Tarantino witness details his crime life

It wasn't long after a Roslyn man asked the wrong question of his crime associate that his own frenetic criminal life came to an end, he testified Monday in federal court in Central Islip.

Gaetano Fatato, now 42, testified that in the summer of 1994 he'd gone to Umberto's pizzeria in New Hyde Park with 30 pounds of marijuana to give to his friend Louis Dorval and their associate, Christian Tarantino. Dorval had earlier told him, Fatato testified, that he had taken part in an armored car robbery with Tarantino in Muttontown, in which guard Julius Baumgardt was killed.

"I asked Chris what the -- happened with the armored car," Fatato said. "He looked at me with this cold, kill stare and said, 'I had nothing to do with it.' "

Federal prosecutors say he did. Tarantino, a Dix Hills health club operator, is not only responsible for Baumgardt's death, but also for Dorval's and Vincent Garguilo's, another associate, they say.

The defense says the case against Tarantino is built on the testimony of convicted criminals like Fatato, who Monday described how he began dealing steroids and marijuana in high school and moved on to buying and selling large quantities of harder drugs, fencing fur coats and cashing stolen bonds. Fatato told jurors he faces a maximum of life in prison, but hopes his cooperation in this and other cases cuts it to less than 10 years.

Fatato, during questioning by prosecutor Carrie Capwell, said he was shocked when he saw the Muttontown robbery on the news. He said he went to visit Dorval where he was hiding out at a studio apartment in Corona.

"He was scared and confused," Fatato said. "He said, 'I put the gun to the guy's head, and it was an accident.' "

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Not long after the meeting at Umberto's, Fatato said he found out he'd been indicted on the bonds and fur coat cases. He arranged to surrender and spent the weekend beforehand on Fire Island. He said Dorval called and told him Tarantino wanted to pick him up, but he declined.

While in jail, he called his fiancee and found out Dorval was dead. "Louie's dead," he said she told him. "They found him in the ocean, in a box."

Fatato said he decided to cooperate with authorities after that. He'll be cross-examined Tuesday.