Wednesday, January 30, 2008
PoconoRecord.com is back online
UPDATE: Our main site -- PoconoRecord.com -- is back up and running. Thanks to our readers for your patience while we overcame our technical difficulties.
Hazleton mayor Barletta still undecided on run for Congress
Maybe he will and maybe he won’t. Despite reports published earlier today, Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta is still undecided on whether or not to run for
“Lou Barletta has at no time told me that he has made the decision to run for Congress,” said Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr. in a press release.
“He is a wonderful mayor and I would love to see him run in the 11th Congressional District,” Gleason added.
Police name suspects in Pine Ridge assault while security staff out of work
Jerome Noble, 19, of Saw Creek, Bushkill, and Shaun Alan Hance, 20, of
The two men threatened victims by telephone, then waited for them to emerge from a house before chasing them “at a high rate of speed” in two separate chases, according to state police at Blooming Grove.
Police have accused the two men of physically assaulting one victim and using an ax to threaten three others.
The board at Pine Ridge says the entire security (and office) staff walked off the job on Jan. 21, two days before the assaults, after a labor dispute over health care. Employees say they were fired after the staff scheduled to work all called in sick Monday.
Board members refused to accept doctors' notes and quickly changed the locks to prevent staff from returning.
The dispute has raised questions about the security situation at Pine Ridge.
The board did not clearly answer association member’s questions about who is running security while they come up with a new public safety plan.
The board told members that community volunteers, board members and former security staff had manned the gate house.
Anyone with more information on the attacks is asked to call police at (570) 226-5718.
Butchered woman's death ruled homicide
The death of a female victim whose remains were discovered on Interstates 80 and 380 throughout Monroe and Lackawanna counties on Tuesday has been ruled a homicide.
The victim suffered multiple violent injuries, any of which caused her death, according to state police at Swiftwater.
The victim is described as a heavyset white female, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, with dark colored hair, with some gray hair mixed in.
Further details about the victim will be released at a future time.
Anyone with information concerning the case is asked to call state police at (570) 839-7701.
The victim suffered multiple violent injuries, any of which caused her death, according to state police at Swiftwater.
The victim is described as a heavyset white female, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, with dark colored hair, with some gray hair mixed in.
Further details about the victim will be released at a future time.
Anyone with information concerning the case is asked to call state police at (570) 839-7701.
Update: DeNaples' slots license revoked; Mount Airy casino to stay open
The Pa. Gaming Control Board has announced the suspension of Louis DeNaples’ slots license, effective immediately, but Mount Airy Casino Resort will stay open.The emergency order by Anne Neeb, executive director of the board, came in response to perjury charges against DeNaples. A trustee will be appointed to run the casino.
All profits from the casino will be placed in an escrow account. DeNaples is not entitled to compensation. In addition, DeNaples is not allowed to enter the property or exercise any control.
DeNaples can appeal Neeb’s order and ask for a hearing.
Check back for more information as it becomes available.
Investigators far from identifying butchered woman
Investigators are still far from identifying the woman whose butchered remains were found strewn along Interstates 80 and 380 on Tuesday. An autopsy today confirmed that the victim is female. We’re awaiting word on her possible age and any distinguishing features.
The woman’s severed head was among body parts found Tuesday. Officials have not said if they plan to release a rendering of her features so that the public may help identify her. They have not released her eye or hair color as of 4 p.m. Investigators describe the woman as light-skinned, meaning they are not sure of her race.
Preliminary tests were done on the remains at Pocono Medical Center yesterday before they were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for today’s 9 a.m. autopsy.
The woman’s severed head was among body parts found Tuesday. Officials have not said if they plan to release a rendering of her features so that the public may help identify her. They have not released her eye or hair color as of 4 p.m. Investigators describe the woman as light-skinned, meaning they are not sure of her race.
Preliminary tests were done on the remains at Pocono Medical Center yesterday before they were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for today’s 9 a.m. autopsy.
DeNaples’ spokesman calls perjury charges 'outrageous'
Casino owner Louis DeNaples, through his spokesman, on Wednesday strongly denied charges that he perjured himself before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Here is the full statement of spokesman Kevin Feeley:
“This is outrageous, but it is not surprising that this DA is not even bothering to give Mr. DeNaples the simple courtesy of notifying him about it. It’s just another example of prosecution by press headline, which is what we’ve been seeing in this case for months.
“As a practical matter, what this means is that Mr. DeNaples and his lawyers have not yet had the same opportunities that you guys had, to see any of the details of the prosecution’s case.
“One thing is clear now: Mr. DeNaples is glad that we are finally moving from the rumor mill to the courtroom. Anybody who knows Louis DeNaples knows that he tells the truth. And he’s eager to have the chance to show he did exactly that before the gaming board.
