Phishers harvest Facebook passwords for profit

Thieves assume people use the same password for most online identities

Computerworld - Identity thieves that hit Facebook last week with a new round of phishing attacks are harvesting passwords for profit, a security researcher said today.

"It's not surprising that they're targeting Facebook," said Kevin Haley, a director on Symantec's security response team. "Facebook has, what, 200 million-plus users? The bad guys always go where's there's a lot of people."

The newest Facebook attacks resemble previous phishing rounds in their tactics: A compromised account sends a malicious link to friends. That link leads to a site that mimics the legitimate log-in page. But users duped into entering their usernames and passwords are likely giving away more than just their Facebook credentials, said Haley.

"Certainly this isn't new," he said, "but we think that what you're seeing is an attempt to shake out every last dollar they can get."

The criminals are operating on the assumption that the Facebook password they acquire from any given user has a good chance of being the same password that person uses on other sites, such as online shopping services or even bank accounts.

"Get one password for the right person and it's like having their wallet handed over," Symantec researcher Marian Merritt in the post to Symantec's security response blog said on Friday.

Computerworld - Complete Story

Saugus boy allegedly denied cancer meds dies

SAUGUS - A 9-year-old Saugus boy whose mother is charged with reckless child endangerment for allegedly withholding her son's cancer medication has died.

A spokesman for the Essex district attorney's office says Jeremy Fraser died Monday.

According to an obituary in The Item, Jeremy Fraser died Monday at the Kaplan Family Hospice house in Danvers.

Jeremy was diagnosed in 2006. Prosecutors say his mother, Kristen Anne LaBrie, canceled at least a dozen appointments for chemotherapy treatment and did not fill at least half of the prescriptions her son was given. She has pleaded innocent.

The parents are estranged.

District attorney's spokesman Steve O'Connell says prosecutors have not ruled out new charges against the mother.

In Jeremy Fraser’s obituary in The Item, it says he was born in Salem and that he was the son of Eric Fraser of Saugus. The obit also says that Jeremy Fraser leaves a brother, an aunt and an uncle. There is no mention of his mother.

In a January interview with The Item Eric Fraser says LaBrie delayed a November court hearing because she spent several days in Miami to watch a New England Patriots game against the Miami Dolphins, which she allegedly wrote about on MySpace.

“When Jeremy was dying in Mass. General Hospital she went to Bermuda for a week,” Fraser said during that January interview. “Who does that when you’re kid’s in the hospital?”

LaBrie was charged after doctors suspected she stopped giving her son medication and contacted authorities.

“She didn’t pick up more than half of the prescriptions,” Fraser said. “When she realized she was going to be in trouble she picked up all of his prescriptions again.”

Fraser said he and LaBrie, who purportedly lost custody of another son who is now a teenager, had been estranged for several months when Jeremy was in his mother’s care. Fraser alleges LaBrie took out a restraining order for a bogus reason at the time.

Lynn Daily Item

Facebook photo convicts school aide of drinking charge

What: Facebook photograph shows part-time teaching aide at Ohio high school with three cheerleaders holding Smirnoff bottles.

When: The Court of Appeals of Ohio, 12th District, rules on Feb. 9.

Outcome: Conviction for allowing minors to possess alcohol upheld.

What happened, according to court documents and other sources: Most people are merely embarrassed by photos a friend tosses onto Facebook. Mary Ellen Hause went to jail because of them.

Hause, who worked as a part-time teaching aide at Springboro High School, near Dayton, Ohio, was photographed in her basement posing with three cheerleaders holding Smirnoff bottles. The cheerleaders were friends with her son.

That photo, of course, ended up on Facebook. And Springboro High School Resource Officer Sgt. Don Wilson, who regularly poked around students' Facebook accounts, discovered it and turned it over to the local police.

Hause was charged with three counts of violating Ohio code 4301.69, which says no person "shall knowingly allow any underage person to remain in or on the place while possessing or consuming beer or intoxicating liquor," unless a parent or legal guardian is present and approves. (Underage person is defined as someone under 21 years old.)

