THE VIG IS up Hynes Busts Sports-Sharks
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THIS WEEK IN Congrats 2002 grads: p.8-12 Bishop testifies in Boston: p.4 WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM Soggy soiree Keyspan Park gala a Our neighborhood’s independent voice thunderous success Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 26 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 AD fax 718-834-1713 • NEWS fax 718-834-9278 © 2002 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 20 pages including 8 pages GO BROOKLYN • Vol.25, No. 24 BRG • June 17, 2002 • FREE INSIDE Tattoo you THE VIG IS UP Hynes busts sports-sharks By Heather J. Wilson The Brooklyn Papers The district attorney’s announcement Wed- nesday read like a 21st-century pulp fiction novel — the arrests of a Colombo organized crime family loan-shark already wearing an ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts, a telephone company employee giving the loan sharks confidential information to track down delinquent debtors, and five guys who turned to hijacking trucks to pay back their debts. If that wasn’t enough, throw in Babe Ruth’s baseball glove, Mickey Mantle’s bat and Muham- mad Ali’s boxing gloves. District Attorney Charles Hynes’ announcement of 11 arrests marked the culmination of a nine- month investigation into a loan sharking operation allegedly run out of two 13th Avenue businesses in Dyker Heights — a now defunct candy store at 66th Street and a sports memorabilia store, Gamers Illusions, at 73rd Street. The investigation was dubbed “Operation Bro- ken Bracelet” because the central figure in the in- DA Charles Hynes at Wednesday’s press confer- The extraordinary military pageantry on display at the Fort Hamilton Army Base as part of the annual Twilight Tattoo on Saturday, June 8, in- vestigation, an alleged Colombo family soldier, was ence, with confiscated memorabilia, including cludes mounted cavalry and a show of state flags. The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango See BUST on page 7 Babe Ruth’s glove. The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango Beeps battling over baseball Galante guilty Bar-stab murderer cops plea Boro chiefs bet on ‘Clones, SI Yanks By Heather J. Wilson hearing. And that is what he did, By Patrick Gallahue their backs, Brook- With Markowitz re- rant of the rival’s choice The Brooklyn Papers pleading guilty to second-degree murder for stabbing Manolis. He The Brooklyn Papers lyn Borough Presi- fusing to set foot on on the opposing side of If not for the swiftness of faced 25 years to life in prison if dent Marty Marko- Staten Island, the two the bridge. Carmine Galante’s plea Standing on the boarded a ship that “The Yanks are defi- convicted at trial, but accepted a upper deck of a yacht witz and Staten hearing Friday, the court- plea deal for 18 to life instead. stopped somewhere nitely going to win,” room would have been filled called the Romantica, Island Borough Presi- near the middle of the Molinaro said. “There’s “I walked into the bar and I with an iron demar- dent James Molinaro Narrows — roughly 40 no question. The ques- with the entirety of William stabbed William Manolis,” cation line — a.k.a. shook hands on a bet degrees 36 minutes tion is, ‘Where’s he go- Manolis’ family, intent on Galante told Judge Joel Gold- the Verrazano Nar- between the bor- north latitude and 74 ing to eat?’ What does he hearing the fate of the man berg as Manolis family members rows Bridge — at oughs. degrees 3 minutes west want? Chinese? Italian?” who murdered their beloved and friends filed into the Down- longitude — to shake Vowing to derail the son, brother and cousin. town Brooklyn courtroom. on a wager over the 12 results of Markowitz’s Manolis, a Bay Ridge resident That statement, which froze regular season meetings “Lighten Up Brooklyn” and St. John’s University stu- Manolis’ parents, George and between the Staten Is- campaign, Molinaro dent, was celebrating his 18th Maria Manolis, and his sister, idin’ land Yankees and the said, “I’m going to birthday in the early morning Elaine, as they watched from the R th s Brooklyn Cyclones. make Marty gain hours of April 4, 1999, inside the bench directly behind prosecutor e e Callan / Tom Cyclon The victorious bor- weight, take him to a now defunct Bee Kee Nee Bar at Mark Hale, was followed by ough president will good restaurant.” 