‘Mob Errand Boy’ Who Became Witness Can Practice Law Again

  • Thomas Lee’s testimony helped put away Bonanno family boss
  • Lawyer’s second act highlights diminished threat of N.Y. mob
Color image of a hammer in a courtroom.Source: bizoo_n/Getty Images
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If this were a movie, former mob lawyer Thomas Lee would have long ago vanished into a witness protection program. Or someplace worse.

Instead, Lee was reinstated to the New York bar in July, some 16 years after he pleaded guilty to serving as a messenger for the Bonanno crime family and subsequently testified against acting boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, who received two life sentences.