Government's biggest rat set to make appearance at upcoming mob trial
The Fed's biggest mob
rat is being let out of his cage to testify against an elderly Genovese
gangster at his upcoming extortion trial, the Daily News has learned.
Former Bonanno crime
boss Joseph Massino will be making only his second appearance on the witness
stand since he defected to the government side in 2004.
Massino was a
devastating witness last year against Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, his
successor as Bonanno boss, and now the corpulent cooperator is ready to torpedo
reputed Genovese captain Anthony “Rom” Romanello.
Federal prosecutors
turned over Massino’s case file to defense lawyers Tuesday in preparation for
opening arguments that are scheduled for Nov. 26.
“I look forward to
showing the jury that a man who has been convicted of eight murders has very
little credible testimony to offer,” Romanello’s lawyer, Gerald McMahon, told
The News.
Massino, 69, is expected
to provide expert-witness testimony about the mob, of which he has considerable
and authoritative knowledge, having navigated those treacherous waters for more
than four decades.
Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jack Dennehy previously stated in court papers that the government’s evidence
includes “testimony regarding the rules, structure, hierarchy and protocols of
La Cosa Nostra, particularly with respect to the Bonanno and Genovese crime
families.”
He did not personally
commit any crimes with the defendant, although they knew each other and Romanello
had dined at Massino’s restaurant, CasaBlanca, in Middle Village, Queens,
another source said.
Massino has emerged as a
witness in the trial only in the past week, after Brooklyn Federal Judge Carol
Amon expressed reservations about allowing testimony from a different mob rat
about a sitdown with Romanello, sources said.
Romanello, 75, is
charged with participating in the extortion of a Bonanno family associate who
had failed to repay a $30,000 loan to a mortgage broker, who then sought
Romanello’s help.
Massino was once known
as the “Last Don,” but he cast aside his oath of omerta on
July 30, 2004 — the day a federal jury convicted him of multiple murders.
After claiming to have
knowledge that Basciano was plotting to whack a prosecutor, Massino agreed to
wear a hidden wire in prison and recorded incriminating conversations that led
to Basciano’s conviction.
Massino was sentenced to
life without the possibility of parole and is in poor health, but sources said
he holds out hope that the government will someday make a recommendation to
Judge Nicholas Garaufis for his release as a reward for his service as a rat.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ex-bonanno-crime-boss-set-sing-extortion-trial-article-1.1201678#ixzz2CD7nJrqj
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