Loading ...New England Organized Crime 2010
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2010:
Boston,Mass., Arkansas, January:
The FBI file affidavits in courts in Boston and Arkansas that allege Ralph DeLeo who lives in Somerville Mass. is the highest-ranking member of the Colombo family who is not in prison, ran the family’s business for most of last year and runs a small crew based in Boston involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and loan sharking. He allegedly reported to its boss, Carmine “The Snake’’ Persico, and acting boss, Alphonse “Allie Boy’’ Persico, who are in prison.
The indictment alleges that in the past year DeLeo and three other men, Franklin M. Goldman, 66, of Randolph, Edmond Kulesza, 56, of Somerville, and George Wiley Thompson, 54, of Cabot, Ark., plotted to distribute marijuana and cocaine, extort money from victims, including one in Canton, and collect loan sharking debts. DeLeo allegedly paid $50,000 for 2 kilograms of cocaine that were transported from California to Massachusetts in December 2008, according to the indictment.
Providence,RI,January:
Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent is asking the courts for more time to find a new lawyer.
Last month, St. Laurent filed a hand-written motion , stating he can no longer work with his counsel , Providence attorney Victor Beretta.
Beretta told the judge he hasn’t spoken to his client in months.
“There was clearly a breakdown,” Beretta said in court. “He wanted to pursue a strategy I thought was ill advised. I don’t think I can adequately represent him.”
The government is concerned St. Laurent is merely trying to delay the trial from going forward.
Last year, St. Laurent was charged in a murder-for-hire plot to gun down his mafia rival, Robert “Bobby” DeLuca.
“I’m not trying to delay anything,” St. Laurent said. “I want to get it over quicker than you do, your honor.”
The proceedings, via video teleconference from Fort Devens Federal Prison in Massachusetts, revealed St. Laurent was being disciplined. He stated he was caught on another floor of the prison with a role of stamps. The disciplinary action prevents him from using a phone to try and find a new lawyer.
Judge Smith gave The Saint two weeks to find a new attorney, if he fails, the court will appoint a public defender. Beretta told the court he was paid but the bill was never settled.
St. Laurent will move onto his third lawyer for this case.
The case is scheduled for trial in March.
Bridgeport,CT., January:
Phillip J. Bauco, 56, of Bridgeport, a man who authorities said is a collector for a downstate gambling ring pleaded guilty to a charge of racketeering conspiracy Thursday in U.S. District Court in Hartford.
Federal prosecutors said Bauco’s role was to collect losing bets from gamblers and payoffs from bookmakers who were under the control of the gambling ring, which operated from Bridgeport to New Haven.
Bauco and his co-defendant Raul "Sonny" Suner were indicted last June, and at that time
Suner and Bauco claimed that they had Gambino family backing and that the New York gangsters had authorized Suner to run illegal sports betting operations in New Haven and Bridgeport, according to the indictment.
The U.S. attorney's office said the two used "threats, violence and intimidation" to persuade bookmakers and gamblers to work and bet with them. When mobsters take over bookmaking operations, they customarily collect a percentage of the profits, ostensibly in return for providing protection and assistance with collecting debts from losing bettors.
Bauco owns Auto Town Sales in Stratford, and the gambling ring used the business as a headquarters, prosecutors said.
Under the terms of a plea agreement with the U.S. attorney's office, he is likely to be imprisoned for about two years and fined up to $50,000 when he is sentenced May 5 in Hartford.
Springfield,Mass., January:
Fotios “Freddy” Geas, charged in U.S. District Court in connection with the 2003 murder of organized crime boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, is slated to stand trial starting March 1. However, prosecutors filed a motion to move the trial date to April 5 after the departure of Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse from the case.
.jpg "Fotios “Freddy” Geas")
Fotios “Freddy” Geas
“He’s out,” said replacement Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Smyth, who refused to comment on the reason for the last-minute change in leadership.
Smyth told U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor that Michael Crowley, a federal prosecutor out of Boston, will assist him.
“He’ll be able to step in, if necessary,” Smyth said of Newhouse during a break in a pretrial hearing on Friday afternoon.
What prompted the sudden personnel change has been as closely guarded as new evidence that has emerged in the case, which lawyers on both sides refuse to talk about.
Geas was charged in 2008 with murder in aid of racketeering after admitted gunman Frankie A. Roche, who was charged previously in Hampden Superior Court, turned federal informant and told the FBI Geas paid him $10,000 to kill Bruno.
Roche, an ex-con and fringe character in local criminal circles, told agents that Geas, a reputed mob enforcer, recruited him to shoot Bruno on behalf of rival gangsters amid a coup.
Bruno, 57, was the local head of the New York-based Genovese crime family until Roche shot him six times as the mobster left his regular Sunday night card game on Nov. 23, 2003.
Providence,RI, February:
The son and wife of notorious mob captain Anthony "The Saint" St. Laurent are picked up February 5th in a FBI sting. Anthony St. Laurent, Jr. and his mother Dorothy St. Laurent were arrested Friday morning and driven to face a judge on charges of interstate extortion.
Court proceedings reveal the pair is accused of trying to extort "protection" money from Massachusetts bookmakers on behalf of the elder St. Laurent. Both were released on bond following the hearing at U.S. District Court.
St. Laurent, Sr. is already facing multiple legal problems. With a year left in federal prison on a separate extortion case, he is also facing murder-for-hire charges in another undercover FBI operation.
Last January, St. Laurent was charged with trying to hire hitmen to kill rival mobster and mafia captain Robert "Bobby" DeLuca but the hit never happened. St. Laurent had a hearing last month and informed the court he was firing his lawyer, Victor Beretta, stating he needed time to work with his family to find new counsel. Judge Smith told him then, he would assign a public defender if he failed to find a new attorney.
RELATED STORIES
Feds try to limit St Laurent Jr associates
Mobsters legal bills will be paid by taxpayers
New York,NY, February:
Anthony Arillotta and Arthur Nigro, a reputed former acting boss of the Genovese crime family who currently is serving time for extortion have been arrested in connection with the 2003 hit against New England Genovese capo Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno in Springfield, MA. Frankie Roche, the admitted triggerman, alleges that he was paid $10,000 by Fotios "Freddy" Geas to whack Bruno, and Geas was a supposed sometime enforcer for Arillotta who allegedly became Bruno's successor.
Today's Manhattan federal court indictment adds allegations that Bruno was killed "to prevent his communicating to a law enforcement officer and judge of the United States information relating to the commission and possible commission of federal offenses." Those offenses included "crimes committed by members of the Genovese organized crime family," the indictment says.
Read the Indictment in PDF format
Boston,Mass., February
MA Attorney General Martha Coakley contends that before the state legalizes casino or slots gambling it better toughen its laws against organized crime and money laundering.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo told reporters he's planning to file a bill to allow casinos or slot machines in the next two or three weeks. He said he expected a vote before the House launches its budget debate this spring.
Coakley, testifying Monday before the legislature's Judiciary Committee, said Massachusetts is far behind other states and needs to tighten the laws anyway. Legalizing casinos only makes the measures more urgent, she said. "It is critical that we update our laws so that we can effectively address the types of financial crimes and corruption that are often associated with gaming," Coakley told the committee. Coakley's bill would target three areas: money laundering, organized or "enterprise" crime and wiretapping.
Hartford, CT., March:
Raul "Sonny" Suner pleads guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge for his role in an illegal gambling operation. Authorities say Suner repeatedly struck a bookmaker with a baseball bat when the man could not satisfy a debt. Suner faces up to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced on May 21.
Last January Suner's co-defendant Phillip J. Bauco pleaded guilty. The two men were indicted last June, and at that time reported the Hartford Courant:
Suner and Bauco claimed that they had Gambino family backing and that the New York gangsters had authorized Suner to run illegal sports betting operations in New Haven and Bridgeport, according to the indictment. The U.S. attorney's office said the two used "threats, violence and intimidation" to persuade bookmakers and gamblers to work and bet with them.
Springfield,Mass., March:
Genovese leaders Anthony Arillotta and Arthur Nigro were indicted last month for their alleged roles in the 2003 hit of the family's New England capo Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno in Springfield, MA. Local police say the face of organized crime has changed since the time when Bruno allegedly ran the show.
Those who knew Bruno have said he was a strong supporter of local charities, however local police have said that money was allegedly coming from an illegal gaming ring that was bringing in as much as $150,000 each week. Court records connected to the killing detail extortion against city business owners, illegal gaming machines being forced into bars and drugs being shipped in large quantities to the area from Florida.
The State of the Springfield Mob
Springfield Mass., April:
Reputed Genovese capo Anthony Arillotta of Springfield MA, indicted last February for his alleged role in the 2003 hit of his predecessor Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno may now be talking to the Feds. Also charged in the Bruno hit are Arthur Nigro, a reputed former acting Genovese boss, and Fotios "Freddy" Geas, a supposed sometime enforcer for Arillotta. Frankie Roche, the admitted triggerman in the Bruno slaying, alleges that he was paid $10,000 by Geas for the job.
Agawam, Mass., April:
Following reports that Anthony Arillotta, the reputed Genovese capo from Springfield, MA who was indicted last February for his alleged role in the 2003 hit of his predecessor Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno, has begun talking to the Feds members of law enforcement descended upon 160 Springfield St. in Agawam, MA. They reportedly are searching the property for the body of Arillotta associate Gary D. Westerman who disappeared just days before the Bruno hit. Bruno, 58, was shot and killed on Nov. 23, 2003, during a power struggle that left Arillotta, 41, on top of the local underworld.
