32 charged in alleged mob garbage ring

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NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Members of New York crime families used front companies to control commercial waste disposal in New York and New Jersey, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The FBI rounded up 30 people charged in the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said. Two more were expected to surrender.

Twelve of the defendants, reputed members of the Genovese, Gambino, and Luchese families, are charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said. Other defendants are charged with individual crimes, including loansharking and extortion.

"Organized crime has many victims -- in this case small business owners who pay for waste removal, potential competitors, and the communities infected by this corruption and its cost," Bharara said.

The arrests followed several years of investigation, Bharara said. One cooperating witness set up a waste-disposal company that became a target of the mob, he said.