from the New York Daily News

The upcoming death penalty trial of crime boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano may bring to light the gangster's darkest secret - he was the victim of child abuse.
Basciano's lawyers have informed federal prosecutors of plans to raise the issue as a mitigating factor against executing the former boss of the Bonanno crime family if he's convicted of ordering a murder.
The court filing contained no details of the "abusive childhood," but Basciano's former lawyers say he was beaten severely and frequently by his father, Jerry Basciano.
"There were really bad beatings," said lawyer Ephraim Savitt, adding that Basciano had objected to throwing his father under the bus to save his own skin.
Basciano remains opposed to publicly airing the family laundry, but lawyer Richard Jasper overruled his client, sources said.
"He's trying to protect his nuclear family and I think that's a testament of his own goodness," Savitt said.
Basciano remains on good terms with his father and made efforts after his arrest to ensure that his own sons stayed in touch with "Grandpa Jerry," Savitt recalled.
Barry Levin, who also represented Basciano in a prior racketeering trial, said he was frequently beaten while trying to protect his mother from a raging father.
The beatings were severe, sometimes involving a baseball bat, and Basciano would take refuge at an aunt's house, sleeping on the couch until his bruises healed, Levin said.
Both former lawyers said the beatings by Jerry Basciano were apparently fueled by alcohol. They learned of the abuse from interviewing other members of Basciano's family.
Jerry Basciano, a retired construction worker, could not be reached for comment. The current defense team declined to comment on the issue.
Vincent Basciano is charged with ordering subordinates to whack mob associate Randolph Pizzolo Pizzolo in order to send a "wakeup" call to the beleagured crime family. Jury selection is continuing in Brooklyn Federal Court.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime...ers_death_.html

I don't understand how this defense is going to work. why even bother using that? Maybe if his dad was a made guy who pressured him into "the life" than they'd have SOME cards to play...but even then it's not like he was an associate doing someone else's bidding. he was an acting boss/powerful capo who called shots and made a s***load of money.

they would have more cards to play if vinny would say his dad dressed him in a garter belt and fishnet stockings saying "i will become the acting boss of the bonnanno's" and then beating him in an alcohol fueled rage! i dont think this will work

LOL.

Vinny's father was somewhat abusive but not as bad as they are making him out to be. He wasn't an alcoholic and he didn't beat him with a baseball bat. He didn't have to go to his aunts house to heal from the bruises. IT is true that he did protect his mother many times from being abuse by the father. Although it may sound meaningless why the lawyers feel the need to bring this up but to them it is important that they do so.

didn't know that you and old man basciano were soo close!

What a dope. Would it not be smarter to simply show some remorse & contrition then blaming things on his father? I bet young Vinny Gorgeous was a brat anyway! I mean, he's like 12 years old in the Angelo Bono wedding photos. Whats that little kid doing hanging round all those heavy-hitters? What a little shit!

Seriously but, the guy actually went as far as basically blaming Pizzolo himself for getting whacked (for having been involved in the life.) What a doucher. So what your saying is that Pizzolo brought it on himself for having lived as a mobster...? Are you seriously that dumb Vinny? You do know you're a mobster right?

IMHO, unless Vinny is actually aiming to become the LCN matyr that Massino never was (which from his choice of defense he just may be), his best chance of avoiding his possible execution lies in showing actual remorse for his crimes, short of doing the Big Joey & flipping. Which Id actually like to see, just for whatever info Basciano could give.

Quick survey; who thinks Vinny's rat material?

I cant believe that Vinny didnt tear his dad a 2nd asshole with a 12 gauge?

i definitely don't think he's rat material. if he was going to rat he probably would have done it already...just my guess. especially considering he's dealt with inhumane conditions for like a year and some change.

besides, what could he give up? vitale, massino, a couple capos flipping ... the buck basically stops with him.

yes I do happen to know him for quite sometime... he was actually 23 in that picture not 12.... and he has been in those inhumane conditons for exactly 6 years not on and we are talking strict solitary confinement worse than the terrorists.. So I don't think he is going to rat. Although there might be a few he could rat on basically nobody is worth it. He is going full force on his trial coming up. If that is the life these men choose this is what they have to deal with. Pizzola is no exception. As far as I'm concerned this is their circle of crime and didn't concern the outside world. You or no one else knows the true facts what goes on between them so you shouldn't cast stones. I know with out a fact all you fast mouth guys on here so fast to condemn or say ahhh boo hoo he can't take what they are doing to him lets see how long you hold up under those conditons .... Im sure you will cry like a baby after the first week. So keep acting pretty tough behind your computer the truth of it is the real tough guys that do stand up are unfortunately in jail. I also know the neighborhood Vinny lived in is not the same since he is not around. He helped out many people paying rents , con ed bills, Good Christmas for unfortunate families that had no money. He bought computers , bikes, trips paid for funerals, paid for doctor bills for children that might have died because of no insurance. He did good for the community even though you may not want to hear this. So go ahead you haters throw stones because that is the only thing you are probably good at doing !!!

