By Travis Andersen
A jailed mobster who used to
live in Somerville demanded in a court filing Monday that federal investigators
return several personal items to him, including knives, compact discs, and bags
of quarters.
Ralph F. DeLeo — a reputed
“street boss” of the Colombo crime family who pleaded guilty in 2012 in federal
court in Boston to running a criminal enterprise that engaged in drug dealing,
extortion, and loan sharking — wrote in his filing that he is entitled to
several items that authorities seized at the time of his arrest.
DeLeo, 70, wrote that the
roughly two dozen items were “not subject to court forfeiture.”
Forfeiture orders are entered
against convicted defendants. The orders usually seek cash and other items that
are linked to criminal behavior.
DeLeo’s list of items that he
would like back includes “1. The watches, 2. three bags of quarters
approximately fifteen hundred dollars . . . 13. knives, 14. computer, 15.
CD’s,” gold coins, and a pellet gun, he wrote.
He added that defense lawyers
had previously contacted US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office about the matter,
and he said that her staff indicated “that they will look into it.”
A spokeswoman for Ortiz did not
respond to inquiries on Monday evening.
DeLeo is serving his sentence
at a medium security prison in North Carolina, according to the Federal Bureau
of Prisons website. He is scheduled to be released in October 2025.
Anthony M. Cardinale, a Boston
defense lawyer who has represented organized crime figures, said in a phone
interview that he could not recall a similar motion from a defendant.
“But he’s done his homework,
and I’m sure he feels that what he’s doing is appropriate,” Cardinale said. “He
must have some basis for it. Good luck to him.”