Former Nassau County Police Detective Convicted Of Lying To The FBI To Cover Up His Work For the Bonanno Crime Family

The U.S. Attorney ‘s Office Eastern District of New York Released the information below:

Hector Rosario, a former detective with the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), was found guilty today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents about his work for the Bonanno crime family.  The verdict followed a seven-day trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  Rosario was fired by the NCPD after he was indicted in August 2022.  When sentenced, Rosario faces up to five years in prison.

John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Anne T. Donnelly, District Attorney, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, announced the verdict.

“This corrupt detective chose to prove his loyalty to an organized crime family over the public he was sworn to protect,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “When police officers exploit their positions for personal gain, it erodes public trust in law enforcement. My Office has zero tolerance for corruption by any public officials, and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that it is punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Hector Rosario, a former Nassau County detective, allowed himself to be bought by the mob to blatantly lie during a federal investigation into the Bonanno family’s illegal gambling operations,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies. “Rosario’s lies not only protected an organized criminal enterprise, but also eroded the public’s trust in law enforcement and is a disservice to all who wear the badge honoring their oath to protect and serve. The FBI remains committed to disrupting any corrupt officer who prioritizes personal wealth over integrity to the shield.”

“Hector Rosario cared more about lining his pockets with Bonanno family money and protecting his own interests than his fidelity to the law,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly.  “He disgracefully compromised the investigative work of his fellow detectives by tipping off a target and lied to federal agents as the walls were closing in on him. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will uncover and vigorously prosecute corruption in our law enforcement ranks in Nassau County, because no one is above the law.”

As proven at trial, Rosario was paid by the Bonanno crime family to protect its illegal gambling operations. For over a decade, the Bonanno crime family operated illegal gambling businesses inside various coffee shops and sports clubs throughout Queens and on Long Island.  During the same period, the Genovese organized crime family operated illegal gambling businesses out of their own locations in Queens and Long Island, including Sal’s Shoe Repair in Merrick, New York, and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club in West Babylon, New York.

The Bonanno organized crime family paid Rosario to attempt to shut down rival gambling parlors, including by conducting a fake police “raid” on the Genovese-run gambling spot located inside Sal’s Shoe Repair.  Rosario also provided a tip about a rival gambling spot to another detective in an attempt to get the location shut down.  He warned a Bonanno crime family associate that he was under investigation and not to speak on the phone because law enforcement might be listening, and Rosario also looked up the home address of a possible witness Rosario believed was cooperating against the Bonanno crime family.

In January 2020, during the course of a federal grand jury investigation into the racketeering activities of the Bonanno and Genovese organized crime families, Rosario was interviewed by FBI agents. Rosario falsely stated that he had no information about the Mafia or illegal gambling spots.  He denied knowing the identity of the crime family associate he had warned, and he further falsely stated that he was not familiar with the gambling business inside Sal’s Shoe Repair.

Rosario was acquitted by the jury of obstruction of justice.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Anna L. Karamigios, Sophia M. Suarez and Sean M. Sherman are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Eleanor Jaffe-Pachuilo.

The Real Donnie Brasco: Legendary Undercover FBI Special Agent Joe Pistone's Video Interview

Legendary retired FBI Special Agent Joseph Pistone, who went undercover with the New York Bonanno Cosa Nostra organized crime family, was interviewed by Patrick Bet-David on YouTube.com

You can watch the video interview via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v-X06Q04w4

I interviewed Joe Pistone for the Philadelphia Inquirer when I reviewed his book The Way of the Wiseguy and I later interviewed him for my Crime Beat column.

You can read my Philadelphia Inquirer review below and you can read my Crime Beat column on Joe Pistone via the below link:

www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/01/look-back-at-joseph-pistone-aka-donnie.html

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.

'Goodfellas' Mobster Admits Arson, Insists He's No Rat

The New York Post offers a piece on Bonanno Cosa Nostra crime family capo Vincent Asaro.

