Abramoff linked killer's sentence reduced after victim revealed as possible hit man

Killer's sentence reduced after victim revealed as possible hit man
By Larry Keller

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, December 08, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH — Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis was killed gangland-style nearly six years ago, but he may have been instrumental this week in helping a man get a reduction in his prison sentence in a high-profile slaying at a suburban Boca Raton deli.

Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp reduced the sentence of Ralph Liotta from 15 to 12 years this week after hearing testimony that the man Liotta killed, John "J.J." Gurino, may have been Boulis' hit man. That was further proof of how dangerous Gurino was, and why Liotta was justifiably afraid of him, Liotto's attorney, Doug Duncan, argued.

Liotta was convicted of manslaughter with a firearm, which carried a sentence of 12 1/2 to 30 years in prison.

Rapp didn't specifically mention the possible Gurino-Boulis connection in his sentence reduction order, but he said that "additional support has come to light which supports the fact that the victim was, in fact, a violent person."

Liotta shot Gurino four times inside Liotta's Corner Deli in October 2003. Gurino had boasted of being connected to the late Mafia boss John Gotti, claimed he beat a murder rap in New York by threatening a witness and continually threatened Liotta, even vowing to have him raped in front of his family, according to trial testimony. Liotta borrowed $26,000 from Gurino to open his deli, and hadn't repaid the debt.

The 4th District Court of Appeal rejected Duncan's appeal of Liotta's conviction, so on Monday he was back in court asking for the sentence reduction. He called Fort Lauderdale Police Det. Mark Shotwell as a witness. He's one of the lead detectives working the Boulis murder.

Boulis, 51, was ambushed by a gunman in Fort Lauderdale in February 2001 as he sat in his BMW. In 2000 he sold SunCruz to Washington, D.C. attorney Adam Kidan and imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Boulis then sued Kidan and his partners in a dispute over the sale.

Three men have been charged with Boulis' murder. Shotwell testified Monday that Kidan told investigators in May that one of those three men, Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello, claimed that Boulis' hit man was already dead — killed by his business partner at a Boca Raton deli. Kadan then did some research and learned about Liotta's shooting of Gurino.

Shotwell said his own probe confirmed that Gurino knew Moscatiello. "They were at least friendly," he said. And he said he confirmed Gurino's claim about being acquitted of a murder in New York.

Duncan said that Gurino was represented in that case by Bruce Cutler, who was John Gotti's longtime defense attorney.

Prosecutor Bunnie Lenhardt argued against shortening Liotta's sentence, calling the assertion that Gurino killed Boulis "hearsay, over and over." Gurino's dead and can't refute the claim, she noted.

Lenhardt also pointed out that Liotta fired two shots into Gurino's back, and never reported the purported threats from Gurino to police.

"You don't call the police on those guys," Duncan replied. "You try and work it out."

Judge Rapp said in his order that Liotta most likely poses no threat to society when he gets out of prison. "This was an isolated incident unlikely to repeat itself."