Secret recordings played during first day of Springfield mob trial

Secret recordings played during first day of Springfield mob trial

  December 13, 2017    Dapper_Don

---

More than a year after the arrests of five men charged with extortion and other crimes, one defendant has taken his case to trial, exposing rarely seen dealings of the reputed local arm of the Genovese crime family.
What is expected to be a week-long trial kicked off Tuesday in U.S. District Court with Richard Valentini, 52, of East Longmeadow, as the last man standing.
Co-defendants Ralph Santaniello, Giovanni "Johnny Cal" Calabrese, Francesco "Frank" Depergola and Gerald Daniele have cut plea deals in the case and await sentencing.
The first day of opening statements and testimony featured dueling arguments. Federal prosecutors have portrayed Valentini as a large, looming presence brought along to intimidate alleged victim Craig J. Morel, while defense attorney Jared Olanoff contends his client attended just one of many meetings and amounted to a benevolent foil.
Morel is the owner of towing and scrap metal business C.J.'s Towing Unlimited. He went to Massachusetts State Police troopers in 2013 after Santaniello and Calabrese ambushed him at his land in Hampden, demanded $50,000 plus ongoing monthly "tribute" to their new "crew" and threatened to kill him if he didn't comply.
Santaniello smacked Morel across the face to drive home the message.
Appearing at a meeting with troopers with a fat lip, Morel — a former city police officer who was fired for misconduct in 1990 — agreed to cooperate with an investigation and record 16 subsequent meetings in October and November of 2013.
Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Brendan O'Toole testified for the prosecution on Tuesday and is expected to continue on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, jurors saw and heard an Oct. 4, 2013 meeting among Morel, Calabrese and Valentini. Below are excerpts from the Oct. 4 recording made at Morel's remote plot of land, where he was planning to rebuild a home that had burned down eight months earlier (participants are identified by their initials):

Ralph A. Santaniello, 49, of Longmeadow, is led to a cruiser at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Springfield early Thursday morning, Aug. 4, 2016.

'He was a lot skinnier when I seen him before'

Santaniello apparently bulked up at the gym since Morel had seen him years earlier, causing Morel not to recognize him at the earlier meeting and prompting the smack in the face, Calabrese said.
JC: How you doing today?
CM: Ok. Um. I need to talk to you guys a little bit. I uh I mean you guys caught me off — off guard. You got me here all alone
JC: Yea.
CM: You know, think about it. It's a pretty scary thing. You know what I mean?
RV: Oh yea, no no no no. Relax. No no no we're not here ... I even brought you a f***in thing. (coffee)
JC: Yea.
CM: Thanks. Um, that's why you know I mean, I - I - I recognized Ralphie after, you know?
JC: Yea. That's why I think ... he thought you shoulda known who he was.
CM: Well he was skinnier. He was a lot skinnier when I seen him before, you know what I mean" I haven't seen him in - in like 10 years ... And when you guys just rolled up, you kinda caught me by - by surprise so I was just like ... you know what I mean?
(Later in the recording:)
JC: And the better part of the story is though, that (Morel) didn't recognize you because you bulked up.

Bruno was a more gracious extortionist

CM: I dealt with Al for - for about ... let me think ... three years ... And he always treated me like a gentleman. He would bring, you know, he brought me and my mother to (Italian tenor Andrea) Bocelli ... he, you know, he treated me like a celebrity every time I saw him.
JC: Right.
CM: You know what I mean? And it's like I meet this new guy and I get a smack. You know?
JC: I think ... see he - he thought you knew him. And he thought you knew exactly what was going on and when you made that remark, you insulted him.
CM: When - when I said I didn't know who he was?
JC: Well that and - there was another thing you said.
CM: Well he wanted me to give him a number. You know what I mean? And I was just like I - I didn't feel comfortable saying something because I don't - I know I gotta live with it if it comes out of my mouth.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/12/highlights_from_tow_company_op.html