Bonanno crime ​family capo Vincent Asaro assured a judge he’s no rat Tuesday, as he ​copped to charges that he ordered henchmen ​– including the namesake grandson of the late Gambino boss John Gotti — ​to torch the car of a driver who cut him off in 2012.

As Asaro took a plea deal, Judge Allyne Ross suggested he ditch defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio, who is ​also ​representing his loan shark nephew Ronald Giallanzo, because it would be ​dangerous ​for Asaro to ​potentially ​turn ​government ​witness while his lawyer reps other ​wiseguys.

But the 82-year-old Asaro, who dodged prison for his role in the 1978 Lufthansa heist​ immortalized in the film “Goodfellas​,​” and ​who ​has previously threatened the life of the prosecutor in the arson case, told the judge in no uncertain terms that he’s no rat.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2017/06/27/goodfellas-mobster-admits-arson-insists-hes-no-rat/ 

You can also read an earlier post on the arson case via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2017/03/long-time-bonanno-crime-family-member.html 

Long-Time Bonanno Crime Family Member Indicted For Arson; Six Others Indicted For Violent Crimes

The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York released the below information:

BROOKLYN, NY – Two indictments were unsealed this morning in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging seven defendants variously with arson, bank robbery, Hobbs Act robberies and firearms offenses based, in part, on their participation in the criminal affairs of the Bonanno organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (the Bonanno family).[1]  The defendants – Vincent Asaro, John J. Gotti, Michael Guidici, Matthew Rullan, also known as “Fat Matt,” Christopher Boothby, also known as “Bald Chris,” Matthew Hattley, also known as “Mack,” and Darren Elliott – were arrested earlier today. 

The seven defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann, at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.  The cases have been assigned to United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross.

The charges and arrests were announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).

“The defendants are charged with committing an assortment of violent crimes – arson to exact punishment for a perceived slight and robberies to unjustly enrich themselves.  This Office and its partners will continue to vigilantly pursue such organized violence and stop it in its tracks,” said Acting United States Attorney Rohde.  Ms. Rohde thanked the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and the Nassau County Police Department’s Major Case Bureau and Robbery Squad for their assistance in the investigations.

“A man well-known in organized crime circles allegedly got cut off in traffic, and exacted his revenge by sending his associates to allegedly torch the victim’s car.  The FBI refuses to allow acts like arson, bank robbery and home invasions to be conducted as business as usual, as if it is just another day in the office.  The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively go after those who refuse to follow the laws and prey upon the law-abiding public,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.

Arson

As alleged in the government’s court filings, Asaro was inducted into the Bonanno family more than 30 years ago and has previously held the position of captain.  In early April 2012, Asaro was traveling in a car in Howard Beach when he became enraged at another motorist who had switched lanes in front of Asaro at a traffic light.  Asaro chased the other vehicle at a high rate of speed.  Later, after obtaining the home address of the owner of the other vehicle, Asaro directed an associate of the Bonanno family (“Associate-1”) to set fire to that vehicle.  Associate-1 then recruited Gotti and Rullan to help him carry out the arson.

As further alleged, Associate-1, Gotti and Rullan drove in Gotti’s Jaguar sedan to a service station in the pre-dawn hours of April 4, 2012 where they filled a container with gasoline and proceeded to the residence of the owner of the other vehicle.  Associate-1 doused the vehicle with gasoline, and Rullan ignited it.  An NYPD police officer in an unmarked car observed the crime in progress and pursued the Jaguar on a high-speed chase through the streets of Queens until he terminated the pursuit for safety reasons due to Gotti’s reckless driving.

The following day, Associate-1 told Asaro about the arson, and Asaro drove to the auto body shop where the burned vehicle had been towed to confirm that his order had been carried out.

