Eastern District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis yesterday sentenced a notorious mobster already behind bars to a second sentence of life without parole for ordering a gangland hit while taking control of a New York City crime family. Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano was convicted on May 16 of ordering the murder of Bonanno family member Randolph Pizzolo. After deliberating only 90 minutes, the jury on June 1 rejected the death penalty for Mr. Basciano, 51 (NYLJ, June 2).
Last year, Judge Garaufis had asked the U.S. Department of Justice to reconsider bringing a death penalty case—which ended up costing taxpayers nearly $5 million—against a defendant who was already serving life without parole for a 2007 conviction. But prosecutors decided to press ahead and showcase the testimony of former Bonanno boss Joseph Massino, the highest-ranking member of the city’s five Italian organized crime families to ever take the witness stand for the government.
