Little compassion for US inmates with organized crime ties seeking release

In spite of advanced disease and the threat of Covid, judges' mercy tends to stop short of aging dons and gangsters

Tommy Shots" Gioeli was once a powerful and feared figure as he plotted hits as a reputed leader of the Colombo crime family. Now, at 69, Gioeli is imprisoned and sick, unsuccessfully pleading for mercy as two cancers attack his body.

Like many other federal prisoners, Gioeli asked a judge to grant compassionate release, a term which effectively means early release from incarceration for factors such as illness or advanced age.