State prosecutors alleged that Hause allowed the cheerleaders to consume Smirnoff, Sparks and beer at her home and presented testimony from two of the minors who claimed that Hause participated in drinking games with them.

A second Facebook photo from the same gathering showed another minor holding a can of Sparks, a caffeinated alcoholic beverage.

For her part, Hause said that she didn't know at first that the cheerleaders were drinking, and when she found out, she kicked them out.

"I went downstairs and I saw the kids down there," she said, according to a report by the local ABC affiliate. "I sat on the couch and the girls -- they know me because of working at the school -- they all jumped in my lap. And I did take the picture and I didn't notice anything right away."

Her testimony proved to be less than convincing: a jury convicted her and she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, 10 days of trash pickup and three years of probation that prohibits her from drinking alcohol or having it in her house.

"What should have happened when you discovered that these kids were drinking is that immediate action should have taken place ... that all of these parents should have been notified and that your actions should have been very, very different," trial judge Donald Oda II said, according to the transcript.

Hause appealed, saying the no-alcohol-on-probation rule was an abuse of the judge's discretion, that there should have been one charge instead of three and that the law is unconstitutionally overbroad. On Feb. 9, an appeals court upheld her conviction and sentence.

The Dayton Daily News reported last year that the school decided not to punish the cheerleaders.

Excerpts from the recent opinion from the Court of Appeals of Ohio, 12th District, Warren County:

"Appellant argues the trial court abused its discretion in imposing as conditions of community control that she not consume or possess alcohol and that she not have alcohol in her household. Appellant argues these conditions do not relate to the crimes for which she was found guilty.

The trial court has broad discretion in imposing conditions of community control pursuant to R.C. 2929.25(A)(1), which governs the authority of the trial court to impose one or more community control sanctions in misdemeanor violations, including residential, nonresidential, and financial sanctions, and any other conditions the court considers appropriate. We will not reverse such conditions imposed absent an abuse of the trial court's discretion.

A trial court's discretion in imposing community control conditions is not limitless, however. In determining whether a condition reasonably relates to the three probationary goals -- doing justice, rehabilitating the offender, and insuring good behavior -- a court should consider whether the condition (1) is reasonably related to rehabilitating the offender, (2) has some relationship to the crime convicted, and (3) relates to conduct which is criminal or reasonably related to future criminality and serves the statutory ends of probation. In addition, the community control conditions cannot be overly broad so as to unnecessarily impinge upon the probationer's liberty.

After reviewing the entire record, we find the trial court acted within its discretion by concluding the restrictions on alcohol use and possession as conditions of appellant's community control, as applied to appellant only, are reasonably related to rehabilitating the offender, have a reasonable relationship to the crime charged, are reasonably related to future criminality and serve the statutory ends of probation. Appellant was convicted of an alcohol-related offense-allowing juveniles to consume alcohol in her home. If she is not allowed to possess or consume alcohol or have alcohol in her home, it is less likely that juveniles will consume alcohol in her home ..."

Judgment affirmed.

FBI looking for armed bank robber

BOSTON - The FBI is seeking the public's assistance in identifying an individual who was allegedly involved in several bank robberies.

The armed man is sought in connection with the robbery of Stoneham Savings Bank earlier this month, as well as three other convenience stores in Cambridge and Revere.

On March 2, around 3:30 p.m., a masked man walked into the bank and pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun. He pointed the gun at the bank employees while making a verbal demand for money, said officials.

In addition to obtaining money from the bank tellers, the suspect also robbed a bank customer standing in line.

The man is believed to have robbed a Cambridge Quick Food Mart in February and the Kirkland Convenience Store on December 15. He is also wanted for an armed robbery at the 7 Day Convenience Store in Revere on Jan. 29.

The suspect is a white male, approximately in his 30s, about 6 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 4 inches, weighing 325-350 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force at 617-742-5533.