9060 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Goldberg’s question as to whether with Gersh Kuntzman have the opportunity to Markowitz, the more when, prosecutors charge, or not Galante was intoxicated at display the newly creat- svelte of the two, Galante stabbed him. Galante the time of the incident. ed “Borough Cup,” fur- thanks in part to his was on the lam for two years be- “Yes,” Galante answered. nished by the teams “Lighten Up” cam- Papers The Brooklyn fore police caught up to him. Goldberg then asked Galante themselves, inside the paign, boarded the ship Two borough presidents, Staten Island’s James Molinaro and Brooklyn’s Marty As reported exclusively by if he knew what he was doing Ex-Clones victor’s Borough Hall, from the Brooklyn Markowitz, face off in neutral territory — afloat on the Narrows — to place The Brooklyn Papers last week, when he stabbed Manolis. and the loser will pay Army Terminal in Sun- bets on the upcoming season series between their respective baseball teams, Galante was expected to accept a “It wasn’t my intentions,” yearn for for dinner in a restau- See CYCLONES on page 3 while mascots Scooter the Holy Cow and Sandy the Seagull look on. plea deal at the June 7 pre-trial See GUILTY on page 4 Brooklyn Study: B63’s a slowpoke et ready for the best baseball experience of your life. And I’m not talking to all By Heather J. Wilson has never been regarded as slow. the world. through Boerum Hill and Brooklyn you Brooklyn Cyclones fans; you already G The Brooklyn Papers The report, released by the But while the report mentions Heights. The route normally runs know how great it is watching your New York- Straphangers Campaign and that transit officials have acknowl- north along Fifth Avenue to Atlantic Penn League champions play at Keyspan Park. When Paul Marzan, a New Transportation Alternatives on edged that New York City has the Avenue, but because of the Fifth No, I’m addressing this column to the new York City Transit Authority Monday, awarded the first ever slowest bus speeds in America, at Avenue reconstruction project, crop of Cyclones players — whose identities bus driver for 17 years, was “Pokey” awards to the 25 slowest an average of 7.5 mph, it neglects since January the bus has run up are still as well-guarded as the location of Dick told by a passenger on bus routes in New York City. The to note that the city also bears the Fourth Avenue. Cheney’s secret lair even though the season Monday that a study had The slowest in the other bor- opens on Tuesday. Straphangers Campaign, a transit most traffic congestion in America, named his B63 route one of oughs were the BX35, at 5.9 mph, As someone who covered the Cyclones in- riders advocacy group that is part Transit Authority (TA) officials re- in the Bronx; the cross-town augural (did I say championship?) season last the slowest in the city, he said of the New York Public Interest sponded. year, I got to see the typical minor-league ex- he could only shake his head. Research Group (NYPIRG), also The slowest bus in Brooklyn, ac- M96, at 4.3 mph, in Manhattan; perience on every Cyclones road trip. In The study, he told The Brooklyn issued a comprehensive 90-page cording to the study, was the B63, at the Q32, at 5.6 mph, that runs be- Burlington, the stadium is almost 100 years old Papers while driving his route in report advocating strategies that an average of 6 mph, which runs tween Jackson Heights, Queens and sits next to a high school soccer field. In A new report calls the B63 bus, which runs from Bay Ridge Bay Ridge on Tuesday, was unrea- have boosted bus speeds else- from Bay Ridge up through Sunset and Penn Station; and the S42, at Jamestown, a depressed New York panhandle to Brooklyn Heights, the slowest in Brooklyn. BP / File photo sonable and his route, he added, where in the nation and around Park and Park Slope, then west See BUS on page 6 town, the crowds are so small that foul pops rattle around the stadium like a pachinko ball. In Williamsport, the locker room is so small, it looks as if the team had taken a men’s room and thrown a few strips of green Astroturf on the floor. DA: B’Beach slasher And in every city, post-game entertainment Gentile for the players consisted of walking around in search of a place to eat and ending up with trial to be a long one Velveeta-covered french fries at a Denny’s by the interstate. Grim, my friends. Grim. By Heather J. Wilson witnesses and experts could be on kicks off But baseball life in Brooklyn is as different The Brooklyn Papers vacation. from those minor-league towns as Champagne “It is going to be a long trial … is from Champale. Minor-league players all Prosecutors told The Brook- and we didn’t want it to interfere earn the same pay — $850 a month, minus lyn Papers this week they with people’s vacations,” Appel $200 for a dormitory bed — but Brooklyn’s expect the trial of Louis said.