Biography
Richard Joseph Picariello led the Fred Hampton Unit of the People's Forces, which set off a series of bombings of government and corporate targets in Massachusetts and New Hampshire around the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. The group described itself as dedicated to fighting "imperialism/capitalism, racism, sexism, and the fascist judicial/prison system." Placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, he was arrested in Fall River, Massachusetts on October 21, 1976, and was convicted of interstate transportation of explosives and sentenced to ten years.
A defense letter by Kathi Strout, reprinted in Midnight Special in February 1977, reported that Richard Picariello and Edward Gullion were being held before trial on bail of $750,000 each following their October 1976 arrests. Strout identified herself as Picariello’s wife and the defense committee director. This is a contemporary defense account; the letter does not establish a new prison admission or release date.