Flirting incident at Medford Kelly’s Roast Beef leads to assaults

Three men flirting with a drive-through employee got more than they bargained for last Friday night when the girl’s boyfriend and six other men apparently took offense.

According to police reports, three men pulled up to Kelly’s Roast Beef on Revere Beach Parkway shortly before 12:30 a.m. on March 4 and ordered food. The girl at the drive-through took the order and asked the men to pull up to wait for their food.

The men asked if the girl could bring out the food, and pulled up.

The three said a while later, a man came up to their car and said he took offense that they were trying to pick up his girlfriend. The three went inside and complained to the manager, who gave them their money back.

As the victims approached their car to leave, they said two other cars surrounded them and six men got out. The victims said the man from earlier was also there and all of them were carrying sticks.

The victims said the men started beating them with the sticks. They then left, heading towards Route 28.

Police arriving on the scene found two of the victims with lacerations on their heads, covered with blood. The third victim had a cut on his forehead and nose and was complaining of having a chipped tooth.

The men described the original suspect, who was later identified as Ilir Sinaj, 23, of 139 Sigourney St., Revere. He was arrested and charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The other suspects have yet to be identified.

Medford Transcript - Wicked Local

US details mob ties in Gianelli arson case

Reputed Mafia associate Arthur Gianelli ran a sprawling illegal gambling enterprise that raked in millions of dollars, then used his money and underworld muscle to try to seize control of several bars in Boston and on the North Shore, a federal prosecutor told jurors yesterday.

"Mr. Gianelli is under the umbrella of the Mafia," Assistant US Attorney Fred Wyshak Jr. said during opening statements in the federal racketeering, money laundering, arson, and extortion trial of Gianelli, 51, of Lynnfield and three others.

Weekly tribute payments that Gianelli made to New England Mafia underboss Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio kept his business running smoothly from 1999 to 2005, the prosecutor said. Gianelli's operation bet on football games, operated video poker machines, and later shifted to the Internet with the help of a gambling company with offices in Costa Rica, Wyshak said.

Customers who failed to repay loans from Gianelli's group faced intimidation and threats, he said.

That's what happened when Philip Castinetti, owner of a Saugus sports memorabilia store, took a loan from Gianelli's group on behalf of Gerry Cheevers, former Boston Bruins goaltender, and the superstar of the 1960s and 1970s stopped paying, according to Wyshak.

Gianelli dispatched a Revere loan shark, Philip Puopolo, "to see Castinetti to make sure he paid," Wyshak said.

Castinetti is slated to testify in the case, but Cheevers, who has declined to comment, is not, according to the government.

Boston Globe - Full Story

Man arrested in Revere with AK-47

REVERE-A man who allegedly tried trafficking weapons to a high-crime neighborhood in Boston was found in possession of an AK-47 among other weapons after State Police pulled him over on Saturday for running a red light on Route 60, police said.

Paul Leggio, 24, of 7 Crestway Road, East Boston, was arrested on a long list of charges, including possession of a machine gun, possession of a high-capacity firearm and driving with a revoked license.

State Police say Leggio was pulled over after running a red light at the intersection of American Legion Highway and Revere Street shortly after 8:30 p.m.

A Trooper ordered Leggio out of the car and began a search of the vehicle after the officer allegedly noticed the suspect fumbling with an object underneath the driver's seat.

Police say a loaded AK-47 rifle was discovered, along with a loaded Colt .45 caliber handgun, three .45 caliber handgun magazine rounds, a knife and a billy club.

The AK-47 had previously been reported stolen, police said. Officers suspect Leggio was bringing the weapons to a heroin dealer in Roxbury, according to police reports.

Leggio was additionally charged with two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, two counts of possessing a firearm without a license, two counts of possessing ammunition without a license, receiving stolen property over $250, a red light violation and failing to wear a seatbelt.

