Former Crime Family Associate Pleads Guilty to 1989 Murder, Enters Pleas in State Court to Other Killings

NEWARK - An organized crime associate formerly of Nutley pleaded guilty in federal court today for the 1989 murder of a union official with Local 478 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Philip "Philly Fae" Casale, 62, pleaded guilty to a one-count Information which charged him with conspiring with others to murder Harry Serio in violation of the laws of the State of New Jersey, in return for an agreement to receive money from the Bonanno Crime Family. Casale entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise.

In 1999, Casale entered into a cooperating plea agreement with the United States and subsequently recorded approximately 150 conversations with members and associates of several organized crime families. At the time of his plea agreement in 1999, Casale informed law enforcement authorities of his role in two murders, the 1994 murder of William Gantz and the 1996 murder of Joseph Sodano, both in Newark. Casale, however, failed to inform authorities of his role in four additional murders, including the Serio murder. As a result, the United States withdrew Casale's cooperating plea agreement and he was sentenced in 2000 to a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for the racketeering conspiracy to which he had pleaded guilty.

Following his guilty plea in federal court today, Casale was taken to Essex County Superior Court where he pleaded guilty before Judge Nancy Sivilli to aggravated manslaughter for the killings of three other individuals. Casale admitted shooting Larry Scoloveno in 1991 in Bloomfield, William Shear in 1993 in Newark, and Robert Matonis in 1997 in Harrison.

Under the terms of a joint federal-state plea agreement, Casale will receive a sentence of up to 10 years for the Serio murder. Any term of imprisonment will run consecutively to the 20-year sentence he received on July 23, 2001. Prison sentences imposed in Superior Court are to run concurrently to the consecutive federal sentences.

Casale has agreed to cooperate fully with state and federal law enforcement authorities in ongoing investigations involving the Serio murder as well as other criminal activity.

Casale today admitted in federal court to agreeing to murder Serio on behalf of individuals associated with the Bonanno Crime Family. Specifically, Casale admitted that he traveled to Serio's place of employment, Local 478 on Route 22 in Union Township, and shot him to death. Casale also admitted that he committed the murder in exchange for money and employment.

Christie credited the FBI, under the direction of Leslie G. Wiser, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Newark office. Christie also thanked the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Paula T. Dow; the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow, for their assistance and cooperation in furthering the prosecution.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D'Aguanno of the U.S. Attorney's Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense Counsel: Craig Mitnick, Esq., Haddonfield.