Newly filed court documents alleged Bonanno crime family captain Vincent Asaro was supposedly caught on jailhouse recordings threatening to kill a federal prosecutor according to a NY Post report.
The 82-year-old mobster is behind bars at the Manhattan Detention Complex for a 2012 arson case and was trying to get out on bail. Prosecutors submitted a letter detailing threats made by Asaro toward one of the three federal prosecutors working on his case and his cousin Gaspare Valenti in an effort to keep him behind bars. Asaro was put on trial 18 months ago for his role in the notorious Lufthansa Heist at JFK Airport but beat the rap.
According to court papers, the alleged New York mafia capo told a fellow inmate he needed to take care of his b—h prosecutor saying “We need to do something about this b —h,” allegedly referring to Assistant US Attorney Nicole Argentieri. He went on to say “We need to handle this, And not f–k up like Vinny.” Prosecutors claim Asaro was referring to former Bonanno family boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano who was sent to prison for life and also allegedly unsuccessfully plotted to take out a prosecutor. The elder mafia captain was also supposedly overheard saying he would whack his rat cousin Valenti if he ever saw him again. Valenti turned rat and became one of the key witnesses against Asaro in the Lufthansa case before going into witness protection.
The feds claim in his arson case that Asaro ordered mob associates including the namesake grandson of John Gotti to torch a car of a motorist that had previously cut him off. The recent developments would seem to make the elder mobsters release unlikely although no official word or ruling has been made. It may not be as easy for the Cosa Nostra wiseguy to beat the rap this time around.
