Millionaire casino owner Gus Boulis was found murdered in Florida four years ago. Now, three people have been arrested- including a man police say has connections to some of the most infamous organized crime leaders in history.
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One of south Florida's biggest mysteries is the bizarre case involving multi-millionaire 51-year-old Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis. Depending on who you talk to, Gus was worth anywhere from $50 million to $200 million. His savvy business deals such as his enormously successful Miami sub shop chain and his ritzy SunCruz Casino cruiseline made the Greek immigrant one of the most high profile men in south Florida.
Gus was living the American dream and life was good - until February 6, 2001. That night around 9 pm, after a late meeting, Gus got into his black BMW outside his Ft. Lauderdale office. He was alone and heading toward a relative's house. Gus drove south on Miami Road and had gone just a short distance from his office when a car in front of him stopped. Then, a second car, a dark colored Mustang, drove up from the opposite direction and stopped alongside Gus' car.
From out of nowhere came a shiny silver pistol. The man behind the gun fired four or five shots into Gus' BMW. Then the cars drove off.
Mortally wounded and bleeding to death, Gus incredibly managed to drive his car onto the main highway. But once there, he lost consiousness and the car smashed into a tree. Gus was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. He died before police had a chance to talk to him - leaving behind his millions and a mystery.
As Ft. Lauderdale cops tried to unravel the mysterious murder of millionaire Gus Boulis, they realized they had little to go on. There was limited physical evidence and very limited information as to specifically what had occurred. It didn't take long for detectives to figure out that Gus was set up. They believe someone was laying in wait for Gus to leave his office building.
The one break in the case came from a witness who got a good look at the triggerman and helped police create a sketch. Detectives believe the shooter is white or possibly a hispanic male, in his 30's with short dark hair, a mustache and a medium build.
Cops then began to wonder if Gus' cold-blooded murder was related to his riches -- and his businesses. One of Gus' most profitable business ventures was SunCruz Casinos. In 2000, SunCruz Casinos was purchased by a Washington DC investor group headed by businessman Adam Kidan. The sale price -- $147 million. From the beginning there were problems with the deal, and soon, Gus and Kidan were at each other's throats - locked in a bitter battle as they fought over money and control.
Now, high-profile Washington DC lobbyist, Jack Abramoff and Adam Kidan have been charged with conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly scheming to defraud two lenders in the purchase of SunCruz Casinos. Abramoff - a central figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay - has pled not guilty against those charges in a Florida court. Abramoff and Kidan face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wide fraud. Each count carried a maximum punishment of five years in prison. According to prosecutors, the pair deceived lenders by pledging to invest $23 million in SunCruz in return for a $60 million loan. The indictment alleges Abramoff and Kidan offered a fake wire transfer document as proof they had invested the money.
Abramoff is also under investigation over millions of dollars he was paid by an Indian tribe for lobbying efforts. The well-connected Republican lobbyist and political fund-raiser, allegedly received at least $66 million from six Indian tribes to lobby for their casinos and other interests. He has been linked to DeLay, a Texas Republican, who is accused of using funds from Abramoff to fund foreign trips. Lawmakers are prohibited from accepting payment from registered lobbyists, according to House ethics rules.
Detectives hope that just as money was probably the motive in Gus' death, money will motivate someone to talk about what really happened.
»Suspect #2 -- James Fiorillo
»Suspect #3 -- Anthony Ferrari
For four long years, several Fort Lauderdale detectives have been trying to solve one of the biggest murder mysteries in south Florida. Finally, three men have been arrested, including one with ties to the Gambino crime family in New York. All three are charged with first degree murder in the death of multi-millionaire Gus Boulis.
On Thursday, September 22, 2005, the investigators provided a Florida state grand jury with all of the details and evidence gathered since Gus' murder on February 6, 2001. The grand jury agreed with them and handed down three indictments naming Anthony Moscatiello, James Fiorillo and Anthony Ferrari with the gangland style murder of Gus Boulis in Fort Lauderdale. Police say Moscatiello has been an associate of the Gambino crime family who turned up in wiretaps of the late mob boss John Gotti in the 1980s.
After the indictments were handed down, detectives fanned out and began surveillance of the three murder suspects. On September 26, Moscatiello was arrested at his home in Queens, New York. Lead detective, Detective Dave Jenkins said he and former Ft. Lauderdale detective Art Carbo, along with a team of New York cops, knocked on Moscatiello's door and took him into custody.
"We interviewed Moscatiello. He didn't confess but let's just say we have a very good interview with him," said Detective Jenkins. He went on to say, "This is just great. We have closure for the family now. It was a long investigation with a lot of detectives working lots of hours, but we finally closed one of our biggest cases. It's terrific."
James Fiorillo and Anthony Ferrari were both arrested separately in Florida. The trio will be charged with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.
After the murder took place in 2001, police tried to track down a black Mustang used in the crime. Detective Jenkins confirmed that the Mustang was driven by the triggerman who shot and killed Gus. He also confirmed that James Fiorillo owned a black Mustang in 2001.
For years, detectives focused on Adam Kidan, a New York businessman who bought Gus' SunCruz casinos shortly before the murder. Detective Jenkins said, "We haven't ruled out more arrests because the case is still ongoing." However, he believes the men in custody are three key players.