Latest news and developments:
Email!!! You can now email this website at the following
Tony@tonydestefano.com
January 28, 2010: The scheduled sentencing of Vincent Rossetti, originally
set for January 29, will likely be postponed until April. In a letter to Brooklyn federal judge Ray Dearie,
prosecutor Patricia Notopolous and defense attorney Stuart Grossman asked for an adjournment
until April 8 so they can finish their sentencing submissions. Rossetti is the husband of Yvonne,
the controversial Howard Beach housewife whose exploits are portrayed in "King of The Godfathers" as leading to
an indictment of some reputed Bonanno crime family bigs for an alleged extortion. Her husband testified at the 2009 trial
of reputed Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia, telling the jury about circumstances surrounding the stabbing
of Sal Puma, for which Carneglia was convicted. On the stand Vincent Rossetti testified about his own criminal
past, including securities and mortgage fraud. His wife Yvonne was sentenced earlier to probation for her
own fraud charge.
January 17, 2010: Did A Potential Juror Try to Meddle With Massino's Case?:
Buried within an old filing in a Bonanno crime family federal case is the intriguing allegation that a potential juror in
Joe Massino's case may have been up to no-good. In a memorandum filed in January 2006 in a related
crime family case, Brooklyn federal prosecutors alleged that an informant told investigators that a person in the jury pool
of Massino's case 'reached out' for a member of the Bonanno crime family. The alleged reach out was to a relative
of then reputed Bonanno crime family underboss Joseph Cammarano, papers filed in Brooklyn
federal court stated. There was no indication in the filings that Massino or his defense team, or Cammarano for that matter, knew
of the situation. "This apparent effort to tamper with the jury was thwarted however, because the individual in the jury
pool was not ultimately selected to the petit jury," prosecutors stated in their filings. Massino's trial is extensively
detailed in "King of The Godfathers," and the hardcover version "The Last Godfather." Massino was convicted,
sentenced to life in prison and is now a cooperating witness himself.
January 07, 2010: Montreal,
Canada, has been abuzz in recent days with news of the murder of Nick Rizzuto, the 42 year-old son of Bonanno
mobster Vito Rizzuto. The younger Rizzuto was shot dead in broad daylight on a street. It remained unclear
why he was murdered, although police have been quoted as speculating about possible Rizzuto crime family feuds with street
gangs. The elder Rizzuto appears in Chapter 25 in "King of The Godfathers" for his role in the slaying in May 1981
of The Three Captains--Dominick Trinchera, Philip Giaccone and Alphonse Indelicato--in a
battle for control of the Bonanno family. Rizzuto plead guilty in 2007 to involvement in the three killings and is serving
a ten year sentence. Nick Rizzuto was described in "The Sixth Family" as allegedly
being tied to cocaine dealings in Canada.
January 01, 2010: Vincent Basciano was granted
the privilege by a federal judge of having expanded visits at the federal jail where he is being held in Brooklyn
pending his death penalty trial. Judge Nicholas Garaufis, as reported in the Daily News, is allowing Basciano
to have visits from his ex-wife Angela and some of the former couple's children, as well as
visits with his youngest son, Anthony, and the child's mother Debra Kalb. The visits
will naturally be on separate occassions. Basciano was in court Thursday, December 31, for a hearing on his visitation
schedule and sources in the courtroom said he looked trim and in good spirits. Basciano actually had a visit, in a secure
area of the Brooklyn courthouse, with his son Anthony right after the court hearing. Federal marshals supervised the
son's visit. It was unclear if it was a "contact" visit with the son, as Basciano had wanted.
December
26, 2009: VINCENT BASCIANO SPEAKS: Well, sort of. In a letter to a document to a Brooklyn federal judge, Bonanno
captain Vincent Basciano vigorously denied that a list of names he wrote a few years ago in jail
was a "hit list" as the government claims. The list was discussed in King of The Godfathers on page 307
and relates to Basciano's upcoming federal trial. In his declaration sent to the court, Basciano said he never intended
the list to be used to hurt anyone or to use as a way of getting the judge in case, Nicholas Garaufis,
recused. (Garaufis's name was one of five on the list, as is that of prosecutor Greg Andres). "I never intended to harm
or cause harm to come to anyone named on any alleged 'hit list,'" said Basciano. Instead "As I have previously
indicated, lists of names were to be used as a "santeria' list only, as part of a religious ceremony," he said.
Basciano also said if there is ever a hearing about the list that he would take the stand and testify about how the list came
about. As noted in the book, Basciano has said the list was for Santeria, to get good karma at his 2007 retrial.
It is unclear if the government will try to use the list at Basciano's still to be scheduled capital trial, which
may occur in 2010.
