January 23, 2025 • 38 mins
We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!
Sean Collins – lawyer and expert in long-term care insurance claims joined Dan with valuable insights, practical advice, and an understanding of the systemic issues behind long-term care insurance policies.
College kids, an old drug, and why it's everywhere again…the concern about nitrous oxide. Michael Molthan – addiction expert explained it to Dan.
Robert Borelli – former Gambino family crime member/associate and author of "The Witness: The Story of Robert Borelli and the NY Gambino Mafia Crime Family - A Life of Crime, Transformation, and Hope" chatted with Dan.
Major Michelle Mastrobattista checked in with the Thunder over New Hampshire (TONH) Air Show.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
Sean Collins – lawyer and expert in long-term care insurance claims joined Dan with valuable insights, practical advice, and an understanding of the systemic issues behind long-term care insurance policies.
College kids, an old drug, and why it's everywhere again…the concern about nitrous oxide. Michael Molthan – addiction expert explained it to Dan.
Robert Borelli – former Gambino family crime member/associate and author of "The Witness: The Story of Robert Borelli and the NY Gambino Mafia Crime Family - A Life of Crime, Transformation, and Hope" chatted with Dan.
Major Michelle Mastrobattista checked in with the Thunder over New Hampshire (TONH) Air Show.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Thanks very much to Cole. Yes, we have four hours tonight.
We'll keep you warm if you're out there traveling boy,
I hope you've got a heater working in the car
because it is continuing to be cold. They talk about
a dry January. This is a this is our cold January.
But you have to kind of expect that because it
is no way. The last couple of winters. Things have
(00:29):
been maybe a little more temperate during this time of year,
but things do sort of balance out with mother nature.
At least that's been my experience. My name is Dan Ray.
I'm the host of night Side with Dan Ray, the
aptly named Nightside with Dan Ray. Rob Brooks, the producer
of our program, is back in broadcast headquarters, Broadcast Central
as we call it, and he will set you up
(00:50):
with telephone calls beginning at nine o'clock. Coming up at
nine o'clock tonight, we are going to talk about some
ice rayds here in Bar Austin. I guarantee you that,
and we will. I don't see why anybody would be
opposed to ice raids in which criminal criminals are removed
(01:11):
from the country, criminals who are not supposed to be here.
We have enough criminals ourselves, we don't need to import criminals.
And then at ten o'clock time we'd be talking with
the new Israeli Consul General to New England, Benny Sharoni
Consul General of Israel to New England, and we will
talk about the ceasefire in Gaza and what is going
on in Israel and for even more broadly in the
(01:35):
Middle East. But first we have four interesting guests on
different topics, like to introduce to you our first guest.
His name is Sean Collins. He's a lawyer and an
expert in long care insurance and that's something that a
lot of people have to be thinking, particularly as people
(01:56):
live longer and longer. Attorney Collins, Welcome to Night Side.
Thanks very much for being with us this evening.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
So what exactly do you you're a lawyer and you're
an expert in long term care insurance. Is this part
of your practice or is this a separate interest that
you've developed.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
So it is part of my practice.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
It's pretty much all I do in my practice, and
I'm also working on setting up a separate company that's
you know, a non law firm to help folks with
clean filing issues, you know, try to avoid the need
of hiring an attorney.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So for a long time, everybody figured, hey, when you retire,
you got Medicare, and you're all set. Medicare, which passed
in nineteen sixty five. Well, Medicare does provide some benefits,
but there's a lot that isn't covered. Long term insurance,
as I understand, and if I'm wrong, since you're the expert,
(02:58):
please help me out. Is the sort of insurance that
people might buy. Look sometime in there, maybe forties, fifties
or sixties, anticipating the need as people live longer and longer.
Is that what we're talking about you and I tonight.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah, that's that's exactly right.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
So typically we'll cover stays in assisted living facilities, stays
in nursing homes, and these are longer term stays that
you know are not going to be covered by Medicare.
So when these policies were sold, primarily in the late
eighties through the early two thousands, they were sold to
cover folks once they needed to move into a facility,
once they needed home health care, benefits that were not
(03:36):
going to be covered by Medicare. So that's the idea,
is that this insurance product was going to protect their
assets from a long stay in a you know, perhaps
a memory care facility or again a skilled nursing facility.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Now, the uber wealthy, the elon musks of the world,
they in effect have the ability to self ensure. All right,
folks who are at the other end the economic spectrum,
they get the benefits also of Medicare, but also of Medicaid.
It seems to me that people who are in the
buying are the people in the middle, the big middle,
(04:11):
who do have a home that they hope to pass
on to their kids, and all of a sudden mom
or Dad finds themselves in a long care facility that's
costing twenty thousand dollars a month. Is this a good investment,
Because like insurance, it's kind of a gamble. You hope
that you will buy adequate insurance to cover whatever you need.
(04:35):
At the same time you think to yourself, well, you know,
do I really have to spend that give us the
pluses and the minuses from your perspective, from the perspective
of people who are in the middle, because again Elon
Musk is not buying any long long term health insurance.
He's all sad, and folks who are on the other end,
they probably don't have the ability because it's an expensive
(04:56):
vehicle to purchase, correct.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
So then, and it's a lot more expensive now than
one it was in its heyday. So you know, the
sales of long term care insurance really peaking in the
nineties and into the early two thousands. I mean, that
was the long term care insurance heyday. There's far fewer
carriers available now, much more difficult to find coverage, their
(05:20):
underwriting restrictions are much higher, and frankly, it's just unaffordable
for most folks. People that purchase their coverage back in
the eighties and the ninety two thousands, now they maybe
got a great deal on it, and you know that's
something that they should hang on to. Now again they're
you know, getting hit with rate increases on their policies,
so they have a whole other headaches. But right now
(05:42):
it's a difficult to find coverage, and it's difficult to
find coverage that is not you know, very expensive. So
you know, everybody's circumstances are different. You definitely want to
talk to your insurance adjuster and see if there's a
plan that makes sense. But you know, one of the
things that I would keep in mind is I would
advise anyone to purchase a long term care insurance policy
(06:03):
today that gives the insurance company the ability to increase
rates in the future. So if they're going to sell
you a product today, you want to make sure that
it's a product that the rates are absolutely locked in
and there's no way they can go up. And if
you can't afford that, then you should probably rethink whether
you need to buy it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
What's the possibility that, just as in Southern California, Los Angeles,
I think a lot of insurance companies are not going
to be able to cover the losses out there. And
I think a lot of insurance companies, this is my opinion,
I could be wrong. I're going to go belly up
because of the magnitude of the damage that has been
done in Los Angeles, outside and outside of Los Angeles.
(06:43):
What's the possibility that some of these long term insurance
companies that took people's money in the eighties and nineties
and two thousands, As people live longer and find their
need for healthcare greater. What's the chance that some of
these companies might go belly up?
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know, I think inst is that these companies will
go belly up. It's a bit overstated by the industry.
It's my view that the industry there there were some
carriers that did fail, and you know, but it's my
view that the industry is using those carriers to instill
a bit of fear mongering as a way to increase
premiums on folks that they already have locked in for
(07:19):
twenty to thirty years.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Now.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
That's not to say that there aren't certain carriers they're
going to have that have bigger problems than others. But
for the most part, these carriers can withstand losses. And
maybe they're not going to make the profits they want,
maybe they're going to make you a bit less money,
but they're not going to go belly up.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
But you talk about the heyday the eighties, the nineties,
in the early two thousands, was that the baby boomer
generation looking ahead and saying, hey, we got to worry
about mom and dad when they get into the seventies,
eighties and perhaps beyond. Is that why it was such
a good time for these insurance companies becauld people walking
(07:57):
in the do and say, I want to buy long
Trump Care insurance.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
I think so because they were they were in a
position where, you know, back in the eighties and the nineties,
they could the baby boomers could go in and purchase
a policy for their parents, still right, So they could
get a policy for their parents, and then they're also
looking at I want to maintain my independence, and they're
buying a policy for themselves. So I know that that
was happening a lot where folks were purchasing policies for
their parents that were in their seventies when they maybe
(08:23):
were in their forties.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So I think that's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So Sean, let me give you a chance. What is
the service that you can provide? And we only got
about a minute and a half left, But if folks
want to fight avail themselves of your services, what service
do you provide? Who do you help and how?
