Military and Criminal Defense

Thursday, May 26, 2011

RI Organized Crime Charges Entered

Organized criminal activity is defined as groups of illegal activity enterprises centralized and run by criminals for the purpose of monetary profit. Organized crime defendants are charged on the Federal Criminal level, with typical activities consisting of extortion, hijacking trucks for cargo and goods, various forms of financial fraud, smuggling, bootlegging, and any other illegal activity that may generate financial gain. In order for prosecutors to sustain a conviction against a defendant charged with any of the crime related to organized criminal activity, they typically manage long, time consuming, and very explicit detailed investigations, involving inside information, and even wiretapping, to expose the criminal activity and gather enough evidence to charge the defendants.

The charges for those recently arrested from RI for suspected organized criminal activity have been publicly released.

Bail set for man arrested in organized crime sweep

Magistrate Joseph P. Ippolito Jr. of District Court set bail at $130,000 Friday for Vincent “Big Vinny” Tallo, who was arrested with 23 others in an organized crime sweep by state and local police on May 6.

Ippolito granted bail after a hearing. It was not known immediately whether Tallo was able to post the required 10 percent of the bail sum.

Tallo, 49, of 12 Poppy Hill Drive, Johnston, was charged with racketeering, organized criminal gambling, extortion conspiracy (four counts), bookmaking, conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver it.

Arrested in the same roundup were three prominent mobsters, Frank L. “Bobo” Marrapese Jr., 68, of Cranston, Edward C. Lato, 65, of Providence, and Alfred “Chippy” Scivola Jr., 69, of Johnston.

Thomas J. Morgan

Second Degree Murder Conviction in Fall River

A conviction of second degree murder in MA can carry with it a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with parole after 15 years. Second Degree Murder is differentiated from First Degree Murder by the missing requisite qualities of intent and premeditation.

In the instance below, the defendant was given the maximum sentence.

Fall River man guilty of second-degree murder

A Fall River man has been found guilty of killing a man whose body was rolled in a carpet and dumped in a Rhode Island river.

The Herald News reports that Arnaldo Flores was convicted of second-degree murder Thursday in Fall River Superior Court and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years.

The 27-year-old Flores took the stand at trial and claimed self-defense. He and other witnesses said the victim, Osvaldo Martinez, went to Flores’ home in December 2009 intending to rob him.

Flores said he fought back. Martinez was struck three times, including once in the chest.

Prosecutors say Flores, his sister and her boyfriend rolled Martinez’s body in a rug and dumped it in the Sakonnet River in Little Compton.

Associated Press