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March 19, 1996
Four of the 17 men indicted last week as members of the Detroit La Cosa Nostra now have court-appointed attorneys, including a man who makes $1,800 a month and a retiree who visits Florida each winter.
"They didn't have currently available resources to retain counsel," federal Magistrate Steven D. Pepe said Monday after appointing public defenders for two defendants. "The court doesn't expect people to be deprived of life's necessities in order to have legal representation."
Defendant Paul Tocco, 78, of Clinton Township, told the court he has an annual retirement income of $22,000 and $60,000 in home equity.
While petitioning for a taxpayer-funded attorney, Paul Tocco's temporary counsel, William Bufalino II, said Tocco would be returning to Florida for the next three weeks.
"The public has to pay for these court-appointed attorneys," James Wouczyna, an assistant U.S. attorney, said after Paul Tocco's arraignment Monday on conspiracy and extortion charges. "Sure, it bugs me."
But Bufalino said Tocco deserved his public defender, saying it will cost some defendants in the mob case $200,000 for a year's worth of private representation.
Most suspects were arrested and arraigned in Michigan last week. But Paul Tocco, along with suspected underboss Anthony Zerilli and alleged boss Jack Tocco, were arrested in Florida and ordered back to Michigan for arraignments this week. Zerilli was also arraigned Monday, and Jack Tocco will be arraigned today.
All the suspects pleaded not guilty.
Others receiving court-appointed attorneys were:
* John Jarjosa, 57, of Farmington. Charged with helping to extort protection money from several alleged numbers runners and bookies, earns $1,800 a month as an employee of J & J Distributing Co.
* Norman Bagdasarian, 63, of Detroit, who also faces extortion charges. He claimed $640 a month in retirement income.
* Frank Bert Whitcher, 26, of St. Clair Shores, another extortion defendant. He claimed to have no income and said he lives with his parents.