MAFIA HITMAN COMES OUT IN COURT
News by Chris Brocklebank on October 21, 2009 at 10:18 amA would-be hitman for the Mafia announced in a New York court yesterday that he was gay. Robert Mormando, 44, a divorced father of two, was in court to be sentenced for the attempted murder of Angelo Mugnolo, the owner of a bagel shop in the borough of Queens back in 2002.
Mormando’s lawyer, Nancy Ennis, said that following the murder, her client had renounced the blood oath required upon joining the mob and had been forced into hiding. She added that he had joined Cosa Nostra a month before carrying out the botched shooting, an act he apparently found “disagreeable” and which led to his abandoning a life of crime for that of a government informant and a “peaceful working life” with his partner in a different part of the country. Vincent Gotti, the brother of infamous late Mob boss John Gotti, is serving eight years for allegedly ordering the would-be hit on the baker, who he suspected of fooling around with his wife.
Judge Jack Weinstein was suprised to be told that Mormando had already willingly renounced his blood oath. Weinstein said that he had asked many Mafia members to do so before, but Mormando was the first to readily agree. Ennis told the court that her client had been “… summoned to perform an act that he found totally unacceptable afterward. He did follow through, but he found the incident to be so disagreeable shortly after that he started having strong thoughts about leaving the mob.”
Mormando himself told the Judge Weinstein that he had been seduced by the image and lifestyle of mobsters as a younger man, but was now regretful of following his youthful desires.
The Mafia has no specific rules prohibiting homosexuality among its ranks, but is not tolerant of the lifestyle. Back in 1992, head of the De Cavalcante family, John D’Amato, was murdered on suspicion of being gay. His body has never been found.
Mormando was sentenced to time already served since 2003 – which was no time at all. He was facing up to 17 years in prison.
Tags: Cosa Nostra, gay hitman, John D'Amato, Mafia, new york, Robert Mormando
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