25 arrested in "Mobbed Up" arraigned

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - More than two months after "Operation Mobbed Up" yielded 25 arrests, many of the suspects were back in Superior Court in Providence Wednesday for arraignment.

A grand jury indicted the suspects on a slew of charges which included counterfeiting, illegal gambling, drug dealing, gun dealing, fencing stolen goods and insurance fraud.

According to Rhode Island State Police, the large-scale criminal enterprise was run out of the Valley St. Flea Market in Providence.

The owner of the flea market, Lloyd Morse,  was among the suspects arraigned Tuesday.

Investigators said the operation was run by two notorious mob associates, Gerald "Gerry" Tillinghast, who was in court Wednesday, and Nicholas "Nicky" Pari, who's since died.

The initial "Mobbed Up" investigation yielded two other major developments.

After his arrest, Pari told investigators where he buried Joseph "Joe Onions" Scanlon - the victim of a mob hit in the 1970s.

Pari served time in prison for Scanlon's death, but investigators never had the body until receiving the information from Pari and found the remains buried behind an East Providence apartment complex in November.

In addition, while investigation "Operation Mobbed Up" State Police said they discovered another criminal enterprise being run by Donald St. Germain and Adolph "George" Eunis. As part of that investigation, dubbed "Operation Mobbed Up Multiplies" 30 more suspects were arrested Tuesday.