Slain man served time in Hells Angels case

BOULEVARD — The Boulevard man whose Monday death is being investigated as a homicide served time in federal prison after pleading guilty in a wide-ranging case involving the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

Frank Paul Caruso was found dead about 6 a.m. by his wife inside an outbuilding at their Tierra Heights Road home, sheriff’s Lt Glenn Giannantonio said. The 42-year-old had suffered head trauma, Giannantonio said.

Caruso was one of several Hells Angels members and associates who were indicted in federal court in June 2003 on charges including racketeering, narcotics trafficking and conspiracy, federal court records show.

He pleaded guilty in May 2005 to racketeering and was sentenced to four years and nine months in custody and three years of supervised released, said Kelly Thornton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Caruso entered prison in September 2005 and was released from federal custody in November 2007, after being credit good behavior and for time he spent in jail before being sentenced, said Chris Burke, a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman.

Giannantonio said Tuesday that no suspects have been named in Caruso’s death.

Anyone with information about the killing is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (858) 974-2321 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477, where tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.