Bank Robbery

Two weeks after the vehicle arson, Gotti, Rullan, and Guidici allegedly robbed the Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association.  On April 18, 2012 at approximately 5:45 p.m., Guidici entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding money and stating, among other things, “I HAVE A BOMB[.]”  The teller placed $5,491 on the counter, which Guidici took.  Guidici then joined Gotti and Rullan who were waiting outside the bank in a car.  The three defendants then fled the scene together.

Home Invasion Robbery

Boothby, an associate of the Bonanno family, and Hattley are charged with robbing a residence in Queens on March 12, 2014.  Boothby remained outside the home as a lookout while Hattley and another Bonanno associate (“Associate-2”) tied up the homeowner’s girlfriend (“Jane Doe”).  The defendants then stole more than $50,000 in cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry, including high-end designer watches and a Cartier ring from Jane Doe’s finger, among other items.

Jewelry Store Robbery and Attempts

Hattley and Elliott are charged with the gunpoint robbery of a jewelry store in Franklin Square, Long Island, making off with approximately $250,000 in merchandise, and the attempted robberies of two other jewelry stores, also in Franklin Square, between August 17, 2011 and May 5, 2012.  The jewelry store owners were menaced with guns and tied up.

All of the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the robbery, attempted robbery, arson and arson conspiracy charges.  In addition, Asaro, Gotti and Rullan each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment if convicted of the arson-related charges and Hattley and Elliot face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment if convicted of the firearms charges.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole M. Argentieri, Lindsay K. Gerdes, Keith D. Edelman, and Alicyn L. Cooley are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

VINCENT ASARO

Age: 82

Queens, NY

JOHN J. GOTTI

Age: 23

Queens, NY

MICHAEL GUIDICI

Age: 22

Queens, NY

MATTHEW RULLAN, a.k.a. “Fat Matt”

Age: 26

Queens, NY

CHRISTOPHER BOOTHBY, a.k.a. “Bald Chris”

Age: 37

Queens, NY

DARREN ELLIOTT

Age: 30

Queens, NY

MATTHEW HATTLEY, a.k.a. “Mack”

Age: 26

Queens, NY

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 17-CR-00127 (RRM) and 17-CR-00128 (ARR)

[1] The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Mob Is Alive And Well, New York Prosecutor Says

Rebecca Rosenberg at the New York Post offers a piece on the trial of alleged mobster Nicholas Santora.

The mob is still thriving, Manhattan prosecutors told jurors Tuesday at the trial of reputed Bonanno capo Nicholas “Nicky Mouth” Santora — who inspired the character played by the late Bruno Kirby in the 1997 film “Donnie Brasco” — and three members of his crew.

“This is not Hollywood,” said ADA David Stuart in his opening statement at the enterprise corruption trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.

“These crimes and these defendants are real and you’ll hear that, far from being dormant, the Bonanno organized crime family was alive and well, and the old guard was training the new members to take over their reins.”

Stuart laid out the case against the aging underboss, nicknamed “Captain Crunch,” who allegedly oversaw an online gambling operation, the sale of prescription drugs, including Cialis and Viagra, and a loansharking scheme from 2010 to 2012.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2016/02/10/the-mob-is-alive-and-well-prosecutor-says/

Ex-FBI Agent: Weak Evidence Doomed Case Against 'Goodfellas' Lufthansa Heist Suspect Philip Messing

Philip Messing at the New York Post offers a piece on the trial of Vincent Asaro.

The retired FBI supervisor who led the federal probe into the Lufthansa heist told The Post on Thursday that he “had a feeling” the case might be too threadbare to convict accused mobster Vincent Asaro.

“My gut feeling was that they didn’t have enough evidence,” said Stephen Carbone, 74, who spent countless hours probing the infamous Dec. 11, 1978, rip-off.

“When I realized that the only witness was the cousin, I didn’t feel that would be enough to convict,” he said.

Carbone, who is long retired from the bureau, said he monitored the trial’s developments by reading daily newspaper accounts and spoke with federal officials before the trial started.

