Caterer Linked to Organized Crime Is Convicted of Extortion Frank DiMattina, a suspected Genovese family associate who had dreams of reality television stardom, was convicted Friday of extortion and a related firearms charge. Mr. DiMattina, 44, who formerly owned one of Staten Island's most popular catering halls and wanted to make a show about his life there, was found guilty of forcing a rival caterer to withdraw his bid on a lucrative contract for a school lunch program, for which Mr. DiMattina had also bid. The jury deliberated for a day after a three-day trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. The rival caterer, Walter Bowers, a Staten Island man who bought Ariana's Catering Hall from Mr. DiMattina in March 2010, testified that Mr. DiMattina displayed a gun to him and threatened to have another man beat him if Mr. Bowers did not withdraw the bid. Jack Dennehy, the prosecutor, also presented testimony from a priest, the Rev. Michael Reilly, who was overseeing the bid process for the school, St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School on Staten Island. "When he withdrew his bid, he was fearful, very fearful," Father Reilly said of Mr. Bowers. "He said, "I got a visit." " According to court papers, a confidential source told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Mr. DiMattina is an associate of the Genovese crime family. Mr. DiMattina, who still cooks and caters, had hoped to star in a show about his life, which he called "Banquet Boyz." He produced slick promotional videos for the show and posted them on YouTube. A promo for his "hip new reality show" still is online at banquetboyz.com. Mr. DiMattina faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. But for now he is free to cook another day. In an unusual move in a case involving a violent offense, the presiding judge in the trial, Jack B. Weinstein, granted Mr. DiMattina bail before his sentencing. "You better use this time to transfer the business, because I am not going to postpone sentencing," Judge Weinstein said.