Last of 14 Gambino Crime Family Members and Associates Plead Guilty to Racketeering, Murder Conspiracy, Extortion, Sex Trafficking, and Other Crimes
It looks like Suzanne Porcelli and Steve Maiurro folded first as each has a January sentencing date. Coincidentally, these two were indicted on the sex trafficking and sex trafficking of a minor offenses. Only 7 of the 14 defendants named in the indictment were included in the alleged Craigslist prostitution ring counts. Also notable is that the last two defendants to plead guilty in this indictment, Thomas Orefice and Dominick Difiore, were included in the 7 charged with sex trafficking.
The federal offense of sex trafficking has that power to invoke guilty pleas. It is a charge like none other, and let's face it – a 1997 murder conspiracy, a 1987 accessory to murder count, and a jury tampering count from a 1992 Gotti case had nothing whatsoever to do with a 2009 Craigslist prostitution ring. This should have been separate indictments; however, prosecutors charged as they did to invoke guilty pleas and it worked.
The charge of sex trafficking is powerful and has no equal today. Daniel Marino faces only 5 years for a murder conspiracy count while Maiurro faces 20 years for the sex trafficking count. Considering that someone was answering a phone and someone else was driving women to calls – with 1 minor involved somehow – I consider it absurd. Suzanne Porcelli denied knowledge of the minor in earlier news and she is facing 10 years on the sex trafficking count.
So it looks like answering an escort line is a far worse offense than conspiring to murder in the SDNY. Interesting indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment