There are hundreds of prisons across the country housing thousands, if not millions of criminals for crimes they have been convicted of committing. Some of those criminals are appealing the ruling on their case, which could include life in prison, a shorter term, or the death penalty depending on the state they where they are serving time. The appeals could have been started because the criminal feels he or she received too strong of a sentence, he or she truly did not commit the crime, or he or she feels that their health is in jeopardy while spending time in prison. One such criminal, Thomas “Tommy Shots” Gioeli, is complaining about being in prison and that it is bad for his overall health.
Gioeli is a convicted mob killer who is spending time in a Brooklyn lockup. He appeared before a Brooklyn Federal Court judge with a long list of complaints about where he is spending time in prison and how bad it is for his health. The first complaint on his list is that he needs a toenail clipper because his toenails are so long and dirty. A toenail clipper is not allowed where Gioeli is being held because he is being held in solitary confinement, where sharp items are not permitted. Authorities believe that Gioeli is the acting head of the Colombo crime family. The other complaint registered by Gioeli is that his only eating utensil is a spoon, since sharp objects are not permitted in solitary confinement, he is not allowed to have a fork or knife.
The defense lawyer for Gioeli, Adam Perlmutter, said that Gioeli has taken a stand against eating certain foods while in prison because he cannot cut them. Gioeli does not want to run the risk of choking on uncut food and possibly die. Gioeli suffers from a broken dental bridge, which gives him trouble swallowing food that is not cut properly. Gioeli is also complaining about the menu being served to him. The prison is giving him rice and French fries with his hamburgers, which does not seem to be a problem in most cases, but this is not most cases. Gioeli has diabetes, and rice and French fries, or other starches, should not be consumed often.
Gioeli is having trouble cleaning himself since being moved to solitary confinement, which was done to protect him from a death threat phoned into the prison, because he is only given a Styrofoam cup with disinfectant and three sheets of paper towels. Gioeli also has a heart condition, which is not being cared for properly along with the diabetes while he is in prison. The judge Gioeli spoke to is considering releasing him on bail if the feds do not come back with a status report on his situation within the next handful of weeks. Gioeli has been charged with the killings of Frank “Chestnut” Marasa, John Minerva, Michael Imbergamo, Richard Greaves and former Colombo family underboss William “Wild Bill” Cutolo. All of the killings took place between 1991 and 1995.