D.A. to drop perjury charges against DeNaples, Sica

HARRISBURG - Prosecutors in Dauphin County this morning announced they have dropped perjury charges against a wealthy Scranton businessman and his associate in exchange for him divesting his ownership stake in his Pocono slots parlor.

Under the deal, Louis DeNaples will turn over his interest in the Mount Airy Casino Resort to a trust in the name of his daughter, Lisa DeNaples, who is the chief operating office of the slots parlor. He must also pay the cost of the prosecution. That amount, however, was not immediately disclosed.

"Our primary goal in this investigation was to remove Mr. DeNaples from the gaming industry," Dauphin County District Attorney Edward Marsico said in a statement. "This agreement guarantees that. It is in the best interest of the taxpayers of Dauphin County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

DeNaples was charged with January 2008 with four counts of perjury for allegedly lying to gaming investigators about his ties to crime figures in order to win a coveted license to open the casino in Mount Pocono.

DeNaples, 69, said in a statement that he was "relieved and gratified that the District Attorney has recognized that the criminal charges against me are baseless, and that he has decided to do the right thing and drop the charges altogether."

"I have said from the start that I am innocent, and that's the truth. I have said from the start that I have no connection to organized crime, and that's the truth," he added. "I am glad that we have finally put these issues to rest."

Marsico also announced that charges against a longtime confidant of DeNaples', Rev. Joseph Sica, a Roman Catholic priest, also will be dropped. Sica was charged with lying to the grand jury about his relationship with the late Northeastern Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino in order to protect DeNaples.