Grand jury indicts 13 on gambling charges
By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff
Former New England Mafia captain Vincent M. Ferrara was among 13 people indicted today on gambling charges by a Norfolk County grand jury.
Ferrara, 59, of Boston's North End faces one count of conspiring to use a telephone for gambling purposes, based on calls that he allegedly made to bookmakers last year that were tapped by the Massachusetts State Police.
The misdemeanor charge carries a sentence of up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. But Ferrara, who has been on probation since his release from federal prison nearly three years ago, could be sent back to prison for up to three years if he violated a requirement that he not commit any new crimes.
Boston attorney Martin G. Weinberg, who helped win Ferrara’s freedom in the federal case, said, ‘‘Innocent people get charged with offenses they did not commit. Mr. Ferrara intends to vigorously defend himself against this misdemeanor allegation.’’
Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said in a statement that the indictment has "brought a substantial illegal gaming racket operating on the South Shore and in and around Boston to an end.''
He credited the State Police Special Services Section, which targets organized crime, with uncovering gambling offenses allegedly committed by members of the gambling ring between June and October of last year.
State Police Colonel Mark Delaney said, "The Massachusetts State Police are committed to disrupting criminal organizations wherever and whenever they occur. These indictments and the invstigation that led to them should make that eminently clear.''
The indictment charges the alleged ringleader, Dominic Santoro, 62, of Quincy and Marstons Mills, of organizing a gambling ring, using a telephone to register bets, placing bets and conspiracy.
One of the other defendants was Alfred Stankus, 60, of Brighton, a freelancer who has written a column on betting for the Boston Herald. He faces charges of conspiracy and placing bets by telephone.
None of the defendants have been arrested. They will be summoned to appear in court for arraignment. No date has been set.
Ferrara, who served nearly 16 years in prison for racketeering, extortion and gambling, was freed in May 2005 after a federal judge shaved several years off his sentence because of government misconduct.
US District Judge Mark L. Wolf found that Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Auerhahn failed to tell defense lawyers in the early 1990s that a key witness had tried to recant his assertion that Ferrara ordered the 1985 slaying of Vincent "Jimmy" Limoli in the North End.
Ferrara said he was innocent of Limoli's slaying, but would plead guilty to murder, along with racketeering charges, under a deal that sent him to prison for 22 years, rather than risk a conviction that could lead to life in prison.
