October 24, 2010

http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x356200003/Court-documents-Accused-loanshark-strong-armed-victims

With a tap on his cell phone, and detectives listening in for months, the relationship between Joseph Giallanella and Wendell Bradford was very clear. Bradford was Giallanella's enforcer, "collecting outstanding debts" for the alleged North Andover loan shark and bookmaker.

The duo had "extortion victims" all over the state who they "stalked, threatened, coerced, harassed and, in one instance, beat for money," according to court papers.

Giallanella, who has used the alias Jason Peters for 30 years, was charged last week in a widespread criminal enterprise that included drug trafficking, gambling, money laundering and life-threatening violence throughout eastern Massachusetts, prosecutors said.

It was a complaint against Giallanella, 62, that triggered the yearlong probe and connected the local man to the criminal network of accused Boston mobster Mark Rossetti, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett and Attorney General Martha Coakley said. Together, the prosecutors announced a slate of 103 indictments against 31 people on Thursday.

Giallanella is charged with assault and battery, extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, gambling, intimidation of a witness and other charges. During his arraignment in Middlesex Superior Court on Thursday, his bail was set at $250,000 cash.

Police said they seized $1.5 million from Giallanella during the course of the investigation. His North Andover home, at 134 Candlestick Road, is assessed at more than $600,000 and is considered a lucrative asset by prosecutors.

On Jan. 7, 2010, after a judge approved a wiretap on Giallanella's cell phone, detectives chronicled numerous crimes during the intercepted conversations, according to court documents filed last week.

The crimes were later corroborated by the testimony of victims, phone records, money transactions "and an interview of Giallanella where he conceded that Bradford collected money for him," according to court papers.

Bradford would call Giallanella and report "on his extortionate activity and seek advice," assistant attorney generals Dean Mazzone and Patrick Hanley wrote in a "statement of the case" filed last week.

When Bradford got some money, detectives would then trail the 44-year-old Taunton man when he met Giallanella "to relay the payments."

Giallanella, over the course of several months, told Bradford about a client in Plymouth County who was not paying on an outstanding debt. On June 6, Bradford, a 6-foot, 200-pound man, beat this victim, giving him a broken nose after he opened the door at his home, court documents show. The assault occurred in the victim's living room, right in front of his child.

"Soon as he opened the door. Clocked him," Bradford told Giallanella in a conversation that was transcribed in court documents. "His kid's (expletive) there. His face is all (expletive) bloody. I'll probably have (expletive) state police in my house. I don't give a (expletive).

"As soon as he opened the door, I (expletive) clocked him, busted his (expletive) nose wide open. Fell right to the ground," Bradford told Giallanella, as detectives listened in.

With each detail Bradford shared, "Giallanella voiced his approval," Mazzone and Hanley wrote. That scenario "minus the violence," played out several times during the investigation, the prosecutors added.

"Bradford collected gambling debts, he reported to Giallanella and he paid Giallanella when he received payments," the assistant attorney generals concluded.

Giallanella and Bradford were arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court because they targeted two victims there.

"One they successfully extorted and the other successfully avoided paying Bradford. Each were faced with implied or overt threats, including calls to work and cell phones and, in one instance, a live visit to the a victim's place of business," Mazzone and Hanley wrote.

Bradford, who was deemed indigent, is facing extortion and assault and battery charges.

Both Giallanella and Bradford are due back in court this week for bail hearings.

Rossetti, 51, of East Boston, the alleged leader of the criminal network, was indicted last week by a statewide grand jury on extortion, drug trafficking, robbery assault and other charges.

Darin Bufalino, 49, of Winthrop, who is described as one of Rosetti's top soldiers, was also charged as a habitual extortion offender, with conspiracy to commit attempted extortion.

Others, including residents of North Andover, Middleton, Boxford, Peabody and Windham, were indicted on lesser charges.

Neither Giallanella's attorney, Robert George of Boston, nor Bradford's attorney, Greg Oberhauser of Lowell, could be reached for comment for this story.