LOS ANGELES : New Drug Trial Denied for Reputed Mafia Figure
A federal judge Monday denied a new drug trial for former Malibu restaurateur Ronald A. Lorenzo, a reputed member of the Bonanno Mafia family.
Lorenzo was convicted on a single conspiracy count in October after a two-week trial that featured defense testimony by actor James Caan, who said he was Lorenzo’s best friend.
U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian denied the motion by defense attorney Gerald V. Scotti, who argued that Lorenzo was entrapped into a 1989 cocaine deal by a government informant. Scotti, who has said that he intends to appeal the conviction, contended in his motion that the judge improperly instructed the jury before its deliberations.
Sentencing for Lorenzo, 46, who ran Splash restaurant in Malibu, is scheduled Feb. 8.
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