Alleged Bonanno crime family mobster Anthony Santoro is headed to Manhattan Supreme Court for a second trial according to a new report.
The reputed Staten Island mobster was busted back in July of 2013 when authorities took down a nine-member Bonanno family crew. According to prosecutors, Santoro was a key player in the Cosa Nostra families gambling operations and drug rackets, allegedly making decisions on gambling accounts and setting prices for drugs. Santoro and three co-defendants – Ernest Aiello, Nicholas Santora, and Vito Badamo were all accused of enterprise corruption including drug dealing, loansharking, illegal gambling, and attempted grand larceny.
“Anthony (Skinny) Santoro”
The New York mafia quartet was involved in a three-month long trial last year that ended last May in a mistrial due to juror dissension. The trial was plagued by multiple problems having to do with the jury which led to Supreme Court Justice Mark Dwyer granting the defense’s motion for a mistrial. The state’s case against Santoro revolves around wiretap recordings which implicate him using mafia slang for illegal gambling and drug activities. He is currently being held at the Manhattan facility and has been behind bars now for more than three years.
Santoro was sentenced to eight months behind bars in a federal case that is still pending after pleading guilty to running an illegal gambling business as part of the Connecticut-based Bonanno family crew. He was charged and arrested in the Manhattan case before he would serve that sentence. A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said the new trial is set to begin on April 10th.
