East Boston Mobster at Center of North Shore Organized Crime Case

A Peabody man involved with loan sharking, gaming and organized crime and a North Andover man who was also indicted last week by a statewide grand jury are allegedly linked to an East Boston crime ring leader.

Michael Petrillo, 56, of Peabody, was indicted last week for conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and being an accessory after the fact of a felony (larceny). He along with Joseph Giallanella, 62, of North Andover, who was indicted for indicted last week on charges of conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact of a felony (larceny), have ties to Mark Rosetti, 51, of East Boston, whom authorities described in October as the leader of an Eastern Massachusetts organized crime network.

In October, authorities indicted Rossetti and said he and 31 other individuals, includuing Petrillo and Giallanella, were  involved in extortion, drug trafficking, robberies, assaults and other crimes.

In October, Petrillo was indicted on two counts of attempted extortion, two counts of receiving stolen property, use of telephone for gaming, conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact. Giallanella was also indicted on several charges including five counts of attempted extortion, assault and battery, and organizing or promoting gambling facilities or services.

Last fall, the Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett and Attorney General Martha Coakley's offices said Rossetti was involved in the trafficking of drugs, extortionate activity, money laundering, loan sharking (criminal usury), armed home invasion, kidnapping, armed robbery, illegal possession of loaded firearms, the illegal possession of a pipe bomb, assault and battery, witness intimidation, bookmaking (unlawful gaming), conspiracy, and perjury, among other crimes.

The prosecutors said their initial investigation into Giallanella's book making and loan sharking activities led them to 31 other individuals, included Rosetti.

Authorities executed 30 search warrants on several locations and seized $1.3 million in cash associated with illegal gaming and loan sharking, $120,000 in drug money, over a kilo of heroin, 200 pounds of marijuana, 9 scales, a heroin press, a police scanner, two bullet proof vests, a pipe bomb, a replica Uzi machine gun, a rifle, a loaded handgun and five motor vehicles.

Authorities allege that Giallanella employed Wendell Bradford as an “enforcer” who would collect money from gamblers who fell behind on their debts. In many cases investigators discovered that violence was used, sometimes in front of the victim’s family, in order to collect the debts. 

Petrillo is expected to be arraigned on April 11 in Salem Superior Court, according to Essex First Assistant District Attorney John T. Dawley, who will prosecute the case. Charles Davis, 44, of Salem, N.H., and Charles Toomajian, 53, of Malden, who were also indicted last week by the statewide grand jury.  They and Giallanella will be arraigned on the same date in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, according to Dawley.

Davis is charged with conspiracy, larceny, and making false entries into corporate books.  Toomajian is charged with conspiracy, larceny, receiving stolen property and being an accessory after the fact of a felony (larceny), according to the district attorney's office.

Last week, Dawley said that Davis was an account manager for Randstad Professionals in Wakefield, which is a temp agency. In order to pay off his gaming and loan sharking debts Davis allegedly embezzled $1,864,353 from the company. 

The money would then be laundered through Toomajian, who is an attorney.  Toomajian is also accused of stealing $659,525 from Randstad Professionals, which was diverted through Davis, according to the Essex County prosecutor.

Dawley said Davis allegedly paid off loan sharking and gaming debts to Petrillo and Giallanella.  In addition, as a way of making payments owed, both Davis and Toomajian allegedly paid money toward the mortgages of Giannella and Petrillo was paid $308,000, according to the Essex County prosecutor.