A prominent catering magnate from Staten Island, accused of orchestrating a widespread drug ring that allegedly reduced addicts to mere pawns, has filed a handwritten lawsuit from jail. He argues that his Sicilian heritage should afford him special consideration in the legal proceedings.
Ettore Mazzei, who is acting as his own attorney, penned a document submitted to the Brooklyn Federal Court on March 20. In it, he asserts that his status as a “senior, Sicilian, pro-se, incarcerated” individual places him in a “protected class.” Mazzei’s past reputation includes being labeled a “crooked, evil businessman.”
The 63-year-old has been detained since his arrest in May 2024, which stemmed from a 61-count indictment encompassing drug distribution, grand larceny, and identity fraud charges.
By September 2024, Mazzei faced an additional 141 charges, according to Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, who has described him as a “one-man crime wave.”
The ongoing case accuses the veteran businessman of ensnaring addicts into “servitude” as part of his drug operations. Authorities allege Mazzei provided housing on his properties and compensated workers with drugs instead of money, connecting him to several fatal overdoses.
Mazzei allegedly gave employees housing on his properties and paid them in drugs, not cash, according to authorities who claim the caterer is linked to multiple fatal overdoses.
Mazzei, who ran Chez Vous Caterers and a construction business, was accused of selling heroin, cocaine and suboxone strips to undercover officers.
He had been active in anti-drug initiatives on Staten Island in the years before his arrest, and was even recognized by the local chamber of commerce for his community work.
Mazzei, who pleaded not guilty, published a book in 2014 called, âItâs Your Right to Be Fit, Sexed and Happy.â
Mazzei has been his own legal eagle at Rikers Island, where he’s being held on $3 million bail.
He’s aired grievances against an array of foes via approximately half a dozen lawsuits he’s filed himself in state and federal court.
In the latest court papers, he accused a pair of lawyers and a Queens couple of refusing to repay a debt and demanded $450,000 damages, court papers showed.
Mazzei alleged he was part of a “protected” group, citing a portion of federal law which is supposed to shield people from discrimination, particularly when making contracts.
A criminal defense attorney for Mazzei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
