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NEW YORK (AP) — A member of the Genovese crime family has been arrested for his role in a 1997 stabbing death.
The FBI says it arrested John Tortora on Thursday in the November 1997 murder of 29-year-old Richard Ortiz in Yonkers.
Federal prosecutors say the 61-year-old Tortora ordered a hit on Ortiz because he thought Ortiz was a police informant who was interfering with Tortora's gambling business.
Tortora has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering and murder for hire. He has been ordered held without bail following his appearance in Manhattan federal court Thursday.
Tortora's lawyer, Murray Richman, tells the Journal News that Tortora denies the allegations. Richman says Tortora did not know Ortiz and did not order him killed.
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Information from: The Journal News, http://www.lohud.com
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