Speaker 4 (08:41):
So I help sure, So I help I help folks
that are having a difficult time navigating the claim process.
So as an attorney, you know, most of the time
when when I hear from people, things have already been
a mess. They may have been fighting with the insurance
company for a year trying to get the claim covered,
and you know, all kinds of reasons just to why
of these claims get denied. It's a lot more complicated
(09:03):
than than it may first appear. And I think the
claim process has gotten much more difficult over the last
you know, five to ten years. So people give generalized
advice about how to deal with the claim process. Generalized
advice doesn't work. You need to look at your particular
insurance policy, and there's thousands of different variations of the
insurance policies in the language. So you know, I'm starting
(09:25):
a company that will be will be a non law firm.
It's going to be a patient advocacy organization. And the
idea is that if you can get infect with us,
we can help navigate you through the claim process and
you know, hopefully things should go smoothly and you won't
ever need to hire a lawyer. If you want to
get in touch with us, you can email us at
info at Safe Harbor l TC dot com or give
(09:48):
us a call at one eight eight eight six one
one zero nine zero eight.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, I'm going to ask you Sean Is give that
email address one more time.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Please sure it's info at Steve Harbor ltc dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Okay, when when we finish up what you're about to
finish up, please give both that email and that phone
number to my producer, Rob, who you spoke with before,
because there will be some people who might have missed
it and they'll be able to call Rob during the
next forty five minutes and get that contact information if
(10:27):
they are so inquined. Thank you very much, and I
thank you for what you do because there's a lot
of people out there who going to find themselves in
trouble for a good reason. A lot of us are
living longer than our parents did, and that's why I
fear that some of these companies, unless they have really
leveraged themselves properly, are going to be problematic. Sean Collins,
(10:50):
thank you so much for having joined us tonight, and
stay online and give that info to Rob so he
can have it if anyone wants to call in during
the next hour. Thank you so much, sEH.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I appreciate it, very appreciate it, and thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
You're very welcome. We get back when we talk about
an old drug which provides a new problem for people
who have it, who are who are addicted, and we're
going to talk about nitrous oxide which is making a
comeback and what you can do about it if you
find yourself attracted to it. We have a couple of
(11:22):
other topics coming up. We're going to be talking with
the Gambino crime family associate after the eight to thirty
news is going to be talking about a big air
show coming up in New Hampshire. I think you're going
to want to know about it. And as they say,
we'll get to our topics of the night with phone calls.
Going to talk with Ed Flynn Boston City Council about
the ice sweep that has occurred in Boston in the
last day or so. And also going to be talking
(11:42):
about the Israel Hamas ceasefire in the Middle East with
the Consul General of Israel to New England. My name
is Dan Ray. This is Nightside. We will be right
back right after this.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Now back to Dan Ray line from the Window World
Nightside Studios on w b Z, the news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Back in the days, back in the old days, there
was a drug called nitrous oxide. Apparently it's now making
a comeback. With us as my guest, Michael Mulfin he's
an addiction expert. He overcame addiction and is now sober.
His real job is as a home builder. So kind
(12:23):
of an interesting combination, uh combination, Michael, What exactly is
nitrous oxide?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Well, good evening, Dan, and thank you so much for
having me on. Yeah, it's an old one. It's it's
an old it's an old drug, and it's nitrous oxide
is for your listeners, when you go to the dentist
and they give you laughing gas or something to uh,
you know, to calm you down.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
Uh, that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I mean, that's exactly what it is. And what it
does is.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
It it calms the brain down, and and the more
you use it, you actually hallucinate and disassociate from your
you know, your from your body. And that's where the
attraction is for addicts.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So how how is it ingested? I mean is this
I mean, they were they were kids back twenty years ago,
thirty years ago that used to uh try to sniff
what was it aerosol dispensers. Is that what we're talking about?
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Yeah, So my personal experience, I used to do that
and there's a you know, rush or airplane glue to
get that instant high all the way down to the
old markers, you know, the markers we used to you know,
to sniff the liquid paper, the white liquid paper, and
but this is, you know, on steroids, a lot stronger
and and today our our kids, our college students, anyone.
(13:47):
It's easy accessible because you can now purchase them online.
You can also purchase it in local smoke shops, you know,
these smoke shots that are selling kret them that they're selling,
you know, the thh you know, see vape pins and
all that. You can also get what they're called whippets.
And they're little canisters that you can open up and
(14:10):
you inhale it and it gives you this instant high
and it can be very dangerous.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And how did this make a comeback? I guess if
at some point it must have fallen out of fashion.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Well, you're right, fell out of fashion. But it makes
a comeback really because the Internet and these smoke shops,
these smoke shops are getting their hands on anything that
is not illegal. It's just right in the middle of
the gray line. And they sell these things, you know,
and they call them whippets, you know, or hippie crack
(14:45):
is what they call it and these kids are you
know ingesting it? And what happens is this is my
personal opinion, it's a gateway drug into hallucingens. I mean,
it's a gateway drug into mushrooms. It's a gateway drug
into LSD asset. Because an attict wants they're triggered, they
want more and so they want more of the experiencing.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
It's very dangerous.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
So if it is. Look, I know that marijuana is
legal in Massachusetts. We have not only medical but recreational dispensaries.
I think we're about to open up cannabis cafes here
in Massachusetts. So how does that decision by the voters
and by the politicians. How does that then open up
(15:28):
the door to something that I don't think the voters
of the politicians really are aware of. How does that work?
I mean, how that stuff legal to be sold in
when we think of as pot dispensaries.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Right, let me answer it this way, speaking from a
recovering addict. Okay, it's a great question. How was asked
before in the talk show just recently that if we
were to magically build a wall around the entire United States? Okay,
would that help the drug epidemic. Yeah, it would help
a little bit, but the real problem is, I'm still
(16:02):
going to get high. I Am going to find a way.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
To get high. So it's on the attic himself.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
You know. We can vote and do all the things
we want to, but what we need to do is
is we need to stop focusing on addiction and start
focusing on why the addiction. And that's where we'll start
getting the change. And it's one attic in recovery helping
another one. It's starting to get people on your show,
your successful show, sharing success stories of how we've overcome.
(16:33):
And that's where we don't have to go to the
ballot box. We just go right to the people and
the true stories of redemption and restoration. And that provides
hope because it is a deadly epidemic.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Oh. Look, we've seen the sentinel, you know, numbers which
have been pouring across the southern border for now years
and there are so many I've done stories with parents
who lost two kids the same night, you know, with fentanyl. Look,
you don't have to convince me on this, but look, everybody,
(17:09):
I like cores light and a and a glass of
red wine with dinner. So I'm not the perfect person either, Okay,
but I can handle it and I take and it
doesn't impact me.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Well, the reason why, the reason why I love what
you said right there is you had to have a
core light and a glass of wine. Okay, but it's
not your source. It's not that's it's not your source.
And that's what addiction is is that once something becomes
my source, and I'm chasing these visible things to fix
my invisible problems, then I'm an active addiction.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Okay, you know what, Michael.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I need to talk to you more, and I think
my audience needs to talk to you more. And so
we do four interviews in the eight o'clock hour here
in Boston.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
And then I'd love to have you back and to
talk to some of my listeners because I know that
my listen news have kids who are in trouble, and
I know so my listeners in trouble, and so my
best callers are people who are reformed addicts. I have
friends of mine who were heroin addicts. I have friends
of mine, and I saw them through recovery, and I
worked with them and and to some and supported them. Okay,
(18:15):
they did it on them their own but I think
support is very important, uh, and I'd love to have
you back. So how can folks get in touch with
you in the meantime, what's the best way?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
You you have you have a website, we do.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
We have a huge platform, and that's all we talk about.
