Two Nuzzo family members sentenced to 18 months in prison
NWI Times
Sep 26, 1991
nwitimes.com/uncategorized/two-nuzzo-family-members-setnenced-to-months-in/article_078b1e6c-faf1-57f9-86b6-12105796f610.html
HAMMOND - Two members of the Nuzzo family who pleaded guilty to running an illegal sports betting operation in Lake County were sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison.
Sam Nuzzo Sr., 70 and his son Arthur, 33, were given the maximum prison time provided for under federal sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Court Judge James T. Moody also gave the elder Nuzzo the maximum fine allowed - $30,000 - due Oct. 15. Arthur Nuzzo was fined $10,000 due during the first year of his supervised release from prison.
The two men are among 15 people indicted last year for gambling, racketeering and extortion, and the first to be sentenced for their role in the illegal activity. The indictment was hailed as the largest organized crime case ever handled by the U.S. attorney's office for the northern district of Indiana.
The four members of the Merrillville Nuzzo family pleaded guilty July 16 to running an illegal gambling business, shortly before their case was scheduled to go to trial. Sam Nuzzo Sr.'s two daughters Jennifer Kaufman and Sandra Mynes, will be sentenced Friday. The two could receive similar prison terms. Nuzzo Sr. will begin serving his prison term Nov. 1. Both he and Arthur Nuzzo were sentenced under new guidelines that require them to serve the majority of the prison time they received.
The fifth member of the family and the head of the gambling enterprise, Sam Nuzzo Jr., was found guilty by a federal jury in August along with five others of running an illegal gambling business, extortion, racketeering and conspiracy. He could receive more than 40 years in prison when he is sentenced with his five co-defendants Oct. 15.
Nuzzo Sr. and Arthur Nuzzo's lawyer, Thomas Vanes, argued unsuccessfully Wednesday that the two men were workers, rather than managers of the family-controlled gambling business. Their possible prison time increased from six to 12 months to 12 to 18 months because of the classification.
The government has also labeled Mynes and Kaufman as "managers."
Vanes said he thought the sentence was "out of proportion to this kind of offense." Other defendants like "Outfit" crime family south territory boss Dominick Palermo, who sanctioned the gambling and took in profits, could get a similar sentence for the same crime, he said. Palermo, 73, of Orland Park, faces additional charges as well.
"It hurts me to see a family hurt as much as they're hurting by what happened today (Tuesday)," Vanes said.
Taking the witness stand in his behalf, Nuzzo Sr. said he just "pitched in. It was never my business." He said his older son Sam controlled the profits, giving him money occasionally.
"What this man did he did not do for the purpose of profit, he did as a father of a family," Vanes said. "A father helping his children when they need help." Moody interrupted, saying: "Wouldn't it have been better to say to his children, 'Get out of this business, it's illegal'? That's what should have
happened here."
Arthur Nuzzo told the court that he accepted responsibility for his crimes. "I'm sorry for the crimes I committed, " he said before he was sentenced.
Also entering guilty pleas were Anthony J. Ottomanelli of Portage, who will be sentenced today; and Anthony Leone of Valparaiso, who will be sentenced Dec. 13.
Last week, Ned Pujo pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business in exchange for dropping the charges against his wife, Yolanda Pujo of Portage.
A remaining defendant, Steve Sfouris of Munster, is still a fugitive and is believed to have fled to his native Greece.
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