Feds bust acting boss and a longtime soldier of the New England crime family
They are in their 70s, seemed to have trouble
hearing, and appeared to prefer the comfort of casual clothes. One of
them wore socks with a pair of sandals.
But there they were in federal court in
handcuffs Thursday, two alleged members of the New England Mafia,
including alleged acting don Antonio L. “Spucky” Spagnolo, charged with
threatening to affect business through extortion, a charge that carries a
punishment of up to 20 years in prison.
Spagnolo, 72, also known as Crazy Eyes, and
reputed “made man” Pryce “Stretch” Quintina, 74, allegedly extorted
thousands of dollars in protection payments from a video poker machine
company and a social club, authorities said.
Both
men reputedly represent the old guard of the Patriarca crime family,
their service dating back to the Mafia’s glory days, when the late boss
Gennaro Angiulo controlled the Boston underworld from the 1960s to the
early 1980s.
“They go back in history,” said State
Police Detective Lieutenant Stephen P. Johnson, who used to run the unit
that investigates organized crime.
He said Spagnolo was deeply involved in drug dealing, a capo in the family.
Quintina was a Mafia soldier, but his uncle Charles “Q-Ball” Quintina, was also a capo.
Spagnolo
and Quintina have shown their loyalties before, maintaining in court
hearings in the early 1990s that they were not “made” members of any
crime family, even as they pleaded guilty to Mafia-related activities.
Both men were allegedly at the infamous October 1989 Mafia induction meeting in Medford that was secretly recorded by the FBI.
Now,
authorities say that Spagnolo has been serving as acting boss of the
fragmented crime family, a skeleton of what the organization once was.
Former boss Anthony L. DiNunzio was sentenced in Rhode Island in 2012 to
78 months in prison for racketeering. He is the brother of Carmen “The
Big Cheese” DiNunzio, who was sentenced to prison in Massachusetts for
bribery.
Luigi Manocchio, Anthony
DiNunzio’s 86-year-old predecessor, was sentenced to 5½ years in prison
for extorting protection payments from strip clubs.
And
Mark Rossetti, one of the most feared captains in the New England mob,
is in prison in Massachusetts for extortion and bookmaking.
Spagnolo
and Quintina have served prison terms themselves. Spagnolo pleaded
guilty to numerous racketeering and drug dealing charges in 1991 and was
sentenced to nine years.
Quintina was sentenced in 1995 to 7½ years. He was charged with setting
up Angelo Patrizzi for murder in 1981, though he pleaded guilty to
racketeering charges in an agreement with prosecutors.
In
the most recent case, Spagnolo allegedly ordered Quintina to collect
monthly protection payments from the owners of a video poker machine
company, Constitution Vending Co., totaling more than $50,000 between
2004 and 2012.
For years, according to a
federal indictment unsealed Thursday, Constitution installed video poker
machines in bars and social clubs for use in illegal gambling and split
the proceeds with the bar owners. One of Constitution’s machines was
installed at the Revere Moose Lodge, the indictment alleges.
The
Mafia allegedly protected Constitution’s business by driving out
potential competitors, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.
But,
according to the indictment, the Moose Lodge negotiated a deal with a
new company, to receive larger profits. Spagnolo allegedly met with
those involved and threatened that he would not permit them to remove
Constitution’s machines from the Revere Moose Lodge.
“As
a result of defendant Anthony Spagnolo’s meeting with and threats, [the
victims] did not install [new] video poker machines at the Revere Moose
Lodge,” the indictment alleges.
Spagnolo and Quintina were released to their homes Thursday and must wear electronic monitoring bracelets.
“There
are some risk factors, giving the nature of the charges and the
defendant’s criminal history,” Assistant US Attorney Seth B. Kosto said
in court, referring to Spagnolo.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/02/revere-man-identified-alleged-acting-boss-new-england-mafia-federal-indictment/lBXG8fvQqihepC5yeIJr0I/story.html
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