Feds whack back at ping-pong mobster
MOB LIFE IS dangerous. So, apparently, is pingpong.
Colombo mob boss Thomas (Tommy Shots) Gioeli says he slipped and fell while playing the game at the Metropolitan Detention Center in 2013, fracturing his right knee.
The 65-year-old wiseguy is suing the government, claiming prison staff fell down on the job to keep the area safe. He needed an operation and physical therapy after his fall, according to court papers.
But the feds are fighting back.
In court papers filed this week, they argue that Gioeli (photo) knew about ping-pong’s perils — including chasing down errant balls near water.
“Gioeli, by playing pingpong and retrieving a ball near the showers, assumed the risk of slipping on a wet floor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevan Cleary wrote.
Gioeli was convicted of racketeering conspiracy in relation to murder plots. He is serving an almost 19-year sentence in a low-security lockup in Connecticut. A trial on liability for the injury is scheduled for next month. Gioeli’s lawyer couldn’t be reached for comment.