Paper: Boston Globe
Title: LUXURY-CAR THEFT CASE PRODUCES NINE ARRESTS
Date: January 20, 1981
Nine persons, two of them former federal police officers and a third a Boston funeral director, were arrested yesterday after a Suffolk County Grand Jury handed down secret indictments charging them with taking part in a luxury car theft ring.
The indictments, handed down Jan. 14, grew out of a six-month investigation conducted by members of the State Police auto theft unit and the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Authorities said that the ring operated in the Boston area between June and November of last year. They said the ring operated on an “on order” basis and specialized in 1979 and 1980 models.
Investigators confiscated cars worth an estimated $130,000 from the suspects. The autos included a BMW, a Cadillac and a Mercedes Benz. Authorities said the stolen autos were sold for roughly 50 percent of their market value and were accompanied by counterfeit ownership papers.
All were arrested at their homes and charged with receiving stolen autos.
Authorities identified the alleged leaders of the ring as Frank P. Spadoro, 24, of Hanover street and Anthony Polci, 23, of Lewis street, both of Boston. Authorities said that Spadoro and Polci operated Greater Boston Security Systems Co. of East Boston and were formerly federal police officers at the US Capitol.
Authorities identified the others arrested and charged as:
– Robert Dello Russo, 32, of Fleet street, Boston, an owner of the Dello Russo & Son Funeral Chapel in downtown Boston.
– Moshe Hason, 28, of Linden street, Brookline, a proprietor of the Samson & Delilah Hair Salon in Boston.
– Patrick Cibotti, 25, of Canterbury street in Boston’s Roslindale section, an auto mechanic.
– Victor Lamotte, 30, of Massachusetts avenue, Roxbury, a model with the Barbizon Model Agency of Boston.
– Diana Bairamian, 22, of Essex Court, Lynn.
– John Efrenidis, 52, of Common street, Watertown, a baker.
– Fred Perriello, 32, of Greenwood street, Wakefield, an engineer with Analog Devices Inc. of Westwood.
Authorities said that Hason was also charged with receiving stolen property after a computer valued at $1400 was found in one of the stolen cars. Authorities said that the computer had allegedly been stolen from the Digital Equipment Corp. in Boston.
Seven of the nine accused pleaded innocent to charges in Suffolk Superior Court yesterday and were released on their own recognizance. Hason was freed after posting $2500.
Judge Joseph Ford continued cases against seven of those charged until Feb. 2. He also continued the cases of Lamotte and Cibotti until Jan. 26 in order that they might obtain legal counsel.
Copyright 1981, 2001 Globe Newspaper Company
Author: Alan Sheehan Globe Staff
Section: RUN OF PAPER
Page: ?????
Copyright 1981, 2001 Globe Newspaper Company
In July, Adam Reilly wrote that
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“Theres one more variable worth considering. Earlier this month, the Phoenix received an anonymous tip noting that Dello Russos sons Robert and Michael have criminal records. In 2002, Robert pled guilty to armed assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; in 1998, Michael pled guilty to two drug-related crimes. (Court records show he copped to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as to a marijuana-related distribution-manufacture charge.)
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According to Dello Russo, these family troubles have zero bearing on his ability to do the Suffolk clerks job. If you want to speak about my children, he says, just like any other family, they got into difficulty and paid the price. I dont condone these actions, but they happen, and happen to the best of families.
Dello Russo notes that Michaels case entered the system before he joined the clerks office, and that Roberts case was transferred to Middlesex County on a judges order due to his fathers employment status. He adds that his sons have since turned their lives around; one works in real estate, the other as a barber. And then he hints that Hennigan was behind the tip. There is some gain involved by someone, to do something like this, Dello Russo says. We dont need to talk about who. (Hennigans response? I just really want to run a positive campaign. Thats what Im focused on, talking about what Id do if I got the job as clerk for criminal business.)
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Wherever the aforementioned tip came from, this much is clear: someone really doesnt want Dello Russo to get the job. But then again, several powerful and influential people really do. Less than a year ago, Maura Hennigans me-versus-the-world shtick flopped in the Boston mayors election and if the same thing happens this September, shell be confronting political oblivion.”
The article says that he was 32 at the time of the arrest, there is no way that guy is old enough to have a son who was 32 in 1981. The kids got arrested in 2002 and 1998. I agree that his kids legal troubles have no bearing on his ability to serve lead the court, but his own certainly do.