Ex-convict Gary D. Westerman just days after disappeared without a trace, his vehicle abandoned in a McDonald's parking lot and his keys found lying in a West Springfield grocery store. Westerman had a long rap sheet, including prison stints for drug convictions and armed robbery. He spent time behind bars with several Arillotta allies and married the younger sister of Arillotta's wife.
Hartford, CT., April:
Banking regulators shut down the South End Mutual Benefit Association, a credit union in Hartford, CT which the FBI suspected of providing "instant credit" during the 1980s to gamblers who played in games run by the Patriarca crime family.
When the mafia in Connecticut was at its peak two decades ago, the mob made the “Oxy” as it was known locally a 'piggy bank' of sorts, using it to underwrite a multimillion-dollar, illegal gambling business. Mobsters who ran illegal casino games at social clubs in Meriden, New Britain and Hartford had access to stacks of pre-approved credit union loan applications and used them to extend instant money to tapped out players.
When FBI agents raided a mob game at the Meriden Independent Club in June 1988, they seized $42,000 in cash, gambling records, gambling paraphernalia and, according to an FBI affidavit, "numerous loan applications for the South End Mutual Benefit Association (a state chartered and federally insured credit union)." The club attracted gamblers from across southern New England and allegedly was run by Salvatore "Butch" D'Aquila, who federal prosecutors said oversaw the Patriarca crime family's gambling operations in Connecticut in the 1980s. Many of the loan applications seized were blank "with the exception of the loan guarantor sections which had been pre-signed with the name Salvatore D'Aquila," the affidavit says.
Boston, Mass., April:
A federal grand jury is investigating allegations of public corruption against Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael D. O'Keefe that resulted from a wiretap of an alleged bookmaking operation more than a year ago" Authorities are looking into whether O'Keefe protected alleged bookmakers operating on the Cape said the sources, who insisted on anonymity because grand jury investigations are confidential. The original investigation was initiated by Attorney General Martha Coakley in fall 2008 and focused on the activities of several alleged members of a Cape Cod-based gambling ring that included Adam Hart, a convicted bookmaker and longtime owner of the Ocean House Restaurant in Dennisport, said the sources. The focus shifted to O'Keefe early last year after a relative of Hart's made a comment on the wiretap that triggered concerns for investigators that the district attorney may have protected illegal gamblers in the past, said people knowledgeable of the investigation. US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz's office then took the lead role in the investigation being conducted by the FBI and State Police. O’Keefe issued a statement late yesterday denying he has done anything wrong. “Some information has apparently been leaked from a federal grand jury concerning illegal betting,’’ he said. “I do not now nor have I ever had any association with gaming. Any assertion of wrongdoing by me or my office is completely false.’’
Versailles, Kentucky, April:
A member of a Boston drug and robbery gang known as the DeCologero Crew which allegedly was tied to the Carroza faction of the Patriarca crime family has escaped from federal custody. Derek Capozzi kicked out the door of a van and fled during a prisoner transport in central Kentucky. A multidepartment manhunt is under way in Kentucky for the fugitive, said Versailles, Ky., police spokesman Pat Melton.
Capozzi was convicted by a federal jury in 2005 of helping to cover up the 1996 killing of Aislin Silva, 19, of Medford. Silva was killed by a Mafia-connected gang of drug dealers and thieves who feared she might cooperate with authorities. Capozzi helped to hack her body into small pieces and bury them after a fellow mobster strangled her. Capozzi was convicted of joining the conspiracy to kill Silva, being an accessory after the fact, and conspiring to commit robbery. He was sentenced in August 2005 to 23 years in prison. He was already serving a 30-year sentence for a 1999 conviction on weapons and extortion charges.
Authorities in Massachusetts said they had been alerted to the escape of Derek A. Capozzi. "He is a bad guy and hopefully he'll be caught quick,'' said Deputy US Marshal Frank Dawson, a spokesman for the agency's Boston office. "He is extremely dangerous."
Versailles, Kentucky, April:
Derek Capozzi captured.
Victoria, BC Canada, April
Book shops in Victoria, BC Canada were alerted by the FBI to keep an eye out for fugitive Whitey Bulger who is the notorious boss of Boston's Winter Hill gang wanted in connection with 19 murders.
Victoria's two major bookstores were visited by police on behalf of the FBI to warn staff to keep an eye out for Bulger, an avid reader. "The FBI don't have any definite answers that he's in Victoria, but they're on the lookout for him," said Jim Munro, owner of Munro's Books. "Apparently, he's quite a book lover and he's interested in history." The officers gave Munro and the management at Bolen's Books posters bearing Bulger's photo and a number to call.
The FBI has a $2 million bounty on Bulger's head.
For more info on Bulger including Photos and Video go here
Agawam, Mass.: April
Authorities dug up the remains of Gary Westerman on a residential parcel at 160 Springfield Street in Agawam, MA, and "sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said it appears Westerman was shot twice in the head at the site, and then buried a short distance away in a hand-dug grave approximately 8 feet deep"
Westerman had "disappeared" in 2003 and was an associate and brother-in-law of Anthony Arillotta who is a reputed Genovese capo charged last February for his alleged role in the 2003 hit of his predecessor Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno in Springfield.
