Phila. lawyer sentenced in Delco Nostra probe

Philadelphia lawyer Gregory Quigley was sentenced to five years' probation and fined $5,000 yesterday after pleading guilty to a perjury charge linked to an organized-crime gambling investigation in Delaware County.

Quigley, 37, entered the plea during a brief hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Frank T. Hazel in Media. Four other defendants in the case, dubbed Operation Delco Nostra, were also sentenced.

For his felony conviction, Quigley, whose law office is at 1822 S. Broad St., also faces the prospect of having his law license suspended or revoked by the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

That process is expected to begin shortly.

"He is remorseful, extremely so," his attorney Gregory Pagano told Hazel after Quigley pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit perjury. "He knows there are other consequences, and he is prepared to face them."

Quigley and reputed mob associate Louis "Bent-Finger Lou" Monacello were charged with coaching a witness in the Delco Nostra investigation on how to lie to a grand jury.

Neither was aware that the witness, Frank "Frankie the Fixer" DiGiacomo, was cooperating with the Pennsylvania State Police at the time.

DiGiacomo, 44, wore a body wire and secretly recorded two conversations at Quigley's law office in January 2008.

"Once they give you immunity, then you can commit perjury," Quigley told DiGiacomo, according to a transcript of a Jan. 7 conversation.

In a conversation recorded one week later, Quigley told DiGiacomo, "You have six options. . . . Yes. No. I don't know. I don't recall. Fifth [invoke the Fifth Amendment]. Lie."

Monacello attended both meetings and also allegedly encouraged DiGiacomo to lie to the grand jury.

Monacello, 41, is facing gambling and obstruction-of-justice charges in Delaware County. His case was continued yesterday until April 13.

He is also facing an assault charge in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia for allegedly plotting an attack on a reputed mob rival. That charge also grew out of the Delco Nostra investigation and DiGiacomo's cooperation.

DiGiacomo, a South Philadelphia-based plumber and a reputed member of Monacello's "crew," recorded dozens of conversations for the state police between December 2007 and July.

He was taken into protective custody shortly before Monacello and 16 codefendants were arrested July 22.

In addition to Quigley, four other defendants pleaded guilty yesterday to gambling-related charges and were sentenced to terms ranging from 30 days' house arrest to two years' probation.

Gregory Traintafillou and Joseph Pizza were each sentenced to three months' house arrest and two years' probation after pleading guilty to racketeering-gambling charges. Pizza was fined $2,000, and Traintafillou forfeited more than $43,000 in alleged gambling receipts confiscated when state police raided his restaurant in July.

Victor Novelli was sentenced to two years' probation and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to a bookmaking charge.

And Ralph Abbruzzi was sentenced to 30 days' house arrest and two years' probation after admitting his role in a scheme to sell winning lottery tickets to gamblers seeking to launder their illegal business proceeds.

Abbruzzi, a local entertainer, was given a one-day furlough from his house-arrest sentence so that he could appear at a previously scheduled performance at a South Philadelphia restaurant March 27.

When Hazel asked what type of music he performed, Abbruzzi said he did a lot of "Louie Prima" in his act. After Hazel said he was a Louie Prima fan, Abbruzzi told the judge, "Come down and have dinner and watch me do a couple of numbers."

Hazel did not respond to the invite.