May 7, 2000

By MURRAY WEISS, New York Post

A murderous Mafia boss is in federal prison for 22 years, but prison bars did not stop him from trying to father a child with his girlfriend.

George "Georgie Neck" Zappola, a Luchese crime-family capo, bribed a prison guard with a $1,000 shopping spree to smuggle his sperm to a Manhattan fertility clinic for use in impregnating his longtime paramour, law-enforcement sources say.

But the girlfriend had second thoughts about having a child with a married man serving heavy jail time. And the delay allowed the feds to uncover the scheme.

When the Justice Department's investigation ended, the feds:

* Obtained court subpoenas for Zappola's sperm and his blood - and matched their DNA.

* Turned his girlfriend from a potential mother into a government witness.

* Charged a prison guard with smuggling contraband (the sperm) in and out of prison - and fired him late last year.

According to government records obtained by The Post, Zappola's plot to father a child with his goumada - or girlfriend - was hatched while he was being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with other Luchese members, charged by federal prosecutors with seven murders and attempted murders, extortion, labor union payoffs and racketeering.

While awaiting trial, the Lucheses and top hoods from the Gambino crime family, who were being held in the center in separate cases, transformed the facility on Third Avenue and 29th Street into a Mafia social club.

They corrupted guards and turned the prison into a scene out of the movie "GoodFellas" - with inmates enjoying sausage, veal cutlets, eggplant, vodka, steroids and drugs that had been smuggled into the prison.

But nothing was as outrageous as the married Zappola's secret plan to procreate with his paramour.

Zappola, 40, a top aide to Alfonse D'Arco - then head of the Luchese family - and his girlfriend, Kelly (not her real name), "agreed they wanted to have a child together" in October 1996, according to an indictment and complaints filed by prosecutors for the Brooklyn U.S. attorney.

"Since [Zappola] was incarcerated, [Kelly] agreed to be artificially inseminated with [Zappola's] semen," wrote special agent Stephen Grogan of the department's Inspector General's Office.

Kelly, the daughter of a slain Colombo crime family figure, enrolled at an undisclosed Manhattan fertility clinic that freezes and stores sperm for insemination. She was given two plastic medical vials by the clinic to give to her donor.

She and Zappola then arranged with prison counselor and guard Derryl Strong to smuggle the vials in and out of jail in exchange for a $1,000 bribe, according to federal court documents.

The payoff, they said, would come in the form of two $500 clothing "credits" at a Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, shop where Kelly was a longtime customer.

According to court documents, Kelly gave $500 to the owner of the store along with the two empty vials to give to Strong.

A few days later, Strong showed up and bought a New York Yankees bomber jacket and an "8-Ball" leather jacket for about $500 and was given the vials, the federal complaint says.

Strong then brought the vials to work with him at the center and slipped them to Zappola .

The next day, Zappola returned the vials - now filled with his sperm - to

Strong, who smuggled them out of the prison when he left work, prosecutors charge.

According to officials, Strong drove his black 1991 Buick Rivera to a nearby post office, where Kelly was waiting in her car.

Strong, who had never met Kelly, rolled down his window. He uttered a single codeword - Zappola's first name, "George?"

Kelly nodded. Strong passed a brown paper bag to her containing the vials with Zappola's semen, which she took directly to the fertility clinic, where it was frozen.

Kelly then returned to the Brooklyn clothing store and gave the owner another $500 for Strong to use.

The prison guard showed up at the clothing store, buying a blazer for $127.50, shoes costing $247.50 and a mock-turtleneck sweater for $47.50. Including tax, the bill came to $457.48, authorities say.

Inmates and other guards soon noticed Strong wearing "expensive shoes with alligator-type material" at work, according to court documents.

But the baby-making plan quickly fell apart.

The feds began investigating rumors that the center had been taken over by cash-flashing Mafia inmates.

The feds launched an undercover investigation dubbed Operation Badfellas and videotaped the gangsters living the high life and feasting on all the delicacies they enjoyed when they were free - meatballs, manicotti, chicken cutlets, thick steaks, pounds of eggplant, provolone, mozarella and mounds of black olives washed down with vodka and wine.

The gangsters also received steroids, heroin and marijuana - even styling gel.

More than 20 people, including Strong and nine other guards and a prison-unit manager, were arrested in May 1997 as a result of Operation Badfellas

Several suspects began cooperating with authorities. One tipped them off to the semen-smuggling.

Federal agents confronted Kelly about her role in a federal crime - bringing contraband in and out of prison and bribing a federal employee.

She turned informant and filled the feds in on the details.

The feds subpoenaed the sperm at the clinic and a blood sample from Zappola, who by then had copped a plea to murder and racketeering charges and was in a federal prison in Allenwood, Pa.

He has 18 years left on his sentence.

His lawyer, James Larossa, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Criminal charges were filed against Strong and the Brooklyn shop owner but were later dismissed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Marvin declined to say why, and Grogan refused to comment.

Sources said Kelly refused to testify.

Strong was fired by the federal Bureau of Prisons last September for his alleged role in the food and booze smuggling. A bureau spokesman said, "Strong's conduct was found to be inconsistent with agency professional standards."

Attempts to reach Strong for comment were unsuccessful, and calls to his lawyer were not returned.

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