He insisted that he had “no inside knowledge” on whether Asaro was guilty of plotting the heist with Jimmy “The Gent” Burke, as the government charged.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/11/12/ex-fbi-agent-weak-evidence-doomed-case-against-lufthansa-heist-suspect/ 

'Goodfellas' Turncoats Are Despicable Liars, Attorney Says

Selim Algar is covering the Vincent Asaro trial for the New York Post.

Painting them as “despicable … liars” looking for government paydays, an attorney for accused “Goodfellas” mobster Vincent Asaro urged jurors to dismiss the testimony of mob canaries during her closing argument Monday in Brooklyn federal court.

“These are despicable people,” lawyer Elizabeth Macedonio said of the cooperating witnesses the government used against the Bonanno capo over the last three weeks to implicate him in the infamous 1978 Lufthansa cargo heist and the murder of a suspected mob rat.

“They are accomplished liars,” she said.

The gray-haired gangster, 80, faces life in prison if convicted in the murder and the more than $6 million Kennedy Airport heist, which was immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film “Goodfellas.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/11/09/goodfellas-turncoats-are-despicable-liars-attorney-says/

Prosecutor Calls Vincent Asaro 'Ultimate Tough Guy' At Close Of 'Goodfellas' Trial

Selim Alagar is covering the Vincent Asaro trial for the New York Post.

Hoping to finally slam the legal door on one of the most iconic crimes in American history, a prosecutor squarely accused “Goodfellas” goon Vinny Asaro of key involvement in the famed 1978 Lufthansa heist — immortalized in the classic 1990 film — during her final statement to jurors Friday.

Calling him “the ultimate tough guy,” prosecutor Alicyn Cooley portrayed Asaro, now a grandfatherly 80-year-old with slicked-back gray hair, as a violent hoodlum with a manic appetite for ill-gotten gains.

“He lived by and personally enforced the Mafia’s code — death before dishonor,” Cooley said. “He’s the ultimate tough guy.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/11/06/prosecutor-delivers-final-statement-in-goodfellas-trial/ 

Goodfellas' Victim Knew He Was Going To Be Whacked, Son Says

Selim Algar is covering the Vincent Asaro/Goodfellas trial for the New York Post.

Paul Katz knew he was in trouble. “If I’m not back in two hours, call the cops,” the mob associate told his wife before he headed out the door the night of Dec. 6, 1969.

He’d never be seen again.

On Tuesday, Katz’s son Lawrence, who was 5 years old at the time, told jurors in the Brooklyn federal court trial of accused Lufthansa heist plannerVincent Asaro, that his dad had a bad feeling about his meeting with the Bonanno wiseguy that night.

Prosecutors say Katz owned a warehouse that served as a stash house for stolen goods hijacked by Asaro and Lucchese associate James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke, who was famously played by Robert De Niro in the film “Goodfellas.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/11/03/goodfellas-victim-knew-he-was-going-to-be-whacked-son/ 

Mafia Turncoat: 'Goodfellas' Were Livid After I Killed Guard Dog

Selim Alger at the New York Post is covering the trial of New York mobster Vincent Asaro.

Killing mobsters who got out of line was routine for these “Goodfellas” gangsters — but dogs enjoyed a status more like “made” men, and whacking one could get your own ticket punched, a Gambino goon told jurors Wednesday.

Mafia enforcer turned canary Peter Zuccaro, testifying in the trial of Vincent Asaro for the $6 million 1978 Lufthansa heist, said the Bonanno wiseguy showed up to his home with three menacing pals — all featured prominently in the 1990 Martin Scorsese flick — because he’d killed a guard dog that attacked him.

Asaro brought with him a criminal All-Star team including characters immortalized by Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson in the film, Zuccaro testified Wednesday.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/10/28/mafia-turncoat-goodfellas-were-livid-after-i-killed-guard-dog/

Hostage Describes Terrifying Reality Of 'Goodfellas' Heist

Selim Algar is covering the trial off New York mobster Vincent Asaro for the New York Post.

