According to defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio alleged Bonanno crime family mobster Vincent Asaro had to be hospitalized after slipping and falling in the shower at the Manhattan Detention Complex.
The 82-year-old mobster has been on 24-hour lockdown in special housing since his arrest on arson charges. His lawyer claims he is not getting the medical care he needs to survive noting that he has previously had two coronary bypasses. Macedonio indicated that she intends to file a bail application shortly and is pushing for a speedy trial for her aging client along with an attempt to have his case split from the other five co-defendants according to a NY Post report.
According to prosecutors, Asaro ordered mafia associates including the namesake grandson of John Gotti to torch the car of a driver that had cut him off in Queens back in 2012. Asaro reportedly looked stiff and haggard during a recent court appearance in Brooklyn on Monday. Attorney Gerard Marrone said the young John Gotti now considered by some to be a Bonanno family associate is enjoying his time in federal lock up more so than his time in state prison. Gotti pleaded guilty to drug-related charges back in March and was sentenced to eight years behind bars. Marrone said he was also in agreement with Asaro’s attorney’s push for a speedy trial.
It is still unclear as to exactly when Asaro’s bail application will be submitted and how long it will take for a decision to be reached. The aging wiseguy was recently brought to trial for his alleged role in the 1978 Lufthansa heist but was able to avoid a conviction. According to the feds, Asaro still ranks as a captain in the Bonanno family although his current standing and influence within the New York mafia family is questionable and don’t seem to be what they once were.
