Body in Car that of Mobster?

Mark Mueller
Newark Star Ledger
_______________
Union County, New Jersey (US):
A body found in the trunk of a car behind a Union County diner yesterday is believed to be that of a New Jersey mobster who vanished eight weeks ago in the middle of a Mafia-studded Brooklyn trial.
Lawrence Ricci, a reputed capo in the New Jersey branch of the Genovese crime family and a defendant in the fraud and extortion trial, disappeared in early October, sparking fears he had been killed by his gangland associates.
Yesterday, FBI agents told Ricci's family the body found in Union Township is probably that of the 60-year-old Essex County man, said New York lawyer Martin Schmukler, who represented Ricci at trial. "The FBI says they believe it's him," Schmukler said. "They haven't made any definitive announcement yet, but they did tell that to a family member."
The Union County Prosecutor's Office and Union Township police declined comment, referring calls to the FBI in New York and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn.
A federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed Schmukler's account, saying more information would be released pending the completion of an autopsy.
Dec 01, 2005