After Arillotta became a cooperating witness investigators began their dig for Westerman. Barry further reports:
Prosecutors have refused to say when charges might come in connection with the Westerman case. However, federal court filings have stated investigators believe that at a minimum, Arillotta . . . and [his] enforcers Fotios and Ty Geas, brothers, had a hand in Westerman's death.
In addition to Arillotta, others charged for their alleged roles in the Bruno hit are Arthur Nigro, a reputed former acting Genovese boss, and Fotios Geas. Frankie Roche, the admitted triggerman in the Bruno slaying, alleges that he was paid $10,000 by Geas for the job.
Providence, RI: April
In February Dorothy St. Laurent,her son Anthony St.Laurent Jr.and St.Laurent Sr. were charged by the Feds with extorting money from Taunton, Mass., bookmakers from 1988 to 2009. St. Laurent Jr. pleaded not guilty and is free on electronic monitoring while his mother Dorothy pleaded not guilty and is free on personal recognizance and both are currently in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors. Both have petitioned the court to extend the window for indictments as the two try and come to an agreement.
"Plea negotiations currently are in progress, and both the United States and the defendants seek additional time to negotiate the terms of the agreement," Judge Almond wrote in his decision. "The filing of a plea agreement would likely result in a resolution of this matter on terms agreeable to the government, the defendant and the Court."
Click the links to view or download the petitions,both are in .pdf format.
Anthony St.Laurent Jr.Petition
Springfield Mass., April:
Son of Genovese capo Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno who was hit in 2003 may open an Italian restaurant in the name of the father. "Assuming it clears the city's planning and licensing hurdles, Victor C. Bruno plans to open Adolfo's Restaurant at 254 Worthington St. sometime this spring."
Peter L. Sygnator, chairman of the board of license commissioners for the city, said Victor Bruno first floated the name at a downtown business owners gathering recently."He said: 'I'm opening an Italian restaurant. I'm thinking of naming it Adolfo's," Sygnator recalled. "You could have heard a pin drop. I just said: 'Interesting name!"
Last February the feds indicted Anthony Arillotta, the reputed capo who allegedly succeeded Bruno, and Arthur Nigro, the reputed former acting boss in New York, for their alleged roles in the rubout. Frankie Roche, the admitted triggerman in the Bruno slaying, alleges that he was paid $10,000 by Fotios "Freddy" Geas, a supposed sometime enforcer for Arillotta, for the job.
Providence RI, April:
According to court documents obtained by WPRI 12, reputed Patriarca capo Anthony "The Saint" St. Laurent is asking for more time from federal judges so he can enter into plea negotiations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Currently at Fort Devens federal prison in MassachusettsSt, St. Laurent is serving a five year sentence on an extortion conviction and may be negotiating plea agreements with prosecutors in two unrelated pending federal cases against him.
One involving an alleged attempt to hire hitmen to eliminate reputed rival capo Robert "Bobby" DeLuca which he was charged with in January 2009.The other involving alleged extortion against bookmakers where he was arrested and charged along with his son Anthony St. Laurent Jr. and his wife Dorothy St. Laurent in February 2010.
Federal Magistrate Judge Lincoln Almond granted St. Laurent the extra time to enter into talks in the extortion case but Federal Judge William Smith did not rule on the murder-for-hire request.
Providence RI, May:
The Fed’s decide to re-examine a mob hit which took place in Providence R.I. on Federal Hill in 1992. Kevin Hanrahan, an associate of the Patriarca crime family was shot and killed on Atwells Ave. after leaving a local restaurant. The second and third videos provide background from Law Enforcement officials on Hanrahan and O'Brien. Go here to read about the arrest of Hanrahan and O’Brien who were working together in 1990 on the east side of Providence.
More details on the connection between Frank Salemme, Gordon O’Brien and Kevin Hanrahan. Included is an interview with Frank Moody, the Providence police officer who inadvertently foiled O'Brien and Hanrahan's plan to kidnap Blaise Marfeo back in 1990 on the east side of Providence RI.
Providence Police Officer Frank Moody Extensive Interview
More details revealed in FBI affidavit
An affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Joseph R. Degnan states he interviewed two confidential informants about the St. Laurents' gambling operations in Taunton, Mass. and at some point one of the bookmakers decided to sever his ties with St. Laurent. He said that Hanrahan approached him and told him "he was being fined $100,000 for bookmaking without paying protection." The bookmakers were scared and looking for a way to resolve their dilemma.
