SALEM – A Marblehead man and a New Hampshire resident charged with stealing approximately $4,000 during a drug deal involving a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting say they committed no crime.Nicholas Occhiuto, 27, of 28 Rose Ave., Marblehead and Joshua Demos, 25, of 87 Collins St., Seabrook, N.H., pleaded innocent Wednesday afternoon in Salem Superior Court to charges of larceny over $250 and witness intimidation before Judge John T. Lu.Occhiuto, who presently is in state custody on unrelated charges, remains held in lieu of $2,500 cash bail at the Middleton Jail and Demos remains free on $1,000 cash following their arraignment.The charges arise out of an incident on Oct. 21 in Lynn when the suspects allegedly ripped off approximately $4,000 from a confidential informant who was apparently supplied the cash to buy drugs for local drug dealers.The following day they tried to intimidate a witness concerning the investigation of the case.The two suspects were grabbed by authorities nine months later on warrants.Their case was continued to Oct. 8 for a pretrial conference.Assistant District Attorney A.J. Camelio is prosecuting the case for the state.
