Prison official demoted over support of mobster

[jdswifey02]

December 27, 2002
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

A high-ranking state prison official who testified on behalf of a mob hit man who was trying to win parole has been removed from his post.

Ron Matrisciano, 48, testified on behalf of Harry Aleman, who's serving 100 to 300 years for the shotgun murder of a Teamsters official. Nothing prohibits Matrisciano from doing so, and he used personal time to attend Aleman's parole hearing.

But he showed poor judgment, said Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Sergio Molina, and has been demoted.

His new duties have not been determined. Matrisciano was an assistant deputy director at the corrections department.

He told the parole board he was not representing the prison system when he testified, but he did identify himself as a veteran prison official, Molina said. He added that Matrisciano told officials he was a friend of the Aleman family.
Aleman was sentenced in 1997 but under 1972 guidelines because that's when the murder occurred. That means he could be eligible for parole just a few years into his term.

The 63-year-old Aleman, being held at the Dixon Correctional Center, was initially acquitted in the murder of Teamster steward William Logan. But he was re-tried when accusations surfaced that the presiding judge had accepted a $10,000 bribe to acquit Aleman. He was convicted at a second trial.