Gambling trial in hands of federal jury
NWI Times
Aug 16, 1991
http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/gambling-trial-in-hands-of-federal-jury/article_ff06acf4-b0ed-5944-b250-cda2fe38fbe5.html
HAMMOND - The six men on trial for allegedly extorting protection money from illegal gambling operators were not "put together" by the government, a federal prosecutor told the jury in his closing remarks Thursday.
"I did not put these people together in this enterprise," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Thill. "Who put these people together? They did it themselves."
Thill countered arguments by defense lawyers that the six defendants were not a part of the so-called mob conspiracy to extort money.
A federal jury of nine women and three men began deliberating about 11 a.m. Thursday and will continue this morning sifting through the evidence, including more than 200 secretly tape-recorded conversations. The jury requested at 11:45 a.m. that a tape recorder be provided.
Asking for justice, Thill knocked claims by the defense that no one was hurt by the alleged extortion. The legal gambling hurts society, from the public corruption it breeds to the tragedy borne by the families of gamblers, he said.
Defense lawyers argued Wednesday that the government, which spent eight years investigating the men, failed to produce evidence that their clients collected a so-called street tax.
The six are accused of racketeering, conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business for the Chicago "Outfit" organized crime family.
The highlights of the government and the defense's closing arguments included:
* Dominick "Tootsie" Palermo, 73, of Orland Park allegedly was the boss to whom went the proceeds from a high-stakes barbooth game, a sports betting operation and the protection money collected from illegal gambling operators. The defense said Palermo is a hard-working family and union man who collected money only for the International Laborers Union Local 5 in Chicago Heights.
* Nicholas "Jumbo" Guzzino, 49, of Chicago Heights allegedly was one of the bosses under Palermo who applied pressure to gambling operators who refused to pay. The defense said Guzzino's only aggressive effort to collect money was done in his capacity as a field representative for the laborers' pension and welfare fund.
* Bernard "Snooky" Morgano, 54, of Valparaiso allegedly oversaw "street tax" collections in Northwest Indiana, bribing police to protect the illicit ventures. The defense argues that Morgano, a father of three and a movie projectionist, was a gambler and nothing more.
* Sam Nuzzo Jr., 45, of Merrillville allegedly controlled most of the illegal sports betting in Lake County and helped extort money from other gambling operators. The defense admits Nuzzo is a gambler, but said he never extorted money from anyone.
* Sam "Frog" Glorioso, 49, of Gary allegedly was a street tax collector who leveled threats to those who refused to pay. The defense says the steelworker was a gambler who was forced to settle his gambling debts by doing favors, but didn't conspire to do anything with his co-defendants.
* Peter "Cadillac Pete" Petros, 56, of Chicago allegedly was a "street tax" collector who threatened to put one man and his son in the cemetery. The defense says Petros is a goofy Greek gentleman who boasted a lot, did some favors and was taken advantage of by various people.
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