-A former beauty salon owner known within the Mafia as Vinny Gorgeous has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2001 killing of one of his gangland rivals, federal prosecutors said.
A Brooklyn jury convicted Vincent Basciano in 2006 of racketeering, attempted murder and gambling, but deadlocked over a murder charge in the slaying of Frank Santoro.
After a retrial, Basciano was convicted of the murder charge in July 2007.
Basciano, who once owned the Hello Gorgeous salon, used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill Santoro because he believed Santoro wanted to kidnap one of his sons, prosecutors said.
One of Basciano's lawyers, Ephraim Savitt, did not return a telephone message seeking comment Monday evening. However, the lawyers have said prosecutors built the case on untruthful testimony by mob turncoats.
Basciano became the acting boss of the Bonanno organized crime family after the arrest of Joseph Massino.
Massino was sentenced in 2005 to life in prison for orchestrating murders, racketeering and other crimes over a 25-year period. He avoided a possible death sentence by providing to the government evidence against Basciano and other mobsters.
While imprisoned together, Massino secretly recorded Basciano discussing a plot to kill a prosecutor, resulting in new charges against Basciano, authorities said. If convicted in that upcoming trial, Basciano could face the death penalty
A Brooklyn jury convicted Vincent Basciano in 2006 of racketeering, attempted murder and gambling, but deadlocked over a murder charge in the slaying of Frank Santoro.
After a retrial, Basciano was convicted of the murder charge in July 2007.
Basciano, who once owned the Hello Gorgeous salon, used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill Santoro because he believed Santoro wanted to kidnap one of his sons, prosecutors said.
One of Basciano's lawyers, Ephraim Savitt, did not return a telephone message seeking comment Monday evening. However, the lawyers have said prosecutors built the case on untruthful testimony by mob turncoats.
Basciano became the acting boss of the Bonanno organized crime family after the arrest of Joseph Massino.
Massino was sentenced in 2005 to life in prison for orchestrating murders, racketeering and other crimes over a 25-year period. He avoided a possible death sentence by providing to the government evidence against Basciano and other mobsters.
While imprisoned together, Massino secretly recorded Basciano discussing a plot to kill a prosecutor, resulting in new charges against Basciano, authorities said. If convicted in that upcoming trial, Basciano could face the death penalty
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