![]() ![]() Montiglio, he said, who set up a meeting between Mr. Montiglio and about seeing him at places frequented by ring members. One prosecution witness, Mathew Rega, who has been convicted of dealing in stolen cars and drug trafficking, testified about his friendship with Mr. Montiglio a ''con man of the highest caliber'' who ''could victimize his friends, his family and his uncle.'' What information has emerged has come from other prosecution witnesses who knew him and defense attorneys' attacks on his credibility in their opening statements. His court records have been sealed by the judge, and the lawyers in the case are under a gag order not to talk about them. Montiglio, who has pled guilty to related charges and is in the Federal witness protection program. ![]() Mack contends played the role of ''executive vice president'' of the ring to Mr. Montiglio, who is also known as Dominic Santamaria, is the nephew of Mr. To prepare for his testimony in this case, prosecutors reportedly had to reinterrogate him. Montiglio had focused largely on extortion, drug trafficking and racketeering charges and had little to do with car thefts. The prosecutors also had to produce records of everything from police investigative reports to grand-jury testimony.Īccording to those familiar with the case, the original revelations of a witness as potentially pivotal as Mr. Mack said the prosecution had not planned on putting in sharp focus had to be researched, and witnesses that they had not planned on calling had to be specified and produced. When the indictment was divided, the strategy had to be changed completely. The prosecution had planned to try all 78 counts - dealing with car theft, 25 killings, extortion, prostitution, narcotics trafficking and racketeering -in one case. 22 he had sternly warned the prosecution to provide defense attorneys with information on its witnesses or face disallowance of that testimony or even a mistrial. Just three weeks ago, Judge Duffy had similarly criticized the prosecutors, saying he was ''more and more convinced that you are not prepared for trial.'' And on Oct. He later told the jurors to ignore the ''inappropriate'' revelation. ![]() With the jury out of the courtroom, he suggested that the information had come out because the prosecutors were not prepared. Last Monday Judge Duffy chastised the prosecutors after a witness revealed a prior and irrelevant arrest of one of the defendants. Two of its witnesses have misidentified or failed to identify some of the defendants, and the prosecutors themselves have angered the judge, Kevin Thomas Duffy. Montiglio comes as the prosecution has had repeated difficulty presenting its case. Anthony Frank Gaggi is another defendant. Mack Jr., an assistant United States attorney, said in his opening statement. ''Dominic Montiglio is an individual who knows where the monies go and at many times personally carries the money to Mr. Castellano's share to him - the Government claims to have a witness who knew directly of Mr. In Dominic Montiglio, however - the courier who prosecutors say often delivered Mr. Arena, who admitted to being a member of the ring's ''street crew,'' testified only that in conversations with at least three other members of the ring he had heard that ''Big Paul Castellano'' was the boss. Castellano, a 70-year-old meat wholesaler from Staten Island, by name in connection with the ring.īut Mr. Only one key Government witness, Vito Arena, has mentioned Mr. Much of the testimony has dealt with the particulars of how hundreds of cars were stolen and shipped to the Middle East, and with five slayings that prosecutors say were done to protect the operation. ![]() Castellano's name has rarely come up in testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about how the ring operated from 1972 to 1983. Castellano's ''cut'' from the operation.Įight weeks into the trial, Mr. When testimony resumes this week in the trial of Paul Castellano, the reputed head of the Gambino crime group, and nine others on charges of operating a car theft ring, the jury is expected to hear from the man prosecutors say often delivered Mr. ![]()
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