Mafia Cops drug case defense rests
Defense attorneys Shari Kaufman and Richard Schonfeld rested their cases Thursday morning in U.S. District Court without calling government informant Steven Corso to testify against drug defendants Anthony Eppolito and Guido Bravatti.
The defense had gone to substantial lengths to attempt to call Corso as a witness. But when U.S. District Judge Philip Pro denied their request to show the jury documents meant to damage his credibility, the lawyers decided against calling Corso to the stand.
The case is the last part of the "Mafia Cops" investigation to reach trial. Anthony Eppolito is the son of convicted killer Louis Eppolito, a decorated NYPD officer who, with partner Steve Caracappa, acted as hitmen for the Lucchese mob family.
The younger Eppolito and Bravatti are accused of providing undercover informant Corso with drugs.
The relatively minor drug case was important to the investigation of the Mafia Cops because it allegedly showed the ex-cops continued to commit crimes long after their retirement.
