The First of 2011's Top 10 Mafia Stories

By Ed Scarpo
"Big Al" Bruno
From Masslive.com, we bring you the first in an ongoing series of  the Top 10 stories of 2011: Al Bruno murder trial convictions:

"As 2011 winds down, The Republican and MassLive.com recap some of the Top 10 news stories each day this week leading up to Jan. 1 when the complete list will appear with photos in The Sunday Republican.

"No. 9: Convictions in the trial of those accused of killing mob boss Al Bruno.

"This year brought the first mob murder-related life sentences in Western Massachusetts with the convictions of former West Springfield Mafia enforcers Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 45, and his younger brother Ty Geas, 39. They were tried in connection with the 2003 murder of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno and other crimes. The brothers were convicted along with onetime New York acting Genovese crime boss Arthur “Artie” Nigro, also serving a life sentence.

"A three-week trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in March shined a light – unprecedented in recent times – on the anatomy of the local Mafia landscape and provided a detailed chain of events whose crescendo left Bruno, 57, of Agawam, dying in a pool of blood after he was ambushed by a paid gunman."

Read the rest of the Top 10 stories of 2011: Al Bruno murder trial convictions

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