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| February 10, 2000 | |
| By Jerry Capeci | |
| Jailhouse Blues | |
 Thomas Gambino is a capo in
the crime family that bears his father Carlo Gambino's name
(right )but he has never been known as a tough guy. Gambino, never charged with a violent crime, strikes so little fear in people that his stockbroker allegedly stole $2 million from him while he was jailed for racketeering and other federal charges in 1996. Today, he should be in a halfway house with one foot out of the prison door, but the warden at his facility, citing her "vast experience" in these matters, says Gambino is a danger to the community and refuses to let him go. So the college educated Gambino has taken the same route he took with his stockbroker. He filed a lawsuit against Allenwood Warden Susan Gerlinski in a Pennsylvania federal court.
Gotti, Gravano and Frank Locascio -- the Gambino family Big Three -- were charged with murders and other mob mayhem. Gambino, the man, was charged with loansharking. The feds detained Gotti, Gravano and Locascio without bail as dangers to the community, but agreed to Gambino's release on bail. He went to trial separately and was convicted. He was sentenced to five years in prison but allowed to remain free on bail pending appeal, which |
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| was ultimately denied. In
January, 1996, his lawyer Michael Rosen drove him to his designated prison, the low
security facility at Allenwood, PA. "He has been determined -- in court and out -- as anything but a danger to the community," said Rosen, citing six years of court rulings and decisions by the FBI, federal prosecutors and probation officials that support his claim.
Gambino's only got three more months before he goes home. And while the cards seem stacked against him, he's not giving up. "They're eating up the clock -- like penalty killers in a hockey game, but we're not giving up. We'll keep going to the final buzzer," said Rosen. |
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| Jailhouse Blues II | |
| Two months ago, Chris
Paciello claimed that 70 good friends were ready to step up and post oodles of cash to
bail him out so he could tend to the gala New Year's Eve parties he had planned in his new
home town -- trendy Miami Beach.
Paciello is charged with robbery and murder as a member of a murderous mob crew that operated in Brooklyn and Staten Island under Bonanno consigliere Anthony Spero (right) during the early 1990's. A month ago, the feds agreed to let Paciello out on strict house arrest conditions at his mother's home in Brooklyn if his buddies -- he dated a slew of celebrities while in Florida including Madonna and model Niki Taylor -- put up $5 million in sureties to secure a $15 million bond. The 29-point agreement called for Paciello to live with his mother until April 1, when he would be allowed to relocate to an approved location in the Sunshine State.
"Among other things, suretors have withdrawn, parcels of property have become unavailable, and adequate substitute properties have not been located," said Walden in court papers filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. Paciello's lawyer, Roy Black, countered that the government has breached its agreement by unfairly rejecting a substitute property that was offered as collateral, noting there was $7000 more equity in it than one whose owners had changed their mind about putting up their home. Even with the benefit of the $7000 misunderstanding, Paciello still seems a few million short of the $5 million he needs for his get-out-of-jail card. Perhaps he's waiting until April, when the agreement provides for him to move to Florida. The parties are scheduled to appear before Judge Edward Korman tomorrow to see if they can iron out where Paciello will reside until he goes to trial in September. |
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He claims that Gerlinski had "no rational
basis"not toput him in a halfway house on Dec. 10, six months before his mandatory
release on May 10. Gambino, who was indicted in 1990 in the same case as 
"Most importantly," said Rosen, "the unit
team at the Allenwood facility that has supervised Mr. Gambino (left) for 49 months says
he's not a danger and should be placed in a halfway house. We have challenged the warden's
ignoring reality and crediting stereotypes."
Gerlinski (right) declined to comment about her reasoning,
as did prison spokesman Scott Wolfson, noting that wardens have the ultimate discretion
"to determine if the public's safety may be jeopardized in placing an inmate in
community custody prior to an inmate's release date."
But when you're down, you're down, the 
Since Jan. 7, however, even with his
partner Ingrid Caseras (left) and her wealthy father Raul's help, Paciello, whose real
name is Ludwigsen, has raised only $1.25 million, according to assistant U.S. attorney Jim
Walden.
