"Genovese Capo Sr." convicted of extorting restaurateur's gambling debts
An octogenarian New York gang suspect has been convicted of racketeering after blackmailing a Manhattan restaurant owner over gambling debts.
Antoni "Roma" Romanello, 86, the well-known Genoa caper, was found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn on Tuesday of racketeering and conspiracy to commit loan forfeiture. Charges of the same crime.
Prosecutors say Romanello and co-defendant Joseph Celso, allegedly a Genoese soldier, were hired to instill fear in Shukri "Bruno" Selimai, who ” · Selimai was the owner of the now-defunct Lincoln Square Steakhouse on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Selimaj's nephew and nephew's brother-in-law owe $86,000 in gambling debts to alleged Mafia associate Luan Bexheti, a rising Albanian movie star. Romanello and Celso want Selimai to pay off his debt.
According to prosecutors, the couple used "threats and violence" against Selima in "repeated attempts" to collect the debt. On their third visit to the restaurant, Romanello was filmed punching Selima in the face.
Court Statement
Romanelli's attorney, Jerry McMahon, tried to convince the jury that Selima and his client were old acquaintances who got into a drunken argument.
"He didn't hit Bruno to collect gambling debts," McMahon argued. "Bruno told him that he was a decadent Italian, that he had no courage, that he was nothing. He beat the 86-year-old man who was sitting there. He beat him because Bruno insulted him to his face."
Selimagi spoke to police after the attack but retracted his statement the next day and paid off his relatives' debts. He testified in court that he did so out of fear.
"I'm afraid this mafia is going to do something to me, my nephew," Selimaji said. "I'm scared because no one jokes with the Mafia... This is not a joke."
Albanian Gangster
Bexheti pleaded guilty to the same charges in October 2023 and is awaiting sentencing. Highlights of his acting career to date include voicing the voice of "The Albanian Gangster" in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV" before landing a supporting role in the low-budget indie film "The Albanian Gangster" in 2018. He was also bombed once while performing a stand-up comedy performance at a New York comedy club.
Celso was found guilty Tuesday of conspiracy and racketeering and faces up to 20 years in prison. In 1993, he was charged with the murder of Manuel Mai, a Queens College student from the Dominican Republic. He was acquitted after the prosecution's main witness left the country.
Romanello faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in March.
Read also:
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
- Mashpee Wampanoag tribe files civil lawsuit against disgraced former leader
- Penn Entertainment breaks ground on M resort expansion
Source: www.casino.org