The affidavit says that they met with Gordon O'Brien, an organized crime associate in Southeastern Massachusetts and during the meeting, the bookmakers told Degnan that O'Brien called "Cadillac" Frank Salemme, then head of the Patriarca crime family, and told him about the problem with Hanrahan. The bookmaker who was the victim of Hanrahan's shakedown told Degnan that he traveled to Johnston and met with St. Laurent. There, the affidavit says, St. Laurent told him that he would take care of his Hanrahan problem if he agreed to pay him a lump sum of $25,000 and $300 a week in protection money. The bookmaker agreed and delivered the money to St. Laurent. A few days later, Hanrahan was murdered after he walked out of The Arch, an Italian restaurant on Atwells Avenue.
Global, May:
In its search for fugitive Whitey Bulger the Fed focuses on his girlfriend Catherine Greig who went on the run with the notorious Winter Hill gangster in 1995. Greig, a dental hygienist who in April turned 59, is apparently a big fan of plastic surgery. According to the FBI, she had breast implants, a face lift, a nose job, liposuction, and eyelid surgery before she went on the run with Bulger. It's possible she sought some maintenance work while on the run.
The FBI took out a full-page ad in the April-May edition of Plastic Surgery News, a newsletter circulated to more than 6,000 plastic surgeons worldwide, with photos of Bulger's gal pal, Catherine Greig, asking, "Have you treated this woman?"
Most recently the feds have targeted the search for Bulger, wanted in connection with, among other things, nineteen murders and having sex with children, in Victoria, BC Canada.
Falmouth Mass., May:
Tommy "Ketchup" Frank, 51, of Pompano Beach, Fla., was in Falmouth after police said he roughed up a 62-year-old Falmouth woman at gunpoint on March 25 as part of an extortion scheme involving the "Gypsy Mafia," according to court documents. He was held without bail.
The victim, who identified herself as an American born Gypsy, owns a store that performs palm and tarot card readings. She told police Frank held a gun to her head and demanded an extortion payment of $150,000 for the right to work in his territory. If she couldn't come up with the cash, Frank gave her the choice of either giving him her store or her daughter, she said.
The victim "said that it was common in Gypsy culture for families to sell their daughter as a bride to another Gypsy family," the police report states."She said that the Gypsy are very territorial and Gypsy families or clans don't like other Gypsy working in their territory," court records said.
Frank pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (handgun), simple assault and battery, home invasion, armed assault, extortion by threat of injury, assault and battery to intimidate and assault and battery on a person over the age of 60.
Boston Mass., May:
Mark Rossetti, a reputed capo in New England's Patriarca crime family, is arrested by Mass. State Police organized crime investigators with five others for his alleged key role in a drug ring. Law enforcement sources say Rossetti is a captain in the New England Mafia and is accused of playing a key role in a drug ring. Rossetti is one of six men arrested at several locations on the North Shore and Boston.
Fairfield County, CT., May:
Phillip J. Bauco and Raul "Sonny" Suner pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal racketeering charges for their roles in a Fairfield County, CT gambling operation. Federal prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Suner and 21 to 27 months for Bauco.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond Miller, head of the office's organized crime unit stated Suner "repeatedly used threats, intimidation and violence in his failed attempt to consolidate the illegal gambling operations in southern Connecticut, He is … quite literally …a leg breaker."
Miller claims in court papers that Suner, along with Bauco "launched a campaign to take control of the illegal gambling operations in southern Connecticut." and that Suner and Bauco recruited smaller bookmakers into their operation, gave them an offshore betting account which provided gambling lines and tracked winners and losers. Additionally, they convinced one to move his weekly poker game from Milford to their Bridgeport club so they could take a percentage from the gambling pots.
A third man, Richard Pascone, "who was arrested outside a Derby restaurant in February, also is part of the operation, according to federal authorities," and "he has pleaded not guilty to federal weapons and drug charges and is being detained."
Agawam, MA., June:
Human remains recovered from 160 Springfield Street in Agawam, MA are confirmed to be that of Gary Westerman. Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett confirmed that federal and state investigators uncovered the remains of the organized crime associate in a wooded area in April.
“I can confirm its Gary Westerman and that it was a homicide,” Bennett said, but refused to provide further details about a cause of death or motive.
Westerman, missing since 2003 and long believed a victim of a mob hit spent years in prison for drug and armed robbery convictions. He was also Anthony Arillotta’s brother-in-law, the reputed Genovese capo charged last February for his alleged role in the 2003 hit of his predecessor Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno in Springfield according to investigators.
Following Arillotta’s cooperation as a witness investigators began their dig for Westerman. In addition to Arillotta, others charged for their alleged roles in the Bruno hit are Arthur Nigro, a reputed former acting Genovese boss, and Fotios Geas.Frankie Roche, the admitted triggerman in the Bruno slaying, alleges that he was paid $10,000 by Geas for the job.
Hartford CT., June
A federal judge in Hartford sentenced Phillip John Bauco, 56, of Bridgeport to two years in prison and fined him $5,000 for his role in an illegal sports-betting operation. Bauco, pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy on Jan. 28. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello, also calls for two years of supervised release once Bauco's prison term ends.
