Vinny Gorgeous just breathed a sigh of relief.
A Brooklyn federal jury handed down a sentence of life in prison to mob boss Vincent Basciano instead of the death penalty.
The jury chose the lesser penalty for the Bonanno crime family boss, who was convicted last month of ordering the murder of an insubordinate gang associate, Randy Pizzolo, in 2004, after just an hour and a half of deliberations.
The hit was put out by Basciano from his jail cell, where was already serving a life sentence for another murder.
Known as “Vinny Gorgeous” because he once owned the “Hello Gorgeous” beauty salon and is know for his immaculate coifs, Basciano smiled at jurors warmly and nodded his head at hearing the verdict.
Seconds before the jury gave him a reprieve from lethal injection, he turned to his family, smiled broadly and winked once.
Federal prosecutors had argued that Basciano deserved to die for his crime.
“Vinny Basciano is here today because of the choices he made…committing to murder as a way of life. This is a man who will not be stopped. Even with a life sentence, he will not be stopped. This is a dangerous, dangerous man. For all those reasons, he has earned the sentence of death,” Assistant US Attorney Nicole Argentieri told the jury.
The wiseguy’s defense attorneys countered that Basciano has already paid a high price for his crimes.
Defense attorney Richard Jasper said that Basciano will suffer greatly if sentenced to life in prison.
“Waking up every day, being punished, 365 days a year. Every day. Every year. Until God says, ‘It’s time to move on,'” Jasper said.
“We urge you to say ‘no’ to death.”
The trial was filled with insights into Basciano’s colorful life.
A former Bonanno capo testified that Basciano took credit for Pizzolo’s murder by flashing a news photo of the dead man’s corpse.
“You owe me one,” Basciano allegedly said, as he held up a newspaper article about the hit.
Once Basciano took control of the Bonanno crime family, he became so paranoid about the government that he ordered his underlings to stop kissing each other on the cheek, a mob associate-turned-rat testified.
“We don’t kiss in public no more,” Gambina, 42, said a suddenly bashful Basciano told him.
“The government’s taking pictures,” Giuseppe “Joey” Gambina quoted Basciano as saying during his testimony.
Basciano, meanwhile, was concerned about his dress and food during the trial.
His lawyer George Goltzer petitioned the judge for his client to have a better lunch than the “one slice of bologna” he ate one day.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis responded, “The court has consulted with the US Marshal and the marshall agrees to accept for the defendant a sandwich each day, which must be purchased at the third-floor cafeteria.”
Basciano also asked for a wider selection of neckties to wear to court each day.