Lynn Daily Item

Revere robbery suspect turns self in after victim dragged across parking lot

SAUGUS - A Revere man planned to turn himself into police Friday after he allegedly robbed a man then dragged him with his vehicle through the parking lot of Home Depot.

Michael Anzilotti, 39, of 417 Revere Beach Parkway, was identified in the police log as the suspect.

Police say a 61-year-old Saugus man saw Anzilotti stealing tools from his truck as he exited Home Depot at about 9:45 a.m. Friday.

The victim tried to detain the suspect until police arrived, but Anzilotti allegedly jumped into a Toyota Highlander and dragged the victim through the Route 1 parking lot, police said.

The victim reported being injured but refused medical treatment at the scene. He later drove himself to Salem Hospital, police said.

Police say Anzilotti was identified as the suspect after a brief investigation and learned he was wanted by Chelsea police for conducting a similar theft at the Home Depot parking lot in that city. Anzilotti was expected to turn himself in to police to face charges Friday, according to the police log.

Lynn Daily Item

File under: Disrespectful

Gospel cover stolen from Revere church

REVERE - Police are investigating who stole a $2,700 metal gospel cover from the altar of Immaculate Conception Church on Beach Street earlier this month.

On Feb. 6, Father George Szal noticed the metal and gold silver plate missing, police said. Church members tried looking for the object to no avail.

Szal told police he even contacted local pawn shops but had no luck, police said.

The church hopes insurance will cover the loss, according to police.

Lynn Daily Item

Revere police search for 4 robbery suspects

REVERE - Police received a report Wednesday night that four young men held down another young man, beat him then robbed him of a cell phone and $70 at Della Russo Park on Park Avenue.

Police arrived and found the victim's face covered in blood. Another male told officers four males held down the victim, beat and robbed him shortly after 10 p.m.

The victims were hanging out near the bleachers when the robbery occurred, police said.

The victim who was not injured told police he believes the suspects were the same people from Chelsea who fired a gun at him recently.

Police combed the area and stopped people who fit the description of the suspects, but it turned out not to be who they were looking for. No arrests were made.

Lynn Daily Item

Revere couple arrested in undercover drug sting

REVERE - A Revere man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly sold cocaine to undercover officers eight times in the past month, police said.

Francisco "George" Santiago Rosado, 24, of 216 Fenno St., was arrested and charged with eight counts of distribution of a class B drug (cocaine) and two counts of drug violations in a school zone.

Sandra Rodriguez, 37, of the same address, was inside a car with Santiago when he was arrested. She was arrested and charged with one count of distribution of cocaine.

Revere and State Police said they used an undercover officer to purchase the cocaine from Rosado eight times since Jan. 22. Two of those purchases were allegedly made at Santiago's apartment, which is in close proximity to the McKinley School.

Before the final purchase, police made photocopies of the cash used to purchase the drugs, police said.

The pair was arrested a few moments after the final drug deal during a traffic stop at Revere Beach Parkway at about 5:30 p.m. Police also carried out a search warrant of their apartment but it was not clear what was found.

Lynn Daily Item

Maine police credit Facebook in solving crime

Posted images from a surveillance video helped identify teen vandals

AUBURN, Maine - Three weeks after setting up a page on Facebook, a central Maine police department is crediting the social networking Web site with helping solve a vandalism case.

Auburn police say three teenagers broke into the spa last week at a Hilton Garden Inn. The teens ripped off wall tiles and threw them into the spa and hallway, causing about $1,000 in damages.

Police posted images from the hotel's surveillance video on the department's Facebook page, which they had set up Jan. 29.

Detectives then received several anonymous tips from Facebook users who recognized the boys.

Police have charged three boys, ages 15 and 16, with burglary and criminal mischief.

Revere pays $25,000 to audit library director's misspending

REVERE - The city is spending up to $25,000 to have an outside auditor assess the scope of misspending by Library Director Robert Rice Jr., who resigned in January.

