Thomas Anzalone, Alleged Gambino Crime Family Associate, Denied Bail by Judge

One of seven people charged by federal authorities with racketeering conspiracy and other illegal activities associated with organized crime on Long Island was denied bail in federal court.

Thomas Anzalone, 44, from Queens, an alleged associate of the Gambino crime family, was remanded back into custody after U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Feuerstein rejected a bail package offered by his attorney Jesse Siegel, of Manhattan.

Family and friends agreed to put up their homes and property to ensure he’d return to court, said Siegel, who also proposed that Anzalone wear an ankle bracelet as part of home confinement. But prosecutors argued the violent nature of his crimes as a loan shark, along with the discovery of a cache of weapons at his home made him dangerous.

“I have to say I can’t imagine any conditions that would protect the community,” Feuerstein said.

Authorities found rifles and a revolver inside Anzalone’s home Dec. 12, a discovery that they said will lead to an escalation of charges. That prompted Feuerstein to conclude that “the risk of flight becomes more of a possibility.”

Anzalone’s family as well as his attorney declined to comment.

Anzalone was one of seven alleged members and associates of the Gambino and Bonanno crime families arrested Dec. 12. Federal prosecutors said they ran gambling, loan sharking, drugs and other operations from January 2014 to December 2017.

Thanks to Mark Morales.