Massino Wins Freedom -- Could be Out in Two Months
 |
| Life sentence turns to time served for
Joe Massino, former Bonanno boss.
|
A federal judge on Wednesday reduced Joe Massino's life sentence to time served — which has been about 10 years.
Massino is expected to be in jail for another two months then remain under FBI supervision for the rest of his life, according to the AP.
The reduction was requested by prosecutors to reward Massino for testifying. He did less damage than others, more damage than some, but this move to back Massino seems to reveal that the Feds, ultimately, are pleased with the deal they made with the wily former Bonanno boss who flipped quickly after losing one trial (before he could lose the next and be sentenced to death, which was a possibility at the time).
Only this week, we noted that Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco, former Luchese acting boss turned informant, was quoted by the New York Daily News as saying that Massino should be let out of prison.
“I hate to play judge, but I think he should get time served,” said Alphonse (Little Al) D’Arco, who is described in the article as the second-highest-ranking defecting gangster after Massino.
“The government took his cooperation, he did what they asked,” D’Arco, 80, said in a statement provided to the Daily News. “They owe him. You can’t let him rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
 |
| Massino, when arrested for the last time. |
Massino, who is now 70, was convicted of racketeering and eight murders and sentenced to life in prison in 2005.
As we reported in early June, the feds were asking a judge to reduce the life sentence of Massino as a reward for his unprecedented cooperation.
“As the first official boss of the American Mafia to testify publicly, Massino’s cooperation was an important milestone in the decades-long effort by the Department of Justice to dismantle and uproot La Cosa Nostra,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Taryn Merkl stated in papers filed Monday in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Massino, 70, sought a cooperation deal from the government immediately after he was convicted in 2004 of racketeering and eight gangland rubouts.
Prosecutors were skeptical at first, but Massino won them over when he claimed to have knowledge of a plot by his successor, Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano, to whack mob-busting Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Andres. He testified in two mob trials and provided assistance that led to dozens of convictions.
Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis scheduled the resentencing; Massino has served more than 10 years in prison since his last arrest.
Ironically, just as news of Massino's pending release rolls out, a small crew of Bonannos have been indicted by the Manhattan District attorney, who noted the effort was the result of a two-year investigation into a $10 million scheme involving organized crime's infiltration of a labor union.
Nicholas "Nicky Mouth" Santora is the lead defendant it seems, as he has the most status in the mob.
Santora, a contemporary of Joe Massino, and the others were charged with enterprise corruption, the state version of the federal crime of racketeering. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.
RELATED POSTS
Apr 16, 2011
But no, that scenario is not entirely the truth -- or at least the motive behind the killing is not, according to Massino. Napolitano met his end because he had been preparing to take over the Bonanno family, Massino said in court ...
Apr 12, 2011
Former Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Massino testified in a Brooklyn courtroom on Tuesday how he secretly taped his successor discussing murder, the first time a boss has taken the witness stand against an underling, ...
Nov 26, 2012
Cali, new Gambino boss. From DNAInfo New York : [I took exclusive down - this story has already been widely picked up ... here a... Bonanno Mobster Pitera More Serial Killer than Goodfella. "Tommy Karate" looks none too
Apr 16, 2011
And the surprises keep a-coming from Joe Massino, who, if he's correct, is going to cause a lot of writers to reissue corrected versions of their non-fiction books and could lead to an entire new series of mob documentaries to ...
Apr 15, 2011
Joe Massino, the former Bonanno boss who turned informant and is testifying against Vinny Basciano, claims a crooked FBI agent gave him a tip that he was going to be arrested in 1982, according to an AP report. Massino