Father of Hazlet Teen Fisherman is Convicted Mobster

Hazlet, NJ - The father of a Hazlet teen who was blasted by fishermen after he posted this video of himself throwing seemingly dead fish back into Raritan Bay, is a convicted mobster, reports NJ.com.

John Contello, Sr., who now calls Hazlet home, was a captain in the Bonnano crime family who did three years in federal prison in 2008, NJ.com reports.

Formerly of Brooklyn, Contello Sr., whose nickname "Big John" is listed in his federal indictments, was indicted in August 2008 and charged with racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Federal law enforcement also named Contello as a captain in the Bonnano organized crime family. He pleaded guilty in March 2009, reported The Staten Island Advance, which covered the mafia case at the time. Contello spent three years in federal prison and was then released.

"What's that got to do with my son catching fish?" he told NJ.com when asked about the connection.

Contello passionately defended his 19-year-old son, also named John Contello, Wednesday, saying older fishermen were just "jealous" of his son's skills landing striped bass.

Others did not agree. A fishing gear manufacturer, Accurate Fishing, posted this message on their Facebook page Wednesday, dissolving their relationship with the young Contello after the video.

"To all our Accurate supporters, friends, and family. We are no longer associated with John Contello. Once we saw the video this morning we unfortunately had to dissolve our relationship. Accurate is based on true ethical treatment of gamefish and unfortunately the video we saw is in direct conflict of those beliefs. We want all our supporters to know we do not support such practices and will not be associated with anyone that does. Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate the support."

The son goes by the nickname Johnny Bucktail and says he's been fishing for as long as he can remember.

He did issue a truly heartfelt and genuine-sounding apology Wednesday after the backlash. Read his apology here.