An elderly Genovese mobster accused of stabbing a Manhattan steakhouse owner as part of an extortion plot didn’t do it to collect a gambling debt — but because the victim called him a “damned Italian” with “no balls,” his attorney claimed at the start of a trial Wednesday.
Anthony “Rom” Romanello, 86, an alleged capo in the Genovese crime family, was only defending his dignity after restaurateur Shuqeri “Bruno” Selimaj insulted him — and he also “punched like a girl,” defense attorney Jerry McMahon told a jury in Brooklyn federal court.
“He didn’t punch Bruno to collect a gambling debt,” McMahon said during his opening statement. “Bruno told him that he was a deluded Italian, that he had no balls, that he was nothing.”
“He punched him, the 86-year-old man sitting there, he punched him because Bruno insulted him to his face.”
The old sage and an alleged accomplice, the notorious Genovese soldier Joseph Celso, was tried on two counts of extortion after allegedly being enlisted by a bookie and wannabe Queens actor to collect an $86,000 gambling debt owed by two Selimaj brothers.
Taking the stand later Wednesday, Selimaj described how Romanello had been visiting him at Lincoln Square Steak since it closed on May 11, 2017 – and became angry after Selimaj told him he was only willing to pay his nephew’s share of the debt, and not his nephew’s sister-in-law.
Anthony Romanello is accused of punching a restaurateur in the face to demand he pay an $86,000 debt owed by his relatives. Gabriella Bass
“Rom kept saying, ‘I want to punch you’ … I said, ‘You don’t have the guts to punch me,'” Selimaj told jurors.
“A few seconds later, he punched me.”
Prosecutors played a video of the right-handed jab to Selimaj’s jaw for the jury during testimony.
After passing out, Selimaj tells Romanello that there are security cameras in the establishment, prompting the long-time alleged mafioso to break out with his crew.
Selimaj filed a police report that night — but she ended up withdrawing the report within 24 hours because her brother had delivered threatening messages from Celso that it was a bad idea to pursue the complaint, she testified.
In a written statement with the NYPD, Selimaj retracted, claiming Romanello had “a few drinks” during the confrontation and that the two had known each other for 30 years.
Romanello’s attorney said the hit had nothing to do with gambling debts. Gabriella Bass
“So it was a misunderstanding between me and him. I don’t think he wants to do that,” wrote Selimaj.
But in the stand, Selimaj said that the recall was “not true.”
“I’m afraid this mafia guy will hurt me, [hurt] my nephew,” he testified.
During cross-examination from McMahon, jurors were read a transcript of a voicemail Selimaj left Romanello after the beating — in which he taunted and swore at the mob.
“Why don’t you come suck my d—k, you motherf—ker. This is Bruno,” Selimaj allegedly said.
Selimaj told jurors he did not remember leaving the message.
McMahon, in his opening statement, warned jurors that prosecutors will try to paint Romanello as delivering a punch to Selimaj’s face like 1950s American boxing legend “Rocky Marciano” — adding, “people who have seen the video will say my client punched like a girl.”
The meeting took place while Romanello was a weekly guest at Selimaj’s restaurant, where the smart accused would spend more than $1,000 on each dinner, McMahon said.
But Brooklyn federal prosecutor Rebecca Schuman told jurors that Selimaj knew that siding with his patron would not end well.
“Bruno knew that crossing Romanello could have real consequences – violent consequences,” he said.
Joseph Celso is on trial with Romanello and is accused of threatening the restaurant into dropping a complaint he filed with police after Romanello shoved him. Gabriella Bass
Prosecutors explained to jurors how Celso, who also faces an obstruction of justice count, allegedly sent threats to Selimaj to drop a police report, saying “things could get worse” if he didn’t comply.
Selimaj relented, retracted the police report and paid his nephew’s $6,000 debt, and $80,000 owed by his nephew’s brother-in-law, to Genovese associate and Albanian movie star Luan Bexheti, Schuman said.
Celso’s lawyer, Gerrard Marrone, told the jury his client was not involved in any extortion scheme.
“He didn’t threaten anybody, certainly didn’t punch anybody,” Marrone said. “My client is not involved in the drama.”
Selimaj, who was the first witness called by prosecutors, told jurors that he had a visit in March 2017 from Irish bookie Mike Regan, informing him of his brother’s debts and the dropped names of Romanello and Anthony “Tough Tony” Federici.
Shuqeri “Bruno” Selimaj is a restaurateur. Gabriella Bass
He took it as Regan “was going to use his muscle against me” if the debt wasn’t settled, Selimaj, the owner of Club A Steakhouse, testified.
Then a few weeks later, Celso, Romanello and the others came to the restaurant again and Romanello shouted at Selimaj, demanding the money.
“I was scared because no one was joking with the Mafia,” Selimaj testified. “It’s not a joke.”
“I hope they will pay the debt because if they don’t pay the debt, they will be killed,” Selimaj said of his nieces and nephews.
“Rom told me Tony [Federici] say hello and he will come visit you,” Selimaj recounted of the thinly veiled threat.
Romanello and Celso were allegedly enlisted for an extortion scheme by Luan Bexheti. William Farrington
Romanello has beaten extortion cases before – he was acquitted more than a decade ago in the same court where he was standing trial.
Celso was acquitted in the murder trial in 1993 after the main witness left the country.
He is accused in the 1991 murder of Manuel Mayi, 19, a Queens College student from the Dominican Republic.
Mayi was chased 16 blocks and beaten to death by a group of nearly a dozen people after they saw him spraying graffiti in Corona.
Bexheti, who starred in a movie called “Albanian Gangster,” pleaded guilty in the ongoing case on Oct. 4.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
