Philadelphia mafia leader Anthony Staino has decided to plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy and gambling charges and avoid a retrial.
Staino was already found guilty during an earlier trial on two counts of extortion and is awaiting sentencing on those charges. He is set to enter a so-called “open” plea in court this afternoon. This open plea means there are no stipulations between the prosecution and the defense so it will be up to Judge Eduardo Robreno to determine the amount of time Staino will get for the open racketeering conspiracy and gambling charges. This will be added to the time he receives for his extortion charges which are believed to be in a range of five years and then whatever is added on by this plea agreement. Staino will be sentenced sometime next month.
“Anthony Staino on Left”
Authorities describe Staino as a high ranking member of Philly mob and top associate of reputed acting Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi. In a secretly recorded conversation by an FBI agent undercover as a corrupt gambler Staino described himself as a member of the “board of directors” of the Philadelphia crime family and as the “CFO” of the Philly mob. During the original trial mob underboss Joseph “Mousie” Massimino and soldiers Damion Canalichio were also convicted along with Staino. They both are awaiting sentencing next month and are facing up to 10 years in prison. This plea by Staino means that Joe Ligambi will now be going to retrial on racketeering conspiracy, gambling, and obstruction of justice charges along with his nephew and fellow mobster George Borgesi who is also facing racketeering charges.
