Veteri, 32, of Glassboro, had been free after posting $10,000, or 10 percent, of the original bail amount on Jan. 13, according to court records. He regained his freedom yesterday when relatives paid an additional $30,000 in bail.
"This case is taking on a life of its own," defense attorney Michael DeFino said, contending that the incident outside the South Philly cheesesteak joint on Jan. 2 was merely a fistfight that the media has overblown.
"The context this case is taking on is actually scary. I feel like Atticus Finch holding back the lynch mob," added DeFino, referencing the attorney in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Prosecutor Keating-McGlynn, however, characterized Veteri as an aggressive, repeat offender that "broke the face" of Neal Auricchio, who was one of his two alleged victims and who suffered broken eye-socket bones. Arrested 11 times, in Philadelphia, Florida, Georgia and Maryland, Veteri has four convictions from 1996 to 2003 for assault, Keating-McGlynn said, and one conviction last year for heroin possession in the city.
If convicted of assaulting Auricchio, a Woodbridge, N.J., cop who was off duty, and his friend, Michael Janocko, Veteri could be sentenced to 20 years in state prison, Keating-McGlynn said.
The confrontation erupted shortly after the conclusion of the NHL Winter Classic game between the Flyers and the Rangers.
