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 Chief Leo A. Sacco, Jr.
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RECENT PRESS RELEASES (MPD & MDAO)

 

For Immediate Release                      Contact: Corey Welford/Jessica Venezia

December 4, 2008                                                                              781-897-8325

 

Limone And Three Others Arrested, 16 More Indicted In Connection With Organized Crime Activities

140 Total Indictments Allege Illegal Bookmaking, Loan-Sharking, And Extortion Crimes

 

WOBURN – Four men have been arrested and 16 others indicted in connection with their involvement in two separate organized crime organizations, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today. The defendants are alleged to have derived hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal proceeds by their involvement in illegal bookmaking operations, with members of the first organization engaging in crimes including loan-sharking and extortion.

 

Peter Limone, 74, of Medford was arrested at his home in Medford at approximately 4 p.m. today. Limone is accused of heading an illegal gaming organization that spans the Greater Boston area. Other members of Limone’s organization arrested today were:

·        Thomas Palladino, 75, of Malden

·        Joseph DiPrizio, 50, of Florida

·        Anthony Squillante, 73, of Boston.

 

All four arrested defendants are scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow morning in Woburn Superior Court.

 

“We allege that Mr. Limone headed an extensive organized crime ring, engaging in crimes of illegal gaming, extortion, and loan-sharking throughout Greater Boston,” District Attorney Leone said. “These kinds of operations are at the root of many crimes that corrupt the integrity of our communities and undermine public safety, and we believe that these indictments should greatly deter those illegal activities. Today’s actions are the result of an extensive investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Special Services Section and attorneys in our PACT Unit, and I want to thank all of them for their outstanding work. Our investigation continues into these crimes and the scope of these organizations.”

 

The investigation, conducted by Massachusetts State Police Special Services Division and attorneys from the Middlesex District Attorney’s PACT Unit, uncovered activities associated with two crime rings – one headed by Limone and the other headed by Steven Contrada, 54, of Wilmington.

 

In the Limone organization, it is alleged that numerous “agents” utilized the organization to make layoff bets for customers. The Limone organization was highly structured. 

 

At the top of the organization was Limone, who exercised control over the organization’s agents, had others serve as a buffer between him and the agents, made key decisions for the organization over how credit would be extended and to whom, and directed how the members would conduct business and how proceeds from its illegal activities would be distributed. Limone rarely ever used the telephone, controlling the operation through a series of subordinates who, when they spoke of him, used nicknames including “the Camera Guy” and “Chief Crazy Horse.”

 

Squillante allegedly served as the intermediary between Limone and many agents in the organization, conducting face-to-face meetings and exchanging thousands of dollars in cash between Limone and others.

 

DiPrizio, whose principle place of business was run out of Florida, allegedly served as the “office manager” of the central “booking office.” Each day before the sporting events began, the agents or their customers would call in their bets to DiPrizio. DiPrizio was responsible for keeping the organization’s written records of bets won and lost, and money owed by various parties. Agents and customers used codenames, including combinations of letters and numbers, in order to conceal their identities.  It is alleged that DiPrizio took hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bets on a wide range of sporting events, including football, baseball, basketball and horseracing. 

 

Palladino was the organization’s primary “runner” for Limone and Squillante, handling its payments and collections of debts owed. Palladino was observed and monitored on numerous occasions meeting with various agents in public parking lots around Middlesex County, delivering or receiving tens of thousands of dollars in illegal gaming monies, and discussing outstanding “figures” or gambling debts. 

 

The Limone organization is accused of generating proceeds through three schemes – gambling revenue, loansharking, and extortion. The gambling revenue was generated through agents making and collecting layoff bets, with the Limone organization taking a percentage of the profits. A second scheme was through “loansharking,” charging usurious (illegally high) rates of interest on unpaid gaming debts owed to the organization. This practice of charging exceedingly high interest made it nearly impossible for many individuals in debt to the organization to pay their way out of the debt.

 

Finally, it is also alleged that the Limone organization collected what they termed “rent” (extortion) payments from at least four other unaffiliated bookmakers operating in and around the Limone territory in Greater Boston. These individuals were instructed that they would have to make cash payments each and every month in exchange for being allowed to conduct their own illegal gaming business without interference.  The bookmakers were made to understand that the demand for payment came from members of organized crime. They were also made to understand that the only alternative to paying the Limone organization would be to shut down their gaming operations altogether.  As a result, it is alleged that each of the four bookmakers paid tens of thousands of dollars in extortionate proceeds.

 

On March 28, State Police executed a series of search warrants at locations used by the Limone organization, including at 30 Almont Street, Limone’s Medford residence. Seized that day was contraband and evidence of illegal activity. It is alleged that this illegal activity by Limone and others continued following that date despite the fact that they were on notice of the criminal investigation.

  

The Contrada organization was much less structured, with nearly all members, including Contrada, directly serving customers as bookmaking agents in some capacity. The members of the Contrada organization are charged with crimes associated with illegal gaming, and not loansharking (usury) or extortion crimes.

 

A summary of the 140 indictments returned by a Middlesex Grand Jury today are as follows:

 

“Limone Organization”

 

  • Peter Limone, 74, of Medford
    Charges: Attempted Extortion (four counts), criminal usury, organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming (misdemeanor)
    Anthony Squillante, 73, of Boston
    Charges: Attempted Extortion (four counts), criminal usury, organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Thomas Palladino, 75, of Malden
    Charges: Attempted Extortion (four counts), criminal usury (two counts), organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit criminal usury (two counts), conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Joseph A. DiPrizio, Jr., 50, of Florida
    Charges: Attempted Extortion (four counts), criminal usury, organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, using a telephone for gaming
  • Mario Marquardo, 59, of Salem
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, criminal usury, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, using a telephone for gaming
  • Ralph Ventola, 42, of Boston
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house
  • John Zedros, 48, of Belmont
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, solicitation to commit a felony
  • Dominic Serino, 70, of Reading
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Alfred Stankus, 61, of Brighton
    Charges: Conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, using a telephone for gaming

 

“Contrada Organization”

 

  • Steven Contrada, 54, of Wilmington
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • John Miccichi, 55, of Malden
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, possession of a firearm and ammunition (four counts), using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, subsequent gaming offense
  • Raymond Suppa, 48, of Everett
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Pasquale Cambria, 73, of Stoneham
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Dominic Santoro, 63, of Marston Mills
    Charges: Conspiracy to organize and promote gambling (two counts), conspiracy to keep a gaming house (two counts), using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming (two counts)
  • Joseph Cirame, 49, of Everett
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Stephen Agrippino, 44, of Medford
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, using a telephone for gaming
  • Mark Evans, 48, of Medford
    Charges: Organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Paolo Tizzano, 39, of Boston
    Charges: Conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Robert F. Cash, 68, of Lynn
    Charges: Conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming
  • Frederick Sarno, 70, of Boston
    Charges: Conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming

 

These charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 

The case is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police Special Services Section and attorneys in the Middlesex District Attorney’s PACT Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys John Verner and David Solet of the PACT Unit.