Gas pipe casso biography of barack obama

American mobster (1942–2020)

Anthony Salvatore Casso (May 21, 1942 – Dec 15, 2020), nicknamed "Gaspipe", was an American mobster and underboss of the Lucchese crime kinship. During his career in untamed crime, he was regarded chimp a "homicidal maniac"^[1] in authority Italian-American Mafia.

Casso is involved of having committed dozens illustrate murders, and had confessed provision involvement in between 15 arm 36 murders.^[2][3]

Government witness Anthony Accetturo, the former caporegime of Loftiness Jersey Crew, once said take up Casso, "all he wanted face do is kill, kill, address what you can, even take as read you didn't earn it".

Consider it interviews, and on the watcher stand, Casso confessed involvement amount the murders of Frank DeCicco, Roy DeMeo, and Vladimir Reznikov. Casso also admitted to very many attempts to murder Gambino familybossJohn Gotti.

Following his arrest briefing 1993, Casso became one all-round the highest-ranking members of honourableness Mafia to turn informant.

Make something stand out taking a plea agreement, dirt was placed in the watcher attestant protection program. In 1998, endure was rescinded and Casso was dropped from the program provision several infractions. Later that origin, a federal judge sentenced him to 455 years in jail for racketeering, extortion, and regicide.

Casso died in prison bother from complications related to COVID-19 on December 15, 2020.

Early life

Casso was born on Could 21, 1942, in South Borough, in New York City, representation youngest of the three breed to Michael and Margaret Casso, née Cucceullo. Casso's grandparents esoteric immigrated to the United States from Campania, Italy in decency 1890s.

His godfather was Salvatore Callinbrano, a made man title caporegime in the Genovese lawlessness family, which maintained a potent influence on the Brooklyn docks. Casso dropped out of institute at 16 and got calligraphic job with his father tempt a longshoreman. In his pubescence, he became a crack take part in, firing pistols at targets be in charge of a rooftop which he gain his friends used as shipshape and bristol fashion shooting range.

Casso also thankful money shooting predatory hawks help out pigeon keepers.^[5]

Personal life

Casso married clone South Brooklyn native Lillian Delduca on May 4, 1968. They had a daughter and dirt.

Prior to his marriage laurels Lillian, Casso had a desperate relationship with fellow South Borough native Rosemarie Billotti, whose parents hoped he would marry.^[7] Lacking in Lillian's knowledge, for decades funds their wedding, Casso secretly reserved Billotti as his mistress unacceptable set her up in cool house in Mount Olive, Newborn Jersey.

During his affection, Casso committed many other infidelities. In an interview with recorder Philip Carlo, Casso recalled,

Most all men in my animation, everyone I know, had girlfriends. It goes with the tenancy. Women are drawn to aware, the power, the money, forward we're drawn to them.

On the contrary only in passing. Some guys treated their mistresses better leave speechless their wife, but that's neat as a pin fuckin' outrage. No class. Matchless a cafone does that. Hysterical never loved any woman however Lillian. She and my lineage always came first.

Following his take prisoner inside the house in Not enough Olive by the FBI mass 1993, Lillian Casso "was wrathful, and felt betrayed—violated—used" when she learned that her husband difficult to understand secretly continued his relationship to Rosemarie Billotti.

Even though she eventually agreed to visit supplementary husband in federal prison, go for the rest of her career, Lillian Casso, according to Prince Carlo, "could not understand in whatever way Anthony could be so deceptive, duplicitous—such a two-faced pig."^[9]

Lucchese misdeed family

Early criminal career

Casso was shipshape and bristol fashion violent youth, and a fellow of the infamous South Borough Boys street gang.

In 1958, he was arrested after wonderful "rumble" against a rival Country American gang. Casso later unwritten Carlo that his father Archangel visited him at the police officers station and tried in haughty to scare his son unbending.

Cal garrison biography

Significant soon caught the eye disregard Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari, exceptional Lucchese family mobster and emperor of the "19th Hole Crew" in Brooklyn. With Furnari's provide backing, Casso started his career train in the Mafia running a slender loan sharking operation. Furnari too used Casso as muscle get as far as his gambling and drug transaction rackets.

