Gangland 5/5/2022

[Dr031718]

Geezer Gangster Allegedly Punched Out Legendary Restaurateur Over Gambling Debt

Gang Land Exclusive!Bruno SelimajBruno Selimaj, a legendary Manhattan restaurateur known for serving some of the East Side's juiciest and priciest steaks at his swank Club A Steakhouse on East 58th Street, is the businessman who got served a nasty knuckle sandwich by the wiseguy who was hit with federal loansharking charges this week, Gang Land has learned.

Sources tell Gang Land that aging Genovese mobster Anthony (Rom) Romanello dished out the two-fisted attack at Selimaj's five-star restaurant in 2017 on behalf of a reputed Albanian gangster and sometime actor named Luan (The Waterbug) Bexheti who allegedly wanted Selimaj to make good on a gambling debt that a relative owed him.

It wasn't the first time a wiseguy walked into one of Selimaj's chic restaurants. Club A, which opened in 2008, is located in the same location where Selimaj previously operated another fashionable eatery, Ristorante Bruno, a Northern Italian style restaurant he opened in 1977 that became a favored dining spot for John Gotti, Donald Trump, Lawrence Taylor, Robert DeNiro and many other celebrated New Yorkers, according to a Facebook posting.

Anthony RomanelloIt's unclear whether Romanello's alleged pasting convinced Selimaj or his relative to fork over the dough to Bexheti, a Queens bookmaker who played a character named The Waterbug in the 2018 movie, Albanian Gangster.

The sources say Selimaj initially reported the assault to police, but withdrew it a day or two later. The punchout occurred in the Spring of 2017, according to the sources as well as the loansharking indictment filed Tuesday against Bexheti, 49, Romanello, 84, and Genovese soldier Joseph Celso, also 49.

The sources say Celso accompanied Rom to Club A on The Waterbug's behalf, but did not assault the 70-year-old Salimej.

Selimaj emigrated to the U.S. from Albania at age 18 in 1972 and worked at several New York restaurants for five years learning the restaurant business from the ground up, before opening Ristorante Bruno in October 1977, according to the Facebook posting.

Club A SteakhouseIronically, Selimaj's bio, which is accompanied by his picture, was posted in February of 2017, shortly before the two mobsters visited Club A in an effort to extort the gambling debt from Selimaj for Bexheti. The indictment alleges that the extortion conspiracy took place between March and June of 2017.

The Facebook posting states that before he opened his namesake eatery, Selimaj, who was born and raised in a small village on the northern border of Albania and Montenegro, "had become one of New York's best known restaurant captains, catering to needs of patrons like Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor & Telly Savalis."

Luan BexhetiAfter Ristorante Bruno opened, actors Joe Pesci and Brooke Shields, Mayor Giuliani, Governor Pataki, as well as "presidents, heads of state, diplomats, writers, and scholars flocked to his restaurant nightly" to enjoy the food and music that accompanied the exquisite cuisine.

None of that seemed to matter to Romanello when he apparently didn't like what Selimaj had to say in response to the mobster's alleged demand for the money that his relative owed to Bexheti, a reputed Albanian gangster with close ties to the Genovese crime family.

"He just clocked him," said one source.

The bare bones indictment states only that the three defendants used the threat of violence and actual violence in an effort to collect a debt from John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 — Selimaj and his relative. Celso is also charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation into the alleged extortion in 2019.

Joseph CelsoAt their arraignment in Brooklyn Federal Court, prosecutor James McDonald insisted that Celso post a $1 million bond secured by property and two co-signors, twice as much as his mob superior had to put up in order to obtain his release pending trial. That's because Celso allegedly tried to "influence witness testimony of several family members of the victims" of the extortion, the prosecutor said.

In an agreement McDonald worked out with attorney Anjelica Cappellino, Celso turned over a handgun he was licensed to carry yesterday, and will be turning over several additional firearms he owns, believed to be hunting rifles, in the coming days.

Bexheti, who has not had much acting work since his forgettable role as The Waterbug in Albanian Gangster, and was represented by a federal defender, was released on a $100,000 bond which was cosigned by his wife.

James McDonaldThe three defendants have all done well in prior confrontations with the law.

Bexheti, who was charged with state racketeering charges by the Queens District Attorney's office in 2019, was able to work out a conditional discharge plea deal with no prison time in 2020.

In 1991, Celso, then 18, was charged with being part of gang of white teens who chased and savagely beat to death a Dominican teenager with bats and a fire extinguisher. Celso, the only defendant indicted in the killing, was acquitted at trial when the prosecution's key witness, a girl who told cops that he had told her that he was part of the mob, refused to testify.

Gerald McMahonRomanello earned a no-jail plea deal in a 2012 extortion case and was acquitted of extortion in a second case that same year. Contacted yesterday, his outspoken attorney in those cases told Gang Land that Rom is innocent of these charges and the lawyer has already chalked it up in the "win column."

"This was a personal dispute," said Gerald McMahon. "It seems that the guy got punched in the face five years ago because he hurled a derogatory insult at my client. He challenged his manhood and he apparently responded the way any man would, allegedly."

