{"id":62797,"date":"2025-12-06T20:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T20:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/62797\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T20:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T20:08:09","slug":"drug-supplier-for-alleged-caterer-kingpin-on-staten-island-admits-guilt-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/62797\/","title":{"rendered":"Drug supplier for alleged caterer kingpin on Staten Island admits guilt in court"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.\u2014 Another domino has fallen for a once-thriving narcotics distribution network on Staten Island, <\/a>which authorities say was masterminded by a prominent caterer. <\/p>\n

On Thursday, a man charged as a supplier for the drug network pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge, in exchange for a nine-year prison sentence. <\/p>\n

The defendant, Kadeem Lewis, 35, of New Jersey, was indicted in June 2024 on a top count of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance<\/a> in connection with the NYPD\u2019s lengthy undercover drug operation. <\/p>\n

He pleaded guilty Thursday to a lesser count of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, before Justice Mario F. Mattei. The case was adjourned to Jan. 22 for sentencing. <\/p>\n

If Lewis had been convicted at trial on the top count, he was facing a sentence of up to life in prison. <\/p>\n

Following the hearing Thursday, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon sent out a press release stating in part:<\/p>\n

\u201cFlooding our borough with dangerous and illegal narcotics, Kadeem Lewis was the main supplier of a criminal enterprise which sought to profit off of the pain and suffering of Staten Islanders in the throes of addiction illness,\u201d said McMahon. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe overdose epidemic is the crisis of our lifetimes and under no circumstances will my office allow dangerous drug dealers to sell death-dealing substances without consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EttoreEttore Mazzeii is led out of the 120th police precinct stationhouse in St. George by the lead detective in the case, in this May 22, 2024 photo. (Owen Reiter for the Advance\/SILive.com)<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said Lewis was seen meeting with co-defendant Ettore Mazzei, 63, of Staten Island,<\/a> at the latter\u2019s catering hall on Bay Street in Stapleton. Lewis was charged with distributing large amounts of cocaine. <\/p>\n

Lewis, a former Clifton resident who has since moved to the New Jersey suburbs, was one of several people picked up last year amid a series of arrests and early morning raids by NYPD narcotics detectives and tactical units. <\/p>\n

Several of Lewis\u2019 family members, spanning multiple generations, have shown up regularly to court appearances, showering him with support from the gallery. The defendant has been reserved and respectful at court appearances. <\/p>\n

The drug case is not Lewis\u2019 first run-in with police, Advance\/SILive.com archives show. <\/p>\n

In 2016, he pleaded guilty to a gun charge stemming from what police described as a fight between two groups of males in the Park Hill section of Clifton. <\/p>\n

A lengthy wiretap investigation<\/p>\n

According to court proceedings, Mazzei was the target of a lengthy, wiretap investigation centered around his alleged underground dealings, while carrying on business and community relations on Staten Island. <\/p>\n

Mazzei, who remains held on Rikers Island, is facing a slew of charges that include criminal sale of a controlled substance, grand larceny and identity theft. <\/p>\n

The undercover operation \u2014 led by members of the NYPD\u2019s Narcotics Division on Staten Island \u2014 also included stakeouts from an unmarked van parked near the 700 block of Bay Street. <\/p>\n

Police said Mazzei, who owned commercial and residential properties in Stapleton, used some of his workers as street-level dealers. In a 2024 press release, McMahon compared him to an antagonist from a Charles Dickens novel, who preyed on vulnerable people. <\/p>\n

\"D.A.In this Oct. 4, 2025 photo, Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon speaks at the fourth annual \u201cA Mile in Their Shoes\u201d walk and family festival in Bulls Head. Owen Reiter<\/p>\n

In the years leading up to his arrest, Mazzei was well-known among fellow business owners in the area, community leaders and public officials. <\/p>\n

He at one point authored a self-help blog, ran a rock club on Bay Street and was involved in a documentary about seemingly legitimate businessmen who also earn a wage on the black market. <\/p>\n

Based on what officials described as Mazzei\u2019s own criminal dealings on Staten Island, it was a multi-faceted operation. <\/p>\n

Prosecutors alleged that in addition to overseeing a criminal network that facilitated multiple overdose deaths on Staten Island, Mazzei carried out financial scams targeting nonprofit businesses and unsuspecting individuals. <\/p>\n

Based on recent court proceedings, his case appears headed toward trial in the coming months. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and has since gone on the offensive. <\/p>\n

In October, he requested the court appoint a special prosecutor<\/a> to the case in lieu of McMahon. He accused McMahon of launching a flawed and unwarranted attack on his character and business dealings. <\/p>\n

After hearing arguments from both sides, Mattei is scheduled to rule on the matter Dec. 11 in state Supreme Court, St. George. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.\u2014 Another domino has fallen for a once-thriving narcotics distribution network on Staten Island, which authorities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-62797","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}