Five NYC mobsters struck with COVID-19 outbreak
FCI Fort Dix, a New Jersey federal prison, has experienced a COVID-19 outbreak leaving at least five NYC mobsters sick with the virus.
In only one unit, 217 out of 230 inmates (94%) have tested positive for COVID-19 on November 5th. This astonishing number is the highest for any jail or prison in the US. The outbreak has led to an influx of compassionate release requests from the inmates.
The outbreak reportedly occurred after prisoners who had the virus were transferred to Fort Dix from Elkton, Ohio.
Daniel Mongelli, one of the La Cosa Nostra members who contracted the virus, was ordered release by a Brooklyn federal judge back on November 5th. Bonnanno soldier Michael Padavona was, “…alone in his cell with a fever and an extremely irregular blood pressure,” according to his lawyer in a release request on November 4th.
To combat Padavona’s release request, federal officials wrote, “To be sure, the government understands that the defendant has contracted COVID-19 and is currently in isolation suffering from the disease, and does not mean to downplay that fact”. They believe that his symptoms are too minor for a compassionate release.
Ernest Montevecchi, 75, John Catelucci, Lucchese captain, and Michael Spataro, Colombo associate, are the other three mobsters who have contracted the virus.
“It’s clearly a huge outbreak and it’s clear it happened because BOP screwed up and transferred people from another facility that had a huge outbreak — from Elkton,” said David Patton, attorney-in-chief of the Federal Defenders in Manhattan.
source: nydailynews.com
