By Howard Koplowitz
Albert Gaudelli crashed his 2002 Acura into a traffic light at Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway in Fresh Meadows at around midnight Friday after coming home from a party hosted by Queens DA Richard Brown, the paper said.When police responded to the incident, Gaudelli put his Acura in reverse to try to get away but instead backed into a cop car, according to the Post.Gaudelli had bloodshot eyes, alcohol on his breath and a .169 blood-alcohol content Ð more than twice the legal limit, police said, according to the paper.He was charged with drunken driving, Brown's office said, according to the Post. The DA's office was closed for Lincoln's birthday and could not be reached for comment.Gaudelli represented Minucci at his hate crime trial in 2006, when the Howard Beach man was found guilty of assaulting St. Albans resident Glenn Moore, who is black, while shouting racial epithets.Minucci was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attack.During the trial, Gaudelli argued that Minucci was using a “lawful use of force” to prevent a robbery, claiming that Moore was in Minucci's neighborhood to steal a car.He also claimed Minucci said the 'N-word' in the context of a greeting normally used in hip-hop culture.Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