December 18, 2009: Lawyers for Vincent Basciano have
asked the court to permit him increased visits at the Brooklyn MDC. In a letter to Judge Nicholas
Garaufis, Basciano's lawyers are asking that he be allowed a visit with the mother of his youngest son Anthony every
other week and that his family be allowed visits on alternate weeks. As an alternate, it was also suggested that
he have a visit for two hours with the child's mother, Debra Kalb, once a month. Basciano’s
visits with his family are critical to the development of Basciano’s mitigation case, if there is ever consideration
for the death penalty in his upcoming trial, noted in "King Of The Godfathers." Specifically, Basciano’s
ability to parent from prison is mitigation that a jury would be permitted to consider in deciding whether to impose the death
penalty, the lawyers noted. Garaufis has yet to announce a ruling.
December 11, 2009: Yvonne Rossetti's
travails seem to be a big draw for readers, including those of "King Of The Godfathers." As published recently in
Newsday, the 40-something mom formerly of Howard Beach was sentenced for a real estate and medical billing fraud to five
years probation. She was teary eyed as she apologized and her attorney reported to the court that she suffered from
MS. But angry relatives, who claimed they loaned her money for what they thought was her older daughter's medical issues,
weren't happy. One relative told Newsday Rossetti's emotion was "crocodile tears." They also didn't appreciate
seeing Rossetti in pictures taken on a cruise ship to celebrate the birthday of one of her younger daughters. It seems that
Rossetti is still cooperating with the government. When her sentencing was finished she didn't walk out the front but was
lead out the back door of the courtroom by some federal marshals. Earlier in the year, when she was pleading guilty, she was
seen hanging out in the lobby of the Brooklyn federal courthouse with an agent.
December 04, 2009:
As reported on Newsday.com on December 2, Yvonne Rossetti, the Howard Beach mom who plead guilty to running
her own little scams, was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay back $603,000 in restitution in Brooklyn federal
court. Judge Raymond Dearie was apparently taken by the fact that Rossetti was the sole caregiver of
her crippled elder daughter, Jessica, so he seems to have cut her some slack. Rossetti and her husband
Vincent are featured in Chapter 28 of the trade paperback version of "King of The Godfathers," which described
how she is alleged to have bilked people in a real estate scheme and then became targeted for a shakedown when she couldn't
pay back a $100,000 investment. She plead guilty in February to the real estate scheme and also to a $100,000 medical billing
scam. She could have got up to 47 months in jail. Prosecutor Patricia Notopolous told the court how Rossetti
,43,used the sympathy elicited by her daughter's illness to convince people, including relatives, to give her money.
Some of the relatives were in court and later said they never got the money back. Rossetti cried and said she was sorry. She
was escorted out the back door by federal agents, a sign that she might still be cooperating. She was allegedly the
object of a Bonanno shakedown attempt in a case which led to over 12 crime family associates and reputed members getting indicted.
Among them was Nicholas Santora. But Santora never admitted when he pled in the case to extorting Rossetti.
He recently got out of prison.
December 1, 2009: Any reader of King of The Godfathers will recall
in Chapter 28 the saga of the Rossetti family. Yvonne Rossetti, a Howard Beach housewife, was ultimately
convicted by guilty plea in 2009 of cheating real estate investors. Her husband Vincent, plead guilty to
various federal charges and gave evidence, as did his wife, against some big Bonanno street bosses and reputed loansharks.
Vincent also testified in the racketeering trial of Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia. Well, December 2 at
11:30 a.m. may find Yvonne in court for her sentencing in front of Brooklyn federal judge Raymond Dearie,
according to people briefed on the matter. She faces several years in prison but is likely hoping that her cooperation in
the same case as her husband will get her a sharply reduced sentence. Stay tuned.
November 18, 2009: The Vincent
Basciano case could have an interesting turn, some legal sources have said. The sources, none of whom wanted
to be identified, believed there was a chance that the U.S. Court of Appeals for The Second Circuit could reverse a lower
court ruling that the current racketeering indictment against him didn't violate the Double Jeopardy rule. The sources
based that view on the questions asked by the appellate panel. As explained in Chapter 28 of "King Of The Godfathers,"
Basciano was convicted in 2007 of various rackets charges. If the appeals court rules that way, the indictment would have
to be redrafted, causing delay in the trial date which is tentatively set for February. However, it is sometimes a fool's
errand to predict what any group of three judges on an appeals court will rule. If they sustain the lower court, the death
penalty case could go to trial in February.
