4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 26, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Whitestone woman pleas in pizzeria coke ring BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected]/@robbpoz The family that deals drugs together goes to jail together. A Whitestone woman admitted guilt in federal court on Jan. 23 to charges that she helped to smuggle in cocaine through the Corona restaurant she owned with her husband and their son, federal prosecutors announced. Eleanora Gigliotti, 55, pleaded guilty on Jan. 23 to a charge of conspiring to import cocaine and could serve anywhere between five and 40 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Sources said she also agreed to forfeit $1.6 million in assets to the federal government. Gigliotti’s spouse — Gregorio Gigliotti, who reportedly has ties to organized crime — and their son, Angelo Gigliotti, were previously convicted for their roles in the drug smuggling ring and are awaiting sentencing, prosecutors noted. The Gigliottis reside in the Malba section of Whitestone and operated Cucino Amodo Mio, located at 51-01 108th St. in Corona. In addition to serving pizza and Italian food, law enforcement agents said, the family used the restaurant as a front to import large shipments of cocaine from Costa Rica concealed in boxes containing yucca for eventual sale on the street. Reportedly, the smuggling operation started sometime in 2012, after Gregory Gigliotti struck a deal with a known drug smuggler who later turned into a government informant. Federal prosecutors said the informant obtained a license to import yucca, and used that privilege to traffic in large amounts of cocaine. The drug smugglers concealed the cocaine inside the cardboard flaps of boxes containing yucca in order to avoid detection by customs and other law enforcement agents. The Gigliottis were initially arrested on March 11, 2015, for their alleged roles in the smuggling operation. Twelve others connected to the ring were subsequently indicted. Pol: Let’s make this Flushing lot a park BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected]/ @smont76 A local politician has a green idea for a long-vacant, overgrown lot in Flushing. Located at 24-19 Francis Lewis Blvd., the corner lot is set to go up for auction on Jan. 20. But, according to state Senator Tony Avella, this is not the first time the plot of land will go up for sale: most recently, the lot failed to be sold at a Sept. 9, 2016, auction. The property — which is owned by the New York City Tax Lien Trust (NYCTL Trusts), a trust owned by the city of New York — fails to attract buyers because of its “undevelopable nature” and has been a nuisance to the community for decades, according to Avella. In response, the lawmaker has sent a letter to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Tower Capital Management, which services NYCTL Trusts, suggesting the land plot instead be transformed into green infrastructure under the city’s Greenstreets initiative. “Why should the city pawn this property, that cannot be developed, off onto an unsuspecting buyer when we can easily transform it into green infrastructure that can benefit the whole community?” Avella said in a press release. “This abandoned lot has been a nuisance for decades, it’s about time we do something positive for the community. I hope DPR, and Tower Capital Management take this recommendation into serious consideration prior to their upcoming auction.” Launched in 1996 by the city’s Parks Department, the Greenstreets initiative was created to transform unused road areas into green spaces meant to beautify the neighborhood and provide social and environmental benefits. Since the program’s inception, 2,500 Greenstreets have been built throughout the five boroughs, the NYC Parks Department website reports. According to the DPR website, traditional Greenstreets are still built in any community, but only if it comes with “independent and full funding.” Projects are rated by priority using a list of criteria set by DPR. For more information about the initiative, visit the DPR website www.nycgovparks.org. Two men spray paint the word ‘Trump’ and slurs on cars in Elmhurst BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/ @AngelaMatua Police found 11 cars vandalized in Elmhurst Jan. 24 with the word “Trump” and “P—y Grab” spray painted on the driver’s side doors and windows. At about 2:50 a.m. at the intersection of 60th Avenue off Woodhaven Boulevard, someone observed two men in hoodies using gold spray paint to write “Trump” on nine of the cars and “P—y Grab” on the remaining vehicles, police said. The witness saw the men vandalize the cars and then flee on foot in an unknown direction. An NYPD spokesperson said that police are still investigating the crime. The Jewish Reporter first wrote about the incident in a tweet. According to DNAinfo, a Bentley’s hubcaps were sprayed gold and the brake lights were smashed. DNAinfo also reported that many of the cars’ mirrors and lights were smashed but an NYPD spokesperson could not verify the extent of the damage. Photo via Google Maps Photo via Google Maps Police are looking for two men who vandalized 11 cars in Elmhurst by spray painting the words “Trump” and “P---y Grab.” Photo via Google Maps An international cocaine smuggling ring reportedly operated out of Cucino Amodo Mio restaurant in Corona, according to federal prosecutors.
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