The
Miami Herald and the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel are key reads for updates on the SunCruz fraud and Boulis murder cases. Yesterday's
Miami Herald reported that Anthony Moscatiello, one of the three men charged with the murder of former SunCruz owner Gus Boulis, had been a long-time FBI informant. Moscatiello became an FBI informant shortly after he was indicted on racketeering and drug charges, along with nine other Gambino crime family members.
It is said that at the time of Boulis' murder, Moscatiello was still acting as an informant on local mobsters. Shortly after Boulis' murder, he is said to have stopped cooperating entirely.
More on Moscatiello, his ties to Kidan and where the case is headed in extended.
Moscatiello advised [Kidan] on his Long Island bagel chain long before Kidan teamed up with powerful Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff to buy SunCruz in 2000.
...
Moscatiello claimed that Ferrari told him it was Kidan who ordered the hit on Boulis. Kidan, who once had Moscatiello and Ferrari on SunCruz's payroll, had been publicly feuding with Boulis after the sale of his gambling-ship empire.
Authorities believe Ferrari and Moscatiello planned the murder, enlisting Fiorillo's help in the alleged plot.
And, as the Herald reported a week ago:
Former Fort Lauderdale homicide detective Art Carbo took the stand today and testified about cell phone calls made between two men charged in the February 2001 slaying of gambling ship mogul Konstantinos ''Gus'' Boulis.
Calls between the men showed that they were both within 500 feet of where the fatal shooting took place, according to court testimony.
The two men cited above are Fiorillo and Ferrari. The third, Moscatiello, is said to have been a recipient of one of their calls.
A letter may also be key in the case:
Bogenschutz [Moscatiello's attorney] asked Carbo if he had questioned a Miami-Dade man about a letter reportedly written by Fiorillo. The letter supposedly detailed the Boulis murder and all the people involved. He reportedly sent it to someone as ''insurance''; in case someone killed him, the letter would be made public.
The plot thickens. Next up, Bogenschutz plans on questioning both Kidan and Abramoff. While Abramoff hasn't been implicated in Boulis' murder, it really comes down to what prosecutors have on Kidan and if Kidan can be pegged for calling the hit. If that happens, the full story will likely come out (including Abramoff's precise role, if any).
Bogenschutz said in an interview Friday that Abramoff and Kidan's testimony is critical in showing the bitter feelings and power struggle that followed their purchase of SunCruz from Boulis in September 2000. He said Abramoff has never been implicated in the Boulis slaying.
"He knows the inside workings of SunCruz Casinos. It's clearly of interest to us," Bogenschutz said, adding that it was not certain that Abramoff would actually testify in a trial. "It depends on what he says."
The chief prosecutor in the case, Brian Cavanagh, said his office had not intended to call Abramoff as a witness in part because he would be given immunity from prosecution for anything he says under those conditions.
Cavanagh also said Kidan has not been cleared as a suspect in the Boulis slaying.