Reversing an earlier ruling, a federal judge in Brooklyn presiding over a death penalty case has ruled that the prosecution may not present evidence as a part of its case-in-chief that the defendant sought to arrange the killing of an Eastern District prosecutor while he was in prison.
After receiving additional information at a Feb. 3 hearing, Eastern District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis barred evidence of the plot to help prove that Vincent Basciano, a reputed high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family, was guilty of charges that could bring the death penalty.