“With so much of these allegedly confidential (grand jury) proceedings having played out in the press, I think some people might get the impression that today’s announcement is the culmination of the story or the end of the fight. I want to make it as clear as possible that this fight has just begun. Mr. DeNaples will prove he is innocent of these charges.
“Saying it in the newspaper doesn’t make it so. Let the DA have his day in the news. We’ll do our talking in court.”
Mount Airy owner DeNaples charged with perjury
HARRISBURG (AP) — Mount Airy Casino Resort owner Louis DeNaples was charged with perjury on Wednesday and accused of lying about his connections to organized crime figures to win a casino license.DeNaples, who opened Mount Airy in October with the blessing of state gambling regulators, was charged with four counts of perjury by the Dauphin County district attorney’s office after a seven-month grand jury investigation. His company, Mount Airy No. 1 LLC, was also charged.
Prosecutors say DeNaples didn’t tell the truth to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board when he talked about his relationship with four people.
The four are: William D’Elia, the reputed head of a Scranton-area organized crime family; the late Russell Bufalino, an organized crime boss; Ron White, a now-dead Philadelphia businessman accused of trying to trade government contracts for political donations; and Shamsud-din Ali, who is serving a seven-year prison term for using his political connections in Philadelphia to obtain dubious loans, donations and city contracts.
DeNaples’ spokesman, Kevin Feeley, said DeNaples categorically denies the charges.
“Anybody who knows Louis DeNaples knows that he tells the truth,” Feeley said. “And he’s eager to have the chance to show he did exactly that before the gaming board.”
The gaming board, which vetted casino applications, awarded a license to DeNaples after investigating his background for organized crime ties, financial troubles and more.
Through Feeley, DeNaples has maintained that he has no ties to organized crime. His lawyers have accused Dauphin County prosecutors of misusing the grand jury as a fishing expedition and a tool in a turf war over who should regulate the state’s casinos.
More than two dozen witnesses, including D’Elia, appeared in front of the grand jury. D’Elia is in federal prison awaiting trial on charges of money laundering and conspiring to kill a prosecution witness.
Dauphin County prosecutors brought the case to the grand jury last year after reviewing information given to them by state police investigators.
A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.
DeNaples, 67, has business interests that span waste hauling, auto parts and real estate. He chairs a bank in which he is the biggest shareholder, and is a generous philanthropist and campaign donor.
DeNaples opened his casino and hotel on the site of the storied, but shuttered, Mount Airy Lodge resort with the promise of spreading economic cheer to northeastern Pennsylvania. Anticipating that he would beat a competing group to win the license, DeNaples had already razed the old lodge and broken ground on the new facility by the time the gaming board voted unanimously for him in December 2006.
For years, law enforcement agents have taken an interest in DeNaples, whose name has surfaced several times in state and federal intelligence reports on organized crime.
In 1978, DeNaples was fined $10,000 and placed on probation for three years after pleading no contest to a felony charge of conspiracy to defraud the federal government in a case involving government payments to clean up the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes.
The grand jury previously charged the Rev. Joseph F. Sica, a Roman Catholic priest and friend of DeNaples, with perjury. Prosecutors said Sica lied to the grand jury about his relationship with Bufalino.
Bufalino served lengthy prison terms in the 1970s and ’80s and died in the 1990s.
Ali, 67, is serving his a seven-year prison term for using his political connections to obtain dubious loans, donations and city contracts stemming from a federal investigation of Philadelphia’s “pay-to-play” culture.
White, a key fundraiser for former Mayor John F. Street, died of cancer in 2004 before he was to be tried as the central figure in the sprawling federal corruption probe, which centered on the awarding of city contracts.
To view a copy of the presentment, go to http://thepoconos.com/static/20080130denaplespresent.pdf
Autopsy confirms body parts were woman's
An autopsy Wednesday has confirmed that body parts discovered along Interstates 80 and 380 on Tuesday were those of a woman.
The coroner's office may release more information later Wednesday afternoon.
State police continue to comb the sides of Interstates 80 and 380 for human remains on Wednesday, January 30.
Eight bags of parts from a butchered body were recovered Tuesday. Police hoped to use a helicopter for an aerial search today, but high winds make that impossible. An intensive search with 20 officers is planned to start at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to call (570) 839-7701.
The coroner's office may release more information later Wednesday afternoon.
State police continue to comb the sides of Interstates 80 and 380 for human remains on Wednesday, January 30.
Eight bags of parts from a butchered body were recovered Tuesday. Police hoped to use a helicopter for an aerial search today, but high winds make that impossible. An intensive search with 20 officers is planned to start at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to call (570) 839-7701.
Wednesday noon update: Announcement expected in grand jury probe of DeNaples, update on body parts investigation
First, a major announcement expected out of Harrisburg at 1 p.m. regarding the grand jury probe of Mount Airy Casino Resort owner Louis DeNaples. Here’s all the background. We’ll update our Web site with the news as fast as we can, despite some technical problems plaguing us this week.
