| For
Extortion
About 1994
Child Murder
Montefusco in
2023 Quietly
Pleads in SDNY
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
book
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Jan 13 –
The
second and
perhaps last
shoe dropped
Friday in the
1994 murder of
then 12-year
old Josette
Wright in
Putnam County,
NY.
Anthony
DiPippo was
convicted of
the crime; but
later prisoner
Joseph Santoro
testified that
Howard Gombert
confessed the
murder and
rape to
him.
DiPippo was
found not
guilty in a
second
re-trial (his
initial lawyer
had
represented
Gombert, hence
ineffective
assistance of
counsel) and
later won a
$12 million
settlement
from the
government.
Joseph Santoro
took note.
And, with
Melodie
Montefusco,
arranged to
demand part of
the settlement
- interest, he
called it -
from DiPippo.
Both Santoro
and Montefusco
were indicted
for
extortion.
Santoro
pleaded guilty
and on
February 3,
2022 was
sentenced to
48 months,
concurrent
with an
ongoing state
bid. During
the
sentencing, to
his credit,
Santoro said
"I'm not that
great a guy,
to be honest
with
you."
Now on January
13, 2023,
Melodie
Montefusco
pled guilty
before U.S.
District Court
for the
Southern
District of
New York
Magistrate
Judge Andrew
E. Krause at
the SDNY's
White Plains
courthouse,
which Inner City
Press also
covers. She
will be
sentenced on
April 14 by
Judge Stephen
Roman.
The
case is US v.
Montefusco,
23-cr-19
(Roman /
Krause)
***
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