The nephew of reputed Genovese boss Daniel “The Lion” Leo was hauled into federal court on extortion charges yesterday – based on more than a year of secret wiretaps that could mean big trouble for the secretive Mafia don, the feds revealed.
Daniel Leo relied on his nephew as a driver and righthand man, hashing out sensitive mob family business as the two traveled – not knowing the FBI was listening through a bug in the budding gangster’s 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, prosecutors said.
The wiretap came to light as Joey Leo was busted for allegedly helping his uncle extort a taxi business from 2002 to 2006 and held without bail.
The feds planted devices in Joey’s car and cellphone after direct attempts to tape Daniel Leo failed – amassing a “mountain” of evidence against the old-fashioned mob boss, who quietly succeeded the late Mafia leader Vincent “Chin” Gigante.
Snippets of Daniel Leo’s conversation made public show his anger towards a careless Genovese soldier who he suspected was being followed by the feds.
“This guy doesn’t give a f— who gets in trouble,” he said on March 19, 2006. “He’s the problem now.”
He was livid again on July 11, 2006, when he learned the same soldier’s wife had allowed FBI agents to enter their home.
“Why’d they let them in the house if they didn’t have a warrant,” Leo fumed.