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Feds say reputed mobster threatened business partner from prison

Paul Carparelli
"Quit being a FINK and answer my call," convicted mobster writes.
Paul Carparelli, it seems, is not a very gentle guy. He was caught on undercover recordings ordering an associate to "crack" a man who owed a debt. He allegedly sold drugs out of his house, in front of a young son. He managed an extortion ring, federal prosecutors say, and threatened contract beatings to break a victim's legs and knock "the living piss" out of his ex-wife.

And in August, three months after he pleaded guilty in federal court to a trio of extortion counts, he threatened a former business partner from prison, prosecutors allege.
"Doesn't matter if I get 6 months or 6 years when I'm done were [sic] gonna have a talk," Carparelli, a reputed Outfit associate, wrote in an all-capital letters email to the man. "So put your big boy pants on and get ready."

In intercepted emails and prison calls, Carparelli referred to his business partner as a "fink" after he stopped returning his calls and accused him of cooperating with the government, prosecutors said. He also claimed the man owed him money.
"The 1500 means nothing," Carparelli wrote. "Its [sic] the point that matters!!!!!! ... See you when I get out!!!!!! Partner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In the Wednesday filing in federal court detailing the exchange, assistant U.S. attorney Heather K. McShain argued the behavior demonstrates that Carparelli cannot kick his violent tendencies and thus deserves the maximum sentence of 11-plus years in prison.

"This is the life of which Carparelli is 'proud' and to which he is loyal — a lifetime of crime," McShain wrote. Later, she wrote, "Clearly, sitting in prison and awaiting sentencing has done nothing to signal to Carparelli that he must change his ways. ... Only a meaningful sentence will send that message to Carparelli, as well as deter his future criminal conduct and violence.

Carparelli's attorneys disputed many of the government's characterizations of their client, saying in a rebuttal presentence filing that Carparelli often was attempting to collect legitimate business debts and did not use violence or threats.

Carparelli, 47, who allegedly has long-standing ties to the Outfit's Cicero crew, was arrested in July 2013. Agents recovered two guns, $170,500 in cash and nearly $200,000 in jewelry — including a gold bracelet with the name "Paulie" spelled in diamonds — in a safe hidden in the crawl space of his Itasca home, court records show. A 300-pound union bodyguard who was working with Carparelli, George Brown, began secretly cooperating with the FBI.

In a 2013 recorded conversation between the two men, a transcript of which was submitted by McShain in the presentencing court filings, they discussed how to confront a man who owed them money.

Brown: "What exactly do you want this guy to do if this fat (expletive) doesn't have the money?" Brown asks.Carparelli: "OK, if he doesn't have a check today, we need to ring his bell and ask him when are some funds gonna start being available. ..." Carparelli said.

Brown: "Alright, so he's got the go-ahead to (expletive) blast him? That's what you want?"
Carparelli: "Well, I ... I ... I want, I want a response from him first, I want a response from him first, you know what I mean? You understand what I'm sayin'?"
Brown: "Hold on."

Carparelli: "I'd rather just, I'd rather just go there and get a response from him and then, and then if that doesn't work, then we blast him."

In pleading guilty, Carparelli admitted involvement in plots to use intimidation and violence to collect debts on behalf of two businessmen. He was remanded into federal custody for threatening a government cooperator in August. He then wrote a series of emails and made calls to several friends and associates, including attempts to settle debts and finalize the closing of the deli he operated with the man he became upset with in the emails.

"Hey dude at somepoint we need to have a conversation dont know what your problem is but im not gonna be here forever you cant dodge me BUDDY!!!!! so quit being a FINK and answer my call!!!!!!!!" Carparelli wrote to the man on Aug. 7, under the subject header "yo."
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 21.

poconnell@tribpub.com
Twitter @pmocwriter
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