Court documents reveal that Bauco and associate Raul Suner, used an offshore betting service via the Internet and recruited smaller bookmakers, gave them an offshore account, and collected money from them, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Attorney David B. Fein. The statement went on to say "Bauco and Suner attempted to take control of illegal gambling operations in southern Connecticut, including illegal card games."
The U.S. attorney's office said the two used Bauco's business, Auto Town Sales in Stratford, to have meetings concerning the gambling operation and to collect debts. Authorities say the two pressured a bookmaker to join them.
Suner pleaded guilty in March to one count of racketeering conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Suner "admitted that he used threats and violence in order to maintain control over the gambling enterprise, including injuring a bookmaker by repeatedly striking him with a baseball bat when the bookmaker could not satisfy a debt."
Maine, June:
Federal agents attempting to arrest two members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang in Maine as part of a seven-state sweep shot and killed one of them in an early morning gunfight.
A SWAT team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was fired upon at about 6 a.m. while attempting to arrest Thomas "Tomcat" Mayne, 59, the regional treasurer for the Outlaws, along with Kenneth Chretian, according to ATF spokesman Michael Campbell. Mayne was killed. Two women were also in the house, but nobody else was injured in the shootout, according to the attorney general's office.
The SWAT team was used because the ATF viewed the suspects as being part of a "violent criminal enterprise," said Glenn N. Anderson, ATF special agent in charge of the Boston office. He said the agents were fired at when they arrived. More than two dozen Outlaws members across the country were charged in Virginia with participating in a criminal enterprise.
Court documents reveal Mayne, an Outlaws motorcycle gang member earned a special patch for trying to kill a rival Hell's Angel member. Mayne, earned a Nazi-style "SS" patch that signifies a hit on behalf of the gang for his involvement in an October shooting outside a Hell's Angel clubhouse in the central Maine town of Canaan. Gary Watson was shot multiple times but survived.
Global, June:
The FBI says James “Whitey’’ Bulger obtained a fake military identification card before he fled Boston and may be lurking around military bases so they placed an ad in the May 24 issue of The Military Times, featuring photos of Bulger, 80, and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, 59, under the headline, “Have You Seen This Couple?’’
The advertisement says that Bulger and Greig have used numerous aliases and false identification documents and reveals that “a former cooperating witness previously provided Bulger with military identification.’’According to the FBI, Bulger continues to have “a fascination with military history, historic sites and artifacts.’’
Providence, RI, June:
FBI Special agents raid the Cadillac Lounge, a Providence strip club, removing items that may be potential evidence in an on-going federal investigation. No one was arrested.
RI., June:
Reputed mafia capo regime of the New England Crime Family, Anthony "The Saint" St. Laurent is released from prison early after being credited with 173 days for good behavior. He has two separate federal cases hanging and was released from one prison and sent to another at an undisclosed location. According to court filings, St. Laurent is currently in plea negotiations with the U.S. Attorney's office on both cases.
Providence, RI: June:
On Monday the FBI subpoenaed records from the Providence Licensing Board as part of their ongoing investigation into the Cadillac Lounge strip club.The request came on the same day federal investigators raided the club, removing files and some computer equipment from the building.
The licensing administrator for Providence, Serena Conley, said FBI Special Agent James Pitcavage hand-delivered the subpoena on Monday. "It took two days to compile and copy all the information," Conley said and they walked two boxes of material across the street to the Providence office of the FBI Tuesday afternoon.
The license was granted in a 2-1 vote before the licensing board despite the recommendation of city lawyers to deny it. At the time board members Joan Badway and Stephen Daniels approved the license while Chairman Andrew Annaldo dissented. Source: WPRI
Providence, RI: June:
In Providence, RI Mayor David N. Cicilline wants to rezone the South Providence waterfront proposing a 62-acre zone along the river where restaurants, bars and recreational businesses would coexist with industrial businesses. The remaining 284 acres would be reserved for industrial businesses that require access to the waterfront.
One developer, Stanton D. Shifman nine years ago, completed a federal prison sentence for his role in a loansharking enterprise run by members of the Winter Hill Gang in Boston. Shifman appeared this month at a City Council meeting advocating Cicilline's rezoning plan."
Opponents of the project say Shifman’s criminal record casts doubt over its viability and brings into question the entire waterfront rezoning process. “That someone with a federal criminal conviction is leading the development challenges its credibility,” says Andrew M. Teitz, a lawyer who represents neighboring industrial businesses that oppose the city’s efforts to redevelop the waterfront. “This is not someone who was stopped for a DUI. This is not some youthful indiscretion. This is not a crime of passion. This speaks to his business character.”
“The record is out there and it speaks for itself,” says Joel Cohen, co-owner of Promet Marine Services, a shipyard near the site of the proposed development.
Shifman stated, “That is an incident that has ended. My conscience is clear. It has come and it has gone,” Shifman was indicted in October 1993 along with nine others for their role in an illegal gambling and loansharking operation run by Joseph A. Yerardi, Jr., an associate of the Winter Hill Gang, an organized crime syndicate based Mass.
