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Mansolillo, the attorney and former DEA agent, said it's "not really an organized venture anymore." "There's no difference from exploiting the elderly. They're crimes of opportunity," he said. "The organization, I think, it has been diminished for years." State police superintendent Col. Steven G. O'Donnell said the mobsters' appearance is "gentlemanly"
-- but deceiving. "And in this particular boss, with Louie, he gave off a persona of a non-violent person when the reality of it was he was involved in homicides either firsthand or in an oversight capacity for decades," O'Donnell said. "I would describe it was being a wolf in sheep's clothing." Manocchio, who turns 85 next month, faces between five years and three months and 6 1/2 years in prison under a plea agreement for his role in the strip club plot. Authorities say he stepped down as boss in 2009 and was succeeded by DiNunzio's older brother, Carmen DiNunzio, 54. Carmen DiNunzio is serving a six-year sentence for bribing an undercover FBI agent posing as a state official to try to win a $6 million contract on Boston's Big Dig highway project. Prosecutors said he was followed by Peter Limone, who spent 33 years in prison after being framed by the FBI for a murder he didn't commit. Limone was placed on probation in Massachusetts in 2010 for allegedly loansharking and running a gambling ring. Prosecutors say the younger DiNunzio is Limone's successor. "You don't have the same kind of individuals who come up through the ranks and paid their dues. There are a lot of lightweights with them who are more concerned with having the attention and the position than anything else," Foley said. He added: "I think it's kind of embarrassing for the older guys who are in that business right now who remember the olden days when you kept your mouth shut and did what you were told." For the most part, Manocchio has stayed out of prison. He was convicted of a 1968 gangland murder allegedly ordered by Patriarca. His conviction was overturned by the Rhode Island Supreme Court, but he served two years in prison for conspiracy. Defense attorney Joseph J. Balliro, said Manocchio denies claims that he was involved in violence. "They say that about everybody," he said. Manocchio, who is also known to prosecutors as "The Professor" and "The Old Man," was successful at disarming his neighbors and leading what appeared to be a quiet life. John P. Murray, who runs a shop next to where Manocchio lived, said he read the newspaper daily and religiously did crossword puzzles that he usually completed without having to look up answers. "I don't judge the gentleman. I don't know his business," said Murray, who wrote a letter on Manocchio's behalf last year when he was seeking bail. "As a neighbor and a friend, he's a very nice gentleman." John P. DePasquale, whose family ran a pharmacy in Federal Hill, knew Manocchio and his mother. He said Manocchio was well-read, frequently bringing DePasquale books, "just loved skiing" and kept in remarkable shape for his age. Manocchio pleaded guilty in the strip club plot because he believed he should "take responsibility for the charges in the indictment," Balliro said. He added Manocchio has "never threatened anybody or harmed anybody." "Treat him kindly," Balliro said. "He's a nice, elderly man."
[Associated
Press;
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