In harrowing detail, a former Lufthansa Airlines worker on Tuesday described the night in 1978 when mafia bandits descended on a cargo area and subdued staffers at gunpoint before pillaging a vault packed with more than $6 million in cash and jewels.

Rolf Rebmann told jurors at accused Lufthansa heist mobster Vincent Asaro’s Brooklyn federal court trial Tuesday that he was toiling in the wee morning hours at the Kennedy Airport terminal when he heard a commotion.

“I heard a noise, someone hollering at the back,” Rebmann recalled. “I went over to investigate. I opened the other door and there was a van parked there and a guy standing next to the van.”

Not knowing that he was about to become a reluctant witness to one of the biggest robberies in history — one that would come to be immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob classic “Goodfellas” — Rebmann made a polite inquiry of one of the intruders.

“I asked if I could help him,” Rebmann said. “He said , ‘No’ and stuck a gun in my face and told me to get into the van face-down.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/10/27/hostage-describes-terrifying-reality-of-goodfellas-heist/ 

'We Thought We Were Going To Get $2 Million In Goodfellas Raid On JFK - When We Got $6 Million We Thought We Would Be Robbed Too', Mob Turncoat Reveals

Rob Crilly at the British newspaper the Daily Mail offers a piece on the trial of New York mobster Vincent Asaro and the backstory of the famous Lufthansa robbery featured in Martin Scorsese's classic crime film, Goodfellas. 

The inside details of the infamous Mafia raid which provided the plot for Goodfellas were laid bare by an mob turncoat today.

In dramatic court testimony, Gaspare Valenti described how a Mafia crew planned and executed the notorious 1978 Lufthansa heist, which later provided the plot to Martin Scorsese's film.

He was giving evidence at the trial of his 80-year-old cousin Vincent Asparo, which has begun to expose the inner workings of one of the crime families that ruled New York for decades.

Asparo denies charges of extortion, murder and countless acts of violence that allegedly span his 45-year career that saw him rise to become a capo of the Bonanno crime family.

Valenti appeared as the prosecution's star witness, describing his own role in multiple murders and the raid on the Lufthansa hangar at JFK airport.

Valenti, 68, told a Brooklyn federal court jury how he was a mob associate when defendant Vincent Asaro asked him to join a robbery crew for an armed holdup at a cargo terminal at Kennedy Airport.

He testified that it was believed there was $2 million at the terminal. He said when the bandits ended up with $6 million in US currency alone - as well as German cash and gold - there was elation. 

The joy turned to fear that they'd be robbed themselves once word got out about the score. Valenti testified that he and Asaro each got a $750,000 cut. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3281559/We-thought-going-2-million-Goodfellas-Mafia-raid-JFK-got-6-million-thought-robbed-mob-turncoat-reveals.html

'Goodfellas' Heist case Could Be Last Old-School Mafia Trial

Selim Algar at the New York Post offers a piece on the trial of New York gangster Vincent Asaro.

Accused “Goodfellas” mobster Vincent Asaro personally handed off a case stuffed with jewelry from the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist to future Bonanno boss Joey Massino, a witness testified Monday as the first ever trial in the long unsolved crime got underway in Brooklyn federal court.

Veteran mafia snitch Salvatore “Good Lookin’ Sal” Vitale took riveted jurors inside the more than $6 million heist that gained legendary status after its depiction in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film.

“When Joe got in the car he had the case that Vinny gave him,” Vitale testified. “He had it in his lap…He opened up the case and he showed me all kinds of chains and he said ‘this is from the Lufthansa score.’”

Later that day, Vitale went to Massino’s Queens house and was shown a portion of the breathtaking haul.

... Vitale, now in the witness protection program, casually told jurors of his associations with major mob figures including former Gambino boss John Gotti.

