Plea deal reached in New England mob case
A plea deal has been reached in the mob case against the former reputed mob boss Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio.
Manocchio and three other defendants have pledged to plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy, one will plead to extortion conspiracy, according to court paperwork filed Thursday afternoon. All other counts against the defendants will be dropped.
Only accused mob associates Theodore Cardillo and Albino Folcarelli have not signed on to the agreement.
Manocchio, 84, of Providence as well accused capo regime Edward "Eddie" Lato, 64 of Johnston, and mobster Alfred "Chippy" Scivola, 70, signed onto the deal. Also agreeing to plead guilty are mob associates Raymond "Scarface" Jenkins, 47, and Richard Bonafiglia, 58.
Manocchio is accused of running a continuing criminal enterprise that shook down strip clubs for protection money.
Lato and Jenkins have also agreed to admit they shook down an unnamed victim for $20,000. According to the the indictment, investigators said the wife of the alleged victim removed the money from their retirement account in fear of her husband's safety.
In the agreement, Federal Prosecutor William Ferland wrote Manocchio will admit he "was an organizer of the criminal activity in this case," and the criminal activity was "extensive."
Manocchio, Lato and Scivola have also agreed to admit they are made membders of the mob as part of the deal. This is similar to an agreement made with now admitted mafia captain Anthony "The Saint" St. Laurent last year where prosecutors added language in the agreement that left no question as to whether he was part of the New England La Cosa Nostra.
- Read plea agreement with Manocchio
- Read plea agreement with Jenkins
- Read plea agreement with Lato
- Read plea agreement with Scivola
- Read plea agreement with Bonafiglia
Mob associate Thomas Iafrate, who was charged with being the bagman in the extortion plot, already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months behind bars. According to court filings Iafrate suffered a heart attack this month, putting off his prison sentence until Feb. 21.
The plea deal comes after a flurry of closed-door meetings with lawyers from both sides before U.S. District Court Judge William Smith.
A hearing is expected in the coming weeks. Smith still has to sign off on the deal.
All five defendants face up to 20 years in prison. But the deal with Manocchio states he cannot appeal the sentence if it falls between "63 and 78 months."
According to the filing, Manocchio signed the deal on Feb. 12, prosecutors three days later.
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/target_12/plea-deal-reached-in-mob-case
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