2 years trimmed from sentence

Jace Radke

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | 9:52 a.m.

A reputed Chicago mob associate will spend 13 years in prison instead of 15 after being resentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro Tuesday.

Stephen Cino, 64, who is suffering from congenital heart failure and attended the hearing via telephone from prison in Victorville, Calif., was resentenced in response to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' Sept. 24, 2001, reversal of a money-laundering conviction.

Cino, who was convicted on multiple counts of extortion and money laundering, was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with a series of crimes that led to the 1997 murder of underworld figure "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein in Las Vegas.

The 9th Circuit overturned one of the money-laundering charges, stating in an opinion that a jury could not have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Cino aided and abetted in a $2,000 tribute payment to another reputed mob figure.

Cino's attorney, David Chesnoff, who was in Victorville with his client Tuesday, argued that Cino's health and efforts to attend classes in prison should be taken into account by Pro in his sentencing.

"Mr. Cino has incredible difficulty walking and has had to use a wheelchair," Chesnoff said. "He only has half a heart, but in spite of that he is trying to do what he can to better himself while in prison."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Johnson argued that Cino should be sentenced to the 14-year sentence recommended in the presentencing report.

"Mr. Cino is a person who has no remorse, no second thoughts about being involved in crime, making a life of crime," Johnson said. "He is proud of what he does."

Cino told Pro that he thought there was a reason that one of his convictions was overturned.

"This is hurting my family," Cino said. "For their sake reduce my time. I believe that the 9th Circuit has given this opportunity so I can see my family outside prison walls."

Cino, who was originally sentenced in August 1999, was acquitted of helping to orchestrate the January 1997 slaying of Blitzstein. Blitzstein was shot three times in the head, allegedly by either Antone Davi or Richard Friedman. The two men fingered each other as the triggerman.

Davi received 20 years in prison after entering a plea agreement, and Friedman was sentenced to 25 years.