His gripping recollections of the heist kicked off what could be the last old-school New York City mafia trial in history.

The Lufthansa job has festered as one of the longest, most notorious unsolved crimes in history.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:  

http://nypost.com/2015/10/19/goodfellas-heist-case-could-be-last-old-school-mafia-trial/  

'Goodfellas' Mobster Confronted By Victim's Family At Sentencing

Selim Algar a the New York Post reports on the sentencing of a New York mobster connected to the story behind the classic crime film, Goodfellas.

More than 45 years after he was strangled with a dog chain by an infamous “Goodfellas” mobster, Paul Katz finally had his day in court — in a tiny cremation pouch clutched by his trembling daughter as she confronted the man who tried to hide her dad’s murder.

Struggling to keep her composure, Ilsa Katz brought the cremated remains into a Brooklyn federal courtroom, to tell off Bonanno wiseguy Jerome Asaro before a judge sent him to prison for 7 ¹/₂ years.

“He said he had to go meet the guys at the candy store,” she recalled of the day in 1969 that her dad disappeared. “My mother begged him not to go. He never came back.”

Katz was an associate of James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke and Asaro’s father, Vincent Asaro, 79, a Bonanno capo who last year was charged in the $6 million 1978 Lufthansa air cargo heist at JFK airport that was masterminded by Burke and immortalized in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas.”

... Asaro’s own father also doesn’t think much of him. Caught on a wiretap, he was heard saying: “F—–g Jerry is for Jerry. I lost my son when I made him a skipper. F—–g greedy c——-er. Got him a job. $600 a f—–g week. He didn’t do a f—–g thing.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/03/26/goodfellas-mobster-confronted-by-victims-family-at-sentencing/

Goodfellas Part II?: Feds Want Top Sentence For Mob Kid Who Dug up, Reburied Slain Crony

Selim Alger at the New York Post reports on the feds' case against an organized crime figure in New York.

The feds want a judge to throw the book at a Bonanno hood who’s dad was charged as one of the Lufthansa Heist crew members immortalized in “Goodfellas,” and whose own mob resume includes the requisite exhuming and reburying a body and torching of a nightclub.

Jerome Asaro, the son of longtime Bonanno capo Vincent Asaro, faces federal sentencing guidelines of 77 to 96 months in prison when his fate is handed down by Judge Allyne Ross Thursday.

Citing his grisly mob resume — including digging up and reburying a whacked family associate — prosecutor Nicole Argentieri lobbied in court papers for the top end of the sentencing scale.

Asaro dug up and reburied Paul Katz, a Bonanno crony who the feds say was slain by his father and James “Jimmy The Gent” Burke, a powerful family associate who inspired Robert DeNiro’s Jimmy Conway character in the 1990 Martin Scorsese classic film.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://nypost.com/2015/03/23/feds-want-top-sentence-for-mob-kid-who-dug-up-reburied-slain-crony/

Note: You can learn more about the film Goodfellas and the true crime story that inspired Martin Scorsese's classic crime film via the below link:

http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/goodfellas.php

Ex-Bonanno Crime Family Boss Joseph Massino Wins Release For Role As Informant

John Marzulli at the New York Daily News offers a piece on former Bonanno Cosa Nostra organized crime family boss.

Now he’s on his way to being a fat, free fella.

Ailing ex-Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino, the highest-ranking American Mafioso to turn rat, received his reward Wednesday for cooperating — two life sentences reduced to time served.
The pear-shaped Massino will walk out of a secret federal prison in 60 days — having served 10½ years for eight gangland murders — and into the witness protection program, where he will be relocated and given a new identity, according to lawyer Edward McDonald.

“The court is under no illusions about the motives for Mr. Massino’s cooperation,” said Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who resentenced the legendary gangster in Brooklyn Federal Court. “In helping the government, he has also helped himself, and his cooperation in no way excuses or justifies his life of crime.”

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ex-crime-boss-massino-wins-release-article-1.1396188