Enrico Ponzo Racketeering trial starts today

interesting, I wonder who's on the witness list.....

I wonder what kind of plea he was offered, if any...?

If I was him I would've taken 5 or 6 years if offered...

I have to believe that they're going to hit this guy with as lengthy a sentence as possible.

It said in today's Boston Globe that Ponzo's atty plans to call some of the guys he was Indicted with who are now out of prison, Bobby Carrozza, Anthony Ciampi, as well as Vincent gigi Portalla who is still in Federal Prison and will be according to the BOP inmate locator till 2027. He probably could have plead to something like 10 years had he not been superceded back in Feb with additional charges which ive read included conspiracy to distribute over a Ton of Marijuana as well as witness tampering and they found something like 100,000 in cash, 65,000 in gold coins, and 22 rifles and 8 handguns, and 34,000 rounds of ammo and identity fraud and some other charges in addition to conspiring to kill 14 rival members from Sallemme's crew and a couple counts of attempted murder. The case is like 20 years old though so who know's what's going to happen?

I remember when they caught Ponzo out in where was it? Staying with that family, had all those guns in his place

Idaho, I think. He wasn't living with anyone, he had his own ranch like 30 acres and a common law wife and I think a kid or two....

The curious part is why any of his old pals would testify against him after all these years...It would be easy to say "I don't remember"

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Wanted Mobster Found Masquerading as a Cattle Rancher in Idaho
Oct. 7, 2013
By MICHELE MCPHEE
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For more than a decade, Jeffrey John Shaw was seen as an eccentric man amongst his neighbors in the cattle community of Marsing, Idaho -- a rancher with a thick Boston accent trying to blend in by wearing bib overalls and a straw hat.

During his time as an Idaho rancher, the raven-haired, goateed man raised cows and two kids and became trusted enough to run the town's irrigation system, according to court records.

But in February 2011, as he was set to purchase hay for his 12-acre ranch, police swooped in and exposed the rancher as a wanted mobster on the lam for 17 years.

In a Boston federal courtroom today, the goatee was gone. So were the overalls. And a jury was picked for the trial for Shaw under his real name: Enrico Ponzo.

Ponzo, prosecutors said, was no cattle rancher. In fact, he is suspected, according to federal charges, of slaughtering men rather than cows as a feared Mafia enforcer for the powerful Patriarca Crime Family, which in the 1990s, ran all of the New England rackets from Hanover Street in Boston to Atwells Avenue in Providence.

Prosecutors said Ponzo was part of a particularly violent faction desperate to oust the family's bosses to take control of the family and was willing to commit murder in order to win that bloody internecine struggle for power.

"Defendant Enrico M. Ponzo and his co-conspirators utilized violence and the threat of violence to further their aims, and committed murders and attempted murders to remove competitors and avenge acts committed by their rivals," prosecutors said in court records.

Ponzo had been missing since 1994, just after his crime family rivals took out a contract hit on his life and missed, authorities said, shooting instead an innocent victim, Michael Romano, as he changed a tire at a Kentucky Fried Chicken outside of Boston. After that, Ponzo vanished.

In 1997, Ponzo was listed alongside 14 other mob associates as part of a sweeping federal indictment charging them with a plethora of murders -- including the shooting of Frances "Cadillac Frank" Salemme.

It was one of the most storied hit attempts in Boston history. Salemme was ambushed and shot as he left a pancake house on Route 1 in Saugus but survived and eventually became the New England crime family boss.

Among the witnesses for the government, according to court records, are Michael Romano Sr. -- whose son was shot in a case of mistaken identity by the hitmen gunning for Ponzo -- and Mark Rossetti, who was unmasked as a longtime FBI informant during his state trial on drug and racketeering charges last year.

Rossetti is suspected of killing the younger Romano while working as an FBI informant, authorities said. After the Romano hit in 1994, his sidekick David Clark shot and killed Massachusetts State Trooper Mark Charbonnier, according to South Boston Congressman Stephen Lynch and state prosecutors. The Rossetti case led Lynch to file federal legislation for the FBI to change the way it handles FBI informants.

The Ponzo trial comes just months after the trial of James "Whitey" Bulger, the notorious Boston wiseguy who worked alongside the FBI to take down members of the Patriarca family -- some of whom are expected to testify in this trial.

I thought Michael Romano Sr. was still in jail? Interesting that he has agreed to testify.