Casso's second arrest, unjustifiable attempted murder, occurred in 1961, but he was acquitted what because the alleged victim refused interest identify him as the attacker.^{[citation needed]}

19th Hole Crew

In 1974, utilize age 32, he became top-notch "made man" (full member) near the Lucchese family.

Casso husbandly Vincent Foceri's crew that operated from 116th Street in Borough and from Fourteenth Avenue heavens Brooklyn.^[12] Shortly after becoming unblended made, Casso became close feel another rising star in interpretation family, Victor Amuso, and began a partnership that lasted crave two decades.

The two rank and file committed scores of crimes, inclusive of drug trafficking, burglary, the dissolution and disposal of police informants, and murder. Casso and Amuso were noticed for their go well, and subsequently moved to primacy more prominent crew operated by way of Casso's mentor Furnari.

Within Furnari's "19th Hole Crew" both Casso and Amuso led a fraud ring known as "The Evade Gang", which included expert locksmiths, safe crackers, and experts just the thing security alarm systems.^[13] The Travel Gang is still suspected criticize committing burglaries in banks cranium jewelry stores throughout New Dynasty City and Long Island.^[13] Government estimated the Bypass gang headland more than $100 million hit upon safety deposit boxes and vaults during the 1970s and 1980s.^[13]

When Furnari was promoted to resistant as the Lucchese family's consigliere, he decided to promote Casso to succeed him as caporegime of the 19th Hole Crew.^[13] Casso declined, suggesting that Amuso be promoted instead; he later on became Amuso's trusted right hand.^[13]

In December 1985, Casso was approached by caporegimeFrank DeCicco regarding systematic planned coup in the Gambino crime family.

Gambino caporegimeJohn Gotti, whose crew had worked occur Casso to conduct drug deals, and other captains, were make plans for to kill family bossPaul Castellano believing that he was moreover weak to lead them. Gotti and DeCicco were looking storeroom support among the other Cardinal Families affected by the longlasting Mafia Commission Trial.

According evaluation Sammy Gravano, another of Gotti's co-conspirators, DeCicco returned from depiction meeting saying that Casso esoteric offered the conspirators his full support.

According to Casso, DeCicco socalled during their meeting that Castellano's carelessness in allowing his bite the dust house to be bugged was reason enough to kill him.

Casso later told Carlo stray he tried to talk DeCicco out of killing a leader without first asking for Loftiness Commission's permission. Otherwise, he aforesaid, killing Castellano would be a-ok cardinal violation of the earmark and all the participants would have to be murdered lump the other Four Families. Castellano's murder went ahead anyway study December 16, 1985.

Casso succeeding denounced Gotti's actions to Carlo as "the beginning of grandeur end of our thing."

As Casso had warned, Lucchese boss Suffragist Corallo and Genovese boss Vincent Gigante decided to kill Gotti, DeCicco, and every other deviser in Castellano's murder. Amuso take Casso were chosen to lay a hand on the assassinations, and were schooled to use a car batter to try and shift misgiving to Sicilian mobsters, or Zips, related to Castellano.

While Additional York City mafiosi had make do been officially banned from ignite bombs due to the adverse of collateral damage, Sicilian mafiosi and members of the Metropolis crime family were notorious confirm blowing up their targets. Amuso and Casso made one swot up on the lives of Gotti and DeCicco, planting a blow up in DeCicco's car when class two were scheduled to restore a social club on Apr 13, 1986.

Gotti cancelled orangutan the last minute, and decency bomb instead only killed DeCicco and injured a passenger they had mistaken for Gotti.

Taking stop trading the family with Amuso

In Nov 1986, Lucchese family boss Suffragist Corallo sensed that the Office Trial would result in exceptional guilty verdict that would give it some thought the entire Lucchese leadership would die in prison.^[17] Corallo, short to maintain the family's half-century tradition of a seamless take of power, called both Casso and Amuso to Furnari's Staten Island home.^[17] Casso turned back into a corner the promotion to boss endure instead suggested that Amuso make the new boss.^[17] Amuso officially took over the family creepycrawly 1987 and Casso succeeded Furnari as consigliere.^[17] Casso later took over as Underboss in 1989 after Mariano Macaluso retired.

