Mobsters and associates released from prison and placed on home confinement in New Jersey due to the Covid19 pandemic are now requesting more of that home cooking they’ve enjoyed since the outbreak three months ago.
Marco Laracca, the attorney for Genovese Crime Family associate Robert Spagnola, says after he filed a lawsuit against the NJ Department of Corrections last week seeking an extension after not receiving any word from the DOC on whether the extension would be granted. The original furlough was set to expire June 14th.
Days later, his client was granted an extension by the NJ DOC to his original 30-day Covid19 furlough for medical reasons.
The move came after the 72 yr old Spagnola’s attorney sued the state to extend the furlough claiming a return to prison could mean a death sentence for Spagnola, who was serving five years on a loansharking case along with four others.
Laracca told Mobtalksitdown.com Spagnola was released from prison on the Covid19 furlough back on May 16th. He’s been carefully monitored while continuing to serve his sentence at his Marlboro Township home in Monmouth County.
Laracca said he argued in his lawsuit that the Department of Corrections had to extend Spagnola’s furlough another 30 days after Governor Phil Murphy extended the corona virus health sanctions through mid July. The governor made over 2,000 inmates eligible for temporary furloughs back in May. Only around 400 have been released so far.
Laracca said Spagnola was originally furloughed because of his age and underlying medical conditions.
The Department of Corrections reports over 2,000 inmates and more than 700 employees tested positive for the corona virus.
Laracca said Spagnola and four others plead guilty in a loansharking, money laundering and gambling scheme that investigators said generated millions of dollars for the Genovese Crime Family out of New York.
Spagnola is eligible to apply for parole at the end of the year, according to Laracca.
Laracca believes only the governor, not the DOC, can deny a furlough extension under his executive order. He says he expects other inmates, including some of Spagnola’s co-defendants to pursue 30-day furlough extensions on the same grounds.
Laracca filed his lawsuit in civil court in Morris County.
“We are thrilled to have learned that the NJ DOC extended Robert’s medical furlough an additional 30 days on their volition out of concern for his health,” Laracca told Mobtalksitdown.com this week. “Although we filed the lawsuit, the issue has now become moot.”
