Joseph Fratta, a reputed member of the Bonanno crime family, pleaded guilty to charges ranging from money laundering and fraud to enterprise corruption and tax evasion. At his sentencing hearing on Oct. 25, Fratta could receive four and a half to nine years in prison.

Along with 35 others, including five lawyers, three medical doctors, a dentist, a psychologist, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, an acupuncturist, and an insurance company claim manager, Fratta had been indicted for using a corrupt medical clinic in New York to file millions of dollars in fraudulent insurance claims. The scheme involved staging automobile accidents, submitting false claims and medical reports, and providing unnecessary treatment for feigned injuries.

“It is alleged that virtually all the clinic's medical claims were fraudulent, its accident victims shams, its lawyers and medical professionals crooked, and its lucrative schemes protected by the Bonanno crime family,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.