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I think you and Adam Reilly may need to work on your math skills. There was also images of a Herald article on the flier, it had more details, but I won’t get into it without confirmation, and Newsbank doesn’t go back that far for the Herald.
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For futher clarification, there was another article from Newsbank about Dello Russo’s poor work habits when he worked in the legislature (I’m shocked! Shocked!), which he mentioned last night as one of his qualifications for the office he’s seeking. Notable quote from him when confronted about missing work- “There’s no point in hanging around if there’s nothing for me to do.” Sounds like a winner!
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Paper: Boston Globe
Title: SPOTLIGHT: THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE LEGISLATIVE AIDE FINDS TIME FOR FUNERAL-HOME BUSINESS
Date: September 13, 1983
During the six years he worked as a state civil engineer, Robert J. Dello Russo maintained a small North End funeral home. When he joined the legislative payroll last March, he continued to perform funerals – but he quickly learned the difference between working for the Massachusetts Legislature and other areas of state government.
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When he was an engineer with the state, Dello Russo took a vacation day, or was docked in pay, whenever he had to perform a funeral. But such requirements ceased when Dello Russo was named as a $15,000-a-year administrative assistant to Rep. Salvatore F. DiMasi (D-Boston) last March. Now he does not have to worry about losing vacation days or pay when he performs a funeral. He merely shows up for work late.
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In a recent telephone interview, Dello Russo said DiMasi was fully aware he was running a funeral business when DiMasi offered him the job last March. The two men are old friends, even though Dello Russo tried to unseat DiMasi in 1978.
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“He told me not to worry about the business,” Dello Russo said.
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During a two-month period following his appointment, Dello Russo said, he performed five funerals. He said he expected to perform about 15 funerals during 1983.
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On mornings when he has funerals scheduled, Dello Russo said, he arrives at the State House at about 10:30 a.m., an hour and a half later than his regular starting time. “There’s no way it would be later than 10:30,” Dello Russo said.
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But on a day last spring when he was observed by The Globe conducting a funeral, he appeared for work at 1:30 p.m. He said he would have arrived at work earlier except that he had to drive his wife to a doctor’s appointment in Cambridge.
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Unlike House employees assigned to committee staffs, legislative aides are not required to sign an attendance sheet when arriving at work in the morning and leaving in the evening.
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Dello Russo said that on days he arrived late for work he did not stay past his regular quitting time of 5 p.m. unless he had a special assignment or was representing DiMasi at a night meeting in the North End.
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“I’m not going to tell you that I worked over just because I came in late,” Dello Russo said. “There’s no point hanging around if there’s nothing for me to do. All I can tell you is that there are a lot of times I have to work late. I’m not offering that as as an excuse, I’m just telling you that it works out that way a lot of times.
Copyright 1983, 2001 Globe Newspaper Company
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Section: RUN OF PAPER
Page: ?????
Copyright 1983, 2001 Globe Newspaper Company
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take it up with Adam, (or with the original article) not me, my math skills are just fine thanks
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we have bigger races to chew on anyway, zzzzzzz….
Although I’ve seen some hard hitting direct mail pieces going out in that Clerk fo Courts race. Ouch.
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But you’re right. ZZZzzzzz.
It’s not your math skills that are in question really, but it does bear paying attention to. Reilly wrote about Dello Russo’s criminal sons, but didn’t bother to look into the candidates own criminal record. Three guys, three different crimes.
The only relevance is the integrity of the candidate himself. You might think “ZZZZZZ, there are more important races”, but I think it is important that a guy running a courthouse not be a criminal himself. That might even be more important than whether John Bonifaz gets over 15% of the vote on Tuesday.
Will it still be ZZZZZZ was there’s a scandal because a crook has got control of the criminal court? This race infinately more important to people’s everyday lives then the LG race.
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Also, I liked the Nixon thing.
Adam Reilly posted:
If you want to speak about my children, Dello Russo says, just like any other family, they got into difficulty and paid the price. I dont condone these actions, but they happen, and happen to the best of families.
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But the apple never falls far the tree. A criminal record of the parent and children does constitute a trend, doesn’t it?
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No politician in their right mind would appoint Dello Russo and his record of indictment to the position of Clerk of Criminal Business.
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For him to expect that the electorate to vote him in, he must have little respect for the intelligence of the voters or more confidence that the they will vote for him because he his a vowell ending last name.