Bonanno crime family mobster Anthony “Skinny” Santoro has pleaded guilty to attempted enterprise corruption and now faces between four and eight years in state prison according to a recent report.
Santoro was part of a nine-man Bonanno family crew busted on back in 2013 that included co-defendants Nicholas Santora, Ernest Aiello, and Vito Badamo. The New York mafia crew was charged with various crimes including enterprise corruption including illegal gambling, drug dealing, enterprise corruption. The 53-year-old mobster must also admit his role in the Cosa Nostra families criminal enterprise according to his plea agreement. According to prosecutors, Santoro was a key player in the Bonanno families gambling and drug operations.
“Anthony Santoro”
The NY mafia crew was put on trial last year but the case ended in a mistrial due to juror dissension. Before Santoro was hit with state charges he had to plead guilty to operating a mafia controlled illegal gambling operating in Connecticut in a still pending federal case. He was sentenced to eight months in prison bac in 2013 in that case but was hit with the state charges before he could serve that time. Santoro was denied bail and has been behind bars since 2013 and has agreed to waive an appeal and has agreed to pay over $45 grand in forfeitures in the state case. Co-defendants Badamo and Aiello have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing while the case against Santora is still pending.
“Bonanno family crew left to Right: Vito Badamo, Ernest Aiello, Anthony Santoro, Nicky Santora“
Badamo also plead guilty to attempted enterprise corruption and must admit it was done in connection with an organized crime enterprise. He is now facing anywhere between three and a half years to seven years behind bars. Aiello plead guilty to promoting gambling in the first degree in connection with an organized crime enterprise and is facing between two and four years in prison. Santora who prosecutors claim is a captain in the Bonanno family and was in control of the mafia crew was released on bail earlier this year while the DA in Manhattan pursues a retrial.
Even though the mistrial was quite a mess it looks like the feds will still get all of these guys beind bars for fairly extended periods of time. Santora even with the pending case against them because of the alleged poor treatment etc may end up having to agree to a plea to if offered as it seems like they can more than likely get a conviction there and maybe put him away for good at his age.
the case at the time was weak I followed it closely against Santora i was not surprised it ended in a mistrial its a weak case there was nothing really directly linking him to anything only one i thought had no chance was santoro he would have been convicted at a retrial there was a lot of evidence. Aiello aswell a lot of stuff against him the plea deals they are all getting now are better than the original ones they were offered a few years back so it has been a sucsess for them. It would not surprise me if the main reason for all of them taking pleas is because they cant afford a retrial people don’t realize how expensive these big mob trials cost.
Santora i personally think has a decent chance of beating this or getting another retrial and probably has the money for it aswell but he will probably take a plea he is a old guy and not in the best health if he gets convicted he will probably die in prison
That is a good point about the expense involved in these trials as these lawyers usually carry some serious price tags and some of these guys esp soldiers aren’t making the kind of cash to make it through 2 trials. I am not shocked they all had to take plea’s that original case wasn’t rock solid but there was enough there to make it worth taking a plea and not taking any chances at a retrial. With ag and health taken into consideration I doubt Nicky takes a plea unless its an offer he really can’t pass up so he may end up in a retrial unless his health is as bad as they are saying.
Since he had 8m Fed Time,before this but didn’t “serve” it due to State charging him, does that come after or before doing New Time? Since it seems to me if he’s been Locked Up for 2y that would’ve counted, but i don’t know how Feds do things. State i do. Also,if what some are saying the State didn’t really have a good case against him,why plead? Wad there more to this than what was in the News?