In 1953, two prominent figures in pueblo gangland, Tom (Whiskers) Incerto and Charles Blanda, received four-year federal prison sentences for confessing to lying to U.S. income tax agents. Judge William Lee Knous imposed fines of $5,000 on each, followed by two years of probation. The prosecution argued that their activities involved enforcing protection payoffs in gambling, a notion Judge Knous found challenging to accept. Their sentences marked the first prison terms issued in Colorado’s recent crackdown on gangsterism and illegal gambling. Defense attorneys pleaded for leniency, citing their impoverished backgrounds and attributing their troubles to media sensationalism. Despite denying ties to a global Mafia syndicate, both faced indictments for income tax evasion and deceiving federal officials about their illicit earnings.
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