LOCKPORT —
The man called “John the Bookie” showed no remorse as he stood in Niagara County Court on Wednesday morning, wearing an orange jailhouse jumpsuit.
Instead, John Baldassara stood with a cocky sneer and waited to hear his sentence from County Court Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas. The Lewiston man had pleaded guilty in August to a charge of attempted second-degree assault in connection with a vicious attack on another man on the patio of a Niagara Street bar in July 2010.
On Tuesday, Falls City Court Judge Robert Marino sentenced Baldassara to one year in the Niagara County Jail for his guilty plea to a charge of third-degree assault for his role in another bar attack in January. That was part of a plea deal worked out with Niagara County prosecutors.
“Your honor committed to this plea on the condition that (Baldassara) plead guilty (to the City Court charge) and that has taken place,” District Attorney Michael Violante told Farkas. “We now move this court for sentencing.”
When Farkas asked Baldassara’s defense attorney. Herbert Greenman, what he had to say on his client’s behalf, he said nothing.
“(Baldassara) has asked me not to say anything further than to ask you to sentence him to the one year (jail term) you agreed to,” Greenman said.
With his victim sitting in the courtroom behind him, Farkas asked Baldassara if he had anything to say. “John the Bookie” snorted and replied, “No your honor.”
Farkas then sentenced Baldassara to another, one-year term in the Niagara County Jail. That sentence will be served consecutively to his City Court sentence.
Asked outside the courtroom why his client neither apologized nor showed remorse for the unprovoked attack, Greenman said, “We have no comment.”
Falls police said they responded to a call, on July 17, 2010, from the staff of a Niagara Street bar who said there was an injured man on their patio. When officers arrived, they found the 47-year-old victim lying on the patio with a large laceration to the back of his head.
Video surveillance cameras captured the attack and a number of witnesses told police they saw the victim come out the side door of the bar with Baldassara behind him. The man was overheard saying, “All I want to do is have a drink.” Witnesses said Baldassara then punched him in the face.
The victim fell backwards, striking his head on the concrete patio. Baldassara, 53, 4950 Creek Road Extension then stood over him for a second, before telling two companions, “Let’s go.”
Baldassara was also accused of trying to intimidate witnesses throughout the course of the investigation.
While he was out on bail for the Niagara Street bar assault, Baldassara was charged with attacking another man in a Cudaback Avenue bar. As in the first assault, the victim and witnesses said the attack was unprovoked.
The victim in that case said Baldassara attacked after making a rude comment to him.
Less than two weeks later, Baldassara was in trouble again. Falls Police Roving Anti-Crime Unit officers arrested him after they spotted Baldassara speeding down 21st Street.
Baldassara failed a field sobriety test, refused a Breathalyzer test and told the RAC officers he was coming “from my lawyer’s office” where he had consumed “1 beer.”
The RAC officers also found a small quantity of crack cocaine in Baldassara’s vehicle and seized $7,000 in cash that was in the vehicle. Baldassara told the officers the cash was “chump change.”
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