November 9, 2009: After Dominick Cicale
testified in the case of John A. Gotti Jr., Vincent Basciano's lawyers are asking the
government to turnover docuemnts which show the movement of Basciano and Gotti when they were both lodged at the Metropolitan
Correction Center. This was the period in "King of The Godfather's "when Basciano in Chapter 28 has been
arrested but before he went into solitary. Cicale testified that Basciano had a conversation with Gotti and related
that the Gambino mobster said "that with the current times and all the government informants, all the wiretaps, that
is is foolish for us not to admit that organized crime exists." Cicale testified further that Gotti told Basciano
he was going to argue that he had no part of organized crime and that Joey D'Angelo would testify Gotti had quit the
life. The government is trying to show that Gotti's defense is a ruse.
October 30, 2009:
The matter of Dominick Cicale again crops up in the Basciano case. The government submitted
a letter to Judge Nicholas Garaufis asking that certain Bureau of Prison documents dealing with the Cicale
false murder plot investigation be redacted to take out the names of individuals held in a witness security unit
and also information about the unit. The government is being real sensitive about the witnesses and the WITSEC unit,
asking that any filings of the Bureau of Prisons with the Court of Appeals, where Basciano's case was recently argued, also
be kept under seal and that only initials be used todenote inmates. The false murder plot is referred to
Cat page 310 of the trade paperback version of "King of The Godfathers" and deals with allegations
that Cicale asked another inmate in a federal jail to tell guards that Basciano wanted Cicale killed in the jail.
October
26, 2009: Expect Dominick Cicale, the turncoat in the case of Vincent Basciano,
to make an appearance in the case against John Gotti Jr., perhaps as early as this coming week. Cicale is
expected to testify about a purported conversation Basciano had with Gotti about the withdrawal defense, which is a key part
of Gotti's defense strategy. Cicale didn't hear the conversation, but would just report about what he claims Basciano told
him. Basciano and Cicale were confined in the same federal lockup for a time in around 2004. Cicale figures in Chapter 28
of "King Of The Godfathers."
Also the sentencing for Yvonne Rossetti,
the Howard Beach housewife involved in the 2008 Bonanno case as a witness, is expected to take place possibly on December 2,
so we hear. She plead guilty earlier this year in Brooklyn federal court to cheating some investors. See below posting
on the case of her husband Vincent.
October 13, 2009: The sentencing of Vincent Rossetti,
who figures into Chapter 28 of "King Of The Godfathers," has been rescheduled from early November until January
26, 2010. No reason was given in the sentencing order put out by Judge Raymond Dearie. "King Of The
Godfather" readers will recall the antics of Rossetti and his wife Yvonne when they lived in Howard Beach. An
earlier posting in September describes the Rossettis plight.
October 08, 2009: Any reader of "King
of The Godfathers" knows how Joseph Massino became a government informant, implicated Vincent
Basciano in various crimes, some of which may get him the death penalty. That is all spelled out in Chapters
27 and 28. Well, it looks like Massino left some tracks in the latest Bonanno crime family case in Brooklyn federal court.
A detention memo filed by prosecutors in the case against reputed captain Joseph Sammartino and others
indicates that Massino apparently was the cooperating witness mentioned in the memo as "CW#1." The tipoff is
found in phrases in the memo like CW#1 "presided over the ceremony" in which one of the defendants was inducted
into the Bonanno family in early 2000s, a time when Massino was boss and still very much on the street (He wasn't arrested until
January 2003). Of course, Massino has been giving information as a cooperator every since July 2004, when he was convicted
so anything he may now be doing in the new case is really not a stunning surprise or big news. The memo also makes
clear that the feds have wiretaps, bugs and other witnesses giving them more up-to-date info on the defendants.
September
29, 2009: Vincent Rossetti, the Howard Beach dad who prosecutors said played ball with the mob, is scheduled to be
sentenced on November 7, 2009 by Judge Ray Dearie in Brooklyn federal court. As readers of King of The
Godfathers know, Rossetti and his fashionable wife Yvonne, became central figures in a Bonanno extortion
case. Both Rossettis cooperated with law enforcement. But it turned out that Vincent had alot of problems, not the least of
which was a guilty plea to a federal information in which he admitted to his part in a racketeering conspiracy, court records
show. That plea took place in December 2006. Rossetti admitted to the conspiracy count, involving securities fraud and extortion,
court records show. In addition the information accused him of a count of health care fraud. The information doesn't explain
the latter but the charge sounds similar to what his wife plead to earlier this year in the same courthouse. Vincent testified
for the government in the trial of Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia and said the government would write
him a 5k-1 letter, bringing to Dearie's attention his cooperation. What Dearie will do at sentencing is anyone's guess. Yvonne
may be sentenced in October.
