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It is one of the most lurid mob trials ever. The man behind the notorious 1978 Lufthansa heist, Vincent Asaro, is on trial on charges he helped plan the brazen robbery. The incident would later be turned into a blockbuster film “Goodfellas”.
Authorities say Asaro was a key Bonanno organized crime family member who made out with $6 million in cash and jewelry the day of the heist. Much of that money would later be gambled away, if we are to believe the testimony of witnesses.
One by one, they have taken the stand.
From the LA Times:
From the witness stand in a Brooklyn courtroom, Peter "Bud" Zuccaro was at ease recalling the brutal details, like the time someone raised a hand to Fat Andy's wife and was never seen again, or the time he blew off the head of an attack dog chewing on his arm.
And there was this:
But times have changed for the old-time capos, captains, skippers and soldiers of the Cosa Nostra, who in Asaro's trial have come across more as whiny old men than wiseguys, griping on secret recordings about gambling debts and the lack of respect from the younger generation.
"I lost my son when I made him a skipper," Asaro, now 80, was heard grousing on a 2012 recording, referring to his son Jerry's promotion in the mob. In an obscenity-laced rant, Asaro went on to disparage his son, now in prison, as greedy, lazy and nowhere near the tough guy that his dad is.
"I feel like killing everybody," Asaro, in a particularly bad mood, snarled at one point on another 2012 recording.
Asaro has pleaded not guilty. He is looking at a potential life sentence if convicted.
Asaro's cousin, Gaspare Valenti, an FBI informant was among those called to testify. Asaro at times was seen mouthing off to his defense team “not true” during Valenti’s testimony.
Asaro appeared so enraged that Judge Allyne R. Ross later warned him that his demeanor could affect the jury, the LA Times reported.
"It's not in your best interest to draw attention to yourself," she said after jurors had been dismissed for the day.
Zuccaro offered up some of the most colorful testimony, describing in vivid detail the death of an attack dog at an auto body shop Asaro had part interest in.
From the Times:
Later that night, Zuccaro testified that Asaro showed up at his home with some fellow thugs, enraged over the dog's death and insisting that it was not Zuccaro's dog to kill.
"I paid for half the dog," said Zuccaro, who testified that he turned to his boss in the Bonanno family to settle the dispute.
Valenti and Zuccaro testified that over the years, they gambled away whatever money they had collected from hijackings, drugs, extortion and other crooked activities. Both admitted to a litany of crimes.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
