An admitted accomplice in the grisly 2016 murder of a Hofstra University graduate was sentenced to six months in jail Friday — right after the dead man’s father ripped him as “true evil” and blamed him for his son’s death.
“Look around this courtroom, no one believes you’re a good person,” Pat Comunale, the dad of victim Joseph Comunale, said as he addressed Max Gemma and Manhattan Supreme Court Judge James Burke. “I have learned there is true evil in this world and that evil can be thrust upon any of us at any time. Such evil has visited your honor’s courtroom in the form of James Rackover, Lawrence Dilione and now, Max Gemma.”
“You’re just as evil as Dilione and Rackover,” the distraught father continued. “To be clear, you are just as responsible for Joey’s murder as they are. If you are to be believed, the best thing anyone can say about you is that you stood and watched as Dilione and Rackover killed my son because you were scared. A coward.”
Gemma — the son of former Newport, NJ, mayor Gordon Gemma — sat stone-faced as he listened to the lengthy statement, in which Comunale’s father repeatedly bashed him as an evasive liar who hid behind his privilege and knew more and was responsible for more than he was letting on.
Gemma copped to a single count of hindering the prosecution in February for lying to cops about what went down inside his friend’s tony Upper East Side apartment during a night of partying gone wrong. The 31-year-old has said he was asleep on the couch when things turned dark.
Prosecutors say Comunale was beaten to death by Gemma’s pals Rackover and Dilione following an argument about their dwindling supply of cocaine inside Rackover’s pad at the Grand Sutton on East 59th Street.
Gemma allegedly left the apartment as his pals were dragging the maimed man into the bathroom, where they tried and failed to hack off Comunale’s arm with a kitchen knife. His remains were later found in a shallow grave in New Jersey, partially burned.
Rackover is the adopted son of celebrity jeweler Jeffrey Rackover, who was paying rent on the pad where the killing took place.
Gemma apologized to the victim’s family before he was cuffed and led out of the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.
“To the Communale family, I’m deeply sorry for your loss and deeply apologize,” the 31-year-old told dozens of family and friends gathered in the gallery. “Everyday I think about my choice and my interactions with the police and what I could have done differently. I’m deeply sorry.”
Outside the courtroom, Comunale’s family hugged and cried as Pat addressed the group through tears.
“I want to thank my friends. I told you when it started that we were going to get everybody that was involved. And we did,” the dad said.
Gemma’s lawyer Mark Bederow lauded the successful resolution of the case.
“Max apologized to the Comunale family for his interactions with the police,” Bederow said. “However, as demonstrated by the resolution of the case and the DA’s exhaustive investigation, Max had nothing to do with the horrific events in the apartment and its aftermath in Oceanport, NJ.”
Rackover and Dilione were previously convicted and sentenced to 28-2/3 years to life and 23 years behind bars.
Prior to taking the plea, Gemma was facing up to seven years behind bars. Charges of tampering with psychical evidence were dropped as part of the deal.