The man charged with murdering the reputed head of the Gambino crime family in New York has appeared in court with pro-Trump slogans scrawled on his hands.

Despite being handcuffed, Anthony Comello held up his left hand to reporters revealing the words "MAGA Forever" and "United We Stand MAGA".

MAGA is the abbreviation of the slogan Make America Great Again, which was popularised during Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Comello, 24, was arrested on Saturday in New Jersey in connection with the shooting of Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali last week in front of his Staten Island home.

Image: Comello has been charged with killing Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali

At the court hearing on Monday, he agreed to be extradited back to New York.


Cali, 53, was shot 10 times with a 9mm handgun following an apparent argument.

In a news conference at the weekend, police said "extensive video footage" had been recovered from the house where the shooting occurred.

Francesco Cali is believed to have become the head of the Gambino crime family in 2015.

His killing was the first of an alleged New York crime boss for more than 30 years.

The last such murder happened in 1985, when Paul Castellano was shot dead outside a Manhattan steakhouse. He was also the head of the Gambino crime family at the time.

Image: Comello agreed to be extradited to New York

Cali's suspected links to organised crime had led detectives to consider whether his death was the result of a mob "hit".

However, sources inside the NYPD are reported to have told The New York Times that the reason for the shooting might be more straightforward.

It has been suggested that Comello had wanted to date Francesco Cali's niece, but had been warned off.