Mobster: Judge won’t treat me fairly because…
New York mob boss Vincent (”Vinny Gorgeous”) Basciano, accused of plotting to kill a prosecutor, has asked an appeals court to recuse Judge Nicholas Garaufis from his trial. His argument: Judge Garaufis might not be impartial, because of the existence of a hit list — allegedly written by Basciano — which includes as targets another prosecutor, two informants, and Judge Garaufis.
Garaufis has turned down a defense motion to recuse himself, saying he believed Basciano had written the hit list for the sole purpose of removing him from the case (a belief that the prosecution shares).
Basciano, for his part, denies having written the list at all, so all parties are agreed that no actual plot to kill the judge existed.
All this is somewhat moot anyway, since Basciano is alreday serving a life sentence for murder, attempted murder, and racketeering.