CONVICTED DRUG DEALER TESTIFIES MILAN GOT FREE VAN, HID SOURCE

Saul "Gordo" Febo Said A Contractor Gave The Van. He Said It Was Titled To
Then Councilman Milton Milan'S Girlfriend.

CAMDEN - Convicted drug lord Saul "Gordo" Febo testified yesterday that
Camden Mayor Milton Milan conspired with him and a city contractor in 1996
to conceal the source of a van being given to Milan free of charge.

Febo, who ran Camden's largest open-air cocaine market until his arrest in
1998, told the jury in the mayor's federal corruption trial that when Milan
was a city councilman in late 1996, he wanted a gratis 1990 Chevrolet
Lumina from Domenic "Shorty" Monaco, who was bidding on the city's towing
contract.

Febo, who also ran a used-car lot, said that Monaco transferred the
vehicle's title to him and that he, in turn, transferred the title to
Milan's then-girlfriend, Kathryn Santa.

Febo, 33, said he had introduced Milan to Monaco about a year earlier when
Milan was running for Council. Milan wanted to meet Monaco, Febo said,
because he knew the contractor was having "problems with his towing
[contract], and he could help him out."

Febo said that he took Milan to Monaco's Camden shop, and that the three of
them went back to Monaco's office to talk.

"I said, 'Shorty, I want you to meet Milan. He can help you with your
[contract],' " Febo told the jury of eight women, four men and four
alternates. He added that Monaco asked, "Is this going to cost me?" and
that Milan responded, "Everything costs money."

Milan knew Febo was involved in the city's drug trade, Febo testified. He
said that he and Milan grew up together in North Camden, and that a cousin
of Milan's married Febo's sister.

To demonstrate that relationship to the jury, Febo said, Milan did some
construction work on Febo's house in the early 1990s. When it came time to
pay Milan, Febo said, he asked Milan to drive him to the Alleyway so he
could pick up money.

The Alleyway, Febo told the jury, was the East Camden drug set he ran. It
was also the place where people from across the region could buy $20 bags
of cocaine, and where he earned $80,000 a month, Febo testified.

As Febo testified, Milan, 38, kept his gaze locked on his boyhood friend.
When Febo was led into the courtroom to take the stand, the two stared at
each other for several minutes before Febo began to smile and shake his head.

Before the trial, the scope of Febo's testimony was limited by U.S.
Magistrate Judge Joel A. Pisano to Febo's role in transferring the van to
Milan.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee M. Bumb, who is prosecuting the case with
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary A. Futcher, wanted to introduce evidence of
Milan's longtime relationship with Febo - including testimony about how
Milan gave Febo his start in the drug business in the 1980s - to establish
that the mayor knew Febo was involved in drugs.

Febo, who began cooperating with federal officials last year, has told
authorities that he started selling cocaine in the mid-1980s, and that the
source of his cocaine was Milan. Milan, according to statements by Febo
that are now in government documents, ran a drug set at Fifth and York
Streets in North Camden.

Febo has also told federal authorities that Milan hired what are called
"trappers" to sell $20 bags of cocaine, according to those government
documents. Febo said he would sell bundles, or 12 bags of cocaine, for
$240, giving Milan $200 and keeping $40, according to the documents.

Febo has told authorities that he remained at the Fifth and York set for
about a year before leaving to make more money, those documents state.

Milan has denied ever buying or selling drugs, and yesterday he said Febo
was another example of a tainted witness with whom the government has
chosen to cooperate.

"You have to take who he is and what he stands for and what he has to deal
with," Milan said late yesterday afternoon. "This individual has made a
pact with the devil, and he's going to have to deal with it."

Febo, who also took the witness stand this year in the drug-conspiracy
trial of Jose Luis "J.R." Rivera and Luis "Tun Tun" Figueroa, acknowledged
yesterday that he faces life in prison for his involvement with drugs. But,
he said, the government has made him no promises, and the only thing asked
of him was that he be truthful.

Earlier in the day, Monaco and his former wife, Kimberly Monaco, who
jointly operated a towing company, testified about the van and a second
vehicle that was furnished free of charge to Milan.

The vehicle was a leased 1996 GMC Jimmy, which the Monacos allowed Milan to
use for about nine months in 1996 and 1997 - again, shortly before the city
was set to renew its towing contract.

Kimberly Monaco, who runs Nick's Towing, testified that Milan did not pay
for the Jimmy, and that she and her husband continued to make the $434
monthly lease payments while Milan had it.

Domenic Monaco testified that Milan also did not make any payments on the
Lumina van, which, according to title records introduced into evidence
yesterday, was transferred in December 1998 to a relative of Milan's wife,
Kathryn.

Kimberly Monaco told the jury that she wore a body wire during a meeting
with Milan in March 1999, shortly before the city's towing contract was up
for renewal.

During the recorded conversation, at Kimberly Monaco's Pennsauken office,
the two engage in a lot of small talk.

Later in the conversation, Monaco tells Milan that her contract is
expiring, that she has heard rumors that Milan has been spending time with
another towing contractor, and that the city is thinking of doing its own
towing.

"I want you to know that, you know, I need, I need to have the contract.
This is my, this is my living," she says.

Milan informs her that the rumors are untrue and adds: "And, you know, I, I
can't be in bed with everybody."

"What did you understand that to mean?" Bumb asked Monaco yesterday.

"My understanding was that since I was the one . . . supporting him, that
in return, he would be supportive of me," Monaco replied.

Carlos A. Martir Jr., Milan's lead defense attorney, pointed out yesterday
that in the taped conversation, Milan says: "Do what you do every time that
. . . you know, get your stuff together and . . . do what you normally do.
. . . I mean, there's nothing different going to happen now than happened
before."

Martir attempted to show that Monaco was trying to entrap Milan during that
conversation, because she was upset over rumors that Milan was courting
another towing contractor and angry that he had not returned her phone calls.

Dwight Ott's e-mail address is dott@phillynews.com