Private auditor John Sullivan will be paid from taxpayer money previously assigned to a library repair work account. Acting Librarian and library trustee Mark Ferrante said Sullivan has started sorting through receipts for purchases made by Rice dating back to 2006. Once that work is completed, Ferrante said Sullivan will begin making his way through items allegedly purchased by Rice, including a set of elephant tusks, now stored away in a library back room.

Sullivan is examining 200 purchases totaling at least $40,000, but not all of the items may have been purchased for Rice's personal use with library money.

Rice, a city worker employed by the library since his teenage years, resigned Jan. 13, hours before Mayor Thomas Ambrosino requested an emergency meeting with City Council members to describe what he termed spending by Rice on “things with no relevance to the function of the library.”

Lynn Daily Item - Full Story

Two arrests made in string of robberies Sunday night in Revere

REVERE - Police responded to three armed robberies in the city late Sunday night and made two arrests, but detectives haven't linked the suspects to the other armed robberies that have plagued the city in recent weeks.

The first arrest of the night was made shortly after a 26-year-old man allegedly pointed a silver handgun at the bartender inside Bill Ash's Bar at 78 Revere Beach Blvd. and demanded money.

Tyron Minardi of 80 South Breeman St., East Boston, was arrested and charged with armed robbery while masked and receiving stolen property at about 11:45 p.m.

Minardi was arrested after an officer saw him running out of an alleyway near the Revere Beach train station, which is one block away from the bar, and fit the description of the suspect.

Police said the victims positively identified Minardi as the man who robbed them and a large sum of cash was recovered from his front pocket.

Another officer recovered the firearm behind an electrical box at the intersection of Beach Street and North Shore Road after Minardi told police where to find it, police said. A bag of money was found near 651 Beach St. where Minardi admitted he ditched it upon seeing the officers, police said.

Police also found a car key in Minardi's pocket that was for a stolen car that was found parked behind Bill Ashe's, police said.

The second arrest occurred shortly after a 2 a.m. Monday robbery that left the victim slashed in the face by a knife.

The victim walked from the Wonderland train station when the suspect tried to rob him on North Shore Road.

The suspect, later identified as Thomas Twoguns, 24, of 47 Bellingham Ave. #3, Revere, allegedly jumped a fence and approached the victim from behind. He demanded the victim give him money and allegedly ripped off the victim's backpack.

The victim fought back and was punched in the face. The suspect then pulled out a knife and slashed him in the face and neck. The victim was not seriously injured.

Twoguns was found a few minutes later in a nearby parking lot and positively identified by the victim as the suspect. He was arrested and charged with attempted robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Finally, police responded to the first robbery of the night at 9:45 p.m. at Orange Grove convenience store at 158 Shirley Ave. Two Latino males allegedly walked into the store while masked with at least one holding a knife. One suspect placed the knife against the female clerk's stomach and said, "Don't do anything stupid or I'll stab you," according to a police report.

The suspects ordered the clerk to empty all the money from the cash register then forced her to rip dozens of scratch tickets off the wall. No arrests were made.

Police did not charge the suspects with the five other armed robberies that have been reported in Revere since Jan. 22.

Police released a surveillance photo of the suspect in the Jan. 29 Seven Day convenience store robbery on Winthrop Avenue in which a gun was used. The Hess gas station on Squire Road was hit on Jan. 26, the Tobie's Jewelry store on Shirley Avenue was robbed at gunpoint Jan. 22 and two knifepoint street robberies occurred in the Shirley Avenue neighborhood on Jan. 24.

Lynn Daily Item

I can't believe this is all this kid got...

Revere Teen gets 5 to 7 years for beating death
03.FEB.09

REVERE — A Revere teenager has been sentenced to up to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for using a golf club in a beating that led to another man’s death.

Prosecutors say 19-year-old Matthew Riley used a golf club to beat 49-year-old Robert Mackey of Winthrop outside a convenience store in August 2007.

Mackey died of a lacerated spleen about a week later.

