Memory problems plague mob witness

NEW YORK, July 15 (UPI) -- An ailing former mobster told a New York court he couldn't possibly keep count of the number of people he's killed for the United States or the mob.

George Barone, who fought for his country during World War II, says he "didn't keep a scorecard ... I'm 85 1/2. I don't remember the specifics," the New York Post reported Wednesday.

Barone made the statement during testimony at the racketeering trial of reputed Genovese capo Michael "Mickey Cigars" Coppola in Brooklyn federal court.

Barone was such a handful as a witness that the prosecutor apparently decided it wasn't worth the risk of asking him about the 1977 slaying of gangster John "Johnny Coca Cola" Landiere in New Jersey, the New York Daily News reports.

During two days of testimony that concluded Tuesday, Barone had a number of senior moments on the witness stand, the Daily News said.

"Have mercy on an old man, can't I go home?" Barone said.

Barone fingered Coppola, 63, as a key player in the Genovese outfit's control of the waterfront.