Vincent Minsquero, a Staten Island resident known as “Vinny Slick,” is an alleged Gambino crime family associate who pleaded guilty on October 17, 2025 to racketeering conspiracy in Brooklyn federal court. He was one of ten defendants charged in a November 2023 federal indictment accusing the group of using violence, extortion, and fraud to control New York City’s private carting and demolition industries. He faces up to 20 years in prison and has not yet been sentenced.1U.S. Department of Justice. Gambino Crime Family Soldier Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Charges
The Charges Against Him
On November 8, 2023, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed a 16-count indictment (Docket No. 23-CR-443) against ten members and associates of the Gambino family.2U.S. Department of Justice. Ten Members and Associates of Gambino Crime Family Arrested Minsquero, 36 at the time, was labeled an associate rather than a made soldier or captain. He was specifically charged with racketeering conspiracy and witness retaliation.3SILive.com. Three Staten Islanders Among Alleged Gambino Mobsters Charged
The broader indictment alleged extortion, arson, bid-rigging, embezzlement from employee benefit plans, and assaults carried out between 2017 and 2023 to enrich the Gambino hierarchy through “kick-ups” from lower-ranking members. Alleged captain Joseph Lanni, known as “Joe Brooklyn,” ran the crew. Diego Tantillo, Angelo Gradilone, and James LaForte were named as soldiers. Minsquero appeared alongside Salvatore DiLorenzo, Robert Brooke, Kyle Johnson, Vito Rappa, and Francesco Vicari as associates.4NBC New York. 10 Members of Gambino Crime Family Arrested on Racketeering, Other Charges
The 2021 Restaurant Assault
The witness retaliation count against Minsquero traced back to February 17, 2021. Prosecutors said Minsquero and LaForte approached a man identified in court papers only as “John Doe 6” inside a restaurant. The group believed the man had given information about organized crime figures to law enforcement. LaForte called him a “rat,” hit him in the face with a bottle, and flipped his table, scattering drinks and broken glass. Minsquero took part in the confrontation. Lanni was seated nearby during the attack.5ABC News. 10 Alleged Members of Gambino Crime Family Charged With Extortion6Brooklyn Eagle. Gambino Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering The victim was left with a bloody nose. When LaForte later pleaded guilty in February 2026, he admitted to witness retaliation for the same 2021 incident.1U.S. Department of Justice. Gambino Crime Family Soldier Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Charges
The Toms River Incident
Prosecutors also detailed an uncharged episode at Roxy’s Bar and Grille in Toms River, New Jersey, on the Friday before Labor Day 2023. After Minsquero and Lanni argued with another patron and were asked to leave, Minsquero punched a wall and damaged a painting. Lanni told staff he was “a Gambino” and threatened to “burn this place down with you in it.”7NJ.com. Gambino Crime Family Members Threatened to Burn Down NJ Restaurant, Feds Say
Surveillance footage released by prosecutors showed Lanni at a gas station across the street trying to buy and fill a portable gas container. An attendant and Minsquero talked him out of it. Lanni then called the restaurant 39 times, at one point demanding the owner “beg for my forgiveness.” Around midnight, two unidentified men attacked the owner and his wife in the parking lot. The owner was punched and held at knifepoint; his wife was struck and thrown to the ground. The attackers slashed the couple’s car tires before fleeing.8SILive.com. Feds Detail Scary Encounter Between Alleged SI Mob Capo and NJ Restaurant Owner Federal prosecutors described the Toms River episode as part of the “uncharged violent acts and threats” the investigation uncovered, and no separate state charges were reported.
Bail and Defense Position
After his arrest, Minsquero was represented by Staten Island attorney Louis Gelormino. Through Gelormino, Minsquero denied the allegations and said he expected to be “fully vindicated” once the facts were fully examined.9New York Post. Feds Hit 10 Alleged Mobsters From the Gambino Crime Family With Racketeering Charges A judge granted him release on a $1 million bond, and the government obtained a 24-hour stay to appeal.10Business Insider. Gambino Crime Family Mobsters Hit With Racketeering Charges In October 2024, a bail modification let him travel to Long Island while wearing an electronic monitoring device.11CourtListener. United States v. Lanni, 1:23-cr-00443
The Guilty Plea and Sentencing Exposure
On October 17, 2025, Minsquero pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Frederic Block. Six co-defendants entered guilty pleas the same day: Lanni, Tantillo, Gradilone, Rappa, Vicari, and Johnson.12SILive.com. 3 Staten Island Residents Among 7 Charged in Wild Gambino Mob Case to Enter Guilty Pleas Each faces up to 20 years in prison. The judge indicated Lanni, the alleged captain, could receive somewhere between six and a half and eight years.13New York Post. Reputed NBA Mobster Joseph Lanni Pleaded Guilty Last Week in Separate Case No sentencing date for Minsquero has been publicly scheduled, and he was reported to be free on bond as of late 2025 while awaiting sentencing.
With Minsquero’s plea and those of his six co-defendants that day, along with DiLorenzo’s earlier plea in August 2025, Brooke’s December 2025 conviction at trial on a Hobbs Act extortion count, and LaForte’s guilty plea on February 4, 2026, every defendant charged in the 2023 indictment has been convicted or has pleaded guilty.14U.S. Department of Justice. New York Man Convicted of Hobbs Act Extortion1U.S. Department of Justice. Gambino Crime Family Soldier Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Charges