department, Ragano continued to extort the victim, referred to in court as John Doe, even while under pretrial release.

The department says that the victim initially borrowed $150,000 from Ragano in early 2021, with weekly interest payments of approximately $1,800. Despite Ragano’s arrest and release on bond, he persisted in pressuring the victim to repay the loan.

On one occasion in July 2023, Ragano demanded that the victim strip naked during a meeting at a used auto parts yard to prove he was not cooperating with the government by wearing a wire, the department states.

Two men, one holding metal tools, approached during the confrontation, adding to the intimidation. Despite the coercive situation, the victim recorded the encounter, according to the department.

Ragano’s actions, according to the department, represent a blatant disregard for the law and continued even during court-supervised pretrial proceedings. U.S.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, emphasized that Ragano's conduct was a clear affront to the justice system, noting that the jury’s verdict reinforced the principle that the rule of law prevails over mob intimidation.

“The defendant’s extortion of a victim while on pre-trial release, carried out even in the sanctity of the federal courthouse, is an affront to the criminal justice system and a glaring example of this Bonanno mobster’s flagrant disrespect for the law,” stated Peace.

“With today’s verdict, the jury has delivered a clear message that the rule of law will prevail over extortionate threats.”

The FBI, which investigated the case, echoed this sentiment, stating that Ragano's conviction underscores their commitment to combating organized crime’s use of threats and violence to enforce illicit demands.

“Despite previous arrests and detention, John Ragano tormented his victim to make weekly exorbitant loan payments and enforced humiliating methods when faced with resistance,” said James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI),

“Today’s verdict emphasizes the FBI’s intolerance of the mob’s historical inclination to utilize coercive and threatening tactics to fulfill their greedy demands.”