WOBURN — A Newburyport man who served time in the 1980s for shooting a Medford police officer during a bank robbery pleaded not guilty yesterday to a conspiracy charge stemming from the December killing of a Woburn police officer.
Arthur Cinelli, 50, of Newburyport, pleaded not guilty in Woburn Superior Court to charges of conspiracy to commit masked armed robbery and accessory before the fact to masked armed robbery. He was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors are alleging that Cinelli assisted his older brother, Domenic, in the planning and preparation of the botched Dec. 26 robbery at a Woburn Kohl's department store that ended in the killing of veteran officer Jack Maguire.
Prosecutors said Arthur Cinelli sent his brother text messages with detailed advice on how to carry out the Kohl's robbery that led to a shootout outside the store. Police said Domenic Cinelli, a career criminal granted parole in 2008, shot and killed Maguire, who was pursuing him. Domenic Cinelli was also killed in the shootout with Maguire.
Arthur Cinelli was staying with his girlfriend, Maryann Maniscalco, in Newburyport on Jan. 7 when he was arrested inside her house at 35 Moseley St. on federal drug charges dating to 2007. Maniscalco had been living in Newburyport for a few months only and had few, if any, connections to the city.
At the time of Arthur Cinelli's arraignment on the drug charges, prosecutors said they were suddenly interested in pursuing the charges against him because they had evidence he was involved in his brother's armed robbery at Kohl's.
Arthur Cinelli was indicted last week in connection with the Woburn armed robbery.
Two other men also entered not-guilty pleas yesterday in connection with the Dec, 26 robbery.
Prosecutors say Scott Hanright, 19, of Wakefield, helped Domenic Cinelli carry out the plan and acted as a lookout. He pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, armed robbery, assault and conspiracy. He was ordered held without bail. John Osler, Hanright's lawyer, said evidence will show that his client did not participate.
Kevin Dingwell, 51, also of Wakefield, pleaded not guilty to accessory after the fact of robbery and making misleading statements to police. He was held on $5,000 cash bail. Police said Dingwell agreed to pick up Hanright near Kohl's after the teen called him from a borrowed cellphone. Dingwell's attorney, Maryellen Cuthbert, said he had no idea about the case when police arrested him in connection with the robbery and shooting.
Maguire's death sparked public outrage and new scrutiny of state parole policy. After it was disclosed that Domenic Cinelli had been paroled despite receiving three life prison sentences as a repeat offender, five members of the parole board who voted to free him resigned and have been replaced. There also has been a renewed push for legislation to bar parole for anyone sentenced for a third serious felony.
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