We've been doing this for seven years and it's it's M.
It's M two. That's the letter M, the number.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Two the rock.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
T h E r O c k dot com. Visit
our website and you can follow us.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Okay, so M to the rock. So M two t
H E r O c k dot com or dot
org dot com dot com. Michael, we'll have you back.
Thank you for what you do. Congratulations on your recovery.
You're an inspiration and can be an inspiration of some
of my audience who may be dealing with some problems
(19:09):
with their own family. And we'll get you back and
we'll talk to as well. Thank you very much. Michael Molfin,
an addiction expert. It's M two b Rock all one
word dot com. Coming back on nights side, right after
the news at the bottom of the hour, and we're
going to talk with a form a member of the
Gambino crime family. A life of crime that has turned around.
(19:33):
So we got a couple of stories of recovery here tonight.
That's an uplifting. Later on we'll talk about thunder over
New Hampshire. We're not talking about thunder thunder. We're talking
about an air show. We'll get to all of that,
and then we'll get to our talk portion of the program,
beginning right after the nine o'clock news. My name is
Dan Ray. This is night Side with Dan Ray on
WBZ Boston. We are an iHeartRadio station. You can check
(19:54):
us out on the iHeartRadio app. Listen to us from
anywhere in the world, as can your friends and relatives
who might listen anywhere in the world. Back on Nightside
after this.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
You're on Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Thank you, Nicole. Pleasure to welcome Robert Brelli to Nightside.
Robert is a former Gambino Family crime member and associate.
Robert Brelli, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
How are you well.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
I'm doing well. Thank you for allowing me to be
on your show. Do appreciate all that you're doing well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I had an opportunity to watch a previous interview. You
sound like a very interesting person, and maybe we'll do
this at a little longer format at some night. But
we got about eight or nine minutes here just to chat.
I did a lot of work out here as a
television reporter in the nineteen nineties and into the two thousands,
(20:51):
going after corrupt FBI agents here in Boston who framed
men who were mafia associates up here for murder they
had nothing to do with. So I understand your lifestyle
and I understand your story probably better than most talk
(21:13):
show hosts. So tell us about it. I understanding you're
a young guy. You're growing up in Brooklyn, New York,
and you really got involved with with the big leaguers,
if you will, the heavy hitters at a fairly young age.
Tell us how you got involved and where it led you, well.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
You know, at an early age, you know, Like I
try to describe it as like.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Two types of.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
People to tweet, types of people that I had experiences
in my life. Of course, it was my family, my
mom and dad, legitimate people you know, worked really hard
but had a hard time making ends meet. And you know,
it's kind of a low income family, so we were
I guess you would say poor neighborhood and most of
(21:57):
the arguments in the home would be over finances, so
there wasn't looking to be like my dad or my
mom or anything like that is what I would want
for myself growing up. And then at that time, we
had the older friends in the neighborhood that we got
drafted by when the Vietnam War came back, strung out
on drugs and alcohol and stuff like that, so I
didn't want to be And then you had the guys
(22:17):
down the block that had the social club, and they
seemed to get older respect from everybody in the neighborhood.
They kind of protected the neighborhood. They had everything that
I would have wanted growing up. I wasn't sure how
they got it. I didn't want to care how they
got it. I just wanted it. So I started hanging
out with them at an early age. And then as
I got a little bit older and they could see
(22:38):
that they trust me. The more that they trust me
more things that they gave me to do. And then
I hooked up with a guy a judgment in Queens
and his dad happened to be one of the big
bosses of the neighborhood, and that's how I got really
established in that time. But to just make it clear,
I never became a member. I was just an associated.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Sure enough, I got you. I understand that. The distinction
and the different it's it's said member slash associate on
my my cue card here, and so I appreciate that correction,
and I do understand it's a it's a significant difference.
Now you got yourself locked up. You I don't know
if if you pled out, if you are were convicted,
if you cut a deal. But what's the worst.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Case you're talking about?
Speaker 2 (23:23):
No, I yet it. No, I get it again. So
let's let's go.
Speaker 6 (23:25):
Let's go to the worst.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Let's go to the worst case than you. What was
the most serious crime for which you were charged and
charged in or.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Convicted when I first got locked up at the age
of twenty years old for two murders in possession of
a weapon.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Okay, now, of course, uh, you've done your time. I assume.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Did you beat all those I know I actually beat
all those cases.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
You beat the well, your lawyer beat the cases. I
guess right.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
I laid up for a while waiting for bail. Then
I got bailed out. Then when I had to go
on trial. They remanded me for trial, and that's kind
of where I would say I got a lot of
recognition with the mob was because I did get locked
up for murder that I didn't commit, kept my mouth shut,
did everything that I was taught growing up and being
gloomed in that lifestyle. U waited to get bailed out.
(24:20):
And then I have five eyewitnesses against me for that case,
and I ended up getting acquitted on the case. And
then after that it was just like, Okay, Nowice the
up and coming star. The guy did his thing, you know,
stood his time, you know all that kind of recognition
that you get, especially for a case that much. You
know they're facing that much time. So that would be,
(24:40):
I would say, my stepping stone into really being recognized
with some of the big heavy hitters.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
But at some point, at some point, you had a transformation,
I guess, is how we would characterize her, how it's
characterized the book, A life of crime, transportation, and transformation.
And hope what prompted the transformation?
Speaker 6 (25:00):
The last time I got arrested, well, let me just
go back a little bit. And I know we don't
have a lot of time, but I got involved with
the drug business, and then the drug business got involved
with my business. And then I had a little girl
that was born with my girlfriend, and I cleaned myself up,
and then seven weeks after she came home after she
was born, I went back out to get high again.
(25:21):
And that one too many was definitely well my thing.
When you know they say one is too many, thousands,
never enough, that's kind of I fell into that trap
and I never went back home and got ready. Then
I was out on the streets in Brooklyn, New York,
in Queen's Area, strung out on crack cocaine. So I
got arrested. I got arrested in ninety seven for well
(25:47):
like I had warrants for a case in Queensland. Then
a case in Florida was involved with some of the
guys from the game be No Crime Family, and I
was wanted for the federal case. So I never went
to back to court the staatecase because I knew the
Feds were gonna end up getting me, and long story short,
I have to do some time. So my wile services
(26:08):
picked me up and actually January twenty third today, it
makes twenty eight years since I had a drink and
a drug. So yes, so so that I call on
my angels now. But they were warring offices and they
placed me in Rikids Island, and you know, I'm locked up.
I know there's two things I really need to do.
You know, I've been and then out of prisons a
(26:29):
lot in my life, and I need to get a
good attorney to get me out of the mess I
got myself into. And then I need to get commissary
money because I know I'm not going to get built
out this trip, so I know that I need to
get it, you know, a little as comfortable as I can,
get as much money as my commissary so I can
live as comfortable as I can on that time. And
then I'm talking to my daughter, but her mother won't
let me go see her because I was all strung out.
(26:50):
She allowed me to talk to her over the phone.
And that was my daughter crying this one time, and
I said, well, you're crying because she won't come and
see me. And that just chattered my heart into pieces
because there were so many times that I was in
the neighbor when I rather get hird and go see
my own little girl. And uh ran back to myself
and just cried like a little baby. Didn't want the
(27:11):
inmates to see me and just asks God to either
have somebody kill me or change me. I can't live
like this anymore, and I believe God answered the scaia
to cry at my heart.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Well, Robert, that's an incredible story again, a life of crime, transportation,
and now hope. So you've written a book. It's called
the Story of Robert Berelli. I assume it's a kaillable and.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Called the Witness.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
It's called the Witness.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
The Witness, I'm sorry, the witness, the story for the government.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
I was waiting for the government because I ended up
cooperating with the government on my last time in prison,
and and so we wrote the book. I was a
witness for the government. I'm a witness of Jesus.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Well, you remember the fed winness protection program.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Yes, sir, I was okay, do.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
You still have protection or are you out.
