Editing Steven Seagal (section)

=== Victim of attempted extortion ===
Seagal became embroiled in a legal case involving film producer [[Julius R. Nasso]] after Nasso attempted to extort Seagal. Nasso produced seven of Seagal's films beginning with ''[[Marked for Death]]'' in 1990. The two "became best friends", according to Seagal, and formed [[Steamroller Productions|Seagal/Nasso Productions]] together. Their relationship became strained, however, and their partnership ended in 2000. Believing that Seagal owed him $3 million in compensation for backing out of a four-film deal, Nasso enlisted members of the [[Gambino crime family]] to threaten Seagal in an attempt to recoup money Nasso allegedly lost.<ref name="latimes.com">{{Cite web |last=Lieberman |first=Paul |date=February 12, 2003 |title=Seagal Testifies, Explains His Ties to Mob Family |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-12-na-seagal12-story.html |access-date=April 22, 2024 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Gambino family captain [[Anthony Ciccone]] first visited Seagal in [[Toronto]] during the filming of ''[[Exit Wounds]]'' in October 2000.<ref name="latimes.com"/> In January 2001, [[Primo Cassarino]] and other gangsters picked up Seagal by car to bring him to a meeting with Ciccone at a [[Brooklyn]] restaurant. At the meeting, Ciccone reportedly told Seagal that he had a choice of making four promised movies with Nasso or paying Nasso a penalty of $150,000 per movie, and that if Seagal refused, Ciccone would kill him.<ref name="seagal mob">{{cite news|last=Marzulli|first=John|title=Seagal's mob terror Star to testify on scary date with gangsters|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/seagal-mob-terror-star-testify-scary-date-gangsters-article-1.662631|access-date=April 10, 2012|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=February 10, 2003}}</ref>

Seagal, who later claimed that he brought a handgun to the meeting, was able to stall Ciccone and escape the meeting unharmed.<ref name="under siege">{{cite news|last=Gendar|first=Alison|title=Action star Steven Seagal under {{sic|se|ige|hide=y}} again by lawsuit from mobbed-up movie producer Julius Nasso|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2010/03/16/action-star-steven-seagal-under-seige-again-by-lawsuit-from-mobbed-up-movie-producer-julius-nasso/|access-date=January 28, 2025|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> In the spring of 2001, Seagal sought out another mobster, [[Genovese crime family]] captain [[Angelo Prisco]], to act as a "peacemaker". He visited Prisco in prison at [[Rahway, New Jersey]] and paid Prisco's lawyer $10,000.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/02/12/seagal-stars-in-ny-trial-of-mafia/e830cd7f-6098-444d-acb5-9cbfb9f39186/ Seagal Stars in N.Y. Trial Of Mafia] Michael Powell, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (February 12, 2003)</ref>

On March 17, 2003, Cassarino, Ciccone and others were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion, and 63 other counts under the [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]].<ref>[http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/steven_seagal/index.html "STEVEN SEAGAL AND THE MOB"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215184256/http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/steven_seagal/index.html |date=December 15, 2006 }} TruTV Crime Library</ref> Seagal testified for the prosecution about the mobsters' extortion attempt.<ref name="teflon gone">{{cite news|last=Marzulli|first=John|title=GOTTI & 6 TAKE FALL IN B'KLYN THE TEFLON'S LONG GONE|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/gotti-6-fall-b-klyn-teflon-long-article-1.659406|access-date=April 10, 2012|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=March 18, 2003}}</ref> Nasso pleaded guilty to the charge of extortion conspiracy in August 2003. In February 2004, he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, fined $75,000 and ordered to take mental health counselling on release from jail.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/feb/18/news1 Seagal mob saga comes to an end] ''[[The Guardian]]'' (February 18, 2004)</ref> In January 2008, Nasso agreed to drop a $60 million lawsuit against Seagal for an alleged breach of contract when the two settled out of court.<ref>[https://www.silive.com/news/2008/01/staten_island_film_producer_ac.html Staten Island film producer, action movie star, settle out of court on $60M suit] ''[[Staten Island Advance]]'' (January 7, 2008)</ref>