"They were waiting for this elderly gentleman to commit a real crime so they could somehow piggy back it onto this case, and make it a racketeering case," McMahon continued. "But after waiting four years and 11 months, they realized he's not going to commit a real crime, so they charged him with extortion. It was a personal dispute."

Mob Turncoat Who Got A "Time Served" Sentence Is Back Behind Bars For Choking His Son

Frank Pasqua IIIFrank Pasqua III, the discredited mob turncoat who wrongly fingered his father for the 2013 gangland-style slaying of former Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish and was never used as a prosecution witness, is back behind bars for threatening and choking his son, Gang Land has learned.

Pasqua, 42, was locked up by the feds following his release on his own recognizance two weeks ago for two offenses against his adult son that took place on the same day, April 12, about 17 hours apart, according to arrest complaints filed in Staten Island.

The first incident took place at 3AM in front of the Richmond University Medical Center when Pasqua "grabbed" his son and "squeezed (his) neck while pushing (his) body into a motor vehicle, causing (him) physical injuries," including "substantial pain and bruising to his neck," according to an arrest complaint by NYPD detective Jeffrey Aust.

Michael Meldish "In addition to causing (his son) to experience annoyance and alarm," Aust wrote, Pasqua "did impede the normal breathing" of his son.

At 9:44 PM, Pasqua "threatened to cause physical harm" to his son in a text that told him to feel free to let him know anytime he felt "FROGGY LIKE YOU WANT TO TAKE A SHOT AT ME . . . CUZ I'LL LET YOU PUNCH ME A GOOD THREE FOUR TIMES BEFORE I BACKHAND YOU INTO NEXT WEEK."

"I'LL NEVER CLOSE MY HANDS AND HIT MY SON BUT YOU BET WHEN I SLAP YOU IT'LL FEEL LIKE YOU GOT PUNCHED," the text continued. "YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME, YOU'LL NEVER BE ANYTHING TO ME . . . FOR TURNING" his younger brother against Pasqua by "LYING TO HIM."

Pasqua, whose cooperation in the Meldish case was faulty, still managed to earn a 33-month sentence instead of life for murder conspiracy, kidnapping and drug dealing. But, thanks to his recent arrest, he's been hit with federal charges that could keep him in prison for several years.

Judge Nelson RomanIt's very possible, even though the state court charges against him are misdemeanors, and Pasqua belittled them in a discussion in White Plains Federal Court on Monday with Gina Sicora, the courtroom deputy for Federal Judge Nelson Roman, calling the charges a "simple little probation problem."

The federal violation, however, known as a Violation of Supervised Release (VOSR), could mean several more years in prison, and sources tell Gang Land there may be more serious charges in the pipeline.

Pasqua's VOSRs are not publicly filed, and the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Probation department declined to discuss the case with Gang Land. But based on Pasqua's criminal history, the guidelines for each of the two known charges against him, which are Grade C or the lowest violations, each carry guidelines of 7-to-13 months behind bars.

Frank Pasqua on being importantAnd law enforcement officials say the Brooklyn District Attorney's office is also investigating possible felony charges against Pasqua for another incident that would raise the ante even higher for the ex-Luchese associate, who boasted on the now defunct Johnny and Gene Show podcast that he was much smarter than many contemporary made men who had "no education" and "were ignorant."

Pasqua had a brief discussion with Roman's courtroom deputy after a virtual proceeding at which the judge continued his detention and scheduled a July 6 hearing on his VOSR. The gangster prevailed on her to try to contact Pasqua's defense attorney, who had disconnected as soon as the judge thanked everyone, and get him to reconnect to speak to his client.

During his talk with Sicora, Pasqua complained he was "starting to get hurt" at the Westchester County Jail (WCJ) where he "get(s) out of (his) cell only one hour a day." Sicora tried to tell him to stop discussing his problems with her while she tried to email attorney Avraham Moskowitz. But Pasqua kept at it until he finally told her to forget about it, saying his lawyer had hung up so quickly that he must have been very busy.

Hagan ScottenJudge Roman, who noted that Pasqua's guidelines for the crimes he pleaded guilty to were 30 years to life warned him when he sentenced him to "time served" back in March of 2020 not to "make any more mistakes" during the next five years since he would be on supervised release.

In addition, according to a former federal prosecutor, the "lenient sentence he got on his original case can be a basis for an upward departure" from the guidelines for the VOSR.

On Monday, Moskowitz asked Roman to order Westchester jail officials to send Pasqua to the county's nearby medical center to diagnose a "numbness in his leg" that he suffered when he fell last week while "he was cuffed behind his back and walking down a flight of stairs." Pasqua "is in a good deal of discomfort" and "believes he has suffered a spinal injury," said Moskowitz.

Roman declined, but ordered prosecutor Hagan Scotten to look into it.

In the last line of his text to his son last month, Pasqua ripped his son's mother — Pasqua's ex-wife — for having "HAD A DRUG PROBLEM SINCE WE WERE 16 YEARS OLD."