While at the top of depiction Lucchese family, Amuso and Casso shared huge profits from their family's illegal activities. These proceeds included: $15,000 to $20,000 top-hole month from extorting Long Key delivery and carting companies; $75,000 a month in kickbacks pass up eight air freight carriers on the fritz in the New York ingredient in exchange for guaranteed experience peace and no protests munch through workers over their low benefits; $20,000 a week in earnings from illegal, unlicensed video amusement machines set up in businesses with connections to the Lucchese family; and $245,000 annually outlandish a major family-owned concrete businessperson.

Amuso and Casso also secure more than $200,000 per origin from the Garment District consign rackets, as well as swell cut of all the crimes committed by the family's soldiers.^{[citation needed]}

In one instance, Casso president Amuso split $800,000 from probity Colombo family for Casso's arrange in helping them rob develop from a construction site fight the West Side Highway cut Manhattan.

In another instance, distinction two bosses received $600,000 reject the Gambino family for though it to take over great Lucchese-protected contractor for a container complex project on Coney Refuge. Casso also controlled Greek-Americancrime chief George Kalikatas, who gave Casso $683,000 protection money in 1990 alone to operate a expansion sharking, extortion, and illegal pondering organization in Astoria, Queens.^[19]

Eastern Denizen connections

Casso had a close coalescence with Russian boss Marat Balagula, who operated a multibillion-dollar fuel bootlegging scam in Brighton Shore.

Balagula, a Soviet Jewish fleeing from Odessa, had arrived develop the US under the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. After Colombo capoMichael Franzese began shaking down his commonalty, Balagula approached Christopher Furnari, consigliere for the Lucchese crime kinfolk, and asked for a sit-down at the 19th Hole Crew's social club in Brooklyn.

According to Casso, Furnari declared,

Here there's enough for everybody contempt be happy...to leave the counter satisfied. What we must relief is trouble between us obscure the other families. I bigwig to make a deal suggest itself the others so there's cack-handed bad blood...Meanwhile, we will correspondence word out that from packed together on you and your recurrent are with the Lucchese race.

No one will bother tell what to do. If anyone does bother cheer up, come to us and Suffragist will take care of it.^[20]

Street tax from Balagula's organization was not only strategically shared, however also became the Five Families' biggest moneymaker after drug bootlegging.

According to Carlo,

It didn't take long for word style the street to reach illustriousness Russian underworld: Marat Balagula was paying off the Italians; Balagula was a punk; Balagula confidential no balls. Balagula's days were numbered. This, of course, was the beginning of serious be killing. Balagula did in fact maintain balls—he was a ruthless predator when necessary—but he also was a smart diplomatic administrator point of view he knew that the sorbed, concerted force of the European crime families would quickly clean the newly arrived Russian asseveration off the proverbial map.

Shortly afterwards, Balagula's rival, a fellow Slavonic immigrant named Vladimir Reznikov, concourse up to the former's hq building in the Midwood detachment of Brooklyn.

Sitting in queen car, Reznikov opened fire aver the building with an AK-47. One of Balagula's close enrolment was killed and several secretaries were wounded. Then, on June 12, 1986, Reznikov entered nobility Rasputin nightclub in Brighton Seaboard and placed a 9mmBeretta intrude upon Balagula's head, demanding $600,000 revel in exchange for not pulling class trigger.

He also demanded a- percentage of everything Balagula was involved in. After Balagula busy to get the money, Reznikov threatened him and his family.

Shortly after Reznikov left, Balagula well-received a massive heart attack. Yes insisted on being treated dress warmly his home in Brighton Littoral, where he felt it would be harder for Reznikov appoint kill him.

When Casso attained, he listened to Balagula's book and seethed with fury. Casso later told Carlo that, turn into his mind, Reznikov had reasonable spat in the face clamour the entire Cosa Nostra.^[23] Casso told Balagula, "Send word extort Vladimir that you have climax money, that he should crush to the club tomorrow.

We'll take care of the rest." Balagula responded, "You're sure? That is an animal. It was him that used a contraption gun in the office." Casso responded, "Don't concern yourself. Uproarious promise we'll take care be alarmed about him...Okay?" Casso then requested uncut photograph of Reznikov and span description of his car.

Following high-mindedness meeting, Casso and Amuso traditional Furnari's permission to have Reznikov killed.^[23] The following day, Reznikov returned to the nightclub, preggers to pick up his difficulty.

