Prosecutors say made members of LCN will testify against Baby Shacks
The reputed former boss of New England's Patriarca crime family, Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio, pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal extortion and conspiracy charges.
Manocchio, 83, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Martin in federal court in Providence this afternoon, hours after he returned to Rhode Island for the first time since his arrest last month.
Prosecutors say Manocchio accepted protection payments from Providence's Satin Doll and Cadillac Lounge strip clubs starting as early as 1993.
Martin ordered Manocchio held without bail for now, but the elderly defendant will get another shot at temporary freedom in another hearing the judge scheduled for Tuesday.
Prosecutors urged Martin to deny Manocchio bail, claiming that he poses a flight risk. Manocchio's lawyer, Mary June Ciresi, argued that was not the case because he has been aware of the investigation for several years yet hasn't fled.
The judge said he would consider allowing Manocchio to stay in home confinement at his brother's house under electronic monitoring.
But he also asked Manocchio to proivde a list of people who would pledge their properties as surety if he is allowed free. The government said it wants time to investigate whether all those people are doing so willingly and whether they actually own the properties in question.
In an extensive new filing Thursday, prosecutors alleged Manocchio has maintained ties with organized crime since reportedly stepping down around 2009 after more than a decade as the boss of New England's La Cosa Nostra, and said therefore he should remain behind bars.
Prosecutors expect more indictments against Manocchio and additional defendants to come down before the case is finished, according to Thursday's filing. They also claim to have made members of the Patriarca family who are prepared to testify in court against Manocchio.
Officers arrested Manocchio Jan. 19 at a Florida airport as part of the largest single-day organized-crime bust in FBI history. If convicted of both charges, he could face up to 40 years behind bars.
Manocchio arrived at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls just minutes after 9 a.m. Thursday. He was transported there in a government bus after being flown from a holding facility in Oklahoma to New York earlier this week.
The other Rhode Islander implicated in the case was Johnston resident Thomas Iafrate, 69, who was charged with extortion and conspiracy. He stands accused of acting as the delivery man for the alleged protection payments.
Iafrate pleaded not guilty Jan. 20 and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. Judge Martin ordered Iafrate to stay away from strip clubs and a number of alleged organized crime figures.
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/target_12/inside_mafia/manocchio-arraignment
Manocchio, 83, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Martin in federal court in Providence this afternoon, hours after he returned to Rhode Island for the first time since his arrest last month.
Prosecutors say Manocchio accepted protection payments from Providence's Satin Doll and Cadillac Lounge strip clubs starting as early as 1993.
Martin ordered Manocchio held without bail for now, but the elderly defendant will get another shot at temporary freedom in another hearing the judge scheduled for Tuesday.
Prosecutors urged Martin to deny Manocchio bail, claiming that he poses a flight risk. Manocchio's lawyer, Mary June Ciresi, argued that was not the case because he has been aware of the investigation for several years yet hasn't fled.
The judge said he would consider allowing Manocchio to stay in home confinement at his brother's house under electronic monitoring.
But he also asked Manocchio to proivde a list of people who would pledge their properties as surety if he is allowed free. The government said it wants time to investigate whether all those people are doing so willingly and whether they actually own the properties in question.
In an extensive new filing Thursday, prosecutors alleged Manocchio has maintained ties with organized crime since reportedly stepping down around 2009 after more than a decade as the boss of New England's La Cosa Nostra, and said therefore he should remain behind bars.
Prosecutors expect more indictments against Manocchio and additional defendants to come down before the case is finished, according to Thursday's filing. They also claim to have made members of the Patriarca family who are prepared to testify in court against Manocchio.
Officers arrested Manocchio Jan. 19 at a Florida airport as part of the largest single-day organized-crime bust in FBI history. If convicted of both charges, he could face up to 40 years behind bars.
Manocchio arrived at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls just minutes after 9 a.m. Thursday. He was transported there in a government bus after being flown from a holding facility in Oklahoma to New York earlier this week.
The other Rhode Islander implicated in the case was Johnston resident Thomas Iafrate, 69, who was charged with extortion and conspiracy. He stands accused of acting as the delivery man for the alleged protection payments.
Iafrate pleaded not guilty Jan. 20 and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. Judge Martin ordered Iafrate to stay away from strip clubs and a number of alleged organized crime figures.
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/target_12/inside_mafia/manocchio-arraignment
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