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Toms River, N.J. – The man accused of killing the well-known leader of the Gambino criminal family wrote slogans for Donald Trump and presented them to reporters before a court hearing on Monday.
Anthony Comello, 24, was arrested Saturday in New Jersey after Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali was shot dead last week outside his home in Staten Island.
While waiting for the start of a court hearing in Toms River, New Jersey, during which he agreed to be extradited to New York, Comello raised his left hand.
There were pro-Trump slogans such as "MAGA Forever" – an abbreviation of Mr. Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. It also read "United We Stand MAGA" and "Patriots In Charge". In the center of his palm he had drawn a large circle. We did not know right away why he did it.
Seth Wenig / AP
Comello's lawyer, Brian Neary, would not discuss writing on his client's hand and would not say if Comello maintains his innocence. After the audience, interviewed by reporters about the content of Comello's hand, Neary replied "Handcuffs".
He referred all other questions to Comello's attorney in Manhattan, Robert Gottlieb, who stated in an e-mail statement that his client had been placed in pre-trial detention because of "serious threats" that had been made against him, without providing any details about them. Ocean County officials could not be immediately reached after working hours on Monday.
"The family and friends of Mr. Comello just can not believe what we told them," Gottlieb said. "There is something very wrong here and we will know the truth about what happened as quickly as possible."
The statement did not deal with writing on Comello's hand and a lawyer from Gottlieb's firm declined to comment Monday night.
Comello was sitting with a slight smile in the jury panel Monday afternoon as dozens of journalists and photographers arrived. When they were in place, Comello raised his left hand to display the writings as the click and the roar of the camera lenses filled the room with his.
During the hearing, Comello did not say anything other than "Yes, sir" to the judge for it to answer several procedural questions.
Cali, 53, was shot dead last Wednesday by an armed man who may have crashed his truck into Cali's car to lure him outside. Police said Cali had been shot 10 times.
Federal prosecutors referred to Cali during his hearings in 2014 as a leader of the Gambino family of the mafia, which was one of the country's most powerful criminal organizations. Press accounts since 2015 have indicated that Cali had risen to the forefront, although he has never been accused of leading the gang.
His only sentence in relation to the crowd came a decade ago, when he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for extortion and unsuccessful attempt to build a NASCAR track on Staten Island. He was released in 2009 and has had no legal problems since.
The police have not yet said whether she thought the killing of Cali was a blow by the crowd or whether he had been killed for another motive.
In private, police sources told CBS New York that it appeared that Comello had acted alone, angry that Cali did not want him to come out with his niece, but publicly, the New York Police Department said nothing was hidden.
"Let me repeat it, it's far from over," said Saturday the chief of detectives of the New York Police Department, Dermont Shea.
"I do not think this man acted alone," former FBI agent and organized crime expert David Shapiro told CBS New York. "I would be shocked if no material assistance was provided elsewhere."
When asked if filming could have been planned with other people, Shapiro echoed the concerns expressed by NYPD investigators.
"I think it's a strong possibility," he said.
Police sources said Comello was a sensual man and a marijuana user who had a crush on the victim's niece. He was angry that Cali had told him that he was not good enough for her.
The last mafia leader to be eliminated in New York was Gambino don "Big Paul" Castellano, murdered in 1985.
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