I stole fine with back injury, says former Gambino soldier Primo Cassarino
Primo Cassarino, a former Gambino soldier turned government witness, testified yesterday "in the racketeering trial of longtime Gambino soldier Anthony (Toto) Anastasio" that "the owners of Royal Crown Bakery gave $100,000 to the Gambino crime family for helping them collect money from a delinquent delivery route, as well as annual Christmas tribute payments," and he "also fingered Gambino captain and one-time New Springville resident Anthony (Sonny) Ciccone as the point man for the Gambinos' stranglehold on longshoremen's jobs along the Howland Hook waterfront in Mariners Harbor" as reported by Jeff Harrell for the Staten Island Advance:
Cassarino told jurors that Royal Crown Bakery owner Joseph Generoso, referred to during the trial as "Joe the Baker," was "on the record" with the Gambinos since the early 1990s, when his sole operation was in Bay Ridge; later, he branched out to Hylan Boulevard in Grasmere. Last week, former Eltingville mob turncoat Michael (Mikey Scars) DiLeonardo said Generoso first dropped Anastasio's name as a "friend" when the baker sought help from the Gambinos to ward off an extortion attempt by notorious Tottenville gangster William (Wild Bill) Cutolo.
On Tuesday Cassarino testified that Anastasio allegedly recuited him for a 1992 arson of a Dunkin' Donuts in Brooklyn for the insurance money as reported by Kati Cornell for the New York Post: "Cassarino said it wasn't until 2001 that a crooked insurance adjuster finally sent them $15,000, not the promised $25,000."
Meanwhile, Cassarino continues pressing his suit against New York City for a "special accident disability pension that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars" in connection with an injury he suffered in 1991 "when he fell off a garbage truck while working for the Sanitation Department" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News:
Cassarino filed for the lucrative benefit in March 2003, a week before he was convicted of racketeering with then-Gambino boss Peter Gotti and a gaggle of gangsters in Brooklyn Federal Court. While the mob thug was awaiting sentencing, he was examined by a panel of doctors from the New York City Employee Retirement System, who rejected his bid. Cassarino sued the city in Brooklyn Supreme Court last year, lost again, and is appealing the judge's ruling to the state Appellate Division. * * * Cassarino worked in the same depot as Peter Gotti, who is collecting an accident disability pension while serving a life sentence.
Yesterday Cassarino testified that his back injury "didn't hamper his ability to commit robberies" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News: "'You don't have to use your back to do armed robberies - you use your hands,' said former Gambino soldier Primo Cassarino."
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