Cherry magnate Arthur Mondella was so paranoid about being kidnapped that he sued the city and then-top cop Bill Bratton in 1995 to demand a conceal-carry permit, court papers show.
The Dell’s Maraschino Cherries owner, who shot himself in the head as investigators discovered his massive marijuana-growing operation Tuesday, ironically cited the “criminal element” in his Red Hook, Brooklyn, neighborhood as one reason he should have the special gun license.
“I believe I am exposed to the potential of becoming a victim to armed robbery and other felonies,” he wrote in his gun permit application, which was initially denied in 1994.
Mondella then compared himself to “Tuxedo King” Harvey Weinstein, a millionaire businessman who was abducted at knifepoint and buried alive along the Henry Hudson Parkway in 1993.
“Since I am the CEO of a large company, I could easily become the victim of a kidnap, robbery or even murder.”
Mondella’s suit, which mentions he’s “of good moral character,” was dismissed by a judge. It makes no mention of his extra-curricular drug activities.
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