Wire tap recordings Springfield mob trial, day 1

[joeycigars]

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ny_op.html

Highlights of tow company operator's recordings from Springfield mob trial, day 1
Posted December 13, 2017 at 09:30 AM | Updated December 13, 2017 at 09:30 AM
3 Comment
richard valentini 1.jpg
Richard Valentini in custody at the Springfield state police barracks on Aug. 4, 2016.

Dave Roback / The Republican

By STEPHANIE BARRY | sbarry@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD — 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):
Organized crime figures in custody after early morning Greater
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.

Greg Saulmon / The Republican

'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.
The city contract
Morel's lucrative city contract was complicated by a change in administration and hobbled by other factors, including when a local towing alliance run by African-American owners temporarily assumed the contract in the mid-2000s.
CM: The city took it over. They took it over for like ... two years. Then, they blew it. The control board came in, saw how much money they were missing and they um - they rebid it. Then I tried to bid it ... after that I think I had it for like a year and a half. They let me do it interim, they never even gave me a full contract. Gave me a temporary. From that, they gave it to um them black guys there ... Them guys had it for about two years and when it came - all came said and done they owed the city like a million and a half. They beat the city out of a shit-ton of money because they weren't payin' their fees.
Then they made me share it with like four different companies.
JC: Right.
CM: So they made me babysit these clowns and they kept rebidding it ... they kept bidding it because I wasn't kickin' back enough percentage to them ... They ended up getting 30 percent of the tow and 20 percent of the storage. So that's where we're at now ... The biggest problem is they, um, what do you call it ... um, the police aren't doing much towing. We used to do nine to eleven thousand a year, now we're doing like six.
(And later):
CM: If you remember, right before Al's gone ... That whole prior year I was basically - we were having meetings with the city - we had everybody - everybody there, but the problem was they changed mayors. (former Mayor Charles) Ryan was there, (former Mayor Michael) Albano was gone, but Bruno was still in power, but they still - they still, blind eye. He couldn't get nothing done.
JC: But you ended up getting it back.
CM: I ended up getting it back four years later and I mean, two hundred thousand in lawyers and fees and - and um towin' cars for the city for nothing and all kinda stuff. But it wasn't - it's not the same contract.
(And later):
JC: Well how much is it going to be a - a month?
CM: Probably around what you said. Probably be around two thousand.
What will the "street tax" buy Morel in return?
RV: You're not gonna ... nothing ... you can relax. Like nothing or whatever ... like whatever happened or whatever - you can relax. You're going to get treated as good as Al treated you.
CM: Yea I don't want to be on a date like I can't go ... like my friends are going somewhere downtown tonight and I don't even want to go.
RV: No no no no. And that's where we'll get ... if you have any problems with anybody ...
JC: No you don't understand.
RV: - anybody
JC: you're never going to have to worry about nothing ever again.
RV: You're never going to have a problem with anybody.
JC: You follow what I'm saying? This - it - it kinda gives you a card to do whatever the f*** you want, but you're not an ass**** so you're not going to abuse it.
CM: Mm-hmm
JC: And if anybody ever f***s with you, you're gonna let us know. Do you follow me?
CM: Yea.
RV: Right away.
JC: In any way, shape, or form.
RV: And it's going to end. I guarantee you it will end.
But, about that $20,000
JC: You're not going to get slapped. You - you're going to give us the five today ($5,000 Morel presented that day)
CM: Yea.
JC: But you gotta give us the rest of the money.
CM: Ok ... I'm just gonna have to piecemeal it for the next week or two.
JC: If you need - if you need another five next week, another five ... if you wanna do it like that, I'll come back, we could do it like that. I'll give you a little time. But - but it's gotta - it's gotta all come to twenty and then it's gonna be two thousand a month. But with that, you're always gonna have good friends and we're gonna try to help you build your business more. If we do, then you're not gonna mind contributing a little more often.
CM: That's what I told you guys the other day.
JC: Is that fair?
CM: Exactly.
JC: That's what I said to you. Did I say I was gonna be fair?
CM: Yea.
JC: That's what I'm gonna do ... I'm gonna start working on that Mass Pike uh contract because you said you're having a problem with that right now?
CM: No, no, I'm not having a problem with it, it's just going out to bid. I mean ... there's really not a lot you can do ... State troopers and state police and the Turnpike Authority, they don't screw around. And I don't wanna really be involved in - trying to, you know, strong-arm anybody.
JC: You're not. Let us take care of that. You - you tell us what you need. Let us take care of what you need. Do you follow what I'm saying? That's how it's gonna work. You're not gonna do any of that. We have people we know that are gonna help us to help you.
Note: There has never been any evidence the defendants interceded with the city or state.

