Jury to get Mancuso asbestos-removal case Wednesday
Story Created:
Oct 27, 2009 at 3:45 PM EST
Story Updated:
Oct 27, 2009 at 4:27 PM EST
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WKTV) - It's a criminal case that's divided a local family, placing two brothers at the defense table and a third brother on the witness stand, testifying against the others.
Paul Mancuso, of Utica, is accused of taking part in an illegal asbestos removal operation involving removal of the hazardous material from buildings in Utica and north of the city. His brother, Steven Mancuso, a Utica attorney, faces conspiracy charges.
On Tuesday, attorneys for the two men made closing arguments in the case. A prosecutor from the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Unit also made closing arguments. Prosecutor Todd Gleason told jurors that Steven Mancuso is admittedly less involved in the operation than Paul Mancuso, but that that doesn't make him any less guilty.
Gleason pointed out that only one person accused has to commit an overt act in order for there to be a conspiracy. Gleason also told jurors that Steven Mancuso concealed his brother's asbestos business in his Utica law office.
Steven Mancuso's defense attorney, Frank Policelli, of Utica, told jurors that if his client believed in good faith that he'd done nothing wrong, then he didn't commit a crime. He also told the jury that just because Steven Mancuso might have drafted a legal document for his brother from time to time, that didn't mean he was intimately involved with or aware of the day to day operations of his brother's business.
The judge will instruct the jury as to the law in this case Wednesday morning. The jury should get the case late Wednesday morning. Paul Mancuso faces 10 years in federal prison if convicted; his brother, Steven, faces five years.
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