Medford Man, Once Wrongfully Convicted, Faces New Charges
Peter Limone. File photo courtesy Gatehouse Media, Inc.
Peter Limone Won Wrongful Imprisonment Suit, Indicted in Connection with Organized Crime Activity
Story Updated 7:51AM, Monday, December 8, 2008
– Allison Goldsberry
A Medford man who spent thirty-three years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit now faces new charges.
Peter Limone, 74, successfully sued the federal government along with three other wrongfully convicted men and in 2007 was awarded the largest judgment for wrongful imprisonment in US history- $101.7 million.
Now Limone has been indicted in connection with organized crime activities and is accused of leading an organization profiting from illegal gaming, extortion, and loan-sharking in the Greater Boston area, according to information released by Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone.
Limone and three other men were arrested and sixteen others were indicted in connection with their involvement in two separate organized crime organizations. DA Leone said the defendants allegedly derived hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal proceeds through their involvement in illegal bookmaking operations, with members of the first organization engaging in crimes such as loan-sharking and extortion.
Thomas Palladino, 75, of Malden, Joseph DiPrizio, 50, of Florida, and Anthony Squillante, 73, of Boston, were also arrested. All four men were arraigned in Woburn Superior Court on Friday. Limone plead not guilty to the charges against him.
Limone is charged with four counts of attempted extortion, and one count each of criminal usury, organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, and conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, a misdemeanor.
Limone is accused of heading up a crime ring that made money through three schemes – gambling revenue, loansharking, and extortion. The DA said he controlled the organization through several subordinates and attempted to cover his tracks by avoiding the telephone and using nicknames such as “the Camera Guy” and “Chief Crazy Horse.”
State Police raided Limone’s Medford home in March and seized contraband and other evidence of illegal activity, according to the DA. Limone and the other men allegedly continued with their activities despite being aware of a criminal investigation.
Two other Medford men also face indictments in connection with their alleged involvement with another crime ring prosecutors say was headed up by Steven Contrada, 54, of Wilmington. Stephen Agrippino, 44, is charged with organizing a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming, and using a telephone for gaming. Mark Evans, 48, is charged with organizing a gambling syndicate, conspiracy to organize and promote gambling, conspiracy to keep a gaming house, using a telephone for gaming, and conspiracy to use a telephone for gaming.
Speaking to the Boston Globe, Limone’s lawyer, Juliane Balliro, said Limone is innocent and is being unfairly targeted because of his past.
“Because he’s Peter Limone, he’s an easy target. This was completely unnecessary, and it’s just another example of subjecting this man, who has already been through a tremendous ordeal, to a completely unnecessary ordeal,” said Balliro.
Limone, Joseph Salvati, Louis Greco, and Henry Tameleo were framed by the FBI for a 1965 murder they did not commit. Tameleo and Greco died in prison while Salvati and Limone had their sentences commuted in 1997 by Governor William Weld after thousands of pages of documents came out detailing FBI cover-ups and corruption that led to the wrongful imprisonment of the men.
mark evans was and is a loser. Still a punk. wow
really paul cause i can gaurantee that you wouldnt say that to mark evans face your a punk
You are so right paul. I use him as an example to my kids on why you need to get a good education. As for lauren, well you know what kind of girl that is. Maybe mark will make my new licence plate for my new benz in may.
The guy who served time already for 33 years has more than paid for these other alleged charges, guilty or not.
I know none of these individuals personally, but my personal feeling, as an “educated” man, is that an education does not keep anyone from being a “loser” or a “punk”. As a matter of fact the educated scumbags of the world do more damage, exempli gratia, the Ponzi scheme investment brokers, Most dictators of fascist regimes are extremely well educated.
Last of all, I do not think it is in good taste, nor appropriate to be so judgmental in an open forum regarding anyone, unless it is literally warning the general public for safety.
Think about this you could be talking about someone who has had 1/10 the opportunity, or has had to “survive” since there may be no well-to-do middle class mommy and daddy to fall back on, or to lean on. Now don’t get me wrong im not saying that criminals, accused or convicted, all deserve the worlds sympathy.
I am saying that it is pretty pretentious, snobby, and ignorant to think that an education is a free pass from bad luck, bad judgement, or both. I am not pointing a finger at the posters before me, but they got me on this particular rant…It gets under my skin “big-time” when someone acts, or worse, believes, themselves to be superior to another because they sat in a class room and have an expensive piece of paper.
Let’s face it, those of us who did go to an institute of higher learning know that there are some majors that seem “easy” with very low work loads and some that seem “impossible” with never ending assignments. Yet I find myself working with brilliant engineers without a degree, or one in another field altogether.
Lastly, wishing or joking about someones misfortunes, is just bad Karma all around. It is my personal belief that engaging in that type of rhetoric makes a person look like jerk, and says much about the $h1t talkers insecurities, and fears [such as fear of failures past , present, future].
The areas of inadequacy of the “slander happy” individual; lack of achievement of their own inner goals or perceived success is what fuels the need to knock others! Especially those who they perceive to be inferior [in class, wealth, intelligence, etc]. It is not so much the facts they think they are spewing about another, but the need to have their hurtful, insensitive, oft times ignorant words heard and confirmed by anyone, better still by an equal peer, or the elite [however they have defined elite in their own mind].
my $.02 for the month…Hopefully readers try and help each other succeed, rather than be boastful when others fail.
-Jeff
But mark evans is still a loser. Cannot deny that fact.
jim:
im the same kind of girl as your mother
well mark evans served his country in the marine corp must not be that much of a loser and i love the fact that people have have guts to say what they want on a computer but dont have the guts to say it to peoples faces. all you people with negitive comments about mark probably got slapped by him that is why ur hating.
does anyone remember the fight at the channel club in south boston from high school that mark evans, fred shamshack etc.. got into? They got butts kicked by 2 of the lahey brothers from SB. I saw it, I was there w/ my cuz. Anyways, they told story that it was 12 guys. NO it wasn’t. You guys got whooped by 2 teens. Messed with the wrong 2 that night and there were 5 of u. HA HA.
this is my uncle.. he has served more than enough time in that god damn prison for NOTHING! let the man live the rest of his life with his family.. since he missed 33 years of it for the FBI’s stupidity! 🙂