On Sunday night at the New Brunswick, N.J. home of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, a triggerman murdered her 20-year-old son with a bullet through the heart and critically injured her defence lawyer husband.I'm reminded of a case I read about in David Yallop's famous 1984 book In God's Name about the death of Pope John Paul. In it was discussed the difference between the (1970s) American and (1970s) Italian justice systems. Michele Sindona, a Sicilian mobster and "P2" freemason (who Yallop believes was involved in the murder of John Paul I) is having some legal troubles in the good ol' US of A:
Four days before the brazen attack, the judge had been assigned to an ongoing lawsuit launched by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies.
More eyebrow raising is the allegation the bank failed to monitor some of its high-risk customers — including sex monster Jeffrey Epstein.
The first was the evidence given at the extradition proceedings by a witness named Nicola Biase. Biase was a former employee of Sindona and his evidence was deemed to be dangerous. Sindona set about making it ‘safe’. After discussing the problem with the Mafia Gambino family a small contract was put out. It was to be nothing particularly sinister. Biase, his wife, family and lawyer were to have their lives threatened. If they succumbed to the threats and Biase withdrew his evidence, the matter would rest there. If Biase refused to co-operate with the Mafia, then the Gambino family and Sindona planned to ‘review’ the situation. The review did not augur well for the continued good health of Biase. The contract for less than 1,000 dollars would be amended to a more appropriate one. The contract was given to Luigi Ronsisvalle and Bruce McDowall. Ronsisvalle is by profession a hired killer.The idea, of course, is that unlike in Sicily an American jurist being assassinated would result in billions of dollars being devoted to dedicate the entire stretch of the U.S. justice and policing systems to bring the killer to justice.
Another contract was also discussed with Ronsisvalle. The Mafia advised him that Michele Sindona required the death of Assistant United States District Attorney, John Kenney.
Nothing so clearly illustrates the mentality of Michele Sindona as the contract that was put out on John Kenney. The attorney was the chief prosecutor in the extradition hearings, the man leading the US Government’s attack on Sindona’s continued presence within the United States. Sindona reasoned that if Kenney were eliminated the problem would disappear. It would act as a warning to the Government that he, Michele Sindona, was objecting to the heat. The investigation should cease. There should be no more irritating court appearances, no more absurd attempts to get him sent back to Italy. The thought processes at work here are 100 per cent Sicilian Mafia. It is a philosophy that works again and again in Italy. It is an essential part of the Italian Solution. The authorities can be cowed, and are. Investigators replacing a murdered colleague will move very slowly. Sindona reasoned that what was effective in Palermo would work in New York.
Luigi Ronsisvalle, although a professional murderer, baulked at accepting the contract. The fee of 100,000 dollars looked good but Ronsisvalle, with a deeper appreciation of the American way of life than Sindona, did not envisage having much opportunity to spend it. If Kenney were murdered there would be waves, big ones. Ronsisvalle began to seek someone, on behalf of the Gambino family, who fancied his chances of survival after killing a district attorney.
But that was 1970s America. This is 2020. It will be interesting to see if the attack on Salas is treated by American justice the same way that Ronsisvalle presumed an attack on John Kenney would be.