September 21, 2009: The federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has
scheduled arguments for October 27th on Basciano's appeal on his earlier case and how it might interfere with the upcoming
trial. The appeal is why the upcoming case isn't expected to start until early 2010. Gearing up for that trial, Basciano's
lawyers are still pressing to get witness immunity for one Danny Reyes. In court papers, Basciano's lawyers
insist Reyes can verify that Basciano's so-called hit list was only a Santeria list. The defense also claims Reyes
can buttress the defense that it was Joseph Massino, and not Basciano, who came up with idea to try
and kill prosecutor Greg Andres, who was never harmed. The defense said in its filings that cooperating witness "Richard
Berte" who was housed in the federal Manhattan detention center indicated that it was Massino's original
idea to kill Andres. All of this is spelled out in Chapter 28 of "King of The Godfathers."
September
11, 2009: Gino Galestro, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier in the week for orchestrating the murder of
Robert McKelvey in early 2005 on Staten Island, was dumped on by former boss Joseph Massino and Vincent Basciano, court
records show. Galestro, a reputed Bonanno member, was convicted for his role in the murder and despite pleas for leniency
got his with a 240 month term by Brooklyn federal judge Allyne Ross. Readers of "King of The Godfathers" know that
Massino taped some conversations he had with Basciano and in one of them both mobsters belittled Galestro's life as a mob
guy.
"I got new for you, you know, Gino's not supposed to be in this life either though, Bo,"
Basciano said to Massino, according to a transcript of the recording. "You happen to be very right," answered Massino.
When Massino rhetorically asked what he should do now, Basciano said "you shelf him," meaning make Galestro inactive.
"Throw him out of the family...He never did nothin'. He doesn't know any, you throw him out of the family,"
said Massino, court records show.
McKelvey was killed at a famous mansion on Staten Island.
September
6, 2009: Feds Say Massino To Be Called. Break out the copies of "The King of The
Godfathers." Federal prosecutors said in a letter dated September 4, 2009 that they expect to call former Bonanno
Boss Joseph Massino as a witness in Vincent Basciano's federal death penalty trial.
Prosecutors have said as much previously in court hearings that Massino would highly likely to be called. Now they
have said the same in writing. Assistant U.S. Attoneys John Buretta, Taryn Merkel and Nicole Argentieri also
said in their letter to Judge Nicholas Garaufis that Massino's health shouldn't be a problem so there is
no need for the defense to take his deposition as a precaution to him being too ill to testify at trial. Massino secretly
taped Basciano in early 2005 and those conversations are at the root of the death penalty count involving the homicide of
Randolph Pizzolo, as well as the alleged plot to kill prosecutor Greg Andres. The last time
Massino was seen in court was in June 2005 when he was sentenced to a life term for his racketeering conviction. As noted
in King Of The Godfathers, Massino began trying to cooperate with officials as soon as he was convicted in July 2004.
The start date for Basciano's trial is still unclear and may be delayed until the beginning of 2010.
August
31, 2009: Santeria defense: Those who have read "King of The Godfathers," (Chapter 28) know about
the so called "hit list: prosecutors have accused Vincent Basciano of making in jail. The
allegation is that Basciano put names, including that of prosecutor Greg Andres and Judge Nicholas
Garaufis on the list to have them killed. But Basciano's lawyers said it was actually a list of names given to a practitioner
of Santeria, the Afro-Carribean religion, to purge the karma (so to speak) of those on the list and get Basciano good
luck at trial. A few days ago Basciano's lawyers asked that an inmate named Danny Reyes be given immunity
so he can testify about the true nature of the list. Court papers state that Reyes talked with Basciano about Santeria and
that Basciano wanted to put spells on Andres and Garaufis. Another inmate asked Basciano in Reyes presence to put
the names on a list so that Reyes could call his Cuban godfther to have the spell placed, court papers stated. The defense
thinks that Reyes, if immunized, can give evidence to refute the notion of a hit list.
August 25, 2009:
Dominick Cicale: Prosecutors in the upcoming trial of John "Junior" Gotti intend
to call former Bonanno crime family member and turncoat Dominick Cicale to the stand. In all likelihood Cicale, whose
exploits with Vincent Basciano are outlined in "King of The Godfathers" at Chapter 28, will
be asked to testify about a conversation he may have had in which Basciano said that he agreed with Gotti's defense of
withdrawal from the mob. The government, court papers show, appears to believe that Gotti sought the approval of the
mob for such a defense, and thus didn't really withdraw from mob life. Prosecutors have been asked to turn over
documents to the Gotti defense team about Cicale. A key witness against Basciano, Cicale testified he was involved in
the killing of Frank Santoro in the Bronx. Cicale also allegedly fabricated a murder plot to falsely
implicate Basciano, according to documents filed in Basciano's case in Brooklyn federal court.
