John M. Riggi, Sr.
Convicted in 1990 of Hobbs Act and Taft-Hartley offenses as a union official and consultant, and acquitted of RICO charges that he was the "acting boss" of the DeCavalcante crime family; the Third Circuit reversed the convictions in 1991. Court records only.
- Family
- DeCavalcante crime family, as named in the charge on which he was acquitted (3d Cir. 1991) and in the Second Circuit's summary of witness testimony (2008)
- Role
- Charged as "acting boss" and acquitted (3d Cir. 1991); "then-boss John Riggi" in the Second Circuit's summary of cooperating-witness testimony against other defendants (2008)
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 1990 — 951 F.2d 1368: tried on "a thirty-three count indictment with racketeering and committing acts of extortion while serving as a labor union official and consultant"; convicted on eight counts, "acquitted on the remaining counts, including charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act ... that he was the 'acting boss' of the DeCavalcante crime family."
- 12 December 1991 — 951 F.2d 1368: the Third Circuit reverses his convictions and orders a new trial because recross-examination was restricted in violation of the Sixth Amendment.
- 4 September 2008 — United States v. Riggi, 541 F.3d 94 (2d Cir.): in summarizing trial testimony against three other defendants, the court says one of them "reported back to then-boss John Riggi about the plan." The court's summary of witnesses' testimony in a case to which he was not a party.
The family and role fields quote the two courts and say what kind of statement each is. The 1991 statement is a charge on which a jury acquitted him; the 2008 statement is a court’s summary of cooperating witnesses’ testimony offered against others, whose convictions were vacated. Neither is a finding against him, and neither places him on a chart. He may be living; nothing is added beyond the two opinions. No birth or death date is given in them.
Records
itemUnited States v. Riggi, 951 F.2d 1368 (3d Cir. 1991)The Third Circuit reverses the Hobbs Act and Taft-Hartley convictions of John M. Riggi, Sr. and Salvatore Timpani for a Sixth Amendment error. The opinion records that Riggi was acquitted of RICO charges that he was the "acting boss" of the DeCavalcante crime family.itemUnited States v. Riggi, 541 F.3d 94 (2d Cir. 2008)The Second Circuit vacates the racketeering, murder-conspiracy and extortion convictions of three defendants tried in 2003 on charges "arising out of their involvement in the Decavalcante organized crime family," because eight non-testifying co-conspirators' plea allocutions were admitted contrary to Crawford v. Washington.