SAM WOOD, PHILLY.COM
An associate of the notorious organized crime family that inspired “The Sopranos” pleaded guilty today to distributing cocaine, federal officials said.
Nicholas DeGidio, 37, of Union Township, admitted that he sold more than a half-kilo of cocaine over the course of several months to an undercover FBI agent for about $78,000. He faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine when he is sentenced Sept. 29 in Newark.
Federal authorities previously have called the DeCavalcante organization one of La Cosa Nostra’s most ruthless families. It operates in North Jersey under the Gambino family, one of the five major crime families based in New York.
On March 12, the FBI delivered a blow to the DeCavalcante organization when it arrested DeGidio along with nine other members and associates of the crime family. Authorities charged the men with a diverse set of counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, distribute drugs, smuggle untaxed cigarettes, and running a prostitution business.
David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos,” has said he drew inspiration for the show partly from the DeCavalcante organization.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/NJ_mobster_pleads_to_cocaine_distribution_charges.html#4Xm6B8GSxyI8Sakw.99