August
17, 2009: Talk of the mob: It seems like a particular prosecutor may have been on the mind of more
than one gangster. In court papers filed in connection with Vincent Basciano's upcoming trial, his lawyers
are asking the government to turn over records and witness statements in which assistant U.S. attorney Greg Andres,
the alleged target of a death threat, was a topic of conversation. Defense attorney George Goltzer
is asking for copies of statements made by Richard Berte to former Bonanno captain Richard Cantarella
regarding Andres. Goltzer in his letter to the court also wants to see copies of any statements made by former boss Joseph
Massino to Berte indicating that it was "Massino's original idea to kill AUSA Andres." The alleged death
plot is talked about in recent trade paperback version of King of The Godfathers at pages 297, 307 and 310. Any evidence
of conversations between Basciano, Massino, Berte and Cantarella about Andres are being sought by the defense.
August
10, 2009: Yvonne Rossetti, the Howard Beach housewife who caused so much trouble for herself and whose financial
dealings got some reputed Bonanno crime family members in hot water, is expected to be sentenced in October, according
to a source familiar with the case who doesn't want to be named. Rossetti and her husband Vincent will be
sentenced in the same month, other sources said. Their earlier sentencing dates were adjourned. Yvonne plead
guilty earlier this year to scamming people. Vincent was witness in the Brooklyn federal court trial of reputed Gambino crime
family soldier Charles Carneglia and also testified that he had scammed people. Both husband and wife face
potential prison time though it is unlikely they both would have to serve since they have four kids. The couple's exploits,
including their interaction with some reputed Bonanno associates and street bosses, are featured in "King of The Godfathers."
August
05, 2009: Lawyers for Vincent Basciano have asked that he be allowed visits from Debra
Kalb, the woman with which he fathered a son, in the Metropolitan Detention Center. Attorney Richard
Jasper and others wrote after the MDC said regulations didn't permit a visit by Kalb. "The MDC policies
cited in the government's letter, have the effect of severing the defendant's relationship with his 7 year old son, and his
son' mother," the attorneys wrote. The lawyers said Basciano' ability to parent his youngest son from prison
is mitigation if the death penalty should have to be considered. Basciano has in the past had visits with his youngest
son, Anthony, in the confines of Brooklyn federal court. Basciano is awaiting trial later this year and is being held
under strict administrative measures at the MDC.
July 29, 2009: Vincent Rossetti's sentencing has been
postponed to October, federal prosecutors said. Rossetti whose exploits as an alleged associate of the Bonanno crime family are
detailed in pages 303-306 of "King of The Godfathers," testified as a government witness to running scams in the
trial in Brooklyn federal court of Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia. Rossetti's wife, Yvonne,
whose Howard Beach activities are also chronicled in the book, is slated to be sentenced around September for her guilty plea
this year in federal court to running scams. They both face potential prison time.
July 27, 2009: John "Junior"
Gotti case crossover to Bonanno family. Junior Gotti is slated to go on trial in September and in papers filed in
federal court his lawyers are fighting to keep out testimony of two cooperating witnesses, including that of Dominick
Cicale. As cited in "King Of The Godfathers," pages 308-310, Cicale was close with
Vincent Basciano (shown above)but turned on him and testified in his federal trial that led
to a conviction. Prosecutors now want to use Cicale in Gotti's trial in an effort to prove that Basciano had talked with
the younger Gotti and had approved of the Gambino captain's efforts to defend himself by saying he withdrew from the mob. Court
papers indicate that it was Cicale who spoke to Basciano about that alleged conversation. (The defense said Gotti never met
Basciano until December 2008, years after the withdrawal defense was first used) This is being done, the defense contends,
to show that the Gotti strategy was given the blessings by others in the mob--presumably to show that Gotti hadn't
withdrawn from La Cosa Nostra. Judge Shira Scheindlin didn't let this testimony in during Gotti's
last trial that led to his third mistrial and the defense is arguing to the judge in the upcoming trial that such a ruling
should be followed, and Cicale's testimony kept out. Cicale is loaded with baggage, including allegations that while
a government witness he tried to fabricate a murder plot to implicate Basciano (described on page 310).
July
11,2009: Vincent Basciano, who has had enough lawyers in his time to fill a courtroom, is now down to three for his
upcoming death penalty trial talked about in "King of The Godfathers." His lead counsel will be George Goltzer,
learned counsel Richard Jasper and co-counsel for trial Ying Stafford. With thanks, Judge
Nicholas Garaufis relieved Jane Simkin Smith from any further role in the case. She had been brought in for
limited legal work, including motion filings.
