By M. Thomas Nast with Richard Luthmann
As someone who spent decades on the streets of New York City, I’ve seen my fair share of corruption. I’ve arrested crooks, taken down gangsters, and watched the political class sell out the public for a quick buck.
But what’s happening in Staten Island right now—what Richard Luthmann is exposing in his lawsuit—goes beyond the pale. It’s not just the usual backroom deals and patronage jobs; it’s outright criminality.
And the worst part? These so-called public servants think they’re untouchable.
Let me break it down: New York City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks, her enforcer and husband Kevin Barry Love, NYS Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castorina, and Special Prosecutor Eric Nelson are all named in Luthmann’s explosive legal battle.
Luthmann writes for this outlet and provided me with comments and background for this article.
Hanks, Love, and Castorina have filed Notices of Rejection in response to Luthmann’s Notices to Admit, essentially refusing to answer questions that could bring their lies, corruption, and even federal crimes to light.
Luthmann rightly called this move “the equivalent of taking the Fifth Amendment,” comparing them to Mafia chieftains hauled before Congress in the 1960s.
“This isn’t a move to avoid Lawfare. They are the Swamp. They’re organized criminals, plain and simple,” Luthmann told me. “Kevin Love is a long-time government RAT, and the word on the street is no one trusts him or Kamillah.”
Luthmann was more than a little miffed because he had wished the defendants well, and they rejected that olive branch as well.
His filed papers say: “Luthmann still wishes the Hanks Defendants and their loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah, a Happy Kwanza, a Joyous Festivus, a Happy New Year, and overall, Happy Holidays, even though the Hanks Defendants have REJECTED Luthmann[‘s] overages and attempts at PEACE ON EARTH and GOOD WILL TO MEN, effectively pissing on Linus from Peanuts and everything the holiday season stands for in the American Judeo-Christian Tradition. The Hanks Defendants are Godless DEADBEATS who care only about themselves. And it’s a shame.”
Luthmann included a picture of Linus from ”A Charlie Brown Christmas” in his papers and attached a copy of a “Deadbeat Letter” he had previously published to Kamillah and Kevin.
In his papers to Castorina, Luthmann quoted the Ninth Commandment and reserved “ecclesiastical remedies” against the sitting judge.
The Questions They’re Dodging
Luthmann’s Notices to Admit are a legal weapon aimed at these Staten Island power players. But unlike private citizens who can afford to sit back, Hanks, Love, and Castorina’s use of technicalities to remain silent won’t work. They are public servants, or at least Hanks and Castorina are, and they are held to a higher standard.
Love, Hanks’s hubby and enforcer, gets lumped in that group because he is a millionaire real estate developer who moves in the corridors of NYC power, and he lets everyone know it.
Legally and politically, Hanks or Castorina could call Brian Laline at the Staten Island Advance tomorrow, deny everything that Luthmann has said about them, and hand them evidence to show that he is the “mentally ill man” Kevin Barry Love called him in the NY Post last March.
In that same NY Post article, Love said, “Missing from his lawsuit is not a single piece of evidence.”
From what I’ve seen, Luthmann has brought the pork chops. He has detailed plenty of evidence while Hanks, Love, Castorina, and others have assumed the posture of the ostrich.
But to paraphrase Ricky Ricardo: “Lucy, you have some ‘splaining’ to do.”
Here are some of the questions they’re refusing to answer:
For Kamillah Hanks:
Admit that you sent images to Richard Luthmann for use on a fake Facebook page targeting political opponents.
Admit that you instructed Richard Luthmann to post specific content on fake Facebook pages, including the directive, “Cut it.”
Admit that you owe $86,175.38 for services rendered by Richard Luthmann during your 2017 City Council campaign.
For Ronald Castorina:
Admit that you gave Luthmann a photo of your opponent, Janine Materna, and instructed him to create racially charged posts targeting her.
Admit that you testified falsely under oath during Richard Luthmann’s 2018 grand jury proceedings.
Admit that your lies contributed to Luthmann’s indictment.
For Kevin Barry Love:
Admit that you lied to federal agents when you accused Luthmann of harassment and witness tampering.
Admit that you and Kamillah Hanks were never witnesses in any criminal case involving Richard Luthmann.
Admit that you made threatening phone calls to Richard Luthmann’s former lawyers, pressuring them to drop his case.
The sheer audacity of their denials is galling. Why wouldn’t they answer these questions if they had nothing to hide?
As Luthmann points out, these are public officials who owe the people transparency, not silence.
Kevin Barry Love: A Rat Among Rats
Let’s talk about Kevin Barry Love for a minute. This guy has been a known informant—a RAT—for years. According to Luthmann, Love has a criminal record, and he’s been snitching on everyone from drug dealer Ettore Mazzei to Mayor Eric Adams.