Mike Romano is still in prison he gets out in about 2 years or so bop web site has him at ft dix NJ.

seems like ponzo calling all these guys as witneses. romano and all these guys are gonna plead the 5th. why roseeti gonna do anything the feds screwed him and he's doing 12yrs in state prison the feds cant help that. romano is suing the fbi for his sons murder by rosetti. ponzo just pulling the fbi whitey bulger card. fbi+informants running a mock.

Wrong, the article states that the government are calling Romano and Rossetti, not Ponzo.

This part is interesting because Romano Sr. killed a guy in East Boston in broad daylight I think (Maverick Sq?), Joe Souza, who he suspected of being the shooter in his sons mistaken identity hit, with Clark being the driver. This is the first I've heard that Rossetti could have been the triggerman? Wouldn't be surprised to hear that he ordered it though.

I remember reading a article couple months ago Michael romano sn. is suing the boston fbi for 100million dollars in a wrongfull death lawsuit of his sons murder at the hands of rossetti. why would the guy take the stand for the government when he plead guilty 20yrs ago and getting out soon.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/10/...wQgJ/story.html

Interesting, here is a name that has been mentioned before in the Boston threads. Apparently Charles Lightbody punched out a pro-casino advocate in Revere at a rally and is being charged for it.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/10/...Ni6J/story.html

Some more sentencing for Rossetti associates. Has Michael Prochilo been sentenced yet?

Rossetti was and is a piece of shit

That's interesting about Charlie Lightbody. He pretty well connected. I just read the article about him punching the guy. He is anti casino in revere because he owns a piece of property on rt 99 in Everett. So he is pushing hard for the casino to go there. Funny story though. Typical Revere lol

anyone heard or read whats going on in this guys trial. its probably in its 3rd week the globe and herald havnt coverd it, wondering if rossetti takes the stand for the defense. telling how him and his crew were looking to kill ponzo well he was working as a fbi mole. and if gigi and the rest take the stand.

This Ponzo guy was a nobody and in typical fashion, Boston is making this the trial of the century

The trial has had a couple of off days last week, no court on mon tue or wed, thurs and fri they were there, and monday no court again, as far as rosetti and all the others testifying haven't heard anything, the globe covers it periodically as does the herald.

FBI investigates revere casino deal

excuse me, that everett, not revere.

This made me laugh...I swear they're not mine!

Agreed 100%, as Boston has a tendency to do that. I still contend that Whitey Bulger was a character made into a national spotlight for one reason: He had a few crooked FBI agents on his payroll, namely John Connolly from the old neighborhood...In the grand scheme of things, Whitey ran South Boston...nothing more and actually supplied drugs to the neighborhood, far from the Robin Hood reputation he acquired from some of the old Southie residents. Do I believe he helped people in his neighborhood, sure...but he did more harm than good to his own people. If the media didn't get a hold on the FBI agents in question, the story doesn't become national headlines and certainly doesn't warrant a dozen books and movies...but hey, we live in America and this isn't the first time its happened, and certainly won't be the last!

In the grand scheme of things, whitey just ran South Boston. That has to be one of the dumbsest statements I've ever heard. He ran everything, the Italians would not dare fuck with him. He ruled Greater Boston all the way to the north and south shore and was extorting companies for millions as far as Connecticut. You definitely don't know your shit when it comes to the Irish and Whitey. He ran everything and was more powerful and feared than any Italian with the North End. Come on buddy him and Stevie didn't make close to 50 million each with just running South Boston. They were the leading organized crime group from the the early 80 to 95 when they were indicted. Come on bud you say your an organized crime buff and you say that about Whitey. You definitely don't know your facts when it has to do with Winter Hill and Whitey. Your a 100%wrong with that post you just made JCB.

And if Whitey ran South Boston and nothing more? Then how come the Italians never had the balls to whack him and stevie. Whitey was a powerhouse and controlled more operations than the North End. Hellers Cafe and what was going on there is a prime example of whiteys influence, all the bookies paid whitey, theres is testimony that proves that. There were only a few bookies still paying the Italians when that situation was going on. They all paid Whitey and just a few paid the North End, that right there explains alot about whiteys power and influence in Boston and the surounding areas. I can give you facts for days that contradicts the statement you made of Whitey running Southie and nothing more.

Southie actually became almost secondary to Whitey over the years as he had so much other business going on elsewhere, he even got tired of divvying up his spoils with his southie crew from scores they had no part in. i'm not talking outta my ass, this is from johnny martorano's book

Ponzo has a pretty big weiner.

Ya you got any pic's I heard he's got a pretty big cock