Death of Vinny Gorgeous pal Robert Van Zandt Jr. was not suicide: widow

John Marzulli, NY Daily News

A buddy of ex-Bonanno family boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano was found floating in his family pool with a bullet to the brain - and his wife says it wasn't self-inflicted.

Ex-con Robert Van Zandt Jr., 44, was Basciano's partner and "moneyman" in a Bronx construction company. His body was discovered by his wife on Sept. 6 at his Scarsdale home.

"I strongly believe it was not suicide," widow Kimmarie Van Zandt said Wednesday.

"I loved my husband 110% with all my heart, and there's no way he would have done this to himself without reaching out to me one last time to say goodbye," she said. There was no suicide note, she added. Asked if her husband had enemies, she responded, "No comment."

Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack of the Yonkers Police Department said the death remains an "open investigation."

"It's possibly a suicide, but we're not ruling out anything," said McCormack, whose department is heading the probe.

Several experienced homicide investigators queried by the Daily News said they had never heard of someone committing suicide with a handgun in a swimming pool.

Kimmarie Van Zandt said she has "no idea" about the origin of the gun recovered from the inground pool.

Basciano's recent trial for the murder of mob associate Randolph Pizzolo was peppered with references to Robert Van Zandt.

There was testimony that Robert Van Zandt had complained to the gangster that Pizzolo was ripping him off on a construction job.

Basciano was convicted of ordering Pizzolo's murder, in part because he botched the work on the job.

Robert Van Zandt served time for mail fraud and reached out to the Bonannos for help when he had a beef in prison.

"He owed some people money for gambling in jail ... He told me he was around Vinny so I straightened it out for him," testified Generoso Barbieri, a former Bonanno soldier in Basciano's crew.

Robert Van Zandt, married and the father of two children, had filed for bankruptcy in 2005, claiming he was $3 million in debt.

jmarzulli@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime...l#ixzz1Y2NQCK2P

Thanks for posting.

Interesting post. Was he possibly "suicide-ed", so to speak?

I'll bet being 'with Vinny Gorgeous' doesn't carry as much clout as it used to considering he's never coming back. Whatever pass he received back then was obviously revoked.

suicide or mob hit?

interesting this guy dies and vinny was just recently given another life sentence...maybe a message... idk

So, was it suicide or was he "jockoed?"

How dumb are the Bonannos? (in this regard)

They didn't realize that any criminal activity related to Vinny will have the feds all over it? That historically speaking, in this decade, you're going to get indicted 4 years later? We'll find out what happened, easy. And from there we'll know the true administration at the time.

Smart kid, BarrettM. Smart kid .

Thanks man. I hope to make a career out of this some day.

the next Jerry Capeci or as a lawyer?

Federal Agent hopefully.

Salud to you man.

Forever Bothering Italians

Federal Agent hopefully. [/quote]

kudos to you, i hope to work for the feds as well in a diff agency tho doing diff stuff

i thought the mob doesn't kill anymore ?? lol