Nahant Man Arrested on Extortion Charge

U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Massachusetts
17 March 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON – A Nahant man was arrested today and charged with extortion in connection with arranging and paying for a local business owner to be assaulted.

Gary P. DeCicco, 58, was charged by complaint with attempted extortion. DeCicco was detained following an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Boston this afternoon.

According to the criminal complaint, in approximately 2004 or 2005, DeCicco sold land to the victim for $750,000. Shortly after construction began on the land in 2013, DeCicco asked the victim to be a partner in the car dealership the victim was building. When the victim refused to give DeCicco an interest in his business, DeCicco paid other individuals to arrange to threaten and assault the victim. On Jan. 11, 2015, the victim was assaulted at his business – an incident that was captured on video surveillance – and suffered several injuries, including a broken jaw.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of Weinreb’s Public Corruption Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.