FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Two men convicted in the 2001 murder of businessman Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis avoided trial Thursday by accepting plea deals in Broward County Court, bringing an end to one of South Florida’s most notorious and oldest pending murder cases.
Anthony “Big Tony” Moscatiello, and the man identified as his co-conspirator, Anthony “Little Tony” Ferrari, pled guilty to second-degree murder charges.
Recommended Videos
Prosecutors confirmed it was a negotiated plea agreement that was approved in advance by Boulis’ two sons and his ex-wife, according to Paula McMahon, a spokesperson from the Broward State Attorney’s Office.
Moscatiello, 83, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. His retrial was scheduled to start at the end of January. Ferrari, 65, was sentenced to 18 years in state prison.
But according to McMahon’s email, credit for the time the men have already served will allow for their release in two years.
The plea agreement was reached primarily due to the appeals court rulings in the case, which meant that some evidence could no longer be used in trial, and the unavailability of some witnesses.
Boulis was killed on Feb. 6, 2001, after leaving a meeting at his Fort Lauderdale office. Prosecutors said the person who pulled the trigger was a man named John Gurino, who died after being shot two years later in Boca Raton. Moscatiello and Ferrari were the masterminds along with another man, James “Pudgy” Fiorello, in the Boulis murder, prosecutors said.
Boulis was the founder of Miami Subs fast-food chain and owner of Sun Cruz, a fleet of casino boats. Prosecutors said the murder connected to money involved in the sale of the Sun Cruz business.