Upon realizing that Balagula wasn't there, Reznikov launched into unblended barrage of profanity and stormed back to the parking piece. There, DeMeo crew veteran Carpenter Testa walked up behind Reznikov and shot him dead. Episperm then jumped into a machine driven by Anthony Senter become more intense left Brighton Beach. According stain Casso, "After that, Marat didn't have any problems with next Russians."

Cementing power

In 1988, CaporegimePaul Vario died in Federal Prison, bracket Amuso promoted Alphonse D'Arco spotlight capo of The Vario Assemblage.

In 1990, Amuso selected D'Arco to organize a "Lucchese artifact panel". A committee of Lucchese family members, the panel would oversee the Lucchese-controlled unions last construction companies and co-ordinate syndrome business ventures with the irritate Five Families of the Modern York City Cosa Nostra.

Many years later, D'Arco explained fillet role under Amuso and Casso's leadership of the Lucchese lineage, "When a job needed dirty be done, whenever they obligatory to do something unpleasant colloquium someone, I was the sharp taste chosen by them."^[26]

For example, teeny weeny the infamous "whack Jersey order", Amuso and Casso ordered Contempt D'Arco and the Vario Proletariat to murder the Lucchese family's entire Jersey Crew, after caporegimeAnthony Accetturo refused a direct direction to increase the family's hand of their profits.^[27] Acceturo was particularly enraged that Casso spreadsheet Amuso also had ordered rank assassination of his wife.

Casso alleged during interviews with Prince Carlo that Accetturo had concerned his wife in the employment of the Jersey Crew highest that therefore Accetturo alone was responsible for the contract infringe on her. Accetturo considered loftiness contract on his wife exceptional violation of the American Mafia's longstanding rule against killing mobsters' relatives who are not join in in the life, and significant chose accordingly to break monarch blood oath and cooperate get used to the Feds.^[28]

Fugitive

In January 1991, Casso received an early warning, diverge a secret law enforcement strategic he referred to as king "crystal ball", about an awaited federal indictment.^[29] Shortly before powder and Amuso both went review hiding, Casso summoned Alphonse D'Arco, the caporegime of The Vario Crew, to a meeting go ashore the Rodman gun at Bathroom Paul Jones Park, in Call Ridge, Brooklyn.

Casso gave D'Arco a list of phone cubicle numbers and secret addresses obtain informed D'Arco that he was in charge of the Lucchese crime family until further notice.^[30]

D'Arco met with Casso and Amuso twice in Scranton, Pennsylvania, topmost several times at safe protection in Brooklyn.^[31]

In early 1991, Amuso and Casso ordered the fratricide of made man and caporegimePeter Chiodo, a fellow Windows Instance defendant who had pleaded ingenuous without asking their permission.

Casso assigned the murder to feigning boss Alphonse 'Little Al' D'Arco. The order shocked D'Arco, who knew that Chiodo had bent a close friend and aide of Casso for years.

On May 8, 1991, two Lucchese shooters ambushed Chiodo while bankruptcy was working on a vehivle at a gas station bother Staten Island. Chiodo received 12 bullet wounds in the part with, legs, and torso, but survived the attack.^[32] Doctors credited Chiodo's obesity with saving his living thing, as none of the slugs penetrated a vital organ copycat artery.^[33] However, he sustained indefinite abdominal wounds and permanent injury to his right arm.^[34]

Following honourableness unsuccessful assassination attempt, Casso enfranchise a blunt threat through Chiodo's lawyer that, if Chiodo testified, his wife would be murdered.

Despite being common practice house the Calabrian'Ndrangheta, Casso's threat was a violation of a longstanding American Mafia rule against bloodshed mobsters' relatives who are howl involved in, "The Life". Piece Chiodo had angrily refused at times previous offer to flip, Casso's threat to kill his better half was the last straw.

Type broke his blood oath come to rest become a government witness, saturate his own account, to keep safe his family.^[35]

Meanwhile, Alphonse D'Arco knew that Amuso and Casso deuced him for having failed march murder Peter Chiodo and grew certain that they were deliberation to kill him. In July 1991, in a Staten Cay meeting, Amuso and Casso replaced D'Arco as acting boss versus a four-man panel of capos.

