Two mobsters from Staten Island seek release from federal prison due to coronavirus

Two mobsters from Staten Island seek release from federal prison due to coronavirus

  March 31, 2020    Dapper_Don

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Two Staten Islanders with mob ties are seeking release from federal prison as concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to rise throughout the country.

Eugene “Boobsie” Castelle, a Staten Island man and reputed soldier in the Lucchese organized crime family, and Daniel “Shrek” Capaldo, a Staten Islander and alleged Colombo crime family soldier, were both arrested in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Castelle, 60, who is currently seeking appeal on his 2019 conviction for his connection with an illegal gambling operation, recently returned to prison after falling ill with pneumonia, wrote Richard Levitt, his appeal lawyer, in court documents filed Sunday in Manhattan Federal Court.

Levitt requested that Castelle, who is currently serving a sentence at Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut, be admitted to “bail pending appeal or, in the alternative, at least until the COVID-19 crisis has subsided.”

Levitt said, “at least one Danbury staff member has already tested positive for COVID-19 and inevitably others will,” mentioning the spread of the virus in Rikers Island, where some prisoners have been released.

“Although he is recovering and is being monitored at Danbury, his previous medical history, combined with this most recent illness, strongly suggests he is an at-risk inmate, far more likely than others to succumb to COVID-19 should he become infected,” Levitt wrote.

“We understand the force of inertia and the instinct to keep a defendant incarcerated once he surrenders post-conviction,” Levitt continued. “However, we are in the midst of a crisis that calls for flexibility, particularly for persons, such as Mr. Castelle, who are uniquely vulnerable.”

Capaldo, 55, who was indicted among 20 total suspects on wide-ranging charges of racketeering, extortion, loansharking and stalking, as well as attempting to fix an NCAA college basketball game, is also seeking release, court papers indicate.

Peter Guadagnino, Capaldo’s attorney, filed an emergency bail application on Sunday which indicates that Dr. Mazan Rabadi — who observed Capaldo’s medical records — believes Capaldo’s chance for survival if “infected with COVID-19 is poor.”

Rabadi said Capaldo’s records indicate he suffers from underlying lung disease (COPD), and has used a bronchodilator for most of his life — making him particularly susceptible to the virus.

Additionally, Rabadi said Capaldo’s body-mass index of 36.94, “which makes him severely obese, in and of itself is a factor that independently puts him at a high risk of being intubated." It is an additional concern that led to the recommendation that he be removed from Brooklyn’s MDC “and be completely quarantined at a separate location,'' where he can be isolated himself and does not come into contact with anyone.

Last year, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo decided to hold Capaldo in custody after his Brooklyn federal court bail hearing, saying: “It’s almost as if Mr. Capaldo can’t help but get himself in trouble — even if he’s being watched by the government.”