Objective Proficiency p 26. Major Mafia Crackdown. Extra Listening

Objective Proficiency p 26. Listening for specific information.
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133091222/FBI-Arrests-Dozens-In-Major-Mafia-Crackdown

You will hear a radio news broadcast about organized crime.  Fill in the blank spaces with a word or short phrase.

MAJOR MAFIA CRACKDOWN

Federal authorities say that the recent raids comprised one of the largest 1._________________________ ever.

The arrests included suspects from all the major 2.________________________ families.

3._________________________ suspects in all were indicted.

Junior Lollipops, Jimmy Gooch, and Baby Fat Larry are unavailable for meetings today because they are all probably 4._______________________________.

The Attorney General, Eric Holder, said that it was one of the largest single-day operations in FBI history in terms of the number of 5._________________________ and the scope of the 6._________________________ that is alleged.

The FBI allegedly have Anthony Russo on tape 7._________________________ a murder.

Dozens of court-authorized 8._________________________ allowed the FBI to hear thousands of mob conversations.

All the 9.______________________________and boasts that fill these pages will mean plenty of interesting reading.

Eric Holder says that the mob is weakened but is still 10.______________________.

KEY:

MAJOR MAFIA CRACKDOWN

Federal authorities say that the recent raids comprised one of the largest 1.__mob roundups____ ever.

The arrests included suspects from all the major 2.____East Coast crime____ families.

3.__________127_______________ suspects in all were indicted.

Junior Lollipops, Jimmy Gooch, and Baby Fat Larry are unavailable for meetings today because they are all probably 4.___ speaking with their lawyers__.

The Attorney General, Eric Holder, said that it was one of the largest single-day operations in FBI history in terms of the number of 5.__ defendants arrested and charged ___ and the scope of the 6.__ the criminal activity _ that is alleged.

The FBI allegedly have Anthony Russo on tape 7._laughing about_____ a murder.

Dozens of court-authorized 8.__wiretaps_____ allowed the FBI to hear thousands of mob conversations.

All the 9._____profanity-laden threats ____and boasts that fill these pages will mean plenty of interesting reading.

Eric Holder says that the mob is weakened but is still 10.___ an ongoing threat____.

  

Transcript:

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:  From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:  And I'm Melissa Block. It was not a good  day for organized crime. Federal authorities say they've pulled off one of the largest mob roundups ever. 127 people were indicted, more than a hundred of them taken out of their homes early this morning by police and marshals. NPR's Robert Smith reports that the arrests including members from all of the major East Coast crime families.

ROBERT SMITH: It's hard to understand the scale of today's mob bust. The indictments alone run hundreds of pages. Here, let me get them right here. (Soundbite of thump).  When stacked up, they are four inches thick. The handy color-coded chart of the seven crime families has more players than the NCAA tournament. There's no time to read the 127 names of the indicted, but I can read some of their nicknames to give you the flavor. They got Whiny, Tony Bagels, they got Jack the Whack, Little John. The FBI picked up Uncle Danny, Marbles, Skinny, Johnny Pizza. If you had a meeting scheduled today with Junior Lollipops, Jimmy Gooch, or Baby Fat Larry, hate to break it to you, but they're probably speaking with their lawyers. The ever-understated attorney general, Eric Holder, allowed himself a little bit of hyperbole.

Mr. ERIC HOLDER (Attorney General): This is one of the largest single-day operations against the Mafia in the FBI's history, both in terms of the number of defendants arrested and charged and the scope of the criminal activity that is alleged.

SMITH: If you've seen it in a movie, then it's probably in one of these many indictments. Here, I'm just going to open up just a few documents here. We have the account of a gentleman named Bakalat(ph), allegedly running an illegal card game in Ronkonkoma. Here's another. The feds taped John Cavallo complaining that he didn't get his kickback and allegedly saying, I'll go there and I'll kill him. You don't know my name, right? One more. Anthony Russo is charged with participating in the murder of an underboss, Joseph Scopo, as he got out of a car in Queens. The feds allegedly have Russo on tape laughing about it. There are hundreds more of these documents. Some of these crimes go back 30 years. So, why round up all these guys now? The FBI agent in charge of the New York office, Janice Fedarcyk, says they've been working all these cases and finally felt they had enough evidence. Part of it came from informants, whom she says are more common than you might think.

Ms. JANICE FEDARCYK (FBI Agent): The vow of silence that is part of the oath of Omerta is more myth than reality today.

SMITH: And with all these guys singing like canaries, the FBI was helped out by a little technology.

Ms. FEDARCYK: Dozens of court-authorized wiretaps allowed us to listen in on phone calls, and thousands of conversations were recorded by cooperators.

