Detective Testifies Search of Mobster’s House Yielded Viagra, Pot and Guns

By INEZ SHARABY & PRISCILLA PEREZ

A detective testified in the Manhattan racketeering trial of a former Bonanno mobster that he found 24 Viagra pills, nine large bags of marijuana and seven firearms in the defendant’s house during a search four years ago.

Anthony Santoro was one of the four co-defendants charged for overseeing a loan-sharking business and an Internet gambling site. He was also charged with selling prescription drugs like oxycodone and Viagra on the black market.

Detective Shawn Ricker testified that he “smashed” into the Staten Island home at 6 a.m. The search took little over two hours.

Four guns were found downstairs and three more upstairs. Along with the drugs and guns, Ricker said he found $45,000 lying around in the house, $39,000 in the base floor bedroom, and the remaining $6,000 in the upstairs family room.

Santoro was arrested 17 months later.

Santoro’s defense lawyer tried to undermine the testimony by asking the witness if he had any proof that the house he searched belonged to Santoro. He asked Ricker if he found any mail or bills addressed to Santoro while he was in the house. He also asked Ricker if he had done his research on the house and got the certificate of occupancy or the deed of the house.

Ricker responded ‘no’ to all of this.

Also on cross-examination the defense attorney noted a few discrepancies between Ricker’s testimony today and at the Grand Jury where he listed 24 boxes of Viagra instead of 24 pills. The witness conceded the mistake.

Sanotoro’s defense lawyer also said that Santoro’s driver’s license lists his address as 30 Beacon Street and that’s where he gets all of his mail. The searched house is listed under Christine Alfieri, who had been present with Santoro at the time of the search.

Alfieri owned the house for 25 years, long before she had known Santoro, evidence showed.