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Vinny Gorgeous Pen Pals With Judge Who Lent Him Shirt
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 29, 2010
Modified Dec 29, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 29, 2010
Modified Dec 29, 2010
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Former Bonanno crime-family boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano really appreciated it when Judge Nicholas Garaufis lent the well-groomed mobster some dress clothes for trial; he also really appreciated it when Garaufis advised against giving him the death penalty for a 2008 murder conviction. He appreciated it so much, he started writing tons of letters to the Judge. And now, the Judge has demanded he stop writing him. It's like a friendlier version of Cape Fear!
Garaufis has given at least three court orders for Vinny Gorgeous to stop writing him letters, which he claims to not be opening anyway. Basciano, who is already in prison for life on a previous racketeering and murder conviction, and is currently in solitary confinement awaiting trial for a 2004 murder of a fellow mobster, didn't take the hint. According to the Post, his letters are filled with "highly technical observations about how to fight the charges against him. They also include minutiae of his daily prison life and focus on matters that sometimes seem mundane." But as Basciano wrote in one such letter, the matter isn't mundane to him, despite his untenable position: "My death-penalty case is right around the corner. I want to be consulted about the very important issues and decisions that will ultimately affect my life."
In a fun twist, Basciano was caught with a list of enemies, which included the Judge, when he was arrested in 2008; prosecutors argued it was a hit list, but Basciano claimed it was just a normal old list for a Santeria curse. If this curse somehow results in someone stepping on nine rakes, we're all for it.
Tagged
bonanno
cape fear
judge nicholas garaufis
letters
pen pal
Vincent Basciano
Vinny Gorgeous
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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