en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Salerno
2 corrections found
to 100 years in prison without parole and fined $240,000
The "without parole" part is incorrect. Salerno's federal sentence was imposed before November 1, 1987, when federal parole was abolished, and contemporaneous reporting stated he had an earliest possible parole date in 2016.
Full reasoning
The article's statement that Salerno's 100-year federal sentence was "without parole" conflicts with how federal sentencing worked at that time.
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons explains that only federal offenders sentenced after November 1, 1987 are not eligible for parole, and that the U.S. Parole Commission still handles offenders sentenced before that date.
- The U.S. Parole Commission likewise says it retains jurisdiction over federal offenders who committed their offenses before November 1, 1987 and that such offenders are eligible for parole.
- Salerno's sentence here was imposed on January 13, 1987, i.e. before November 1, 1987.
- A contemporaneous UPI report about a later sentence for Salerno stated that his lawyer told the court his earliest possible parole date was 2016, which directly contradicts the claim that the sentence was "without parole."
So the sentence length and fine may be right, but the description "without parole" is not.
3 sources
- BOP: Legal Matters
By virtue of the Sentencing Reform Act (SRA), federal offenders sentenced after November 1, 1987 are not eligible for parole. The U.S. Parole Commission remains active, however, to process the cases of offenders sentenced prior to the SRA.
- U.S. Parole Commission | TRAK System
These include offenders who committed their federal offenses prior to November 1, 1987, and are eligible for parole.
- Mob boss Salerno gets 5 years added to 170-year term - UPI Archives
Salerno's lawyer, John Jacobs, asked U.S. District Judge John Bissell for a concurrent term, noting that Salerno's earliest possible parole date was already 2016, when he would be 104.
convicted on all charges
This is overstated. Contemporary reporting said Salerno was found guilty on 28 counts but acquitted on five, including the Teamsters-election tampering allegations.
Full reasoning
Contemporaneous coverage of the 1988 verdict does not say Salerno was convicted on every count.
- The Los Angeles Times reported on May 4, 1988 that Salerno was convicted in the construction bid-rigging case but acquitted, along with two co-defendants, of tampering with Teamsters union national elections.
- The same report states that Salerno was "found guilty of 28 counts and acquitted on five."
- A follow-up Los Angeles Times report on June 2, 1988 again said the May 4 verdict acquitted Salerno and others of charges that they controlled the Teamsters presidential elections.
So it is inaccurate to say he was "convicted on all charges" in that 1988 case.
2 sources
- Mob Boss Guilty of Bid Rigging - Los Angeles Times
Mob boss Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno was convicted today of a racketeering conspiracy to rig bids in the construction industry, but was acquitted along with two co-defendants of tampering with Teamsters union national elections... Salerno... was found guilty of 28 counts and acquitted on five.
- U.S. to Curtail Its Effort to Take Control of Teamsters - Los Angeles Times
The revision reflects a May 4 jury verdict in U.S. District Court that acquitted Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno... and eight associates of charges that they controlled the elections of Roy L. Williams as Teamsters president in 1981 and of Jackie Presser in 1983.