Reputed mob captain, porn kingpin plead guilty to tax fraud

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Richichi, 80, of Las Vegas, and Guarino, 47, of Providence, R.I., are scheduled for sentencing on April 25 under a plea bargain agreement.

Richichi, the supposed confidant of John Gotti, head of the New York Gambino crime family, is accused of conspiring to hide money he allegedly took from Guarino in exchange for protection from other mob factions, an indictment said.

Richichi will be sentenced to three years and five months in prison, to be served concurrently with a six-year sentence. He is currently serving six years for racketeering and extortion in Florida.

Guarino will be sentenced to 16 months in prison, part of which will be served in a halfway house. He also will have a period of supervised release and be fined $250,000.

The case was scheduled to go to trial on Monday.

On Wednesday, a judge ordered Richichi's son, Salvatore Richichi, 45, to undergo psychological testing to determine his competency. The younger Richichi was also indicted on a federal tax fraud charge.

Co-defendant Stephen Cino, 60, of Las Vegas, is expected to enter a guilty plea on Monday to conspiring to bribe a union official in connection with a casino show.

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