A wheelchair-bound woman is suing a Benshonhurst bagel store for allegedly violating the Americans With Disabilities Act. Maryann Santiago says Bagels Plus on New Utrecht Avenue is not handicap-accessible, and even if she could get inside the store, the counter the sales and deli counters are too high and not in compliance with the law. But the owner of the bagel store happens to be used to not complying with the law: Vincent (Vinny TV) Badalamenti, the reputed boss of the Bonanno crime family, owns the joint. Santiago insists she didn't know the place was mobbed up, but she's not going to be intimidated into dropping the lawsuit. What are they gonna do, threaten to break her legs?
"The plaintiff personally visited (Badalamenti’s) property, but was denied full and equal access to, and full enjoyment of, the facilities," Santiago alleges, according a copy of the complaint obtained by the Daily News. She wants $500 and a promise from Bagels Plus to make the establishment handicap-accessible, but the News also notes that her lawyer is seeking "potentially more costly legal fees" from the reputed crime boss. The lawsuit caps off a rough week for Badalamenti, who was recently arrested as part of a DEA and FBI bust.