Sign up for our e-mail alerts or text message alerts, and you’ll be the first to know.
Second, we have an update on the body parts investigation. Expect to see state troopers combing the sides of Interstates 80 and 380 today and tomorrow. There’s probably more evidence out there and officials are determined to find it.
Meanwhile, we have story, photos, video and a map of the Poconos showing where the bags of body parts were dumped.
An East Stroudsburg University connection to the Super Bowl:Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty is an alumnus. And then there’s our special Super Bowl page, a joint effort featuring coverage from several Ottaway newspapers in the New England/Greater New York area. Looks like Patriots fans are in the majority.
It’s Wednesday. No matter what else happens, Wednesday brings you news about local schools. Today it’s a Stroudsburg graduate whose work in archaeology is changing the way we think about Neanderthal man. And there’s another story about Stroudsburg students who aren’t buying the guff about the death of newspapers. (We’re not dying, just changing so fast it makes our heads spin.)
A little-known feature of our Web site: World and National News. National story: Fed cuts interest rates to stave off recession caused by sub prime mortgage fraud. And proof that all news is really local: Our coverage, starting in 2001, of the sub prime mortgage scams in the Poconos. Yes, you read it here first.
Lastly, look for reporter Howard Frank on WYOU-TV this evening discussing the A&B Fuel scandal. He’s scheduled for three segments between 5 and 6:30 p.m. WYOU is the Wilkes-Barre CBS affiliate. For past coverage of the issue, visit our Consumer section.
Sign up for our e-mail alerts or text message alerts, and you’ll be the first to know.
Second, we have an update on the body parts investigation. Expect to see state troopers combing the sides of Interstates 80 and 380 today and tomorrow. There’s probably more evidence out there and officials are determined to find it.
Meanwhile, we have story, photos, video and a map of the Poconos showing where the bags of body parts were dumped.
An East Stroudsburg University connection to the Super Bowl:Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty is an alumnus. And then there’s our special Super Bowl page, a joint effort featuring coverage from several Ottaway newspapers in the New England/Greater New York area. Looks like Patriots fans are in the majority.
It’s Wednesday. No matter what else happens, Wednesday brings you news about local schools. Today it’s a Stroudsburg graduate whose work in archaeology is changing the way we think about Neanderthal man. And there’s another story about Stroudsburg students who aren’t buying the guff about the death of newspapers. (We’re not dying, just changing so fast it makes our heads spin.)
A little-known feature of our Web site: World and National News. National story: Fed cuts interest rates to stave off recession caused by sub prime mortgage fraud. And proof that all news is really local: Our coverage, starting in 2001, of the sub prime mortgage scams in the Poconos. Yes, you read it here first.
Lastly, look for reporter Howard Frank on WYOU-TV this evening discussing the A&B Fuel scandal. He’s scheduled for three segments between 5 and 6:30 p.m. WYOU is the Wilkes-Barre CBS affiliate. For past coverage of the issue, visit our Consumer section.
Police continue search for human remains
State police continue to comb the sides of Interstates 80 and 380 for human remains on Wednesday, January 30.
Eight bags of parts from a butchered body were recovered Tuesday. Police hoped to use a helicopter for an aerial search today, but high winds make that impossible. An intensive search with 20 officers is planned to start at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
Anyone with information is asked to call (570) 839-7701.
The remains of the light-skinned victim, possibly a woman, were scheduled for an autopsy in Allentown this morning. Body parts including a head and torso were dumped along a five-mile stretch of I-80 and 15 miles of I-380 from I-80 to the Lackawanna County line at Gouldsboro.
The remains were frozen, which may make it easier for investigators to identify the victim. But the parts were too badly chopped up for the victim’s gender to be readily determined.
"It is a more challenging investigation because there are eight crime scenes. Having various scenes makes it challenging and time consuming," said state police Lt. Robert Bartal.
Eight bags of parts from a butchered body were recovered Tuesday. Police hoped to use a helicopter for an aerial search today, but high winds make that impossible. An intensive search with 20 officers is planned to start at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
Anyone with information is asked to call (570) 839-7701.
The remains of the light-skinned victim, possibly a woman, were scheduled for an autopsy in Allentown this morning. Body parts including a head and torso were dumped along a five-mile stretch of I-80 and 15 miles of I-380 from I-80 to the Lackawanna County line at Gouldsboro.
The remains were frozen, which may make it easier for investigators to identify the victim. But the parts were too badly chopped up for the victim’s gender to be readily determined.
"It is a more challenging investigation because there are eight crime scenes. Having various scenes makes it challenging and time consuming," said state police Lt. Robert Bartal.
Check here for breaking news from the Pocono Record
PoconoRecord.com is experiencing technical issues today, Wednesday, January 30, 2008. To ensure you are seeing the latest news, check back here throughout the day.
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