SAN DIEGO : $350,000 Bail Set for Alleged Mobster
A federal magistrate has set bail at $350,000 for the last defendant arrested in a major organized crime indictment, but the reputed mobster said he has no assets.
Carmen Salvatore DiNunzio, who turned himself in to officials last week, is charged in a 15-count indictment that includes nine other defendants.
Prosecutors allege that DiNunzio, acting on behalf of reputed mobster Chris Petti, attempted to extort money from a Los Angeles man.
On a tape of one of the wiretaps made by federal investigators, DiNunzio is heard telling Petti about one attempt to extort $10,000 from a Los Angeles-area man:
“(I told him) you better come up with the money or we’ll cut your . . . legs off. He started crying right there.”
In addition to extortion, the federal indictment charges the majority of defendants with attempting to gain control of the gambling operations at the Rincon Indian Reservation. The 10 defendants are scheduled to appear Monday in U.S. District Court to discuss motions.
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