Amershire_Ed wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:24 pm
newera_212 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:00 am
Massino playing dime slots and eating jack daniels pulled pork sliders at TGI Fridays is hilarious . Fall from grace for someone who was used to the besta foods, besta wines
I can’t remember the exact wording but the dude who wrote the Basciano book basically said as surprising as it was for Massino to flip, his weight and issues with prison food shoulda been a big red flag that he wouldn’t have been able to stand up to the years. He talked about Massino ballooning up to over 350 pounds because instead of eating the prison food, Massino was eating nothing but vending machine junk food and snacks from commissary. Except on days when they had court in which case Massino’s wife and kids would bring him lunch from different spots in Howard Beach.
Long post head lol...
That part in the book is something that I vividly remember, and I also remember laughing when I first read it.
Massino having his visitors or lawyer heat up the vending machine sandwiches in the microwave to melt the cheese a little. Then, there were the convos with Basciano in holding about how Massino had relentless diarrhea - presumably from the prison food, or more likely, from the withdrawal and shock his system was experiencing, being neglected of what he'd normally eat on a daily basis.
Another part I remember, either it was in the Basciano book or the Massino King of the Godfathers book by the same author, was when Massino was being driven into the city from Queens the day he was arrested, he was talking food with the agents and egregiously claimed that Casablanca had the best pizza in NYC (specifically the best sauce). Pizza in NY has gotten like *insanely* good just in the last 10-12 years alone, but it was always good and renowned - so even by 2003 standards, Massino's claim that Casablanca had the best was extremely outlandish.
I'd actually love to speak with someone who has ate at Casablanca and really hear how the food is. I figured the place was just a work for Massino and the family, and despite Massino's love of food/cooking, the care and quality of ingredients was at the bottom of the priorities list there. I pictured food just good enough for captains to tolerate. God knows Massino can tolerate whatever he has to when it comes to food. I moved to Queens from the city long after Massino flipped, but never heard about Casablanca growing up, only know if it from Massino's saga (versus hearing about/going to places like Parkside and Don Pepe from the City - those places are known city wide).
I definitely wouldn't say prison is easy for anybody and wouldn't say "he should have done his time" etc - but probably after Massino was sentenced and went to a real prison - assuming they didn't put him in Admax - he probably would have done alright with the food and comfort. I'm sure he would have been in a USP with other wiseguys and eventually got scaled down to a FCI.
I think he flipped because he figured out even if he just did his time, there was no way he was retaining control over the family with all of his main guys flipping on him. Who out there would listen to him and follow his orders for years to come, if he could even get those orders out properly? He really had nobody at that point . I also think if you go to trial and blow it, you shouldn't be able to get as sweet of a deal afterwards. Maybe a little something, but nothing like what he got. He wasted everyone's time with trial and essentially said he didn't do any of the alleged crimes. Once you blow it and reverse your stance, you shouldn't get a cake walk.