Shifman, operated a legitimate lending business, but referred clients to Yeradi’s loansharking operation as a way to pay off debt, according to federal court documents. Shifman began cooperating with federal officials in 1991 and in 1993 he was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), four counts of aiding and abetting the making of extortionate extensions of credit, and one count of aiding and abetting the collection of an extension of credit by extortionate means. Shifman, was convicted by a jury on all but one count and was sentenced to 51 months in prison. He filed an appeal which was turned down in 1997.
Shifman served the bulk of his sentence and was released from the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Mass., in 2001, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Mass. July:
Peter Limone, alleged leader of the New England Mafia who was framed by the FBI and imprisoned for 33 years for a murder he didn’t commit, pleaded no contest to state gambling, extortion and loan sharking charges. Limone, 76, spent 10 years on death row and was awarded $26 million for his wrongful 1968 conviction for the mob slaying of Edward Deegan.
Middlesex District Attorney David Solet said Limone has been the leader of a Boston area organization that took in tens of thousands of dollars from illegal gambling and extorting rent payments from independent bookmakers in return for their continuing operation. Solet said, Limone has deposited $178,805 in his personal bank account since 2001 despite not working but observed, "posting a parade of visitors at North End businesses with which he had no affiliation."
Middlesex Superiour Court Judge Leila Kern sentenced Limone to five years probation, ordered him to wear a GPS bracelet and told him to stay away from his reputed mafia pals. “The fact that Mr. Limone spent 33 years in prison, 10 of which were on death row, for a crime he did not commit is there. It’s a fact. We cannot forget it,” Kerns said. “But it is not a get-out-of-jail free card.”
Limone’s attorney, Juliane Balliro stated, “It may appear to the court that Mr. Limone perhaps didn’t learn his lesson after spending 33 years in prison,” she said. “He wants only to be able to spend the time he and his wife have left together.”
Balliro said, “What you’ll see from Mr. Limone is a complete change in lifestyle from this day forward.”
Providence, RI: July:
Michael Sparfven after testifying against reputed Genovese capo Angelo Prisco is making a new life in Providence, RI. Prisco was convicted last April in a NYC federal court for the 1992 murder of Angelo Sangiuolo.
Sparfven's ticket out of Federal Correctional Institution in Edgefield, South Carolina arrived in 2008 when New York mobster Angelo Prisco entered Unit B-2 of the medium-security federal prison. Any Italians here? asked Prisco, a longtime captain in the infamous Genovese crime family. Anyone from up north? An inmate pointed at Sparfven.
According to court records, Prisco told Sparfven that he had arranged a hit on his mobster cousin in 1992. The feds were onto him and Prisco said he would have to rub out some witnesses. Sparfven secretly took notes and then tipped off federal agents.
In a Manhattan courtroom in April 2009, Sparfven took the witness stand and according to court transcripts, testified that federal prosecutors had persuaded a judge to release him from federal prison, six months early, for his testimony.
Under questioning, he described how he and Prisco spent a lot of time together and talked all of the time, even through the vent between their adjacent cells. During those conversations, Prisco talked about his boss, Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, head of the Genovese family. Prisco said he had his own crew in New Jersey and made money through gambling, loan sharking, a strip club, extortion and home invasions. He let it be known that he helped actor Steven Seagal when he was being shaken down by the Gambino family and that he was mentioned in “Soprano State,” a book about corruption in New Jersey.
After trial Prisco was found guilty of murder, racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, robbery, extortion, firearms crimes, property theft and operating an illegal gambling business.
Sparfven didn’t enter Witness Protection or use an alias but instead opened a business in the Jewelry District of Providence R.I.
Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia: July:
Two defendants, Thomas Petrini and Mark Jason Fiel sought release from jail Monday, in the federal government's Outlaws motorcycle gang racketeering case.U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson released Thomas Petrini to his sister's custody but ruled that Mark Jason Fiel must remain in jail until trial, scheduled for Oct. 20.
Petrini and Fiel were affiliated with the Manassas chapter of the Outlaws motorcycle gang. They were among 27 former and current motorcycle gang members from seven states indicted last month on racketeering and other charges. One of the Outlaws, Thomas "Tomcat" Mayne was shot to death in a gun battle with ATF agents as they tried to arrest him in Maine.
Hudson said it was clear Petrini "played a marginal role" in the Outlaws and had renounced his membership in 2008. He also said Petrini did not appear to be an active participant in an assault on an Outlaws probationary member who was being punished for disrespecting a full-fledged member.
Hudson ruled Petrini must submit to electronic monitoring and periodic drug testing. He also is prohibited from having any contact with Outlaws members.The judge went on to state several factors weighed against Fiel's request to be released to his family's custody. Hudson said he was troubled by evidence that Fiel participated in a racially motivated assault of a black man and that he relayed orders from the Outlaws president to attack rival motorcycle gang members.
