Alleged mobsters plead guilty

Kim Smith

Monday, March 13, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

Four of the reputed mobsters arrested two years ago during a lengthy FBI investigation into the Los Angeles mob's attempted takeover of Las Vegas pleaded guilty last week.

The four -- Vincent Arcuri, Rocco Zangari, Dominic Spinale and Los Angeles La Cosa Nostra family underboss Carmen Milano -- were indicted at the same time as those found ultimately responsible for the death of Herbie Blitzstein. Blitzstein was the right-hand man of the late Anthony Spilotro, a Chicago mob boss.

Arcuri pleaded guilty Monday to racketeering-related counts. He confessed to selling counterfeit cashier and company checks to an undercover FBI agent and purchasing merchandise with counterfeit checks in the summer of 1996.

Zangari pleaded guilty Friday to supervising other mob members while they sold $75,000 in counterfeit checks to undercover agents in the fall of 1996.

Milano and Spinale both pleaded guilty Thursday to racketeering charges. According to court records, they conspired with Blitzstein, Milano and Peter Caruso to dupe people into buying fake diamonds after first showing them genuine diamonds. Although the scheme, between January and April 1996, failed, it could have resulted in a loss of $36,000.

Milano also pleaded guilty to setting up the laundering of proceeds from food stamp fraud through Express Tours, a Las Vegas a limousine service.

Spinale also confessed to developing a scheme with Caruso and Blitzstein in 1995 in which people allowed their cars to be stolen so they could file false insurance claims and later sell the "stolen" cars. One of the cars taken was Spinale's Mercedes-Benz.

Blitzstein was shot three times in the head in January 1997 by either Antone Davi or Richard Friedman. They were hired by Alfred Mauriello, who had been asked by Caruso to carry out the murder.

Davi received 20 years in prison after entering a plea agreement and Friedman received 25 years. They fingered each other as the triggerman. Mauriello got 15 years as part of a plea agreement and Peter Caruso died of heart failure while awaiting trial.

Four other men tied to Blitzstein have also been sentenced within the last year. Robert Panaro and Stephen Cino, who were acquitted by a jury on murder-related charges in the case, were convicted of trying to extort Blitzstein. Panaro got 7 1/2 years in prison and Cino received 15 years.

Anthony DeLulio and Louis Caruso, who confessed they burglarized Blitzstein's house after his death, got 18 months and 24 months, respectively.

Milano, Spinale, Arcuri and Zangari all face up to 20 years in prison.

Kim Smith covers courts for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 455-4844 or (702)259-2321 or by e-mail at kimberly@lasvegassun.com.