Defense Says Prosecutors Interviewed Mobster Gravano

Defense attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey alleged in court filings on Tuesday that federal prosecutors enlisted the help of notorious mobster Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano to build their criminal case against him. The filings, part of Comey's effort to have evidence thrown out and the case dismissed, claim the government's investigation included extraordinary steps to prove that Comey's Instagram post of seashells spelling "86 47" was a threat against former President Donald Trump.

Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in April on charges related to the May 2025 social media post. Prosecutors have alleged the post constituted a threat against Trump, who is running for president again and is referred to by supporters as the 47th president. Comey has maintained he intended no violence, saying he understood "86" to mean removing or getting rid of something and that he deleted the post after others interpreted it differently.

According to the defense motions, federal agents interviewed Gravano, the former Gambino crime family underboss turned government witness, in May 2026. They sought to determine if "86" was used as organized crime jargon for murder, which...