NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A Mafia killer came out of two closets in a New York courtroom, admitting and renouncing his membership in La Cosa Nostra and saying he is gay.
After Robert Mormando's unprecedented admissions Monday, a federal judge in Brooklyn sentenced him to time served, the New York Daily News reported. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein seemed more surprised by Mormando's decision to withdraw the oath he swore when he joined the mob than by his openness about his sexual orientation.
"That's the first time I've heard this in court," said Weinstein, a judge for more than four decades. "I've asked many Mafia members and they've always refused."
Investigators say Mormando provided information about the 2003 killing of a bagel baker. Vincent Gotti, brother of the late "Dapper Don" John Gotti, allegedly wanted Angelo Mugnolo killed because he believed the baker was having an affair with his wife. Gotti and two others pleaded guilty last year.
Nancy Ennis, Mormando's lawyer, said he was recruited for the hit a month after joining the mob and found he could not live with killing. Mormando, 44, divorced with two children, is sharing a "peaceful working life" with his gay partner, she said.