Jeremiah Fiel testified that his brother was "a standup guy" from a close-knit family who coached his daughters' soccer teams and was well-regarded by co-workers at the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Hudson acknowledged that Jason Fiel seemed to be "a good father" but added: "Unfortunately, the evidence introduced by the United States shows a darker side." He said he also was concerned that Fiel apparently resumed associating with the Outlaws after briefly breaking away.
Fiel and Petrini are both charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit violence in aid of racketeering. Fiel also is charged with a civil rights violation, and Petrini is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
The June 10 indictment alleges the Outlaws gang is a highly organized criminal enterprise that has engaged in violent activities intended in part to gain an advantage over the rival Hell's Angels. Defendants are from Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia.
Providence, RI: July:
On Thursday the four Democratic candidates running for mayor in Providence, RI debated, and Christopher F. Young "proposed expanding the police department's organized crime unit to investigate city nightclubs and what he described as their associations with international drug cartels"
He also called for an investigation into the awarding of a city liquor license to the Cadillac Lounge, a North End strip club, after the city passed an ordinance banning strip clubs from getting alcohol permits. The incident is the subject of an ongoing F.B.I. probe.
Global, July:
James ‘Whitey’ Bulger is still Public Enemy Number One according to the just released FBI Most Wanted list. The Feds are now offering a $2 million reward for the 81-year-old who is still on the run with his girlfriend Catherine Greig.
The Irish American gangster from Boston is wanted for 19 counts of murder , conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit extortion, narcotics distribution and money laundering.The Feds say his aliases include Thomas F. Baxter, Mark Shapeton, Jimmy Bulger, James Joseph Bulger, James J. Bulger, Jr., James Joseph Bulger, Jr., Tom Harris, Tom Marshall, Ernest E. Beaudreau, Harold W. Evers, Robert William Hanson.
"Whitey" Bulger , the FBI says is an avid reader with an interest in history. He is known to frequent libraries and historic sites. has been known to alter his appearance through the use of disguises. He maintains his physical fitness by walking on beaches and in parks with his female companion, Catherine Elizabeth Greig.
“He has a violent temper and is known to carry a knife at all times…. he is “considered armed and extremely dangerous,” say the Feds.
New York, July:
In New York U.S. District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel denied defense motions to move the November 1st date scheduled for the trial against several individuals charged in the 2003 hit on Genovese capo Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno in Springfield, MA.
The defendants include reputed former acting New York boss Arthur Nigro and Anthony Arillotta, the reputed capo who allegedly succeeded Bruno. Arillotta is reportedly now a government informant.
Three other defendants, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, his brother Ty Geas, and reputed capo Emilio Fusco also have been charged in connection with the murder of Gary D. Westerman, a fringe gangster who disappeared three weeks before Bruno was killed in November 2003. Westerman's bones, clothing and jewelry were unearthed in April, within days of Arillotta dropping out of the federal prison system.
"I just don't believe we can get this case investigated and prepared for November 1," Frederick Cohn, one of Geas' defense lawyers, pleaded to Castel, who snapped back: "It's July. What am I missing?"
As of Friday , Fotios Geas and his younger brother Ty Geas, formerly Arillotta's reputed enforcers, along with aging mobster Felix L. Tranghese and Italian-born mob captain Emilio Fusco also were charged in connection with Bruno's death.
Tranghese, 58, of East Longmeadow, and Ty Geas, 38, of Westfield, were arrested early Friday by FBI agents and state police. Fusco, 41, of Longmeadow, is believed to have fled to Italy and remains a fugitive. Tranghese and Ty Geas are being held without bail.
Providence, RI, July:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. The wife and son of reputed mafia captain Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent Sr. have made a deal with prosecutors in a pending federal extortion case.
Dorothy St. Laurent and her son Anthony Jr. have agreed to plead guilty to shaking down Massachusetts bookmakers for protection money. In exchange for the guilty plea, St. Laurent Jr. will not have to testify against his father, who is also facing extortion charges. The plea also states the U.S. Attorney's office will recommend Dorothy St. Laurent do no jail time and be sentenced to probation. Prosecutors accuse Dorothy St. Laurent of being the "primary collection agent" for the family and collected about $4,100 every two weeks.
A judge ultimately has to sign off on the deal and can impose any sentence.
Read Plea agreement Documents
Dorothy St. Laurent Plea Deal (PDF Format)
Anthony St. Laurent Jr. Plea Deal (PDF Format)
Both defendants, prosecutors claim, collected between $800,000 and $1.5 million in protection money from Taunton, Mass.bookies between 1988 and 2009.
Federal investigators say the elder St. Laurent has been shaking down bookmakers in the area since the 1970s. He is not part of this plea deal.
St. Laurent Sr., who investigators have identified as a Capo Regime in the Patriarca crime family, is also facing additional federal charges in a separate murder-for-hire case.
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