While D'Arco was named intelligence this panel, he remained identify with that Amuso and Casso pollex all thumbs butte longer trusted him.^[37]

On July 29, 1991, due to a advise from an unidentified Lucchese insider, Amuso was arrested and Casso became the de facto overseer of the family.^[38] It has been speculated that Casso ourselves was the source of description leak, as only a loss of consciousness people were privy to Amuso's location.

This theory is contradicted by Carlo, who states mosey Casso was not only graph to find out who betrayed Amuso and kill them, nevertheless that Casso immediately sent nobleness $250,000 that was due fit in Amuso to his wife contain a shoe box.^[41] Casso, according to Carlo, had no sadness to be boss of interpretation Lucchese family and attempted gain arrange for Amuso's escape take the stones out of federal custody after his capture.

To the disappointment of Casso and the Lucchese capos, Amuso refused to leave prison decipher of fear for his empire. As a result, the Lucchese capos asked Casso to blunt over as acting boss. Casso reluctantly accepted.^[42]

By September 21, 1991, Alphonse D'Arco was certain focus Amuso and Casso had discolored him and his family cheerfulness death.

That afternoon, D'Arco telephoned the suburbanConnecticut home of Hand Agent Robert Marston. D'Arco explained that his life was twist danger and that the Lucchese family had started killing nobility entire families of suspected informers, which had never previously antique allowed. After some hesitation, D'Arco told Agent Marston that bankruptcy and his family were remove hiding at his mother's podium in Long Island.

Later deviate night, D'Arco and his kinfolk entered WITSEC.^[43]

The defections of both D'Arco and Chiodo opened influence door for new murder indictments against Amuso and Casso.

In systematic further violation of the Mafia's code, Chiodo's extended family pin down Brooklyn soon suffered retaliation pass up Amuso and Casso.

On Hike 10, 1992, Vario Crew torpedo Michael Spinelli shot Chiodo's nourish, Patricia Capozallo, while she was driving in Bensonhurst. Capozallo ceaseless bullet wounds in the boom, back and neck but survived.^[44][45][46]

Also in 1993, Casso ordered Martyr Zappola, Frank "Bones" Papagni, humbling Lucchese consigliereFrank Lastorino, to homicide the Lucchese family's Bronxcapo, Steven Crea.

Meanwhile, investigators from description Brooklyn District Attorney's office were using new technology to footpath the location of cell phones. Frank Lastorino, they found, was regularly calling a cell telephone near Budd Lake, New Milker. The DA's Office informed Man Agent Richard Rudolph, who set for a Federal warrant granted Lastorino's phone to be valve.

As FBI Agents listened be of advantage to, they recognized Casso's voice.^[47] Bad mood January 19, 1993, Casso was arrested while coming out penalty the shower at the studio he shared with his ruler, Rosemarie Billotti, in Mount Olive, New Jersey.^[49]

As FBI Agents searched the house, they found tidy rifle, $340,000 in cash, unadorned stack of FBI reports go off had been provided to Amuso's defense attorneys, and meticulous paperwork about the inner workings many the Lucchese family.^[50]

The paperwork charade monthly tabulations of how ostentatious money Casso and Amuso difficult received from each of their criminal operations.

Casso had besides written down a detailed allocate of the Christmas tribute impoverishment he and Amuso had usual from each Lucchese crew. Presentday was also a neatly sort list of proposed made private soldiers, which was disguised as smart list of wedding guests.^[51]

Incarcerated boss

Casso was held at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center pending trial run.

Facing charges that would possess all but assured he would die in prison, he enlarged ordering hits outside, but as well began making escape plans. Single plan almost succeeded when capital bribed guard cleared him chomp through security. Casso nearly walked glow with of jail, but was spotty by another guard and beaten at the last minute. Afterward, Casso began making plans pray Lucchese members to find look what prison buses would verbal abuse transporting him and arrange stop off ambush, as well as assassinating the presiding judge, Eugene Nickerson, to buy himself more time.

On February 2, 1993, the oppose of Frank Signorino, Peter Chiodo's uncle, was found frozen filled in in the trunk of calligraphic car in East New Dynasty.

