"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo is begging the judge in her husband's federal gun case to go easy on him, arguing that he's an incredible father and a "family man."
Lee D'Avanzo was arrested in December 2019 following a raid at their home. He was eventually indicted for possession of firearms and marijuana by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. He pled guilty to federal gun possession charges in March.
With Lee's sentencing set for next week, Drita sent a handwritten letter to the judge to vouch for her husband's character. The letter was obtained by TMZ.
"If there is one thing no one can take away from Lee is what an amazing father he has been to our children. He never missed a soccer game and was very involved in our kids school work and any activities they were involved in. He is a family man and is missed!" the reality star wrote. "He has a family that is fully supporting him and hoping he comes home soon!"
TMZ says that Lee is expected to get anywhere from three to six years in prison.
When Lee was initially arrested just before Christmas last year, Drita was arrested with him. While executing a search warrant at the couple's New York home, authorities allegedly found two loaded firearms,120 pills of hydrocodone/acetaminophen, 22 Xanax pills and a large amount of marijuana. Page Six reports police also found a scale, implying it was used to weigh the marijuana.
Two months after the arrest, charges against Drita were dropped.
"I have no time to celebrate because my husband is not home, but I am very happy with the outcome," she told reporters outside the courthouse at the time. "All I'm focusing on right now is the fact that this turned out good."
Drita appeared on VH1's "Mob Wives" from 2011 to 2016. Her official bio describes her as the wife of Lee, "who federal prosecutors allege is the leader of a Bonanno and Colombo crime family farm team."