TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2005

D.A. BROWN: HOWARD BEACH MAN WANTED FOR MURDER IN FLORIDA IS ARRESTED AT RESIDENCE

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that Anthony “Big Tony” Moscatiello, 67, of 162-23 98 Street in Howard Beach, Queens, was arrested last night at his residence on a fugitive warrant issued by the Broward County Superior Court in Florida on September 23, 2005. The defendant has been charged in Broward County with Murder in the First Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree and Solicitation to Commit Murder in the First Degree, and his return has been lawfully demanded by the State Attorney of Broward County.

The defendant is scheduled to appear this afternoon at a hearing in Queens Criminal Court on the fugitive charge, at which time he can waive or contest his extradition to Florida. In any event, the District Attorney will ask that the defendant be remanded without bail pending further proceedings.

The arrest was made by Detective David Jenkins of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and Investigator Art Carbo of the State Attorney’s Office of Broward County, Florida, along with the assistance of Det. Richard Fagan, Sgt. Felipe Rodriguez, and Lt. Brian Verwoert of the New York City Police Department’s Organized Crime Investigation Division under the command of Inspector Brian O’Neill and the overall command of Chief Douglas Ziegler of the Organized Crime Control Bureau.

It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.