La Cosa Nostra member from Boston busted in rural Idaho after 17 years

[IDemo]

Hearing set in Boise Friday for Enrico Ponzo, wanted in Boston for slate of mob-related charges

BY Patrick Orr
Published: 02/09/11

When Kelly Verceles walked into a federal courtroom in Boise Wednesday afternoon, he thought there was no way his friend Jay Shaw was really Enrico M. Ponzo — a man the FBI says is a mobster from Boston who has been avoiding arrest for 17 years.

But when U.S. District Judge Ronald Bush asked the bespectacled, bearded and nondescript man clad in a yellow jail jumpsuit to identify himself during a court hearing Wednesday, the man’s answer was simple. “Enrico Ponzo.”

“I have to admit, it was like ‘wow’ ... I guess it’s true,” Verceles said, standing outside the courtroom later. “It’s hard to believe.”

“I  watched his kids and he watched mine ... We’ve drank beer together in each other’s kitchens. We were supposed to get together this weekend,” Verceles said. “He’s a good guy and a friend. What happened before was a long time ago.”

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/09/1520601/the-man-with-a-small-cattle-ranch.html