A known associate of the Gambino crime family was convicted by a federal jury in the case of the robbery and murder of a Brooklyn man.
Anthony Pandrella was convicted of all three counts of his indictment, charging him the Hobba Act robbery, unlawful use of a firearm and the murder of 77-year-old Vincent Zito, according to a June 14 Department of Justice news release. Pandrella faces life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 10 years.
“Today’s verdict has found that the defendant is a cold-blooded killer who shot his elderly friend in his home, execution-style with a bullet in the back of the head, to avoid returning a large sum of money he was holding for the victim," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in the release. "In addition to the brutal betrayal, the defendant also robbed luxury watches from the victim’s loan business. I commend the FBI special agents and the NYPD detectives who solved the case and brought Pandrella to justice.”
According to the release, Pandrella traveled to Zito's home and shot him in the back of the head for asking Pandrella to return $750,000 back that Zito had given him. Pandrella and Zito had reportedly been friends for more than 30 years. Pandrella also took several high-value watches from the home and was captured on camera entering and leaving the home.
“Today’s conviction underscores that no one – including associates of organized crime – is above the law," Keechant Sewell, commissioner for the New York City Police Department, said in the release. "Because of the outstanding work of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District and our law enforcement partners at the FBI, this defendant’s callous disregard for human life will not go unanswered. I thank and commend everyone who worked on this case and helped us hold this violent criminal accountable for his actions.”