all those good doings does not give him the right to murder anyone~! im not saying he didn't do that shit but it does not grant you a pass to murder anyone......so where did you vinny meet? at the malt shop sharing a milkshake with 2 straws???

how did you guess... yes we did... your soooo smart !!!!!! No one has the right to murder anyone but if it is kill or be killed would you rather die because you are such a stand up citizen? Oh and don't forget let someone murder or kidnap your child because you are again such a stand up citizen. I know if someone was going to kidnap my child you can bet I would spend my life in jail to save my son. Would you? I guess you wouldn't be able to because you are just not that tough. There you go.. So don't pass judgement unless you walk in someone shoes.

if i made the decision to kill someone i endure the consequences. trust me i'm not stand up citizen im a convicted felon ex-dope fiend which i have made my situation clear on here before. i changing my life right now going to treatment meetings being sober living a sober life. ive spent alot of time in the penitentiary which is not anything to be proud of but its the truth. i think you just became the new comedy king around here. so if you would please tell us how you meet good ol vinny. elaborate on your mob dealings. inquiring minds are dying to know!

Yankees127 could very well be telling the truth though. He stated a few things not many people know about. I know another guy here who did know Basciano and that guy is definitely not lying to me. These are Italian Americans living in a certain area of The Bronx. They all know each other and many of them grew up together. It's not fantasy. The Bronx does exist. However, there is nothing wrong with doubting people who claim to know a few guys, but every once in a while you come across people who really know these areas, like Throggs Neck and know details about the children of some of these individuals we discuss here. There comes a point where it becomes very difficult to doubt people who are telling the truth.

Why are you so curious how I met Vinny, if I even ever did meet vinny. That shouldn't be of any concern of yours. As far as being the new comedy king on here... I wouldnt talk not with your comments on here and the daily news papers that I get quite a laugh out of that most of the time you make no sense at all you are just showing your hostility for being in the can yourself. So who is the comedy king me or you? Yes you are right though if you made the decision to kill someone you will endure the consequences. So isn't that exactly what Vinny is doing? Because he wants to be treated halfway human while he is doing this is a problem to you? Everyone has the right especially in the country to be treated decently not under conditions that aren't even fit for a dog to live in. That is something to be made fun of? He is doing what he believes in ... he is not a rat or is he lying about others just to save his butt. You more than anyone should understand that being you have been there as you said. And it seems to me that you are the only inquiring mind that wants to know I don't see anyone else asking. You are just a hater on here and the newspaper comments... get a life

Vinny Gorgeous.... thank you .. I can appreciate you. I am telling nothing but the truth on here. He may have not been liked by certain men in his circle but I won't take away the good he did for the community. He would have given the shirt off his back to help someone and he did many times. I do personally know him and the kind of person he really is. The community does miss him.

well if your the real deal you shouldn't be affraid rather than trying to talk about about something you know nothing about. "I get quite a laugh out of that most of the time you make no sense at all you are just showing your hostility for being in the can yourself." what are you talking about? jail and opening my eyes to the life i was living was the best thing that ever happned to me. i have no resentment at all. look very forward to tell your tales of woe...........

there you go again an assumption... How do you know I am trying to talk about something I know nothing about? I am the real deal and I know exactly what I am talking about. At least I can make you laugh because you sound like your miserable. Laughter is good for the soul. Try it more often. Its good for you that you turned your life around by realizing many things. Shouldnt someone else deserve the same chance? I have no tales of woe it seems you are the one that just told some. I only state the facts. Something that you know nothing about.

Nah, listen..I understand Phat's take. It's not really ideal to come in here and say you know someone. You're gonna be attacked. Even if you're telling the truth, it's a slippery slope. Problem is, there's so many clowns in here who claim to know everyone when in fact, they don't know anybody.

As far as Basciano goes, I agree with you. He is not the monster the government says he is. Now his case has been of great interest to me for many years and I happen to have researched his case quite thoroughly. Yes, I know he did a lot of good things for the people in his neighborhood, he was well liked there and even appears to be greatly missed. You are right on all points. It's really tragic to see someone who had genuine feelings for the less fortunate and someone who had this much need to better the lives of others, throw his life away for the mafia. He could've been anything. The CEO of a Fortune 500 company if he had wanted to. It's just a real tragedy.

Ok fair enough.... I can understand what you are saying but give a person a break if they are talking some sense. Dont just jump on them like they don't know what they are talking about its natural they are going to get defensive... stop and think maybe its just possible this person knows him. Nothing wrong with that. I guess I have to understand where the comments are coming from being new on here.

And you are totally right. I agree with you completely. HE could have been anything in life he choose to be and it is sad he went this route. He was that smart. If you tell him that his answer would be "IF I was that smart I wouldn't be in here". IT is what it is unfortunately. IT is also plain to see you are following his case for a while from all your comments. I can appreciate your views and interest in it.

The fact is whatever "good" he did in the neighbourhood is offset by the drain him & his ilk are on society.
He should take what he's given & not whine about it. Then Id have more respect for him.

Oh & yankees127 you are really good at picking up sarcasm. Seriously, you are. (of course wasn't really 12. He looks it but

Whine about it? I'd love to see you do as much time as he's done in solitary. Computer tough guy .