SMITH: All the profanity-laden threats and boasts that fill these pages will mean plenty of interesting reading tonight for buffs of organized crime. Today's indictments are a reminder, Holder says, that the mob is still around, still dangerous, still sucking money from businesses.

Mr. HOLDER: I think the mob certainly has been weakened. It is different from what it was once before, but the reality is it is an ongoing threat, a major threat to the economic well-being of this country, in addition to being the violent organization that it is and therefore deserving of our attention.

SMITH: That attention now turns to the court system. Federal judges in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island will have their hands full sorting out decades of threats, extortions and the kind of drama only the mob can provide.

Robert Smith, NPR News, New York.

Vocabulary:

Crackdown: severe action taken to restrict the activities of criminals or of people opposed to the government or somebody in authority. E.g. a military crackdown on student protesters. A crackdown on crime.

Pull something off: (informal) to succeed in doing something difficult. E.g. We pulled off the deal. I never thought you'd pull it off.

The mob: the people involved in organized crime; the Mafia.

Round-up: an act of bringing people or animals together in one place for a particular purpose. Redada, rodeo. E.g. the round-up of sheep for shearing. The police carried out their usual round-up of Saturday night drunks.

Indict: / ɪnˈdaɪt/ to officially charge somebody with a crime. Acusar. E.g. The senator was indicted for murder. She was indicted on charges of corruption.

Marshal: / ˈmɑːʃl / (in some US cities) an officer of high rank in a police or fire department. Jefe de policía.

Bust: an unexpected visit made by the police in order to arrest people for doing something illegal. E.g. a drug bust.

Thump: the sound of something heavy hitting the ground or another object. Golpazo. E.g. There was a thump as the truck hit the bank.

Stack (something) (up): to arrange objects neatly in a pile; to be arranged in this way. Apilar, amontonar. E.g. To stack boxes. Logs stacked up against a wall. Do these chairs stack? Stacking chairs.

The NCAA: the National Collegiate / kəˈliːdʒiət/ Athletic Association. An organization in charge of US college sports. It establishes rules for sports competitions between colleges and universities. The NCAA was established in 1906, and more than 1000 colleges and universities are now members. It also publishes information about players, games and seasons. Its offices are in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Whine: /waɪn/ 1. to complain in an annoying, crying voice. Lloriquear, quejarse. E.g. Stop whining! A whiny kid/brat (quejica).

Bagel: / ˈbeɪɡl/ a hard bread roll shaped like a ring.

Whack: the act of hitting somebody/something hard; the sound made by this. Golpe, porrazo. E.g. He gave the ball a good whack. I heard the whack of the bullet hitting the wood.

Pick up: to arrest somebody. He was picked up by police and taken to the station for questioning.

Marble: / ˈmɑːbl/ a small ball of coloured glass that children roll along the ground in a game. Canica.

Lollipop: a hard round or flat sweet/candy made of boiled sugar on a small stick. Piruleta.

Understate: / ˌʌndəˈsteɪt / understate something to state that something is smaller, less important or less serious than it really is. Subestimar. E.g. It would be a mistake to understate the seriousness of the problem.The figures probably understate the real unemployment rate.

Hyperbole: / haɪˈpɜːbəli/ a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better, more exciting, dangerous, etc. than it really is. Exaggeration. E.g. The film is being promoted with all the usual hyperbole. He's not usually given to hyperbole.

Defendant: / dɪˈfendənt/ the person in a trial who is accused of committing a crime, or who is being sued by another person.

Scope: the range of things that a subject, an organization, an activity, etc. deals with. Alcance. E.g.  Our powers are limited in scope. This subject lies beyond the scope of our investigation. The police are broadening the scope of their investigation. These issues were outside the scope of the article.

Kickback: /ˈkɪkbæk/ money paid illegally to somebody in return for work or help. Bribe.Soborno.

Underboss: A boss's deputy, esp. in a criminal organization.Subjefe.

Round up: if police or soldiers round up a group of people, they find them and arrest or capture them. Hacer una redada. E.g. A number of suspects were rounded up and questioned.

Omerta: /əʊˈmɜːt ə/ (as practiced by the Mafia) A code of silence about criminal activity and a refusal to give evidence to authorities.

Wiretap: a recording device attached to other people's telephone line to secretly listen to conversations to get information.

Profanity: / prəˈfænəti / swear words, or religious words used in a way that shows a lack of respect for God or holy things. E.g. He uttered a stream of profanities.

-laden: /ˈleɪdn/ used to form adjectives showing that something is full of, or loaded with, the thing mentioned. E.g. calorie-laden cream cakes.

Boast: something that a person talks about in a very proud way, often to seem more important or clever. Fanfarronada. E.g. Despite his boasts that his children were brilliant, neither of them went to college.

Buff: a person who is very interested in a particular subject or activity and knows a lot about it. Aficionado. E.g. an opera buff.