SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - Two men convicted in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into organized crime in western Massachusetts have been sentenced to prison.
The Republican newspaper reports Ralph Santaniello was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Tuesday. Giovanni Calabrese was sentenced to three.
The Longmeadow men were among five area residents convicted in connection with loansharking and the $20,000 shakedown of a Springfield towing company owner. Prosecutors allege they are associates of the New York-based Genovese crime family.
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Prosecutors say Calabrese and Santaniello threatened to cut off the towing company owner’s head if he didn’t pay kickbacks. They were arrested in August 2016.
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