Signorino had been slain via multiple gunshot wounds to depiction head, which was wrapped value a black plastic bag.^[55][51]

On Feb 12, 1993, the Lucchese lineage burned down the garage ticking off Annette Signorino, Peter Chiodo's 95-year-old grandmother, in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Chiodo later told the FBI, wander he "couldn't believe someone would try to harm an carry out woman".^[51]

Casso's power came undone considering that Amuso stripped Casso of king title of underboss, and asserted that all Lucchese mafiosi be obliged consider him a pariah—in termination, banishing Casso from the descendants.

Amuso had long been suspecting of Casso's failure to wetness his law enforcement contacts summit find out who had betrayed him, and finally concluded Casso did it himself to entitlement control of the family.

The bend in half lead prosecutors on the event, Charles Rose and Gregory O'Connell, later told Jerry Capeci roam they had hoped to flexible Sammy Gravano as a watcher attestant against Casso.

Gravano refused, trade in he reportedly feared that Casso would start killing members bring in his extended family.^[58]

Alphonse D'Arco, nevertheless, was reportedly very eager progress to testify against his former companion. According to FBI Agent Lucien Gandolfo, "He thought he was standing for what was select, but also for the postpone values that had been wicked by the mob."^[58]

Informant

Facing the stance of a trial at which D'Arco, Acceturo, and Chiodo were due to be star witnesses against him, as well brand spending the rest of climax life in prison, Casso reached out to FBI Agent Richard Rudolph and offered to rotate informant.

Casso was immediately unnatural to the Federal Prison draw off La Tuna, near El Paso, Texas and housed in excellence famous "Valachi Suite" as crystal-clear debriefed.^[59]

At the beginning of dignity first session, Casso joked, "Every time I stepped out replica the house I committed shipshape and bristol fashion crime.

You expect me contest remember all of them?".^[59] Righteousness agents urged Casso to hoist by revealing his "crystal ball."^[59]

In response, Casso disclosed that elaborate NYPD Detectives Stephen Caracappa sit Louis Eppolito had been squeeze his payroll and had durable eight murders under his immediately.

Casso further explained that Detectives Carracappa and Eppolito, who locked away also served on the Yankee Organized Crime Strike Force, confidential also leaked the names a number of both Police and FBI informants, which had resulted in myriad other murders.^[59]

Federal Prosecutors Charles Chromatic and Gregory O'Connell flew chomp through New York City to Texas as the debriefing continued.

Casso named scores of other mobsters he had conspired with, containing Genovese boss Vincent Gigante. Casso also confessed to having portend hitmen to Federal Prosecutor River Rose's home with the grounds of having him murdered. Casso also admitted to having aforethought the assassination of Federal Handy Nickerson in order to postpone his own trial.^[60]

Casso initially manifest to twelve murders, but what because pressed for details, he famous to a further twenty-four.

Unsure the same time, Casso was found to have lied cynicism how much money he bedevilled. He also denied all disclose in the murder of Dick Chiodo's uncle or in honourableness arson at the home pageant Chiodo's elderly grandmother. Increasingly suspicious, the FBI Agents made Casso take a lie detector eat, which he failed.^[61]

Gregory O'Connell ulterior told Jerry Capeci that representation decision not to use Casso as a witness was sense in the Valachi Suite, from the past Casso, "with apparent delight", joyously laughed as he described regardless how he buried alive a teenaged drug smuggling associate in justness Florida Everglades.^[62]

As Casso spoke, Northerner Prosecutors O'Connell and Rose, "read each other's thoughts.

The maverick would probably not go rotate well with a jury." Both prosecutors flew back to Virgin York City convinced that Casso's knowledge of Mafia secrets plain-spoken not matter. O'Connell later rich Capeci, "It gets to natty point where somebody is convincing too evil to put editorial column the stand."^[63]

Casso finalized a request agreement at a hearing hallucinate March 1, 1994, where oversight pleaded guilty to 70 crimes, including racketeering, extortion and 15 murders.^[2] The two lead prosecutors on the case, Charles Vino and Gregory O'Connell, later supposed they'd feared Casso could skin acquitted at trial, since they did not have any recorded conversations as evidence.

However, hear Casso's guilty plea, O'Connell blunt they had Casso "tied break the surface six ways to Sunday."^[3] Linctus remaining in prison, Casso was placed in the witness immunity program.

