Mob Men Take Heat So Women Won't

A Bonanno capo and his son-in-law stood up for the female members of their families and pleaded guilty to Federal tax charges so that the capo's wife and daughter and the son-in-law's mother could escape prosecution.

Reputed capo Anthony Graziano and John (Porky) Zancocchio, a reputed Bonanno mobster, appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court and owned up to hiding assets in the names of others, including their relatives, and evading about $100,000 in taxes.

Graziano, 49. is a close associate of imprisoned Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino, and has several arrests on his record. The tax charge is his first felony conviction in 30 years.

Zancocchio, 32, reportedly heads a $280 million-a-year bookmaking ring that took bets from high rollers like former baseball player Pete Rose, himself an admitted tax cheat who was thrown out of major league baseball for life for gambling.

In return for the pleas - Graziano for tax evasion and Zancocchio for failing to file, a misdemeanor - prosecutors dropped pending mail fraud charges against Graziano's daughter Lana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Nordenbrook and Staten island Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Foley also promised not to charge Graziano's wife, Veronica, and Zancocchio's mother, Rose, with aiding and abetting the men to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets.

Graziano's wife and daughter had cars, houses and other property in their names, and Mrs. Zancocchio allowed the men to put a pizza parlor, Mama Rosa's Restaurant, in her name, according to court papers.

When a five-year rackets probe by Foley -- complete with wiretaps -- uncovered little racketeering but lots of tax dodges, Nordenbrook hit Lana Zancocchio with mail fraud and promised similar charges against the other women if Graziano and Zancocchio did not plead guilty.

Plea negotiations took more than five months, according to Graziano's lawyer, Jeffrey Hoffman, who took the blame for prolonging the guilty plea untiI last week.

"I tried to convince Mr. Graziano not to plead guilty because I knew we would win at trial. But he refused to put his wife and daughter through a trial and eventually pleaded guilty to spare them."

As part of the deal, Graziano associate Vincent Rossi also pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges. Graziano faces five years and $250,000 in fines when he is sentenced in June; Rossi faces three years and $250,000 in fines; and Zancocchio one year and $100,000 in fines.