Speaker 6 (28:05):
In your own No? No, I got torn out quite
a long time ago. So now I just once they
threw me. Of course, that clink never told anybody that
was in the program, so that's all that had to
be hidden. But now I could go out and share
my testimony. And once they toned me out, and that's
what I do.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Okay, Well, Robert, I really enjoyed the conversation. I could
have talked to you for five hours, never mind five
or ten minutes. And I hope people buy your book,
The Witness, The Story of Robert Barelli in the New
York Gambino Mafia crime Family, A Life of Crime Transformation,
and hope I wish you the best of luck, my friend,
and maybe we'll have you back and we'll go into
(28:42):
this a little bit more in depth. As they say,
around the time when you got busted in ninety seven,
I was helping a guy get out of jail who
had done thirty years in prison for murder he had
nothing to do with. He and three other associates my
last day on television were awarded one hundred and sixteen
million dollars by the federal government for the corrupt fb
(29:03):
the work of the corrupt FBI agents. I don't know
if the name H. Paul Rico rings a bell, but
he was Jay Goo Hoover's most trusted and probably most
corrupt FBI agent throughout the nineteen fifties and sixties and
put a lot of people away for crimes They didn't
commit so they were There was as much crime being
committed up here by the FBI as there was by
(29:24):
by by organized crime, believe it or not in old
Boston time. So Roberts, best of luck, and we may
get back to you, and if you'd like to talk
to someone might listen to something like that. That might be
a good experience and a good lesson for people to learn.
Thank you so much for your time tonight.
Speaker 6 (29:39):
Okay, Can I just mention that if they go to
Robert Barelli dot com that would be my what website
that's the best seat to will make a donation and
I can mail them a book and sign it for them.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
So okay, Robert Barrellian and the correct spelling of Robert
everyone has, but Brelli is bo r E l l
I dot com. Robert, Thanks, Mauch, appreciate your time. I
really do all right. Congratulations on the degree U turn
in your life.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Hey man said that, thank you so much. You'd be
blessed and I appreciate all that you do.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Right back at you. We get back when we talk
thunder over New Hampshire with Major Michelle Mastro Bautista. We
are looking forward to this conversation because we've got an
air show coming up to New Hampshire that you want
to get some tickets for. We'll get you all that
information right after the break.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Welcome back. Delighted to introduce Major Michelle Mastro Bautista of
the New Hampshire Air National Guard. Major I should salute you.
How are you?
Speaker 7 (30:51):
I'm doing very well. Thanks, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
You're more than welcome. So we're going to talk about
program called the thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show or
to nh Air Show, and it's coming up later on
this year. Tickets are still available, but I think they're
going fast. First of all, you were a group called
the New Hampshire Women's Foundation. Tell us you've kind of
(31:18):
you're in the National Guard and you're also with the
Hampson Women's Women's Foundation. How long you've been in the
Guard to reach the rank of Major. I assume it's
been at least ten years, maybe more.
Speaker 7 (31:29):
Oh, it's been a few more than that. We're almost
on the near the twenty side of the house. But
it's been a good time. The whole time.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's great, that's great, and you signed up, but sometime
after nine to eleven if my calendar is correct, So
thank you for your service. What's your involvement with the
New Hampshire Women's Foundation, which is highlighted here as well,
So tell me a little bit about that, then we'll
talk about the air show.
Speaker 7 (31:55):
Oh I think that's supposed to be the New Hampshire
Military Assistance Foundation.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Okay, Well, then if it's written incorrectly, I apologize to
have to talk to my producer about that. Tell us
about that.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
Yeah, the New Hampshire Military Assistance Foundation is a nonprofit
here in the Portsmouth area that helps the support the
men and women of the New Hampshire National Guard. So
we collaborate with them to put this air show on.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Okay, so that's one of the sponsors. Okay, So the
airshow it's called thunder Over New Hampshire. I think most
of us have some idea where PE's airbase is in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, and it is a little bit off in
the distance. It's September sixth and seventh of this year.
Great way to Is that going to be Labor Day
weekend or is that the week well, I guess it
(32:41):
is probably Labor Day weekend.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
It's exactly the weekend after Labor Day, the weekend.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
After Labor Day, Okay, and it's the US Navy's Blue Angels.
I think everyone knows the Blue Angels. Tell Us of
the show is free, but you have to to follow
instructions to make sure you're either in a parking space
that maybe you pay a little bit of money for.
(33:09):
Tell us tell us what people can do to have
access to this, and let's get them to the website
so they got plenty of time to make sure that
they are where they want to be on September sixth
and seventh.
Speaker 7 (33:20):
Sure, well, the website that everyone should check out is
the thunderover New Hampshire dot com website, and I highly
suggest people go there now to sign up for air Insights,
where they can get first hand information as soon as
it comes out, particular in particular about new opportunities for
parking and access to the show. But the show is
completely free to everybody. There were premium parking tickets that
(33:44):
were on sale, but we also did give out over
three thousand free parking tickets each day. But there is
access to the ramp each day and that will be
on the south entrance near the Piece Trade Port, so
bikers and walkers do have access to it. So admission
is there is no admission to the show, but there
is premium parking that comes.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
To the fee.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And how long. I've never been to a Blue Angel show,
but I'm just wondering how long on the shows each day.
Speaker 7 (34:17):
Well, there's a full day of activities. You could be
there from gate open to the gate clothes, kind of
like Disney World. We have lots of statics to see
until the lineup begins around lunchtime. So the aerial acts
will last anywhere from three to four hours. But there's
black Hawks C twelve F sixteen F thirty five and
over seven acres of STEM to see, So like I said,
(34:38):
it could be a full day if you plan the
right way.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
And and STEM is with science technology, mathematics, that's there.
It's education when you say STEM right.
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Yep, yep, that whole yep, everything with sciented technology. We're
definitely promoting that heavy across the whole military and there's
a lot to see that the community brings and pulls
together to showcase on our ramp.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Now, is this sub is this show. Besides obviously showing
the uh the ability of the US Air Force, is
it also perhaps one of one of the purposes might
be to interest young people in either serving or even
perhaps even thinking of it as more of a career opportunity.
(35:25):
I assume that that it's going to be inspirational.
Speaker 7 (35:29):
Absolutely, that is definitely one of the top reasons that
we put on air shows. It is to one give
back to the community where they can see where their
taxpayer dollars are going every day. But also, and almost
more importantly, it is to plant the seeds that we
hope to inspire the next generation of you know, sailors, pilots,
soldiers across you know, across our country. And actually this
(35:52):
show is really special because part of our aerial lineup
includes aircraft from the Navy, Air Force, Army, and course.
So we're really excited to show that you can you
can fly on almost every branch and hopefully yeah, this
does expo inspire young people or any age really just
to keep you know, supporting.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Us the show. How often is this an annual event
at peace or is this a show that comes around
every few years?
Speaker 7 (36:24):
Well, we did take about a ten year hiatus earlier
in the two thousands. We came back in twenty twenty one,
right on the heel of COVID we had our first
show with the Thunderbirds, and then we did have one
two years ago with the F sixteen Viper Demo team,
and then so now two years later we're having an
excellent lineup with the Blue Angels as the headliner. And
(36:47):
the plan for us as hosts the one fifty seven
theory fueling Wing is to do it about every two
to three years as we're able to do so. It's
a very large effort. It takes a lot of people
to help us. So as long as we can keep
doing it that way, then I think we're going to
try to stay in this business.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Well. So the message here is it's something that is
not going to be there every year, and you want
to take advantage of it. As you said, the weekend
after Labor Day September sixth and seventh, and give us
that website one more time where people can follow up
and go and make some notes and plan what will
(37:23):
be a great family event.