Gee is he whining....question for you meatball, Can you do it for for 6 years , 6 days or 6 minutes under his conditons? Lets see how fast you whine.... he should be respected just for being one of the handful of guys thats not looking to save his ass by lying or ratting especially under his conditions.

By the way Mickey, Since when did he start whining? The child abuse factor is part of his defense strategy. Has he tried to better his conditions? Of course. You'd have to be a fucking moron not to. Why do you think guys like Sonny Franzese get rolled into a courtroom in a fucking wheelchair? One of the toughest guys in the history of New York City, lock, stock and barrel. The fact that Basciano's still holding it together is amazing to me. His conditions were so bad, they would've made Gotti's Marion cell look like a fucking penthouse suite. I don't think the people here have any idea what they are saying.

Great Vinny !!! .... took the words right out of my mouth !!!!I agree with you and I said it before they have no clue on here what they are talking about or what they are saying about him.

Wow Vinny, you got a little soft spot for Vinny dontcha?
Sonny Franzese never tried to blame the way he turned out on his father, nor did he blame his victims for what he did to them. Whining.
& I dont think he's holding together as well as you think. He's lost it more then once in court. You know, for some one who likes to put shit on "mob-groupies", you're really quick to jump to Basciano's defense.

Why would I ever need to? I know murder is wrong. & Computer tough guy? Thats stupid. You could say that about anyone for defending an opinion. Im sorry if it offends your sensibilities as someone in love with Basciano, but the guy does actually deserve what he gets. & honestly, do you actually know Vinny? What proof have you got that your source who "definitely is'nt lying" isn't in fact talking out his butthole? Your guarantee? In the words of Feech LaManna, it dont mean ugatz to me.

Once again, i have not spent my life as a racketeer. Therefore I dont need to serve time for being a danger to society. Vinny is. Therefore he deserves to rot in jail. Whatever the circumstances, however nice a guy he actually is, he does not deserve liberty. I stand by my own opinion, as you do yours. But lets wait until he's actually sentenced to see how stand-up he really is. Now if he's willing to die for the way he's lived, i could respect that. Really though, id like to see him roll-over if only for the eventual book we'd see.

When I think of Bascianos problems now I always remember in Anthony DeStefano's book where he details a wiretap convo between Vinny and another Bonanno where Vinny professed his undying loyalty to Massino. He was like "He is my Boss, I am living and dying with that one guy, hes my guy" something to that effect.

I also remember that lawyer (later charged) who passed messages from Massino and Vinny and when he met Vinny at a diner, he told Vinny Massino appointed him Acting Boss, Vinny was soo happy he told the lawyer to repeat the words multiple times, and he was like tell Joe "I love and miss him, I think about him everyday" and "Tell him to keep his head up, I will be waiting for him when he gets out." Obcourse we all know what Massino wound up doing in the end.

This was all in some NYPost articles from a few years back

The reason I criticized your opinions has nothing to do with my love for Vincent Basciano. I've never met him and even if you've fallen in love over the internet several times, I've personally never loved anybody I never met. However, I am a law student and that is where my interest in his case comes from. I've spent hours, days and even months going over his case files and due to that fact, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about him. You on the other hand strike me as someone who doesn't know much about him. You sound more ignorant than Basciano does on some of the tapes and that's saying a lot. The only thing I care about is the people's constitutional right to a fair trial. I don't care who you are or what your last name is. Everyone deserves a fair shot at justice, including scumbags like Vincent Basciano. I know that the guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were in awe of how tough this guy was. Most people were done after a few weeks in solitary, but he was there for four years and didn't seem to break a sweat while he was there. Sonny Franzese got his attorneys to beg the judge for leniency by saying how sick and fragile he had become. Yeah he's such a fucking whiner. Then last Novemeber, Basciano was moved to the terrorist wing in the MCC where the conditions are actually far worse than in Brooklyn. And yes, he complained to the judge, told him he was suffering from asthma and a degenerative hip disorder. Imagine that. So much for being tough .

Dude. You're the one who called Sonny one of the "toughest, lock stock & barrel" I guess you were talking about Basciano, in which case you should have made it clear.
For the record, Sonny Franzese deserves all he gets too.

Anyway, its pretty obvious you think Vinnies gorgeous. Mob-groupie indeed.

Well, you obviously didn't comprehend what I was saying. How old are you by the way? And as far as me being a mob groupie is hilarious to me. Anybody who enters a life of crime is a scumbag in my eyes and I actually hate nothing more than people like Vincent Basciano. Have you ever read my posts? Honestly? There's not a person in here who mocks these guys more than myself. You're the one who said that you lost respect for Basciano because of his "whining". Only a mob groupie would say something like that. I think it's very commendable when people express their feelings when they are down. But these guys don't seem to be doing that. They just use lawyers to make people think otherwise. As bad as these guys seem to be, they still deserve a fair trial. Even John Gotti, a man I despised with every fiber of my being did not get a fair trial. O.J. Simpson's last case is another example of a case where the process was corrupted.