Vinny Gorgeous gets moved out of Supermax prison for good behavior
Vinny’s got gorgeous new digs.
Better than the hellhole Supermax prison in Colorado, that is, where ex-Bonanno crime boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano had been rotting since 2011 after he was convicted of racketeering and murder.
Basciano, 55, was recently sprung from the most infamous jail in the nation to a high-security facility located on the same 31-acre compound in Florence, Colo., the Daily News has learned. The exact date of the transfer is unclear.
The flamboyant mobster was caged at the Supermax in 2011, after he was convicted of ordering a mob murder, because he was also suspected of drawing up a hit list while awaiting a separate racketeering and murder trial that included Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, a federal prosecutor and cooperating witnesses. He was convicted in the second trial, but never officially charged with drawing up the hit list.
Now, the special administration measures ordered by the attorney general that kept Basciano in almost total isolation in the prison’s notorious “H Block” are history. So is the 23-hour-a-day confinement to a cell.
The Bureau of Prisons did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Basciano’s appellate lawyer, but sources said he apparently graduated from a Supermax “step-down program,” which rewards inmates for good behavior with a transfer to a less-restrictive jail.
“Inmates who continue to demonstrate positive institutional adjustment for 12 months are referred for transfer to another facility,” according to documents on the bureau website.
The Supermax in Florence, Colo., holds Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski, shoe bomber Richard Reid and the so-called 20th 9/11 hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui.
Not everyone is eligible. Basciano has bade farewell to the terrorists Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski, shoe bomber Richard Reid and the so-called 20th hijacker of 9/11, Zacarias Moussaoui, who are all lifers at Supermax because they are deemed to be so dangerous.
Basciano can say hello to new neighbors at Florence High Security, such as Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, who murdered at least 49 women, and would-be terrorist Walli Mujahidh, who was convicted of plotting to attack a military base.
Florence High Security is a penitentiary for nearly 700 inmates and features a soccer field, a softball field and an outdoor area to worship, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. The jail is rimmed by 3,000 feet of fencing and razor wire.
Basciano had been kept in almost total isolation at the Supermax, spending most of each day confined to his cell.
Although Basciano will be able to mingle with other inmates, room with a bunkmate and play sports, Florence High is no walk in the park, said prison expert Cheri Nolan.
“It’s still very tough time,” Nolan told The News. “But there’s nothing else in the U.S. like Supermax.”
If Basciano stays out of trouble, the next step could be a ticket out of Colorado and to a penitentiary closer to his family in the Bronx.
Basciano is serving two life sentences and will only leave prison for good in a body bag.
Better than the hellhole Supermax prison in Colorado, that is, where ex-Bonanno crime boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano had been rotting since 2011 after he was convicted of racketeering and murder.
Basciano, 55, was recently sprung from the most infamous jail in the nation to a high-security facility located on the same 31-acre compound in Florence, Colo., the Daily News has learned. The exact date of the transfer is unclear.
The flamboyant mobster was caged at the Supermax in 2011, after he was convicted of ordering a mob murder, because he was also suspected of drawing up a hit list while awaiting a separate racketeering and murder trial that included Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, a federal prosecutor and cooperating witnesses. He was convicted in the second trial, but never officially charged with drawing up the hit list.
Now, the special administration measures ordered by the attorney general that kept Basciano in almost total isolation in the prison’s notorious “H Block” are history. So is the 23-hour-a-day confinement to a cell.
The Bureau of Prisons did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Basciano’s appellate lawyer, but sources said he apparently graduated from a Supermax “step-down program,” which rewards inmates for good behavior with a transfer to a less-restrictive jail.
“Inmates who continue to demonstrate positive institutional adjustment for 12 months are referred for transfer to another facility,” according to documents on the bureau website.
The Supermax in Florence, Colo., holds Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski, shoe bomber Richard Reid and the so-called 20th 9/11 hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui.
Not everyone is eligible. Basciano has bade farewell to the terrorists Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski, shoe bomber Richard Reid and the so-called 20th hijacker of 9/11, Zacarias Moussaoui, who are all lifers at Supermax because they are deemed to be so dangerous.
Basciano can say hello to new neighbors at Florence High Security, such as Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, who murdered at least 49 women, and would-be terrorist Walli Mujahidh, who was convicted of plotting to attack a military base.
Florence High Security is a penitentiary for nearly 700 inmates and features a soccer field, a softball field and an outdoor area to worship, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. The jail is rimmed by 3,000 feet of fencing and razor wire.
Basciano had been kept in almost total isolation at the Supermax, spending most of each day confined to his cell.
Although Basciano will be able to mingle with other inmates, room with a bunkmate and play sports, Florence High is no walk in the park, said prison expert Cheri Nolan.
“It’s still very tough time,” Nolan told The News. “But there’s nothing else in the U.S. like Supermax.”
If Basciano stays out of trouble, the next step could be a ticket out of Colorado and to a penitentiary closer to his family in the Bronx.
Basciano is serving two life sentences and will only leave prison for good in a body bag.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/exclusive-mobster-rewarded-move-colo-supermax-article-1.2335280
0 comments:
Post a Comment