Court records show Pasqua served three years in prison for assaulting his wife with a broken bottle, and a slew of other crimes against her and other women between 2005 and 2011. And in 2016, while jailed under an assumed name to protect him while he was cooperating with the feds, he was arrested for selling heroin to inmates that he used his drug-addled ex-wife to smuggle into the prison to him.

Feds To Judge: Forget About Our Unnamed Federal Agent's Fear Of Revenge From An Aging Gangster; Just Keep Him Behind Bars

Mark ReiterNever mind. The feds have told a Judge to forget about what they said about a former federal agent who feared that a 74-year-old drug dealer serving a life term for murder would seek revenge if he got a compassionate release. But they still urged the jurist to keep Mark Reiter behind bars, arguing that if he is released from prison, the aging gangster will be just as capable of ordering murders as he was 40 years ago.

Prosecutor Timothy Capozzi thanked Manhattan Federal Judge Vernon Broderick "for the opportunity to supplement the record with an affidavit" from him or the fearful agent. But he said that the government had "chosen not to do so" and declined to counter Reiter's denial of the revenge allegation, or his lawyer's questioning of its "purported" validity.

Capozzi wrote that Reiter's 34 years in prison is an "insufficient" term for the three murders he was convicted of ordering. He argued that the longtime Gambino family associate should remain there indefinitely because if released he was likely to return to crime. "Ordering murders can be just as easily accomplished in one's 70s, as one's 30s," wrote Capozzi.

Judge Vernon BroderickDefense attorney Harlan Protass countered that “Mr. Reiter's narcotics distribution organization no longer exists." He said the only thing his client "leads today is the Jewish community at FCI Allenwood – Low," the Bureau of Prison's low-security prison in Pennsylvania where he has been housed for several years.

Reiter, a John Gotti pal who was a partner of legendary Harlem heroin merchant Leroy (Nicky) Barnes, was convicted in 1988 of "kingpin" drug counts and the murders of two potential witnesses, Barnes's girlfriend Beverly (Shameca) Ash, and her brother, Steven.

He will die behind bars if Judge Broderick denies his motion for a compassionate release. Trial Judge Richard Owen, noting that the murders were "planned out, cold-blooded" killings that were designed to protect his "massive heroin operation," gave Reiter two life sentences plus 60 years.

Defense lawyer Protass asked Broderick to reject Capozzi's uncorroborated speculation about what his client might do if he were released. The lawyer argued that the government has "abandoned its unidentified law enforcement agent's purported concerns" because Reiter has proved by his actions "over the past 34 years that he presents no risk of recidivism."

Leroy BarnesHis only serious BOP violation, "a fight with another inmate that did not result in any injuries," took place decades ago, in 1999, wrote Protass. "The BOP saw fit to transfer Mr. Reiter to a low security facility," Protass continued, "which itself reflects the conclusion that he presents no risk of recidivism."

In a prior filing, Protass submitted letters from five BOP workers who recommended an early release from prison for Reiter, including two from employees at Allenwood. "If given the opportunity to re-enter society, "wrote M. Gemberling, "I am sure he will be a productive member and an example for others to follow."

"I have been a correctional officer for 29 years, and this is the first letter I ever wrote for an inmate," senior officer Dana Van Scheider stated in her letter. "That tells you the respect I have for him," she wrote.

"All that Mr. Reiter wants to do if released from prison," Protass assured Judge Broderick, "is play with his grandchildren. Mr. Reiter is fully rehabilitated and presents no danger to any individual or the community at large."

[AnIrishGuy]

Thanks for posting.

Pasqua a classy guy.

[AntComello]

What a scum bag

[Amershire_Ed]

Thanks for posting

[Dr031718]

Thought Jerry would at least talk about both Genovese cases that dropped but guess it’s easier to talk about cooperators and compassionate releases no one really cares about

[Uforeality]

So a 78-79 year old captain in the Genovese family, with all of his soldiers and associates under him, walks into a restaurant and punches the owner in the face over a debt that wasn't even his. A CAPTAIN!

[Pmac2]

Makes you wonder. How come they did wait 4 yrs 11 months. Is there a statue of limitations on this charge. Interesting also in a chic restaurant in Manhattan not in queens or Staten Island. Goes to show there still all over.

[Pmac2]

Sounds like a simple assault how it snowballed into a federal Rico case will be interesting

[dack2001]

It's not a federal RICO case. Just an extortion charge.

[JohnnyS]

Thanks for posting.

[Southshore88]

Thanks for posting. Interesting about the statute of limitations on the Rom/Celso case. Will see how that plays out.

[Tonyd621]

The informants are worse then the people they are trying to convict. Beating women, kids it doesn't get much lower than that.

[Hired_Goonz]

Thanks for posting. The feds are hilarious lol.

[Uncle Pete]

Interesting defense that he just went there to talk to the guy and only punched him cause he felt he was insulted by the guy and had nothing to do with getting any extortion money.

This group of rats like Gene, Rubeo, and especially Pasqua are scumbags of the highest order. Really makes whoever is approving the use of these informants in the Feds look foolish for putting these assholes on the stand only to have them go on YouTube and lie and get arrested again shortly afterwards

[Waingro]

Thanks for posting.