Now, police use informants to make cases. And generally, cooperation is a good thing in law enforcement circles. It saves lives and keeps good police out of harm’s way in many instances.
But one must always question who they let continue roaming the streets. Kevin Barry Love is a thug masquerading as a respectable figure, using his wife’s political position as cover. But let me tell you, there’s no honor among rats, and Love is the kind of guy who will turn on anyone to save his own skin.
Luthmann has tapes of Love making threatening phone calls to his former collections lawyer. In these calls, Love practically admits to the debts owed to Luthmann but uses his muscle to intimidate.
“It’s classic mob tactics,” Luthmann said. “Kevin Barry Love isn’t just a thug; he’s Kamillah Hanks’s enforcer.”
And then there’s the matter of Love’s shady connections. The Notices to Admit accuse him of knowing that Henry “Bobby Digi” Olisa is a federal informant and of having business dealings with Mazzei. These aren’t baseless accusations—they’re backed by years of whispers and street-level intel that guys like me used to chase down.
The Fake Facebook Scandal
One of the most damning allegations against Castorina and Hanks involves their use of fake Facebook pages to smear political opponents. Luthmann admits he executed these dirty tricks at their direction during Castorina’s 2016 Assembly campaign and Hanks’s 2017 City Council race. But when the heat turned up, they left him holding the bag.
“These fake Facebook pages were a coordinated effort to destroy reputations,” Luthmann said. “They used me because I was good at what I did, but now they want to pretend they had no involvement. It’s cowardly and criminal. I’ve apologized to the people I’ve hurt with my words. The difference is, they haven’t.”
Justice Castorina, who should be the epitome of integrity, is accused of lying under oath during Luthmann’s 2018 grand jury proceedings. The guy’s a sitting Supreme Court Justice, and yet he allegedly perjured himself to cover up his own involvement in these smear campaigns. (We say ‘alleged,’ but if you can read English better than a third grader, you know what’s happening.)
If true, he belongs behind bars, not on the bench.
A History of Silence: The Fifth Amendment Playbook
Luthmann’s comparison to Mafia chieftains taking the Fifth before Congress isn’t just hyperbole—it’s spot on.
Back in the 1960s, Robert F. Kennedy’s crusade against the mob exposed how gangsters like Vito Genovese and Joe Valachi used the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination. The parallels here are striking.
Like those mobsters, Hanks, Love, and Castorina hide behind legal maneuvers to avoid answering for their crimes.
“Taking the Fifth is a mafia move, and that’s exactly what these people are doing,” Luthmann said. “They’re not public servants—they’re criminals in suits.”
You have to admit that Luthmann has a point. Today, Ron Castorina looks less like Dominic Massaro or Vito Titone and more like Frank Costello or Crazy Joe Gallo.
The Fallout for Staten Island
This case isn’t just about Luthmann’s debts or even his personal crusade against corruption. Luthmann lives in Florida now, and most of his family does too. Aside from this “reckoning,” he’s moved on. He’s only collecting these debts because the U.S. government told him to.
For us, it’s about the integrity of Staten Island’s political and legal systems. It sets a dangerous precedent if Hanks and Castorina are allowed to stonewall. What’s to stop other corrupt New York officials from doing the same?
Legal and political experts I’ve spoken to agree that the Notices to Admit should be answered immediately. They make the NYC Council and the NYS Supreme Court a punchline.
“These are straightforward questions,” one election law attorney told me. “Refusing to answer only makes them look guilty. Public officials have a duty to be transparent, especially when accused of such serious misconduct.”
And let’s not forget Special Prosecutor Eric Nelson, who’s accused of suborning perjury during Luthmann’s grand jury proceedings. If true, he’s not just a lousy prosecutor—he’s a criminal.
Nelson’s connections to Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon also raise serious questions about the integrity of the local justice system. And Mike McMahon doesn’t need these “Silly Council” and OCA headaches when there is real work to do.
A Call for Accountability
As a retired NYPD officer, I’ve spent my life fighting for justice. Watching people like Hanks, Love, and Castorina abuse their power is infuriating. They’ve turned Staten Island into their personal fiefdom, where the rules don’t apply to them.
Thanks to Luthmann, the truth is coming to light. It’s ironic, but that’s what is happening.
“They’ve lied, they’ve cheated, and they’ve intimidated anyone who stood in their way,” Luthmann said. “But they can’t intimidate me. They can’t take my job or badmouth me around town without looking desperate. And I’m not going to stop until they’re held accountable.”
It’s time for Staten Island to clean house. Hanks and Castorina should be removed from office. Love should face federal charges for lying to the authorities. And Nelson? He needs to answer for his role in this mess.
Justice Louis Nock, who’s presiding over this case, has the opportunity to send a clear message: corruption has no place in Staten Island—or anywhere else in New York City. For the sake of the people, let’s hope he does the right thing.
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