Elderly Mobster Sentenced to Two Years for Leniency in Gambling Extortion Attempt
An 86-year-old New York Mafia boss was sentenced to two years in prison for forcing a Manhattan restaurant owner to pay off a gambling debt. However, his lawyer states that the elderly Capo, Anthony "Rom" Romanello, has "no regrets" for punching the victim in court records from the New York Post.
In December, a federal jury in Brooklyn found the supposed Genovese gang member guilty of extortion and conspiracy charges.
In 2017, Romanello, a reputed Genovese capo, was employed to scare Shuqeri "Bruno" Selimaj, owner of the now-closed Lincoln Square Steak restaurant in Upper West Manhattan, into paying off an $86,000 gambling debt owed by Selimaj's nephew and his brother-in-law, said prosecutors.
Luan Bexheti, a Genovese associate and aspiring Albanian film star, was reportedly the individual owed the funds.
"Threats and Violence"
Romanello and his co-defendant, Joseph Celso, who is believed to be a Genovese soldier, are said to have used "threats and violence" to collect the debt, according to prosecutors.
During their third visit to the restaurant, Romanello physically assaulted Selimaj, capturing the incident on video footage that became public on social media. Although he could not deny the punch, the question during the trial was what prompted it.
Romanello's lawyer, Jerry McMahon, contended that his and Selimaj had been friends before a drunken dispute resulted in him punching Selimaj. McMahon went as far as demonstrating this by executing a punch himself in court saying, "What would Jerry McMahon do? Knock him flat out!"
"No Joke"
Before sentencing, McMahon insisted that "Rom has no regrets and why should he?".
Selimaj testified that the surprise attack occurred after he told Romanello he could only pay $6,000 from his nephew's brother-in-law's debt during the trial, which enraged Romanello. According to Selimaj, he feared the Mafia leader would harm him as well as his nephew due to the comment. "I was scared that the Mafia guy was going to hurt me and my nephew. I was scared because no one jokes with the Mafia... It was no joke", Selimaj testified.
Prosecutors called for a stricter sentence for Romanello, arguing that age should not be a "shield for no punishment". They asserted that he had been repeatedly warned to change his ways but had failed to do so.
Romanello has previous convictions for conspiracy to obstruct justice and racketeering in 2007. Celso was found guilty of conspiracy extortion and is still awaiting his sentence. In 1993, he faced murder charges for the death of Manuel Mayi, a student at Queens College from the Dominican Republic, but was found not guilty when the main witness mysteriously disappeared.
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Source: www.casino.org