July 4, 2009: (After a delay because of coverage of
Bernard Madoff, this page is now back to regular updating) Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn Federal Court has
denied, yet again, Vincent Basciano's request for the court to recuse itself from his upcoming trial. Basciano's
lawyers had argued that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a West Virginia political corruption case required
under the law for Garaufis to drop out. "What that has to do with the current case is anyone's guess," said Garaufis,
in denying Basciano. Garaufis said that while the defense thinks the Supreme Court imposed a new constitutional standard
for recusal, the High Court ruling didn't have a basis for revisiting the issue. The October trial for Basciano,
mentioned in Chapter 28 of "King Of The Godfathers," now looks on track. Stay tuned.
Earlier
in the week, a reputed Bonanno soldier, Anthony Seccafico, was gunned down on Staten Island while going to
work at his construction job. While some law enforcement sources are telling reporters that a mob war might be afoot, things
are too unclear at this point to say anything more. Stories appeared in Daily News, Newsday and the N.Y. Post. Seccafico was
repotedly part of a group led by Patrick DeFilippo, who is now serving a 40 year term.
June
10, 2009: LIVE WEB CAST FROM LITTLE ITALY!! Log in to the web show "Giambotto Dolce" (a mixed sweet
bag) at 8 p.m. on June 10 as actress Mary Ann Maisano interviews author Tony DeStefano about The Last Godfather,
the Bonanno Crime Family and other things. The show is done live from Grotto Azzura.
To
watch just paste the following link into your web browser.
http://www.dolcechannel.com/pages/liveradio.php
Have fun!!
May 31, 2009: Jury
selection in the death penalty trial of Vincent Basciano will begin October 5, 2009, Judge Nicholas
Garaufis has said in an order filed in Brooklyn federal court. Garaufis rejected a request by defense counsel to
have the trial postponed until January 2010. The trial involves the death penalty counts as described in "King of
The Godfathers," p. 310 in the trade paperback edition. This is the trial where Joe Massino is
likely to be called.
May 25, 2009: The strange Santeria issue raised in the case of Vincent
Basciano, appearing at pages 307 of the trade paperback "King of The Godfathers," is now front and center
again. Defense attorneys succeeded in getting witness Danny Reyes to be called for a deposition in the hopes
he could verify that Basciano wrote the infamous "hit list" (on which the names of Judge Garaufis and others
appeared) simply as part of a Santeria-like ritual to get good luck in his case. According to court documents, Reyes,
who was an inmate with Basciano when the list was written, is attempting to invoke his Fifth Amendment right in the deposition
when asked about his knowledge of Santeria and the people he was in jail with. The defense wants to question Reyes about things
he said to the defense team in 2006: that he was a Santero, his Cuban godfather was also apparently a Santero and that Basciano
discussed having Santeria spells cast on Garaufis, a prosecutor and others, court records show. The defense is moving
to have Reyes immunized so that his testimony can be taken in advance of Basciano's trial set for September (pp 309-310).
April
27, 2009: The death penalty case against Vincent Basciano, dealt with on pages 309-310
of the trade paperback version of "King of The Godfathers," is getting expensive. To date, Brooklyn
federal judge Nicholas Garaufis has approved payment vouchers to his court appointed lawyers
of $1.3 million. Add to that the work done by paralegals, investigators and others the bill comes to about $1.7 million, said
Garaufis is a recent document. Garaufis turned aside a request by defense counsel to postpone Basciano's trial, now set for
September, until January 2010. The court things there is enough time for the newly appointed lawyer George Goltzer
to get up to speed.
April 16, 2009: Sal "The Iron Worker" Montagna, the reputed acting
boss of the Bonanno family, is on the verge of being deported from the U.S., according to news reports. Montagna, who is featured
in "King Of The Godfathers" on page 302, owns a legitimate iron works plant in Brooklyn. But since he was
convicted in 2003 on a low level charge of criminal contempt on the state level, that apparently is enough for the federal
government to detain him in immigration custody and send him back to his native Canada. His attorney told reporters that Montagna,
36, is planning to appeal any deportation.
April 10, 2009: To update the situation on Vincent Basciano:
his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied certiorari in late February. He is now filing pretrial briefs for the
September 2009 capital case trial in which Joe Massino is expected to make an appearance.
April
1, 2009: Vincent and Yvonne Rossetti, the Howard Beach couple at the center of some much trouble, are set for sentencings in
Brooklyn federal court. Vincent, who testified in Brooklyn federal court at the trial of reputed Gambino soldier Charles
Carneglia, is slated to be sentenced on June 5. Vincent testified at the Carneglia trial to pulling off various
scams over the years that made him $1.5 million. Yvonne, who admitted to Magistrate Cheryl Pollak in
the same courthouse that she ripped off $1 million with others in a real estate scheme, is to be sentenced on July 10.
