Former Waterbury Mayor Charged in Corruption Probe

Date: June 4, 2007

Source: News Room

The ongoing federal probe of mob influence over the waste business in Connecticut and New York seems to have no bounds. This time another colorful character, former Waterbury, CT mayor Joseph Santopietro has been sentenced to home confinement and five years probation for racketeering conspiracy in his role as a consultant to Diversified Waste Disposal. He was accused of helping the company, run by James Galante, to secure exclusive collection rights to certain areas and influencing a competing hauler from honoring contracts with a former customer of Galante. Galante and others participated in a so-called "property rights scheme" wherein haulers carved out routes for each other and agreed not to compete or poach customers. Santopietro is among 29 people charged so far in the probe. He has already spent more than six years in prison on corruption charges back in the 90's for similar behavior with local land developers, embezzling federal funds, bank fraud and tax evasion.

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