Genovese capo Anthony “Big Nose” Antico, 75, today was cleared of ordering the botched robbery of his family friend, Louis Antonelli, who died after he was shot twice during a stick-up in 2008.
“He’s glad the Antonelli family will finally know that he had nothing to do with it,” said his lawyer, Mathew Mari.
It was not all good news for the gangster.
The Brooklyn federal jury found him guilty of racketeering for running an illegal gambling parlor on Sand Lane in Staten Island from 2004 to 2006 and conspiring to rob the $1 million winner of a Pick Six horse racing bet in 2008.
“It’s hard to believe that a gambling club can contribute to a RICO conviction in the 21st Century,” said his lawyer Gerald McMahon.
McMahon claimed that Antico had no clear plan to rob the horse bettor and the gambling parlor was really run by his brother, Angelo “DeDe” Antico.
Antico, who has two prior racketeering, or RICO, convictions, could get a maximum of 20 years in jail, a virtual life sentence, according to the feds.