Bonanno mob boss Vincent "Vinny TV" Badalamenti's Brooklyn bagel shop being sued by disabled woman
A disabled woman suing the owner of a Brooklyn bagel shop may have bitten off more than she can chew.
Maryann Santiago has filed a lawsuit accusing Bagels Plus in Bensonhurst of multiple violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The shop’s owner, Vincent "Vinny TV" Badalamenti, also happens to be the reputed boss of the Bonanno crime family.
His nickname stems from an appliance store he used to own in Brooklyn.
Santiago, 41, describes herself as an amputee who uses a wheelchair, according to the complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
“The plaintiff personally visited (Badalamenti’s) property, but was denied full and equal access to, and full enjoyment of, the facilities,” the complaint states.
It’s not clear when Santiago visited, but if it was last week Badalamenti couldn’t have been there — he was arrested Jan. 27 by FBI and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents on racketeering charges and was ordered held without bail.
Santiago seemed surprised when she was informed by the Daily News that Badalamenti is a big-time gangster. “I don’t know who he is,” she conceded.
Badalamenti owns several properties, but federal prosecutors say his primary job is running the crime family and supervising its illicit activities from a Bensonhurst social club.
Santiago’s beef is with what she terms Badalamenti’s blatant disregard for the federal anti-discrimination law.
The step at the front entrance of the bagel shop is an “insurmountable barrier” to anyone in a wheelchair, and the sales and deli counters are not in compliance with the law, according to the suit.
The heights of the eating counter, cash register, scale and display case are also too high, according to the suit, which adds that the shop lacks a securely attached carpet and handicapped-accessible ATM.
Badalamenti’s criminal defense lawyer Ronald Fischetti, whose immediate concern is getting his client sprung on bail, said he was unaware of the suit and had no comment.
Santiago is demanding $500 and a court order requiring Badalamenti to make corrections. Her Florida-based lawyer is seeking potentially more costly legal fees from the reputed crime boss.
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