Authorities say Riley and his brother got into a dispute with Mackey and another man outside the store in the early morning hours.

Riley was sentenced to five to seven years Friday after pleading guilty to manslaughter, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of marijuana. Prosecutors had recommended a 10-year sentence.

Riley expressed remorse.

- Associated Press

Phone "Swatter" Who Fooled 911, Police Pleads Guilty

An 18-year-old prankster known as "Little Hacker" who fooled police into responding to bogus emergencies pled guilty in federal court in Dallas on Thursday.

Matthew Weigman, of Revere, Mass., admitted to "swatting" victims in Fort Worth and Alvarado.

"Swatting" is a scheme by telephone hackers in which they take over another person's telephone number, call 911 and falsify an emergency, fooling police into sending officers to a bogus call.

Weigman has been in custody since the FBI arrested him in Boston in May 2008.

In federal court in Dallas Thursday, Weigman admitted that on June 12, 2006, he called police in Alvarado, saying he had shot and killed members of his family, was armed with an AK-47 and was holding hostages. He made the call appear to come from the house of an Alvarado resident he had met over a telephone "party line."

He made a similar call to Fort Worth police on Oct. 1, 2006, said James Jacks, the acting U.S. attorney in Dallas.

MSNBC - Full Story

Search uncovers missing Super Bowl rings in Saugus

Law enforcement officials say a safe deposit box they searched today at an Eastern Bank branch in Saugus held a glittering, ill-gotten treasure: 27 New York Giants Super Bowl rings, valued at more than $170,000, that were allegedly stolen in June from an Attleboro jewelry company.

Kristen Sullivan, 22, of Saugus, who rented the safe deposit box, was arrested by Lynn Police later on a charge of receiving stolen property over $250, said State Police spokesman David Procopio.

Sullivan had already been arrested Friday in connection with the June 8, 2008 heist at the E.A. Dion Inc. jewelry company, Procopio said. But as the investigation continued, the State Police, working with the FBI and local police, learned of the existence of the safe deposit box at the Eastern Bank on Lincoln Street in Saugus. The authorities obtained a search warrant, which they executed at noon today.

Police have said they believe that Sean D. Murphy, 44, a Lynn furniture mover, was the leader of a theft ring that moved up and down the East Coast, stealing jewelry and pharmaceuticals. After a series of search warrants were executed on Friday, Murphy was arrested in Lynn. Sullivan and Rikkile Brown, 21, were also arrested in connection with the heist.

The Super Bowl rings - which could have been flaunted by Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, or David Tyree if they hadn't been stolen - have been secured by the authorities for “evidence and for forensic testing," said Procopio.

Sullivan is being held by police, pending her arraignment on the second charge, he said.

Boston Globe

Saugus man charged as accessory to Bufalino robbery

SALEM - A Saugus man was arrested Tuesday for being an accessory to an armed robbery that reputed Revere mobster Darin Bufalino committed in Middleton a day earlier, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said.

John Viera, 47, of 42 Holland St., Saugus, turned himself into Winthrop police about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for charges of being an accessory to armed robbery before and after the fact and threatening to commit a crime, according to Steve O'Connell, spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

Middleton Police Chief James DiGianvittorio said Bufalino, 47, of 190 River Road, Winthrop, met with a 23-year-old landscaper on Village Road in Middleton about 12:30 p.m. Monday.

The victim planned to purchase a large amount of rock salt as part of a business transaction when Bufalino, a former enforcer of notorious mobster "Cadillac" Frank Salemme, allegedly pulled out a handgun and robbed the victim of $11,000 cash.

Bufalino fled onto nearby Interstate 95 and police in numerous North Shore communities, including Revere and Winthrop where he is known to frequent, were alerted of his vehicle's description.

Winthrop police said Bufalino made several calls saying he would turn himself in and did so about 6:15 p.m. He was transported back to Middleton by a State Police escort to face charges.

O'Connell said both Bufalino and Viera were arraigned Tuesday in Salem District Court.