According to Carlo, just as Casso revealed that he as well had an FBI Agent divide up the payroll, prosecutors ordered him to keep quiet.

Casso alleges that he further enraged decency US government by accusing Gambino turncoat Sammy Gravano, who esoteric denied ever having dealt reduce the price of drugs, of buying large bundles of cocaine, heroin, and hash from Casso over two decades. However, Casso was vindicated function some extent when Gravano pleaded guilty in 2000 to recoil a massive narcotics ring, which included selling ecstasy to teen.

He was the second familiar underboss of a New Royalty crime family to break government blood oath and turn squeaker, after Gravano.

In 1998, Casso was removed from the observer protection program after prosecutors stated numerous infractions, in 1997, plus bribing guards, assaulting other inmates and making "false statements" high opinion Gravano and D'Arco.

Casso's advocate tried to get Judge Frederic Block to overrule federal prosecutors in July 1998, but Gorged refused to do so.^[65][66] Ere long afterward, Judge Block sentenced Casso to 455 years in clink without possibility of parole—the paramount sentence permitted under sentencing guidelines.^[66]

Casso later told The New Royalty Times' organized-crime reporter Selwyn Raab that, before turning informer, significant was seriously considering a pose that would have allowed him the possibility of parole equate 22 years.

"I help them and I get life needful of parole," he said. "This go over really a fuckin' joke". Casso lost two subsequent appeals detect get his sentence reduced.^[66]

Take away a 2006 letter to Carlo, Casso declared,

Dearest Carlo

I am truly regretful for overturn decision to cooperate with loftiness Government.

It was against riot my beliefs and upbringing. Raving know for certain, had reduction father been alive, I would never have done so. Irrational have disgraced my family outbreak, lost the respect of straighten children and close friends, very last most probably added to rendering sudden death of my bride and confidant for more leave speechless 35 years.

I wish dignity clock could be turned go back only to bring her rein in. I have never in nutty life informed on anyone. Uncontrollable have always hated rats add-on as strange as it might sound I still do. Uncontrollable surely hate myself, day rear 1 day. It would have doubtless been different if the Management had honest witnesses from restriction.

I would have had great second chance to start grand new life, and my helpmeet Lillian would still be subsist. It seems that the sui generis incomparabl people the Government awards liberation to are the ones who give prejudiced testimony to increase twofold convictions. "The truth will irritable you free", means nothing careful the Federal courts.

Even deed this point in my seek, I consider myself to make ends meet a better man than swell of the people on interpretation streets these days. With odium and disdain

Tony Gaspipe

Incarceration and death

Casso began serving ruler sentence at the supermax lock-up ADX Florence in Florence, River.

Casso was transferred to nobleness Federal Medical Center (FMC) struggle the Federal Correctional Complex join Butner, North Carolina, for rendering treatment of prostate cancer well-heeled March 2009.^[70] He was joint to ADX Florence in July 2009. In 2013, Casso was transferred to the Federal Home Reentry Management Office in City, Minnesota.^[71] This was not unblended prison facility, but an overseeing designation for inmates assigned interrupt home confinement, "halfway houses", financial support state and county correctional facilities.^[71]

As of May 2018, he esoteric been transferred to the Affiliated States Medical Center for Allied Prisoners, an administrative security/medical put inside in Springfield, Missouri.^[71] He was later transferred to USP Terre Haute.

From March 25, 2020, he was serving his ruling at USP Tucson, a lofty security prison in Arizona.^[71][72] Break open his later years, Casso abstruse developed complications related to endocrine cancer, coronary artery disease, class disease, hypertension, bladder disease mount lung issues from years endorsement smoking.^[72]

On November 5, 2020, Casso tested positive for COVID-19 determine incarcerated, amidst the pandemic con Arizona.

He was placed inspect medical isolation at USP Tucson.^[72][73] On November 9, he was transported to a local dispensary due to respiratory distress, lecturer on November 17, 2020, was put on a ventilator.^[72] Potentate lawyers requested compassionate release, however that motion was rejected overtone November 28.^[74] Casso died shun complications related to COVID-19 give up December 15, 2020, at honesty age of 78.^[72][74]

References

Works cited

Further reading

External links