Their dealings with some Bonanno crime family members and associates precipitated an 18 defendant indictment in early 2007.
Both Rossettis were government witnesses in the case.
March 1, 2009: Yvonne Rossetti, the attractive
Howard Beach housewife who caused so much trouble for some ot the Bonanno leadership in 2007, plead guilty to her own crimes
last week. In Brooklyn federal court Rossetti, 43, admitted to Magistrate Cheryl Pollak to taking part in a $1 million real
estate fraud and also to participating in a medical billing scheme that got $100,000. She is to be sentenced in July
and faces a guideline range of between two and three years on the charges contained in a federal information. Rossetti's financial
machinations led to a 2007 federal indictment involving Nicholas Santora and Anthony Rabito
on charges they were involved in an attempt to extort $100,000 from her, money allegedly fronted by a Bonanno loanshark as
part of her investment dreams. (See "King of The Godfathers" pp 303-306)Rabito and Santora
ultimately plead guilty to unrelated charges. Rossetti's husband Vincent, with whom she had four daughters, recently
testified in the racketeering trial of Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia as a prosecution witness. Vincent
Rossetti testified that he netted $1.5 million in various securities frauds and other crimes.
February
26, 2009: Vinnie Basciano has a new lawyer. Because of a conflict of interest that developed with original lawyer
Lawrence Stern, Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis appointed George Robert
Goltzer of Manhattan to handle Basciano's death penalty trial in September. Stern had represented reputed
Genovese acting boss Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo and wiretaps that might be used
in the trial implicate Cirillo and the Genovese borgata in the 2001 murder of Frank Santoro, for which Basciano
was earlier convicted, court records show. Since evidence of the Santoro murder might be used in the death penalty trial,
Stern potentially could have found himself in the position of tryint to implicate his old client, Cirillo, in the crime. So
the conflict was solved by appointing Goltzer.
February 21, 2009: Joe Massino will likely testify in
September. That is the latest word from law enforcement sources about the likelihood, which is now substantial, that
Massino will take the stand against his former protege Vincent Basciano. There have been numerous times when
Massino's appearance has been anticipated in court since he turned cooperating witness. But now it looks like September is
the operative date, when Basciano goes on trial in the death penalty case. Massino secretly taped Basciano in late 2004 and
early 2005 while both were in a Brooklyn lockup. (See "King Of The Godfathers," pp.295-310). But
this trial timetable is fragile because Basciano may have to get a new lawyer appointed since Lawrence Stern
claims to have a conflict from a prior case.
February 14, 2009: Vincent Rossetti, the self-described
Bonanno associate who turned government witness, testified at the federal murder rackets trial of Gambino soldier Charles
Carneglia. Rossetti, 44, the husband of controversial Howard Beach housewife Yvonne Rossetti, testified
about circumstantial evidence concerning the day Salvatore Puma was stabbed in Howard Beach in the summer
of 1983. Puma died and prosecutors claim Carneglia was the one who did the stabbing in an argument. The exploits of Rossetti
and his wife are detailed in the trade paper back "King of The Godfathers," pages 303-306. Rossetti told the
jury in Brooklyn federal court about his own securities and mortgage frauds which he said netted $1.5 million. On cross examination
he was asked about an investor lawsuit against his wife but said he wasn't involved in it. He and his family have been
relocated by the FBI and Rossetti testified that he for a while was getting $2,000 a month stipend from the feds and help
on medical expenses. Stories appeared in Newsday, Daily News and New York Post.
February 6, 2009:
There were apparently some nasty words said in court during a hearing in the Basciano case. Defense attorney Lawrence
Stern is so chagrined by comments by Judge Nicholas Garaufis that he wrote a letter in which he
wanted "with all due respect, to protect the Court's harsh tone and demeaning treatment of Ms. (Jane Simikin)
Smith" as she tried to clarify a point. Stern, among other things, had raised the issue of a potential conflict
of interest and didn't like Garaufis's remarks. The judge pointed special counsel to advise Basciano about the conflict
issue (See January 21 below)
January 21, 2009: Lawrence Stern, the court appointed
lawyer for Vincent Basciano, has filed a letter with the court saying there is a potential conflict of interest
because of his earlier representation of Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo, the reputed
acting boss of the Genovese crime family. Stern is representing Basciano in the death penalty case (See Chapter 28 in
trade paperback "King of The Godfathers). Seems as though an associate of Quiet Dom was overheard on
a wiretap which also picked up Michael Mancuso, a former Basciano co-defendant. Stern didn't say in his court
filing what the exact conflict might be but filed a sealed letter with Judge Nicholas Garaufis to explain
things and protect his attorney-client relationship. Stern is asking for Curcio counsel to be appointed, a routine step in
case of possible conflict of interest.