Speaker 7 (37:26):
Yeah, it is a great family event. The website is
thunderover New Hampshire dot com and the date is six
and seventh September. We hope to see everybody there. We're
the only air show in New England this year, so
you should come come out and see it.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Major Mastro Bautista, thank you for your service and thank
you for your time tonight. I appreciate it very much.
Speaker 7 (37:48):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
You're very welcome. When we get back here on Night's side,
we will go to our talks, talk issues of the night.
The first one is going to be the activity of
ISIS in the first couple of days of the Trump administration.
It's been active in the Boston area, it's been active
in a lot of cities around the country, and we're
going to bring you up to date on it. There
(38:11):
was some reference to this in this morning's Boston Herald.
We will explain it all right after the nine o'clock
news here at Night Side.
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Thanks very much to Cole. Yes, we have four hours tonight.
We'll keep you warm if you're out there traveling boy,
I hope you've got a heater working in the car
because it is continuing to be cold. They talk about
a dry January. This is a this is our cold January.
But you have to kind of expect that because it
is no way. The last couple of winters. Things have
(00:29):
been maybe a little more temperate during this time of year,
but things do sort of balance out with mother nature.
At least that's been my experience. My name is Dan Ray.
I'm the host of night Side with Dan Ray, the
aptly named Nightside with Dan Ray. Rob Brooks, the producer
of our program, is back in broadcast headquarters, Broadcast Central
as we call it, and he will set you up
(00:50):
with telephone calls beginning at nine o'clock. Coming up at
nine o'clock tonight, we are going to talk about some
ice rayds here in Bar Austin. I guarantee you that,
and we will. I don't see why anybody would be
opposed to ice raids in which criminal criminals are removed
(01:11):
from the country, criminals who are not supposed to be here.
We have enough criminals ourselves, we don't need to import criminals.
And then at ten o'clock time we'd be talking with
the new Israeli Consul General to New England, Benny Sharoni
Consul General of Israel to New England, and we will
talk about the ceasefire in Gaza and what is going
on in Israel and for even more broadly in the
(01:35):
Middle East. But first we have four interesting guests on
different topics, like to introduce to you our first guest.
His name is Sean Collins. He's a lawyer and an
expert in long care insurance and that's something that a
lot of people have to be thinking, particularly as people
(01:56):
live longer and longer. Attorney Collins, Welcome to Night Side.
Thanks very much for being with us this evening.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
So what exactly do you you're a lawyer and you're
an expert in long term care insurance. Is this part
of your practice or is this a separate interest that
you've developed.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
So it is part of my practice.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
It's pretty much all I do in my practice, and
I'm also working on setting up a separate company that's
you know, a non law firm to help folks with
clean filing issues, you know, try to avoid the need
of hiring an attorney.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So for a long time, everybody figured, hey, when you retire,
you got Medicare, and you're all set. Medicare, which passed
in nineteen sixty five. Well, Medicare does provide some benefits,
but there's a lot that isn't covered. Long term insurance,
as I understand, and if I'm wrong, since you're the expert,
(02:58):
please help me out. Is the sort of insurance that
people might buy. Look sometime in there, maybe forties, fifties
or sixties, anticipating the need as people live longer and longer.
Is that what we're talking about you and I tonight.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah, that's that's exactly right.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
So typically we'll cover stays in assisted living facilities, stays
in nursing homes, and these are longer term stays that
you know are not going to be covered by Medicare.
So when these policies were sold, primarily in the late
eighties through the early two thousands, they were sold to
cover folks once they needed to move into a facility,
once they needed home health care, benefits that were not
(03:36):
going to be covered by Medicare. So that's the idea,
is that this insurance product was going to protect their
assets from a long stay in a you know, perhaps
a memory care facility or again a skilled nursing facility.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Now, the uber wealthy, the elon musks of the world,
they in effect have the ability to self ensure. All right,
folks who are at the other end the economic spectrum,
they get the benefits also of Medicare, but also of Medicaid.
It seems to me that people who are in the
buying are the people in the middle, the big middle,
(04:11):
who do have a home that they hope to pass
on to their kids, and all of a sudden mom
or Dad finds themselves in a long care facility that's
costing twenty thousand dollars a month. Is this a good investment,
Because like insurance, it's kind of a gamble. You hope
that you will buy adequate insurance to cover whatever you need.
(04:35):
At the same time you think to yourself, well, you know,
do I really have to spend that give us the
pluses and the minuses from your perspective, from the perspective
of people who are in the middle, because again Elon
Musk is not buying any long long term health insurance.
He's all sad, and folks who are on the other end,
they probably don't have the ability because it's an expensive
(04:56):
vehicle to purchase, correct.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
So then, and it's a lot more expensive now than
one it was in its heyday. So you know, the
sales of long term care insurance really peaking in the
nineties and into the early two thousands. I mean, that
was the long term care insurance heyday. There's far fewer
carriers available now, much more difficult to find coverage, their
(05:20):
underwriting restrictions are much higher, and frankly, it's just unaffordable
for most folks. People that purchase their coverage back in
the eighties and the ninety two thousands, now they maybe
got a great deal on it, and you know that's
something that they should hang on to. Now again they're
you know, getting hit with rate increases on their policies,
so they have a whole other headaches. But right now
(05:42):
it's a difficult to find coverage, and it's difficult to
find coverage that is not you know, very expensive. So
you know, everybody's circumstances are different. You definitely want to
talk to your insurance adjuster and see if there's a
plan that makes sense. But you know, one of the
things that I would keep in mind is I would
advise anyone to purchase a long term care insurance policy
(06:03):
today that gives the insurance company the ability to increase
rates in the future. So if they're going to sell
you a product today, you want to make sure that
it's a product that the rates are absolutely locked in
and there's no way they can go up. And if
you can't afford that, then you should probably rethink whether
you need to buy it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
What's the possibility that, just as in Southern California, Los Angeles,
I think a lot of insurance companies are not going
to be able to cover the losses out there. And
I think a lot of insurance companies, this is my opinion,
I could be wrong. I're going to go belly up
because of the magnitude of the damage that has been
done in Los Angeles, outside and outside of Los Angeles.
(06:43):
What's the possibility that some of these long term insurance
companies that took people's money in the eighties and nineties
and two thousands, As people live longer and find their
need for healthcare greater. What's the chance that some of
these companies might go belly up?
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know, I think inst is that these companies will
go belly up. It's a bit overstated by the industry.
It's my view that the industry there there were some
carriers that did fail, and you know, but it's my
view that the industry is using those carriers to instill
a bit of fear mongering as a way to increase
premiums on folks that they already have locked in for
(07:19):
twenty to thirty years.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Now.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
That's not to say that there aren't certain carriers they're
going to have that have bigger problems than others. But
for the most part, these carriers can withstand losses. And
maybe they're not going to make the profits they want,
maybe they're going to make you a bit less money,
but they're not going to go belly up.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
But you talk about the heyday the eighties, the nineties,
in the early two thousands, was that the baby boomer
generation looking ahead and saying, hey, we got to worry
about mom and dad when they get into the seventies,
eighties and perhaps beyond. Is that why it was such
a good time for these insurance companies becauld people walking
(07:57):
in the do and say, I want to buy long
Trump Care insurance.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
I think so because they were they were in a
position where, you know, back in the eighties and the nineties,
they could the baby boomers could go in and purchase
a policy for their parents, still right, So they could
get a policy for their parents, and then they're also
looking at I want to maintain my independence, and they're
buying a policy for themselves. So I know that that
was happening a lot where folks were purchasing policies for
their parents that were in their seventies when they maybe
(08:23):
were in their forties.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So I think that's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So Sean, let me give you a chance. What is
the service that you can provide? And we only got
about a minute and a half left, But if folks
want to fight avail themselves of your services, what service
do you provide? Who do you help and how?
Speaker 4 (08:41):
So I help sure, So I help I help folks
that are having a difficult time navigating the claim process.
