Accused mob leaders arraigned

Wearing a simple gray suit, scuffed black loafers and no jewelry, Tocco, 69, stared straight ahead in a Detroit courtroom Tuesday as U.S. District Court Magistrate Donald Scheer released him on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

Scheer entered a plea of not guilty for Tocco.

Both Tocco and his brother, Anthony Joseph Tocco, 65, were arraigned Tuesday on charges of racketeering and extortion. They were both arrested last Thursday at their Florida homes as part of a crackdown on organized crime in Detroit.

They previously had remained out of jail by posting their Florida properties as a guarantee they'd appear in court.

"We interrupted their vacations," said Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Wouczyna, who is prosecuting the Toccos and 15 others indicted last week.

Anthony Joseph Tocco, who federal agents say is a Mafia captain or "capo," also was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond Tuesday. Scheer entered a plea of not guilty for him.

Scheer ordered the Toccos to surrender their passports and restricted their travel to Michigan and Florida.

Jack William Tocco of Grosse Pointe Park was former vice-president and co-owner of Hazel Park race track.

In the 1950s, Anthony Joseph Tocco of Clinton Township was among 30 Detroit men placed on the record of the Senate Labor-Management Committee by Robert F. Kennedy as either a delegate to a crime convention in New York State or among "their contacts and associates."

The next step for federal attorneys in prosecuting the alleged members of the Detroit Mafia is a pretrial conference next Tuesday.

Wouczyna said the government will soon release the results of electronic surveillance to defense attorneys.

The only person who has not been arraigned yet in federal court is John Batista Sciarrotta, who was indicted for extortion. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said he was already in the custody of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department on unrelated charges.