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News and Features about Organized Crime, Mafia and La Cosa Nostra taken from National and Local News Sources. In an attempt to get you this type of coverage in a timely manner we can not be responsible for the content of the following material. |
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4-25-00 Alleged capo regime ready to tell on the mob. By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff, 4/25/2000 By all accounts, Robert Luisi Jr. was an enterprising and well-traveled wiseguy. Snubbed by local Mafiosi, the reputed Medford mobster allegedly joined the Philadelphia mob and sold drugs for them in Boston. Emboldened by his new title of capo regime under Philadelphia mob boss Joseph ''Skinny Joey'' Merlino, sources said, Luisi teamed up with a Charlestown gangster and tried to move in on the territory of fugitive South Boston gangster James ''Whitey'' Bulger. And before that, Luisi, 39, was suspected of having hooked up with a son of reputed gangster Stephen Flemmi to shake down restaurateurs in Chinatown. Now, facing a lengthy prison term since his arrest last year on drug trafficking charges, Luisi, the man who knows a little about a lot of different underworld factions, has agreed to cooperate in organized crime investigations stretching from Boston to Philadelphia, according to court records. ''He's in the process of trying to work out a global agreement,'' said Boston attorney John J. McGlone III, who represents Luisi. A federal judge yesterday scheduled a change of plea hearing of June 13 for Luisi, after McGlone and Assistant US Attorney Ernest DiNisco announced that they were hammering out final details of a plea agreement. While Luisi's cooperation with the FBI is likely to give the biggest boost to investigators trying to dismantle Merlino's organization, he will probably be tapped for information about the activities of associates of Bulger, Flemmi, and recently convicted New England Mafia boss Francis Salemme, according to sources. In 1998, Luisi and a Charlestown gangster allegedly paid a menacing visit to the Quincy home of Kevin Weeks, a top lieutenant of Bulger, who recently began cooperating against Bulger, according to sources. While Luisi was never mentioned by name, Weeks complained to Flemmi during a bugged conversation that mobsters had been to the home of his estranged wife demanding to meet with him, according to a court affidavit. ''The funny thing is I never met these people in my life, you know,'' Weeks said during the call. ''I never had anything to do with them, now all of a sudden they wanna talk to me. [Forget] that.'' Luisi allegedly had ties to Salemme's brother, John, who is reportedly being targeted by investigators, and Luisi saw a chance to seize control of some of the rackets being controlled by the Bulger group, according to sources. And while Weeks may not have had many dealings with Luisi, records show that Luisi was acquainted with Flemmi's son, William Hussey, who also goes by the name William St. Croix. On Oct. 29, 1995, Boston police responding to a call about a large fight at the Dynasty Restaurant in Chinatown at 2 a.m. arrived to find Luisi, with cuts on his face, and Hussey, with a gun stuffed in his belt, according to an incident report obtained by the Globe. Hussey told police that four or five Asian males beat Luisi over the head with a chair, so he pulled out his gun and sent them running. Police confiscated the weapon, a black .357 magnum with a round in the chamber and nine more in the clip, and took away Hussey's permit to carry the weapon. Neither Hussey nor Luisi was arrested for the incident, but according to sources, police suspected they were shaking down people at the restaurant. Just a week later, on Nov. 6, 1995, Luisi's father, Robert Sr., his brother, Roman, and his cousin, Anthony Sarro, and family friend, Anthony Pelosi, were gunned down at the 99 Restaurant in Charlestown. ''I'd be absolutely shocked and surprised if anyone could tie Hussey and Luisi together,'' said McGlone, who declined to discuss the extent of Luisi's cooperation. ''There was very little, if any, relationship between the two of them.'' McGlone said Luisi is likely to serve 11 to 14 years in prison as part of the plea agreement, based on his criminal history and the charges against him. Luisi, Merlino, Robert Carrozza Jr., Thomas Wilson, and Shawn Vetere were charged last July with selling cocaine. Luisi was caught on videotape selling drugs to an undercover FBI agent. Vetere, 32, of East Boston, pleaded guilty yesterday to drug charges and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
This story ran on page B1 of the Boston Globe on 4/25/2000.
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