Columnist Jeff German: 'Mob 101' in session next week

EXPECT A HISTORY lesson on the mob April 26, when several reputed underworld figures stand trial in federal court for the murder of Herbie Blitzstein.

The trial, or "Mob 101" as we shall call it, is expected to be the first of several such history lessons Las Vegans will get on organized crime in America this year.

It all stems from a 50-count racketeering indictment in February 1998 that ensnared 16 suspected members and associates of the Los Angeles and Buffalo crime families in a scheme to muscle in on Las Vegas street rackets. Carmen Milano, the reputed underboss of the Los Angeles mob, was among those charged.

Blitzstein, once the right-hand man of Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago mob's murdered overseer in Las Vegas, lost his life in the takeover plot that was smashed by undercover FBI agents. Blitzstein was shot to death at his home Jan. 6, 1997, one month after state gaming agents nominated him for Nevada's Black Book of undesirables banned from casinos. Los Angeles and Buffalo mobsters were eyeing Blitzstein's loan-sharking and insurance fraud operations at the time of his slaying.

The plot left little doubt that the Chicago mob, which controlled the lucrative Las Vegas rackets during Spilotro's tenure in the 1980s, no longer is a force on the streets here.

Peter Wacks, a former Chicago-based FBI agent who worked on the racketeering investigation of slain Teamsters pension fund figure Allen Dorfman, will be called upon during the trial to explain how the mob conducts its business.

Wacks, listed as one of some 70 witnesses the government may call, will be expected to testify about the inner-workings of the nation's 26 Mafia families and how Las Vegas has been regarded as an "open city."

Three of the six men charged in Blitzstein's murder -- Antone Davi, Robert Panaro and Stephen Cino -- are scheduled to stand trial April 26. One other defendant, Peter Vincent Caruso, died in January and another, Richard Friedman, won a separate trial.

The sixth defendant, Alfred Mauriello, recently rolled over and agreed to testify against his co-conspirators. Mauriello acknowledged in federal court that he was paid $10,000 by Caruso to have Blitzstein killed and that he hired Davi and Friedman to carry out the hit.

Mauriello is one of five co-defendants in the massive racketeering case, including Blitzstein's friend, Joe DeLuca, who could be called upon to testify for the government.

Both Mauriello and DeLuca, who helped Blitzstein's killers gain entry to his home, now are federally protected witnesses.

Another government witness, John Branco, also is scheduled to testify, according to a copy of the witness list I've obtained.

Branco, an ex-felon with longstanding ties to the Los Angeles mob, served as an undercover informer during the probe. He worked hand in hand with undercover FBI agents Charles Maurer and Joseph Ceccini, who also are on the witness list.

At one point during the racketeering investigation, Los Angeles mobsters were so impressed with Branco that they proposed his induction as a "made member" of the crime family.

Branco spent much time during the probe with Louis Caruso, a reputed "capo" in the Los Angeles mob. Caruso is standing trial with the murder defendants for allegedly sharing money stolen from Blitzstein's home after the slaying. Caruso reportedly answers directly to Peter Milano, whom the FBI has identified as the boss of the Los Angeles Mafia. Milano is Carmen's older brother.

Two Buffalo mob associates, Ron Fino and a Fred Saia, meanwhile, are expected to be called to the witness stand during the trial. Both have had longstanding ties to Buffalo's Laborers Local 210, which has been controlled by the Buffalo mob over the years.

Fino and Saia will be asked to provide background on Panaro, whom the FBI believes is a "made member" of the Buffalo mob. The government has alleged Panaro OK'd the Blitzstein hit.

One of the more interesting witnesses, ex-police officer Ron Mortensen, a convicted murderer, could be asked to talk about his jailhouse discussions with Davi, one of the alleged triggermen in Blitzstein's murder.

Aside from its slew of witnesses, the government has hundreds of video and audio tapes that show many of the defendants themselves talking about the scheme to muscle in on Blitzstein's street operations. The trial is expected to last weeks.

So stay tuned. There's going to be a quiz when Mob 101 is over.

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