The trial date is still five months away, but it looks like at least one indicted member of Laborers Local 91 isn't going to take any chances with a jury trial when there's a possible 20-year prison term at stake.
Brian Perry, one of 14 union members and officers rounded up in May 2002 and charged under federal racketeering statutes, is scheduled for a plea-agreement hearing in federal court on Wednesday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr., the lead prosecutor in the Local 91 case, declined comment on Perry's status. But in two previous high-profile, multiple-defendant cases -- a massive drug-dealing operation in Buffalo and the case of six Lackawanna men accused of attending a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan -- the federal prosecution team headed by Hochul used plea agreements with some defendants to secure pleas or convictions from the rest.
Each of the six Lackawanna men ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of providing material support to al-Qaeda and all were sentenced to terms ranging from seven to 10 years. Each plea and sentencing agreement in that case carried the stipulation that the defendant cooperate fully and completely with prosecutors and FBI agents, a condition that will almost surely be part of any arrangement in the Local 91 case.
Perry, like several other defendants in the Local 91 case, faces a single charge, but one that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Many of the defendants also face mounting legal bills as the case moves through the system, making a plea arrangement financially attractive, as well.
The main target of the federal probe, longtime Local 91 chief Michael "Butch" Quarcini, died last year, but prosecutors have shown no sign of letting up. Rumors -- some fed by the indicted themselves -- have swirled that some or all charges would be dropped, with deposed officers like ex-president and self-described "strong arm" Mark Congi able to reclaim positions of power in the union.
Congi and several other union members are already facing multiple felony counts. Now it looks like the code of silence that provided the foundation of Quarcini's 35-year reign is crumbling under them, as well.
Things aren't all bad for all the deposed leaders of Local 91, however.
Cheryl Cicero, Quarcini's daughter and for years the extremely well-paid den mother at the union's Seneca Avenue headquarters, was recently awarded a reported settlement of $94,000 for her "wrongful dismissal" from her duties as Local 91's secretary and treasurer.
That figure would seem exorbitant, but is in line with what had to be the richest compensation package for any "secretary" in Niagara Falls, if not the entire state -- an annual salary of $89,000.
In case that $94,000 doesn't make ends meet, though, Cicero will also receive a monthly pension reported at $4,800.
Nice work if you can lose it.
What already figures to be a hotly contested race for the only Niagara Falls City Council seat on the ballot in November got even warmer over the weekend, when Glenn Choolokian told the Niagara Falls Reporter that he's going to challenge incumbent Jim Stewart in the Democratic Primary.
"We're going to run," said Choolokian, who garnered attention and a surprising number of votes in last year's mayoral primary. "We ran such a hard campaign and a good campaign last year, and during the last couple months, people have been calling me. I think we have a lot to bring to the table and to the city."
Choolokian -- who was discouraged by city and county party leaders from running until 2005, when three seats will be on the ballot -- hopes to draw support from city employees and taxpayers upset with Stewart's vote in favor of the city's controversial deal to privatize much of Hyde Park Golf Course.
"It was horrible," Choolokian said of the city's contract with Greater Niagara Sports, approved by the Council on May 24. "They just continue to give things away -- the ice pavilion, the golf course. You wouldn't have businesses lining up to get these assets if they weren't moneymakers. The city runs things into the ground and just gives them away."
Stewart defended his vote to privatize half of Hyde Park Golf Course.
"I voted for what I thought was best, based on what we were told," he said. "I voted for what I thought was best for the kids and for the improvements to the golf course. I think with cutting the course in half and not cutting back the staff, we'd have the proper resources devoted there. It's always been understaffed."
George Lodick has already received the Republican endorsement for the seat, which was vacated by Vince Anello when he won the mayor's job. Anello appointed Stewart to the post, which he accepted with the knowledge he'd not only have to run in November's special election to keep it, but would also face another re-election campaign when the full term ends in 2005.
Choolokian works for the city water department, but since that was spun off under a separate authority last year, he's eligible to run for office while keeping his full-time job. While he finished fourth in the race for the Democratic nomination for mayor, he received nearly as many votes as former Niagara County Legislator Sam Granieri. Though Choolokian has never held political office, city voters showed last year that they're more than willing to back first-time candidates by pulling the lever in overwhelming numbers for Lewis "Babe" Rotella and Bob Anderson.
Stewart said he wasn't expecting a primary challenge, but believes he's in a good position to win his party's nomination and retain his Council seat.
"I still have some union support, I have some support with the block clubs and with other sections of the community. I'm still not worried about this year," Stewart said. "I wish (Choolokian) well. I think he's a fine gentleman."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | June 8 2004 |