Giovanni "Johnny" Calabrese, 53, of Longmeadow, is held in a cruiser before being booked at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Springfield early Thursday morning, Aug. 4, 2016.

Greg Saulmon / The Republican
Calabrese promises sunny skies with the Springfield Crew
CM: Yea but then - you gotta remember - but then the city they - they turned their back on me like you're a nobody you know?
JC: I'm here to assure you that's not going to happen to you ever again. You're all set with the City of Springfield. You're going to be all set when we start talking to people with the Turnpike. And then you're going to let me know other people that you want us to help you with and we're going to help you with those. Your business is only going to go up from here on in. It's not gonna go down? You follow me?
CM: Yea.
JC: And you're not gonna ever have to worry about nothing with nobody? You follow what I'm saying?
CM: Yea.
JC: And that's a guarantee.
RV: And the only time you gotta see us is when you have a problem. You know what I mean? Like ... you know, you don't want to hang around with us like every day.
Calabrese, also an exterminator with Braman pest control, does not forget his day job
JC: We'll stop in (to Starbuck's) once in a while and have a coffee. And not for nothing, you might need me for some pre-treat when you put the foundation down, so ...
CM: Yea.
JC: So I could work a deal for ya.
CM: There's so many critters up here.
JC: Of course. And then I'll put you under contract with Braman that you're going to save some money and I'll take care of your pest control.
CM: Alright.
JC: I mean I'm gonna be better than fair with you.
(And later):
JC: It's gonna be worth it. It's going to work out for all of us ... I'll even leave ya a card.
CM: Like I said I just need to not feel like I'm getting shaken down, feel like I'm being take care of.
JC: We want you to feel like you're our friend and we're your friend ... You're gonna love us.

[willychichi]

On day 2 of testimony in mob extortion trial, jurors hear more recordings victim made

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/ ... dex_topics

[yatescj7781]

Are they that hard up for money they operate with such reckless abandon? I mean 30 years ago this might have gone smooth, but smack a guy in this day you have to assume he is going straight to the cops and get wired up. There are smarter ways to do business.

[mr white]

This was an ex-cop that he smacked...told him to leave his phone behind and tried to march him into the woods like it was 1965...rediculous what could he possibly thought would stop the guy from going to the state police?

[willychichi]

Tow company operator testifying in extortion trial: Mobster said kickbacks were intended for city officials

Testifying in an ongoing federal extortion trial, Craig J. Morel told jurors he was first approached for kickbacks by a local mobster when he bought a towing company in 2000. With the company, he inherited an exclusive towing and storage pact with the city of Springfield, the flagship contract for his then-young business, C.J.'s Towing Unlimited. Morel testified that Frank Depergola, a family friend and longtime fixture in the Springfield rackets, quickly approached him and told him he was obligated to pay kickbacks to city officials to retain the contract.

Read more: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ifyin.html

[Jim505]

great stuff Joey.

[willychichi]

Richard Valentini guilty of extortion, conspiracy in 'Springfield Crew' organized crime case

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ini_e.html

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

I read in a recent Gangster Report article by Scott Burnstein that Anthony Arillotta is living back in the Springfield area since his release.
Wasn't Arillotta one of the reasons that Artie Nigro was convicted of murder conspiracy? If he is out, would the Genovese not kill him?
Or is it too dangerous these days to retaliate?
Thoughts...

[Cheech]

no one is hitting rats anymore. maybe a punch in the mouth but not killing anyone. numerous rats out in the open

[UTC]

Ensuring that there will be more. Very short sighted in my view.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Anyone know if/when Valentini is sentenced?

[Attaboi 1]

Ensuring that there will be more. Very short sighted in my view.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

[Confederate]

no one is hitting rats anymore. maybe a punch in the mouth but not killing anyone. numerous rats out in the open

No fear of retaliation for informing will be the final nails in the coffin along with simple attrition for the smaller Families.

[Attaboi 1]

Idk, they killed informants for 70+ years, and they still had them. This day in age it just doesn’t seem worth it in the big picture. Now it’s more the attitude of fuck it, move on

[Attaboi 1]

Then again, philly was killing them still during ligambi’s reign. So their is still a real threat.