Nine accused in federal case on gambling, loan-sharking rings

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000 | 9:59 a.m.

The suspects include both a purported leader of the local Genovese crime family and the brother of its late local boss.

"Organized crime is just as serious a threat to our society as street crime," said Springfield Police Chief Paula Meara during a news conference at U.S. District Court in Springfield.

In court papers, state police Lt. Timothy Alben gave an often detailed look into the dark side of the alleged rings, including bare-knuckled, obscenity-laden conversations allegedly recorded from wiretaps of the suspects' cellular telephones.

In Alben's court affidavit, the suspects sometimes threaten to pour cement to cover up debtors who can't pay. Alben refers to one loan made at 400 percent annual interest.

However, George McMahon, a lawyer for suspect Emilio Fusco, suggested to a federal magistrate that the threats were hollow.

"There is a lot of braggadocio. There is a lot of puffing. There is a lot of ... the types of things you would expect to see in a movie," the lawyer said.

The suspects include alleged local Genovese family leader Anthony J. Delevo, 60, of Westfield; and Albert "Ba Ba" Scibelli, 80, of Hampden. Scibelli is a brother of the late Francesco Joseph "Skyball" Scibelli, who had once been identified by authorities as the local Genovese family boss.

Authorities fingered Delevo, Scibelli and Fusco, 32, of Longmeadow, as leaders of the operations laid out in the latest charges.

The others charged were Fusco's wife, Jenny Santos-Fusco, 28, of Longmeadow; Carmine Manzi, 51, of East Longmeadow; his son, Giuseppe, 26, of Springfield; Todd Illingsworth, 25, of Springfield; Ralph Santaniello, 41, of Springfield; and Andrew Scibelli, 49, of Agawam.

Andrew Scibelli, who is not related to Albert or Joseph Scibelli, worked with Illingsworth at the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, in Springfield, according to court papers. Santaniello used to work as a dispatcher for the city police department but has since been fired, the police chief said.

The suspects, who were named in criminal complaints sworn out Thursday, were arrested Friday morning. They shuffled into court with hands and feet in shackles for their initial hearings before a federal magistrate in Springfield.

Delevo had been on court-supervised release for a previous gambling conviction.

In the new case, all nine were charged with joining in an illegal gambling ring. Fusco, the Manzis and Illingsworth are also charged with loan-sharking.

The accusations stem from an investigation beginning in September 1999. The FBI, state police and Springfield police all took part, combining information from wiretaps and informants.

The investigators also seized more than $960,000 in cash and securities from the operations in searches earlier this year, according to the court papers.

However, Delevo lawyer Vincent Bongiorni said, "All the underlying facts are not going to be known at this stage. This is just the beginning. This is just the opening salvo."

Fusco and Carmine Manzi were detained without bail Friday to await hearings next week. The seven others charged were released, mostly on bonds up to $50,000, to await later hearings.

A loan-sharking conviction can lead to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A gambling conviction can yield a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Prosecutors said the investigation remains active but declined to say if others are likely to be charged.