NYPD: Case surrounding chef Andrea Zamperoni's death getting deeper look
Chef Andrea Zamperoni. Credit: NYPD
NYPD investigators are delving deeper into the case of a prostitute facing federal charges in connection with the overdose deaths of a noted Manhattan chef and two other clients, a top police official said Wednesday.
At an unrelated news conference about West Indian Day Parade preparations, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said the investigation surrounding the arrest of Angelina Barini, 41, on federal drug charges could expand to include more victims.
Barini, of Rego Park, Queens, an admitted prostitute, is accused of drug conspiracy charges linked to the deaths of the three men, including chef Andrea Zamperoni, 33, the chef at Manhattan's Cipriani Dolci restaurant.
His body was found on Aug. 21 in the Kamway Lodge in Elmhurst, Queens. Officials charged in a federal criminal complaint that sometime after Barini had sex with Zamperoni, he died. Barini acknowledged that her pimp compelled her to give Zamperoni drugs, according to the complaint.
Shea said Barini's arrest was “probably the beginning of this tale.”
“There have been allegations that she drugged individuals and [had stolen] from them,” Shea said. “This is somewhat preliminary and my expectation is that this [case] will grow as we go forward.”
Barini was ordered held Monday without bail by a federal magistrate judge in Brooklyn, said a spokesman for the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office.
Investigators said she had a lengthy criminal record for prostitution, petit larceny, drug possession and other crimes. Barini faces charges of conspiring to distribute narcotics, including fentanyl, the complaint said.
The complaint alleged that the two other clients of Barini had suffered fatal drug overdoses after ingesting fentanyl, methamphetamine and alcohol.
Zamperoni's co-workers at the popular Manhattan restaurant reported him missing Aug. 21. The criminal complaint referenced Zamperoni as "John Doe-3" and said police found his body about 8:30 p.m. at the Kamway Lodge on the same day workers reported him missing. Zamperoni’s body was found inside a garbage can, wrapped in bed linens with one of his feet sticking out of the can, the complaint said.
The bodies of the two other men, identified as "John Doe-1" and "John Doe-2," were discovered in hotel rooms in Queens on July 4 and July 11 respectively, according to the complaint.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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