Gambino mobster tells feds to trust him on $10,000 restitution
Trust him. He says he’s good for it.
A convicted mobster tried to weasel out of handing over $10,000 in ill-gotten gains that he promised to pay back to the feds at his scheduled sentencing yesterday.
Frank “Meatball” Bellantoni’s lawyer said his client was experiencing a cash crunch because his wife has been their family’s sole breadwinner since he was locked up four months ago.
Defense lawyer Gerard Marrone also said that Bellantoni, 45, of Bellmore, LI, would pay off the debt once he gets out of prison.
But Manhattan federal prosecutor Elie Honig refused to cut the burly baldy any slack, noting it would set a “bad precedent.”
“I’ve spoken to people who know him well, and the guy has money,” Honig added. “He lives in a nice house. He has a pool. He owns a separate tract of land upstate.”
Judge Richard Berman then postponed Bellantoni’s sentencing until June 13 to give him time to come up with the dough.
Bellantoni, a reputed Gambino crime family associate, faces up to 3 1/2 years in the slammer under terms of plea deal that also requires him to forfeit $60,000. According to the feds, Bellantoni was one of the “most prolific money-makers” in a crew run by reputed Gambino captain Alphonse Trucchio, generating more than $15,000 a week in “criminal profits.”
Bellantoni pleaded guilty in February to racketeering conspiracy to cover more than a decade’s worth of crimes, including loansharking, bookmaking and running illegal card games.
He also admitted trying to extort payment of an $82,000 gambling debt with the help of mob crony Howard Santos, who had secretly turned rat.
A convicted mobster tried to weasel out of handing over $10,000 in ill-gotten gains that he promised to pay back to the feds at his scheduled sentencing yesterday.
Frank “Meatball” Bellantoni’s lawyer said his client was experiencing a cash crunch because his wife has been their family’s sole breadwinner since he was locked up four months ago.
Defense lawyer Gerard Marrone also said that Bellantoni, 45, of Bellmore, LI, would pay off the debt once he gets out of prison.
But Manhattan federal prosecutor Elie Honig refused to cut the burly baldy any slack, noting it would set a “bad precedent.”
Judge Richard Berman then postponed Bellantoni’s sentencing until June 13 to give him time to come up with the dough.
Bellantoni, a reputed Gambino crime family associate, faces up to 3 1/2 years in the slammer under terms of plea deal that also requires him to forfeit $60,000. According to the feds, Bellantoni was one of the “most prolific money-makers” in a crew run by reputed Gambino captain Alphonse Trucchio, generating more than $15,000 a week in “criminal profits.”
Bellantoni pleaded guilty in February to racketeering conspiracy to cover more than a decade’s worth of crimes, including loansharking, bookmaking and running illegal card games.
He also admitted trying to extort payment of an $82,000 gambling debt with the help of mob crony Howard Santos, who had secretly turned rat.
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