So as an attorney, you know, most of the time
when when I hear from people, things have already been
a mess. They may have been fighting with the insurance
company for a year trying to get the claim covered,
and you know, all kinds of reasons just to why
of these claims get denied. It's a lot more complicated
(09:03):
than than it may first appear. And I think the
claim process has gotten much more difficult over the last
you know, five to ten years. So people give generalized
advice about how to deal with the claim process. Generalized
advice doesn't work. You need to look at your particular
insurance policy, and there's thousands of different variations of the
insurance policies in the language. So you know, I'm starting
(09:25):
a company that will be will be a non law firm.
It's going to be a patient advocacy organization. And the
idea is that if you can get infect with us,
we can help navigate you through the claim process and
you know, hopefully things should go smoothly and you won't
ever need to hire a lawyer. If you want to
get in touch with us, you can email us at
info at Safe Harbor l TC dot com or give
(09:48):
us a call at one eight eight eight six one
one zero nine zero eight.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, I'm going to ask you Sean Is give that
email address one more time.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Please sure it's info at Steve Harbor ltc dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Okay, when when we finish up what you're about to
finish up, please give both that email and that phone
number to my producer, Rob, who you spoke with before,
because there will be some people who might have missed
it and they'll be able to call Rob during the
next forty five minutes and get that contact information if
(10:27):
they are so inquined. Thank you very much, and I
thank you for what you do because there's a lot
of people out there who going to find themselves in
trouble for a good reason. A lot of us are
living longer than our parents did, and that's why I
fear that some of these companies, unless they have really
leveraged themselves properly, are going to be problematic. Sean Collins,
(10:50):
thank you so much for having joined us tonight, and
stay online and give that info to Rob so he
can have it if anyone wants to call in during
the next hour. Thank you so much, sEH.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I appreciate it, very appreciate it, and thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
You're very welcome. We get back when we talk about
an old drug which provides a new problem for people
who have it, who are who are addicted, and we're
going to talk about nitrous oxide which is making a
comeback and what you can do about it if you
find yourself attracted to it. We have a couple of
(11:22):
other topics coming up. We're going to be talking with
the Gambino crime family associate after the eight to thirty
news is going to be talking about a big air
show coming up in New Hampshire. I think you're going
to want to know about it. And as they say,
we'll get to our topics of the night with phone calls.
Going to talk with Ed Flynn Boston City Council about
the ice sweep that has occurred in Boston in the
last day or so. And also going to be talking
(11:42):
about the Israel Hamas ceasefire in the Middle East with
the Consul General of Israel to New England. My name
is Dan Ray. This is Nightside. We will be right
back right after this.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Now back to Dan Ray line from the Window World
Nightside Studios on w b Z, the news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Back in the days, back in the old days, there
was a drug called nitrous oxide. Apparently it's now making
a comeback. With us as my guest, Michael Mulfin he's
an addiction expert. He overcame addiction and is now sober.
His real job is as a home builder. So kind
(12:23):
of an interesting combination, uh combination, Michael, What exactly is
nitrous oxide?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Well, good evening, Dan, and thank you so much for
having me on. Yeah, it's an old one. It's it's
an old it's an old drug, and it's nitrous oxide
is for your listeners, when you go to the dentist
and they give you laughing gas or something to uh,
you know, to calm you down.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
Uh, that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I mean, that's exactly what it is. And what it
does is.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
It it calms the brain down, and and the more
you use it, you actually hallucinate and disassociate from your
you know, your from your body. And that's where the
attraction is for addicts.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So how how is it ingested? I mean is this
I mean, they were they were kids back twenty years ago,
thirty years ago that used to uh try to sniff
what was it aerosol dispensers. Is that what we're talking about?
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Yeah, So my personal experience, I used to do that
and there's a you know, rush or airplane glue to
get that instant high all the way down to the
old markers, you know, the markers we used to you know,
to sniff the liquid paper, the white liquid paper, and
but this is, you know, on steroids, a lot stronger
and and today our our kids, our college students, anyone.
(13:47):
It's easy accessible because you can now purchase them online.
You can also purchase it in local smoke shops, you know,
these smoke shots that are selling kret them that they're selling,
you know, the thh you know, see vape pins and
all that. You can also get what they're called whippets.
And they're little canisters that you can open up and
(14:10):
you inhale it and it gives you this instant high
and it can be very dangerous.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And how did this make a comeback? I guess if
at some point it must have fallen out of fashion.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Well, you're right, fell out of fashion. But it makes
a comeback really because the Internet and these smoke shops,
these smoke shops are getting their hands on anything that
is not illegal. It's just right in the middle of
the gray line. And they sell these things, you know,
and they call them whippets, you know, or hippie crack
(14:45):
is what they call it and these kids are you
know ingesting it? And what happens is this is my
personal opinion, it's a gateway drug into hallucingens. I mean,
it's a gateway drug into mushrooms. It's a gateway drug
into LSD asset. Because an attict wants they're triggered, they
want more and so they want more of the experiencing.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
It's very dangerous.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
So if it is. Look, I know that marijuana is
legal in Massachusetts. We have not only medical but recreational dispensaries.
I think we're about to open up cannabis cafes here
in Massachusetts. So how does that decision by the voters
and by the politicians. How does that then open up
(15:28):
the door to something that I don't think the voters
of the politicians really are aware of. How does that work?
I mean, how that stuff legal to be sold in
when we think of as pot dispensaries.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Right, let me answer it this way, speaking from a
recovering addict. Okay, it's a great question. How was asked
before in the talk show just recently that if we
were to magically build a wall around the entire United States? Okay,
would that help the drug epidemic. Yeah, it would help
a little bit, but the real problem is, I'm still
(16:02):
going to get high. I Am going to find a way.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
To get high. So it's on the attic himself.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
You know. We can vote and do all the things
we want to, but what we need to do is
is we need to stop focusing on addiction and start
focusing on why the addiction. And that's where we'll start
getting the change. And it's one attic in recovery helping
another one. It's starting to get people on your show,
your successful show, sharing success stories of how we've overcome.
(16:33):
And that's where we don't have to go to the
ballot box. We just go right to the people and
the true stories of redemption and restoration. And that provides
hope because it is a deadly epidemic.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Oh. Look, we've seen the sentinel, you know, numbers which
have been pouring across the southern border for now years
and there are so many I've done stories with parents
who lost two kids the same night, you know, with fentanyl. Look,
you don't have to convince me on this, but look, everybody,
(17:09):
I like cores light and a and a glass of
red wine with dinner. So I'm not the perfect person either, Okay,
but I can handle it and I take and it
doesn't impact me.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Well, the reason why, the reason why I love what
you said right there is you had to have a
core light and a glass of wine. Okay, but it's
not your source. It's not that's it's not your source.
And that's what addiction is is that once something becomes
my source, and I'm chasing these visible things to fix
my invisible problems, then I'm an active addiction.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Okay, you know what, Michael.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
I need to talk to you more, and I think
my audience needs to talk to you more. And so
we do four interviews in the eight o'clock hour here
in Boston.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
And then I'd love to have you back and to
talk to some of my listeners because I know that
my listen news have kids who are in trouble, and
I know so my listeners in trouble, and so my
best callers are people who are reformed addicts. I have
friends of mine who were heroin addicts. I have friends
of mine, and I saw them through recovery, and I
worked with them and and to some and supported them. Okay,
(18:15):
they did it on them their own but I think
support is very important, uh, and I'd love to have
you back. So how can folks get in touch with
you in the meantime, what's the best way?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
You you have you have a website, we do.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
We have a huge platform, and that's all we talk about.
We've been doing this for seven years and it's it's M.
It's M two. That's the letter M, the number.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Two the rock.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
T h E r O c k dot com. Visit
our website and you can follow us.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Okay, so M to the rock. So M two t
H E r O c k dot com or dot
org dot com dot com. Michael, we'll have you back.
Thank you for what you do. Congratulations on your recovery.
