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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 19 March 2019
Suspect in mob boss hit flashes

pro-Trump slogans on hand

By WAYNE PARRY tan lawyer, Robert Gottli- lice said Cali was shot 10
Associated Press eb, who said in an emailed times.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — statement his client has Federal prosecutors re-
The man charged with kill- been placed in protec- ferred to Cali in court filings
ing the reputed boss of tive custody due to “seri- in 2014 as the underboss of
the Gambino crime fam- ous threats” that had been the Mafia’s Gambino fam-
ily wrote pro-Donald Trump made against him, but ily, once one of the coun-
slogans on his hand and gave no details of them. try’s most powerful crime
flashed them to journal- Ocean County officials organizations. News ac-
ists before a court hearing could not immediately be counts since 2015 said Cali
Monday. reached after hours on had ascended to the top
Anthony Comello, 24, was Monday. spot, though he was never
arrested Saturday in New “Mr. Comello’s family and charged with leading the
Jersey in the death of Fran- friends simply cannot be- gang. His only mob-related
cesco “Franky Boy” Cali lieve what they have been conviction came a de-
last week in front of his Stat- told,” Gottlieb said. “There cade ago, when he was
en Island home. is something very wrong sentenced to 16 months
While waiting for a court here and we will get to in prison in an extortion
hearing to begin in Toms the truth about what hap- scheme involving a failed
River, New Jersey, in which pened as quickly as pos- attempt to build a NAS-
he agreed to be extradited sible.” The statement did CAR track on Staten Island.
to New York, Comello held not address the writing on He was released in 2009
up his left hand. Comello’s hand, and a and hasn’t been in legal
On it were scrawled pro- lawyer from Gottlieb’s firm trouble since then.
Trump slogans including declined to comment fur- Police have not yet said
“MAGA Forever,” an ab- ther Monday evening. whether they believe Ca-
breviation of Trump’s cam- Comello sat with a slight li’s murder was a mob hit
paign slogan “Make Amer- smile in the jury box of the or whether he was killed for
ica Great Again.” It also courtroom Monday after- some other motive.
read “United We Stand noon as dozens of report- The last Mafia boss to be
MAGA” and “Patriots In ers and photographers rubbed out in New York
Charge.” In the center of filed into the room. When City was Gambino don
his palm he had drawn a they were in place, Com- “Big Paul” Castellano, who Anthony Comello displays writing on his hand during his
large circle. It was not im- ello held up his left hand to was assassinated in 1985.q extradition hearing in Toms River, N.J., Monday, March 18, 2019.
mediately clear why he display the writings as the Associated Press
had done so. click and whirr of camera
Comello’s lawyer, Brian lenses filled the room with
Neary, would not discuss sound.
the writing on his client’s During the hearing, Com-
hand, nor would he say ello did not speak other
whether Comello main- than to say, “Yes, sir” to the
tains his innocence. Asked judge to respond to several
by reporters after the hear- procedural questions.
ing what was on Com- Cali, 53, was shot to death
ello’s hand, Neary replied, last Wednesday by a
“Handcuffs.” gunman who may have
He referred all other ques- crashed his truck into Cali’s
tions to Comello’s Manhat- car to lure him outside. Po-