January 18, 2009: Basciano seeking "arrest" of witnesses:
Vincent Basciano is asking a federal judge to arrest and detain three potential witnesses in his capital
case. In papers filed in Brooklyn federal court Basciano said that people only identified as CW-1, CW-2 and CW-3 have testimony
material to the "bias and perjury" of Dominick Cicale. Basciano anticipates that Cicale will
be central witness in his death penalty trial in September. CW-1 is a cooperator in the federal Witness Security Program,
while the other two witnesses are of unknown whereabouts, said Basciano, who wants the witnesses detained to insure their
availability a trial.
January 2, 2009: Battle over Massino tapings. Another fight is brewing
over whether turncoat Joe Massino's taping and talks with Vincent Basciano while both
were in a federal detention center might cause a legal problem for the government. Judge Nicholas Garaufis
ruled earlier that Massino wasn't acting as a government agent when he spoke with Basciano and taped him in late 2004 and
early 2005. Those conversations were the basis for some of the serious charges facing Basciano in the death penalty case.
But Basciano's lawyers are revisiting the issue and said in court papers that it may well be that Massino's questioning violate
Vinny Gorgeous's right to counsel. The lawyers want a hearing with Massino and others called to the stand. Government attorneys
will be filing a response shortly
December 29, 2008: Whatever happened to the Rossettis? The Howard
Beach family whose troubles led to the indictment of Nicky Santora, Anthony Rabito and others, seem to have
skated without having to take the stand in the Bonanno crime family case of February 2007. Though Santora and others were
initially accused of being part of the extortion of Yvonne Rossetti, no one in the case had to admit as part
of a plea deal to shaking down the controversial Mom. Yvonne was accused in a Queens State Supreme Court lawsuit of defrauding
at least one investor. Defense attorneys said in federal court during some of the Bonanno cases that she may have ripped off
others. Yvonne and her husband Vincent, who taped some Bonanno figures while he was himself under indictment,
left Howard Beach for more hospitable climes. Yvonne has never been charged. The travails of Yvonne and her husband
in the case are chronicled in the trade paperback version of "King of The Godfathers," ($14.95)
But Vincent's brother Joseph hasn't done well. He was part of the Bonanno roundup in 2007 and plead guilty
in 2008 to conspiring to fraudulently selling securities with other reputed crime family associates. Despite the chronic
illness of his wife and other family issues, Joseph was sentenced to 90 months in prison by Judge Sandra Townes
and ordered to pay over $600,000 in restitution. Since he had a prior conviction, Joseph took some heavy time.
December
18, 2008: As expected, former reputed acting boss Michael Mancuso, 53, received a 15 year sentence
for his role in the conspiracy to murder Randolph Pizzolo and for taking part in gambling. Judge
Nicholas Garaufis of Brooklyn federal court gave Mancuso the set term as part of the original plea
bargain struck earlier this year. Mancuso chose to say nothing but Connie Pizzolo, the feisty, darkhaired
daughter of Pizzzolo, gave an impassioned speech about the effect of her father's murder on her. Randolph Pizzolo, a mob associate, was
gunned down in late 2004 because, according to investigators, Vincent Basciano was angry with him and wanted
to make his death a wakeup call for mob discipline. Connie Pizzolo said she prefered that Mancuso get a life to term in solitary
so he could spend the rest of his life in, as she termed it, "a box." She said her dad wasn't perfect but
loved him even with such imperfections. Garaufis also sentenced the Three Anthonys (Aiello, Donato, and Indelicato)
to various terms ranging from 20 to 30 years. Garaufis was reluctant to recommend that Mancuso be sent to nearby Otisville
prison, but in the end did it.
December 15,2008: Michael Mancuso, once the acting boss of the Bonanno family,
is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16th in Brooklyn federal court. Mancuso, who plead guilty earlier this year to racketeering,
is expected to draw a sentence of up to 15 years. This for his plea to conspiracy in the murder of wannabe mobster Randolph
Pizzolo in late 2004, the crime for which Vincent Basciano faces the death penalty.
December
10, 2008: The Old Boys Club. Reputed Genovese captain Anthony "Big Nose" Antico
is a man of a particular vintage when it comes to the mob. In a nostalgic moment Antico once said he was of a certain
generation of wiseguys that included a clique with the likes of the late Bonanno consiglieri Anthony Spero
and reputed crime family members Junior and Jerry Chilli, according to court papers filed
when Antico was arrested December 9. "We all ran together...that was our circle," Antico is quoted as saying.