You're an inspiration and can be an inspiration of some
of my audience who may be dealing with some problems
(19:09):
with their own family. And we'll get you back and
we'll talk to as well. Thank you very much. Michael Molfin,
an addiction expert. It's M two b Rock all one
word dot com. Coming back on nights side, right after
the news at the bottom of the hour, and we're
going to talk with a form a member of the
Gambino crime family. A life of crime that has turned around.
(19:33):
So we got a couple of stories of recovery here tonight.
That's an uplifting. Later on we'll talk about thunder over
New Hampshire. We're not talking about thunder thunder. We're talking
about an air show. We'll get to all of that,
and then we'll get to our talk portion of the program,
beginning right after the nine o'clock news. My name is
Dan Ray. This is night Side with Dan Ray on
WBZ Boston. We are an iHeartRadio station. You can check
(19:54):
us out on the iHeartRadio app. Listen to us from
anywhere in the world, as can your friends and relatives
who might listen anywhere in the world. Back on Nightside
after this.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
You're on Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Thank you, Nicole. Pleasure to welcome Robert Brelli to Nightside.
Robert is a former Gambino Family crime member and associate.
Robert Brelli, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
How are you well.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
I'm doing well. Thank you for allowing me to be
on your show. Do appreciate all that you're doing well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I had an opportunity to watch a previous interview. You
sound like a very interesting person, and maybe we'll do
this at a little longer format at some night. But
we got about eight or nine minutes here just to chat.
I did a lot of work out here as a
television reporter in the nineteen nineties and into the two thousands,
(20:51):
going after corrupt FBI agents here in Boston who framed
men who were mafia associates up here for murder they
had nothing to do with. So I understand your lifestyle
and I understand your story probably better than most talk
(21:13):
show hosts. So tell us about it. I understanding you're
a young guy. You're growing up in Brooklyn, New York,
and you really got involved with with the big leaguers,
if you will, the heavy hitters at a fairly young age.
Tell us how you got involved and where it led you, well.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
You know, at an early age, you know, Like I
try to describe it as like.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Two types of.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
People to tweet, types of people that I had experiences
in my life. Of course, it was my family, my
mom and dad, legitimate people you know, worked really hard
but had a hard time making ends meet. And you know,
it's kind of a low income family, so we were
I guess you would say poor neighborhood and most of
(21:57):
the arguments in the home would be over finances, so
there wasn't looking to be like my dad or my
mom or anything like that is what I would want
for myself growing up. And then at that time, we
had the older friends in the neighborhood that we got
drafted by when the Vietnam War came back, strung out
on drugs and alcohol and stuff like that, so I
didn't want to be And then you had the guys
(22:17):
down the block that had the social club, and they
seemed to get older respect from everybody in the neighborhood.
They kind of protected the neighborhood. They had everything that
I would have wanted growing up. I wasn't sure how
they got it. I didn't want to care how they
got it. I just wanted it. So I started hanging
out with them at an early age. And then as
I got a little bit older and they could see
(22:38):
that they trust me. The more that they trust me
more things that they gave me to do. And then
I hooked up with a guy a judgment in Queens
and his dad happened to be one of the big
bosses of the neighborhood, and that's how I got really
established in that time. But to just make it clear,
I never became a member. I was just an associated.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Sure enough, I got you. I understand that. The distinction
and the different it's it's said member slash associate on
my my cue card here, and so I appreciate that correction,
and I do understand it's a it's a significant difference.
Now you got yourself locked up. You I don't know
if if you pled out, if you are were convicted,
if you cut a deal. But what's the worst.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Case you're talking about?
Speaker 2 (23:23):
No, I yet it. No, I get it again. So
let's let's go.
Speaker 6 (23:25):
Let's go to the worst.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Let's go to the worst case than you. What was
the most serious crime for which you were charged and
charged in or.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Convicted when I first got locked up at the age
of twenty years old for two murders in possession of
a weapon.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Okay, now, of course, uh, you've done your time. I assume.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Did you beat all those I know I actually beat
all those cases.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
You beat the well, your lawyer beat the cases. I
guess right.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
I laid up for a while waiting for bail. Then
I got bailed out. Then when I had to go
on trial. They remanded me for trial, and that's kind
of where I would say I got a lot of
recognition with the mob was because I did get locked
up for murder that I didn't commit, kept my mouth shut,
did everything that I was taught growing up and being
gloomed in that lifestyle. U waited to get bailed out.
(24:20):
And then I have five eyewitnesses against me for that case,
and I ended up getting acquitted on the case. And
then after that it was just like, Okay, Nowice the
up and coming star. The guy did his thing, you know,
stood his time, you know all that kind of recognition
that you get, especially for a case that much. You
know they're facing that much time. So that would be,
(24:40):
I would say, my stepping stone into really being recognized
with some of the big heavy hitters.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
But at some point, at some point, you had a transformation,
I guess, is how we would characterize her, how it's
characterized the book, A life of crime, transportation, and transformation.
And hope what prompted the transformation?
Speaker 6 (25:00):
The last time I got arrested, well, let me just
go back a little bit. And I know we don't
have a lot of time, but I got involved with
the drug business, and then the drug business got involved
with my business. And then I had a little girl
that was born with my girlfriend, and I cleaned myself up,
and then seven weeks after she came home after she
was born, I went back out to get high again.
(25:21):
And that one too many was definitely well my thing.
When you know they say one is too many, thousands,
never enough, that's kind of I fell into that trap
and I never went back home and got ready. Then
I was out on the streets in Brooklyn, New York,
in Queen's Area, strung out on crack cocaine. So I
got arrested. I got arrested in ninety seven for well
(25:47):
like I had warrants for a case in Queensland. Then
a case in Florida was involved with some of the
guys from the game be No Crime Family, and I
was wanted for the federal case. So I never went
to back to court the staatecase because I knew the
Feds were gonna end up getting me, and long story short,
I have to do some time. So my wile services
(26:08):
picked me up and actually January twenty third today, it
makes twenty eight years since I had a drink and
a drug. So yes, so so that I call on
my angels now. But they were warring offices and they
placed me in Rikids Island, and you know, I'm locked up.
I know there's two things I really need to do.
You know, I've been and then out of prisons a
(26:29):
lot in my life, and I need to get a
good attorney to get me out of the mess I
got myself into. And then I need to get commissary
money because I know I'm not going to get built
out this trip, so I know that I need to
get it, you know, a little as comfortable as I can,
get as much money as my commissary so I can
live as comfortable as I can on that time. And
then I'm talking to my daughter, but her mother won't
let me go see her because I was all strung out.
(26:50):
She allowed me to talk to her over the phone.
And that was my daughter crying this one time, and
I said, well, you're crying because she won't come and
see me. And that just chattered my heart into pieces
because there were so many times that I was in
the neighbor when I rather get hird and go see
my own little girl. And uh ran back to myself
and just cried like a little baby. Didn't want the
(27:11):
inmates to see me and just asks God to either
have somebody kill me or change me. I can't live
like this anymore, and I believe God answered the scaia
to cry at my heart.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Well, Robert, that's an incredible story again, a life of crime, transportation,
and now hope. So you've written a book. It's called
the Story of Robert Berelli. I assume it's a kaillable and.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Called the Witness.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
It's called the Witness.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
The Witness, I'm sorry, the witness, the story for the government.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
I was waiting for the government because I ended up
cooperating with the government on my last time in prison,
and and so we wrote the book. I was a
witness for the government. I'm a witness of Jesus.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Well, you remember the fed winness protection program.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Yes, sir, I was okay, do.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
You still have protection or are you out.
