Runaway mobster planned to turn himself in after the NFL Super Bowl
A suspected mob associate accused of hiding from cops wasn’t trying to avoid arrest on federal gambling charges — he just wanted to wait until after the Super Bowl to turn himself in, his lawyer said.
Anthony "The Kid" Camisa is one of 46 suspected East Coast mobsters and associates hit with racketeering charges in early August.
While most were collared when the charges came down, Camisa was one of three who remained on the lam.
Authorities nabbed Camisa in late December — some four months after the high-profile indictment — and have since pushed for him to remain behind bars until trial.
Prosecutors have argued that his apparent disappearing act makes him a flight risk.
Camisa’s lawyer, Gerald McMahon, made a bail petition anyway. McMahon said Camisa’s rep as an alleged gambler actually shows he was absent for a “practical reason” rather than a criminal one.
McMahon argued during a Jan. 12 bail hearing that his client wanted to be available for a major event in the sports-betting world before surrendering.
“Your Honor knows that the government claims that my client has a gambling business,” McMahon said. “Without being indelicate, I think it is fair to say that my client expressed to me that he intended to surrender after the Super Bowl ... ”
“Judge, I told you what the reality is. The reality is he was going to come in after the Super Bowl,” McMahon later added at the hearing.
“If we accept the government’s allegations for purposes of this bail hearing that he is a gambler, there is a practical reason why somebody would wait until after the Super Bowl to surrender,” McMahon said.
Prosecutor Amanda Kramer, of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office, said the evidence against Camisa is “very strong” and includes recordings.
“He was basically using a website, a gambling website, and getting people to bet on that gambling website,” Kramer said. “He was then helping place bets and collecting money. The evidence bears that out.”
Kramer also said Camisa “effectively concedes, that he makes all his money through illegal gambling.” Camisa also had some $980 in cash when cops caught him that was probably from gambling, she said.
Kramer also seemed perplexed by McMahon’s Super Bowl argument.
“I don’t know that I have ever heard a defendant even propose as an explanation that he wanted to stay out of jail so that he could continue to commit the very crimes that he is charged,” she said.
Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Sullivan wound up denying bail, saying Camisa lacks judgement and shows “impulsivity and immaturity.”
McMahon told The News that Camisa maintains his innocence.
Anthony "The Kid" Camisa is one of 46 suspected East Coast mobsters and associates hit with racketeering charges in early August.
While most were collared when the charges came down, Camisa was one of three who remained on the lam.
Authorities nabbed Camisa in late December — some four months after the high-profile indictment — and have since pushed for him to remain behind bars until trial.
Prosecutors have argued that his apparent disappearing act makes him a flight risk.
Camisa’s lawyer, Gerald McMahon, made a bail petition anyway. McMahon said Camisa’s rep as an alleged gambler actually shows he was absent for a “practical reason” rather than a criminal one.
McMahon argued during a Jan. 12 bail hearing that his client wanted to be available for a major event in the sports-betting world before surrendering.
“Your Honor knows that the government claims that my client has a gambling business,” McMahon said. “Without being indelicate, I think it is fair to say that my client expressed to me that he intended to surrender after the Super Bowl ... ”
“Judge, I told you what the reality is. The reality is he was going to come in after the Super Bowl,” McMahon later added at the hearing.
“If we accept the government’s allegations for purposes of this bail hearing that he is a gambler, there is a practical reason why somebody would wait until after the Super Bowl to surrender,” McMahon said.
Prosecutor Amanda Kramer, of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office, said the evidence against Camisa is “very strong” and includes recordings.
“He was basically using a website, a gambling website, and getting people to bet on that gambling website,” Kramer said. “He was then helping place bets and collecting money. The evidence bears that out.”
Kramer also said Camisa “effectively concedes, that he makes all his money through illegal gambling.” Camisa also had some $980 in cash when cops caught him that was probably from gambling, she said.
Kramer also seemed perplexed by McMahon’s Super Bowl argument.
“I don’t know that I have ever heard a defendant even propose as an explanation that he wanted to stay out of jail so that he could continue to commit the very crimes that he is charged,” she said.
Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Sullivan wound up denying bail, saying Camisa lacks judgement and shows “impulsivity and immaturity.”
McMahon told The News that Camisa maintains his innocence.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mobster-wanted-wait-super-bowl-turn-article-1.2959311
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