Photo: Gerardo Antoniello was gunned down defending his father during a botched Ozone Park home invasion in 2009. File Photo.
Two of the men involved in the 2009 botched home invasion that resulted in the murder of a beloved Ozone Park native pleaded guilty this week to robbery charges in connection with the homicide that rocked a community, according to Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Both Antoine Burroughs and Leon Whitfield on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of robbery conspiracy and one count of attempted robbery. They are scheduled to be sentenced on July 29.
According to the indictment and plea deals, Burroughs and Whitfield were hired in 2009 by reputed mob associate Frank LaCorte for a home invasion. On Sept. 9, Burroughs and Whitfield attempted to rob Bartolomeo Antoniello, who at the time owned Romeo’s pizzeria, at his home in Ozone Park. The duo, according to Bharara, was targeting the cash proceeds of the Cross Bay Boulevard pizza shop.
Gerardo Antoniello, Bartolomeo’s son, was home at the time, and attempted to protect his father. Burroughs and Whitfield brutally beat and pistol-whipped the father and son, with Bartolomeo sustaining serious injuries. During the struggle, Burroughs shot Gerardo, 29, in the head. He would succumb to his injuries later at the hospital.
As a part of their deals, Burroughs admitted to pulling the trigger, and Whitfield admitted that he carried a fake gun during the robbery and that Burroughs shot and killed Antoniello.
LaCorte was sentenced in 2012 to 50 years to life in prison for his role in the Antoniello home invasion and three other robberies.
“At the direction of an associate of the Gambino Crime Family, Antoine Burroughs and Leon Whitfield targeted and attempted to rob a Queens pizza shop owner in his home, and then brutally murdered his son as he tried to protect his father,” Bharara added. “With [Monday’s] pleas, the perpetrators of this crime will be held accountable.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