Speaker 6 (28:05):
In your own No? No, I got torn out quite
a long time ago. So now I just once they
threw me. Of course, that clink never told anybody that
was in the program, so that's all that had to
be hidden. But now I could go out and share
my testimony. And once they toned me out, and that's
what I do.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Okay, Well, Robert, I really enjoyed the conversation. I could
have talked to you for five hours, never mind five
or ten minutes. And I hope people buy your book,
The Witness, The Story of Robert Barelli in the New
York Gambino Mafia crime Family, A Life of Crime Transformation,
and hope I wish you the best of luck, my friend,
and maybe we'll have you back and we'll go into
(28:42):
this a little bit more in depth. As they say,
around the time when you got busted in ninety seven,
I was helping a guy get out of jail who
had done thirty years in prison for murder he had
nothing to do with. He and three other associates my
last day on television were awarded one hundred and sixteen
million dollars by the federal government for the corrupt fb
(29:03):
the work of the corrupt FBI agents. I don't know
if the name H. Paul Rico rings a bell, but
he was Jay Goo Hoover's most trusted and probably most
corrupt FBI agent throughout the nineteen fifties and sixties and
put a lot of people away for crimes They didn't
commit so they were There was as much crime being
committed up here by the FBI as there was by
(29:24):
by by organized crime, believe it or not in old
Boston time. So Roberts, best of luck, and we may
get back to you, and if you'd like to talk
to someone might listen to something like that. That might be
a good experience and a good lesson for people to learn.
Thank you so much for your time tonight.
Speaker 6 (29:39):
Okay, Can I just mention that if they go to
Robert Barelli dot com that would be my what website
that's the best seat to will make a donation and
I can mail them a book and sign it for them.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
So okay, Robert Barrellian and the correct spelling of Robert
everyone has, but Brelli is bo r E l l
I dot com. Robert, Thanks, Mauch, appreciate your time. I
really do all right. Congratulations on the degree U turn
in your life.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Hey man said that, thank you so much. You'd be
blessed and I appreciate all that you do.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Right back at you. We get back when we talk
thunder over New Hampshire with Major Michelle Mastro Bautista. We
are looking forward to this conversation because we've got an
air show coming up to New Hampshire that you want
to get some tickets for. We'll get you all that
information right after the break.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Welcome back. Delighted to introduce Major Michelle Mastro Bautista of
the New Hampshire Air National Guard. Major I should salute you.
How are you?
Speaker 7 (30:51):
I'm doing very well. Thanks, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
You're more than welcome. So we're going to talk about
program called the thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show or
to nh Air Show, and it's coming up later on
this year. Tickets are still available, but I think they're
going fast. First of all, you were a group called
the New Hampshire Women's Foundation. Tell us you've kind of
(31:18):
you're in the National Guard and you're also with the
Hampson Women's Women's Foundation. How long you've been in the
Guard to reach the rank of Major. I assume it's
been at least ten years, maybe more.
Speaker 7 (31:29):
Oh, it's been a few more than that. We're almost
on the near the twenty side of the house. But
it's been a good time. The whole time.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's great, that's great, and you signed up, but sometime
after nine to eleven if my calendar is correct, So
thank you for your service. What's your involvement with the
New Hampshire Women's Foundation, which is highlighted here as well,
So tell me a little bit about that, then we'll
talk about the air show.
Speaker 7 (31:55):
Oh I think that's supposed to be the New Hampshire
Military Assistance Foundation.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Okay, Well, then if it's written incorrectly, I apologize to
have to talk to my producer about that. Tell us
about that.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
Yeah, the New Hampshire Military Assistance Foundation is a nonprofit
here in the Portsmouth area that helps the support the
men and women of the New Hampshire National Guard. So
we collaborate with them to put this air show on.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Okay, so that's one of the sponsors. Okay, So the
airshow it's called thunder Over New Hampshire. I think most
of us have some idea where PE's airbase is in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, and it is a little bit off in
the distance. It's September sixth and seventh of this year.
Great way to Is that going to be Labor Day
weekend or is that the week well, I guess it
(32:41):
is probably Labor Day weekend.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
It's exactly the weekend after Labor Day, the weekend.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
After Labor Day, Okay, and it's the US Navy's Blue Angels.
I think everyone knows the Blue Angels. Tell Us of
the show is free, but you have to to follow
instructions to make sure you're either in a parking space
that maybe you pay a little bit of money for.
(33:09):
Tell us tell us what people can do to have
access to this, and let's get them to the website
so they got plenty of time to make sure that
they are where they want to be on September sixth
and seventh.
Speaker 7 (33:20):
Sure, well, the website that everyone should check out is
the thunderover New Hampshire dot com website, and I highly
suggest people go there now to sign up for air Insights,
where they can get first hand information as soon as
it comes out, particular in particular about new opportunities for
parking and access to the show. But the show is
completely free to everybody. There were premium parking tickets that
(33:44):
were on sale, but we also did give out over
three thousand free parking tickets each day. But there is
access to the ramp each day and that will be
on the south entrance near the Piece Trade Port, so
bikers and walkers do have access to it. So admission
is there is no admission to the show, but there
is premium parking that comes.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
To the fee.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And how long. I've never been to a Blue Angel show,
but I'm just wondering how long on the shows each day.
Speaker 7 (34:17):
Well, there's a full day of activities. You could be
there from gate open to the gate clothes, kind of
like Disney World. We have lots of statics to see
until the lineup begins around lunchtime. So the aerial acts
will last anywhere from three to four hours. But there's
black Hawks C twelve F sixteen F thirty five and
over seven acres of STEM to see, So like I said,
(34:38):
it could be a full day if you plan the
right way.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
And and STEM is with science technology, mathematics, that's there.
It's education when you say STEM right.
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Yep, yep, that whole yep, everything with sciented technology. We're
definitely promoting that heavy across the whole military and there's
a lot to see that the community brings and pulls
together to showcase on our ramp.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Now, is this sub is this show. Besides obviously showing
the uh the ability of the US Air Force, is
it also perhaps one of one of the purposes might
be to interest young people in either serving or even
perhaps even thinking of it as more of a career opportunity.
(35:25):
I assume that that it's going to be inspirational.
Speaker 7 (35:29):
Absolutely, that is definitely one of the top reasons that
we put on air shows. It is to one give
back to the community where they can see where their
taxpayer dollars are going every day. But also, and almost
more importantly, it is to plant the seeds that we
hope to inspire the next generation of you know, sailors, pilots,
soldiers across you know, across our country. And actually this
(35:52):
show is really special because part of our aerial lineup
includes aircraft from the Navy, Air Force, Army, and course.
So we're really excited to show that you can you
can fly on almost every branch and hopefully yeah, this
does expo inspire young people or any age really just
to keep you know, supporting.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Us the show. How often is this an annual event
at peace or is this a show that comes around
every few years?
Speaker 7 (36:24):
Well, we did take about a ten year hiatus earlier
in the two thousands. We came back in twenty twenty one,
right on the heel of COVID we had our first
show with the Thunderbirds, and then we did have one
two years ago with the F sixteen Viper Demo team,
and then so now two years later we're having an
excellent lineup with the Blue Angels as the headliner. And
(36:47):
the plan for us as hosts the one fifty seven
theory fueling Wing is to do it about every two
to three years as we're able to do so. It's
a very large effort. It takes a lot of people
to help us. So as long as we can keep
doing it that way, then I think we're going to
try to stay in this business.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Well. So the message here is it's something that is
not going to be there every year, and you want
to take advantage of it. As you said, the weekend
after Labor Day September sixth and seventh, and give us
that website one more time where people can follow up
and go and make some notes and plan what will
(37:23):
be a great family event.
Speaker 7 (37:26):
Yeah, it is a great family event. The website is
thunderover New Hampshire dot com and the date is six
and seventh September. We hope to see everybody there. We're
the only air show in New England this year, so
you should come come out and see it.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Major Mastro Bautista, thank you for your service and thank
you for your time tonight. I appreciate it very much.
Speaker 7 (37:48):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
You're very welcome. When we get back here on Night's side,
we will go to our talks, talk issues of the night.
The first one is going to be the activity of
ISIS in the first couple of days of the Trump administration.
It's been active in the Boston area, it's been active
in a lot of cities around the country, and we're
going to bring you up to date on it. There
(38:11):
was some reference to this in this morning's Boston Herald.
We will explain it all right after the nine o'clock
news here at Night Side.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.