Prosecutors requested $500,000 cash bail for Bufalino, who recently served a 10-year prison sentence for a 1993 Revere bank robbery, served approximately three years beginning in 1995 for non-fatally shooting a Revere woman, was acquitted of a 1984 Lynn murder on a technicality and widely rumored to have connections to others. Judge James Lamothe ordered him held on $75,000 cash bail, O'Connell said. Viera was ordered held on $7,500 cash bail.

Lamothe ordered Bufalino to wear an electronic ankle bracelet upon his release and to have absolutely no contact with the alleged victim, "including third party contact," O'Connell said. Viera was ordered the same conditions but does not have to wear an ankle bracelet.

Lynn Daily Item

Revere man held on $5G for robberies

SALEM - A Revere man charged with robbing businesses in Saugus and Salem during a three-day crime spree last year remains held at the Concord State Prison on $5,000, after pleading innocent.

William M. Nickerson, 28, of 12 Blaney Court, pleaded innocent Monday in Salem Superior Court to three counts of masked armed robbery.

As jointly recommended by the prosecutor and defense, Judge John T. Lu set the bail amount proposed and continued the cases to March 9 for a pre-trial conference.

Charges relate to two incidents in Saugus and Salem.

Lynn Daily Item - Full Story

Reputed Revere mobster arrested

WINTHROP - A reputed Revere mobster who was acquitted in a 1984 Lynn murder case was arrested Monday after he allegedly robbed a Beverly landscaper of $11,000 cash on a Middleton side street.

Darin Bufalino, 47, of 190 River Road, Winthrop, was arrested and charged with armed robbery when he turned himself into the Winthrop police station about 6:15 p.m., police said.

Middleton Police Chief James DiGianvittorio said Bufalino pulled out a black handgun and robbed a 23-year-old Beverly man on Village Road, off Interstate 95, about 12:30 p.m. before fleeing on the highway in his 2006 Ford Explorer.

Bufalino worked as an enforcer for notorious mobster "Cadillac" Frank Salemme, who had strong ties to James "Whitey" Bulger.

DiGianvittorio said the victim owns a landscaping company and the robbery might be "a business deal that seems to be a set up."

"We're still investigating whether there was a possible co-conspirator," DiGianvittorio said. No one was hurt.

After the alleged robbery on Monday, Winthrop police went to Bufalino's home and found the alleged getaway car. The suspect was nowhere to be found, but a police lieutenant said Bufalino called the police station "several times" saying he would turn himself in.

According to police logs, Bufalino's car was registered to 10 Elwood Place in Revere, the same address he resided when he allegedly shot a woman in Revere in 1994.

He was transported back to Middleton with a State Police escort to face charges last night. He is scheduled for arraignment today in Salem District Court.
Bufalino has a long and well-publicized history with North Shore law enforcement.

He was sentenced in 1999 to serve 10 years in prison for a 1993 armed bank robbery at the former Boston Five Cents bank at Northgate Shopping Center in Revere. It was perhaps his longest jail sentence served despite being suspected in several serious crimes.

Bufalino and two other men were acquitted of shooting to death drug dealer Vincent DeNino, 26, of 236 Summer St., Lynn, in February 1984 after a judge suppressed wiretap evidence. DeNino's bullet-riddled body was found in the trunk of a car in a Revere supermarket parking lot after being shot once in the shoulder and four times in the head, allegedly for refusing to pay $10,000 in a cocaine deal.

After the homicide, Bufalino fled to County Cavan, Ireland where he worked as a pub bouncer and was suspected in a murder similar to DeNino's. He was jailed in 1987 for the Lynn murder after fleeing Ireland to Spain and extradited to the United States in 1989.

In 1995, Bufalino pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to three to five years for shooting a woman and nearly shooting a male friend in a Revere parking lot after a drug deal went bad.

In 1992, he was arrested for stealing cash from an armored car on Broadway in Revere.

Lynn Daily Item