A renowned Staten Island chef and entrepreneur was busted as the ringleader of a massive drug operation where he tricked addicts into “servitude, officials said Wednesday after raiding his businesses.
Ettore Mazzei, 61, was called a “crooked, evil businessman” after he was nabbed in a sting overnight at his home on Bay Street in Stapleton, prosecutors and sources said.
Authorities also raided his nearby business Chez Vous Caterers and a construction business he owns, according to the sources..
“Like a modern-day Fagin, the character from Dickens’ Great Expectations, Mazzei preyed on vulnerable people who suffered from addiction illness and oppressed them into servitude in his catering business, for housing and ultimately, for drug dealing,” Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon said in a statement.
“The breadth of his criminal activity is truly mind-boggling,” McMahon added. “Mazzei built a labyrinth of crime including drug dealing, extortion, and fraud against numerous government programs including COVID-19 aid, housing support, food stamps, and other financial assistance. He is a successful businessman for sure – a crooked, evil businessman.”
Mazzei – who was honored in 2022 by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce for his community revitalization efforts – was indicted on multiple charges including criminal sale of a controlled substance, grand larceny, identity theft and possession of a forged instrument, according to prosecutors.
The well-known Staten Island figure – who sources say was nabbed while delivering drugs with his girlfriend – was among about 20 people charged in the sweeping operation, which also included Rudy Santana, Gary Pulice and Melissa Mazzei, according to Richmond County Supreme Court documents.
He and his co-defendants are accused of selling 20 grams of heroin, 461 grams of cocaine, and 140 suboxone strips to undercover officers over a 14-month period starting in March 2023, according to prosecutors.
Mazzei was the “primary orchestrator” of the long-running operation, the DA’s office said.
Mazzei founded Chez Vous Caterers, Dock Street Bar & Grill, Construction & Design Co, as well as Shandelee Lake Inn, according to his online bio.
James Messerschmidt
As recently as last month, “several acts of violence” – including two shootings and an armed home invasion – had been reported in and around Mazzei’s properties, prosecutors said.
Mazzei’s alleged actions have also been linked to multiple overdose deaths on Staten Island, through an investigation conducted by the Richmond County DA’s Office’s Overdose Response Initiative, according to the office.
“The defendants’ alleged actions plagued neighborhoods in Staten Island by littering the streets with illegal narcotics that led to overdose deaths and endangered countless more New Yorkers,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement.
“These allegations are particularly galling given that the driving force behind this illicit drug operation – a local landlord, chef, and entrepreneur – was recently recognized as a pillar of the community by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.
“Putting personal and financial gain above people’s lives is the polar opposite of what New Yorkers expect and deserve from their leaders.”
Mazzei was also active in Staten Island anti-drug initiatives, where he allegedly took advantage of those who sought help, The Staten Island Advance reported.
“This gentleman is posing himself as someone who is looking to steer drug-addicted and people who are addicted to narcotics to rehab but nobody really knows he’s the one supplying the drugs to these people to keep them addicted,” NYPD Deputy Inspector at Detective Borough Staten Island Scott Weisberg told WNBC.
He was ordered held on $3 million cash bail and $5 million bond during his Wednesday morning arraignment.
Mazzei published a book in 2014 called, “It’s Your Right to Be Fit, Sexed and Happy.”
“Who am I? My first response is that who I am is not important,” he wrote in his bio. “What is important is my sharing with you what I have learned from my life experiences with fitness, whole foods, sex, and the forces that affect my wellbeing and aliveness in each and every moment.”
He lives with his wife Rebecca, and has two adult children, Melissa and David, as well as three grandsons, according to the online profile.
