FBI asked 'Sammy the Bull' if ex-Gambino mob prosecutor Comey knew meaning of '86': court filing

The FBI interviewed Salvatore Gravano, the former underboss of the Gambino crime family known as "Sammy the Bull," to ask if ex-FBI Director James Comey likely knew what the term "86" means, according to court documents.

Gravano, who had familiarity with Comey due to Comey's role as the lead prosecutor in United States v. John Gambino et al. in the 1990s, told an FBI case agent during a May 2026 phone call that Comey "had to know" what 86 meant, according to a sworn affidavit from his lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald supporting Comey's motions to dismiss the case.

Comey is facing a case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Eastern Division, accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump through his May 2025 "86 47" seashell Instagram post.

"On May 8, 2026, the case agent had a telephone conversation with Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano, the former Gambino crime family underboss who was one of the cooperating witnesses at the United States v. John Gambino trial," the affidavit, filed last month, states.

"During the telephone conversation to discuss the logistics of his forthcoming interview, Mr. Gravano stated his belief that Mr. Comey had to know what the term '86' meant 'as it related to killing someone.'"  

Comey's defense lawyer cited the FBI's interview with Gravano to challenge the claim that Comey's Gambino prosecution meant he understood "86" as a reference to killing. 

Though Gravano told agents Comey "had to know" the term's mob meaning, he said he did not recall ever discussing it with Comey. The filing also says FBI searches of the Gambino case materials found no references to "86."

"During the recorded interview, which lasted 25 minutes, Gravano said that '86' generally means to 'get rid of' and to him, as a 'gangster,' it means 'to kill,'" the affidavit said.

Comey has claimed that he found - and did not arrange - the seashell display and did not realize some people interpreted "86 47" as a violent message.

Comey said he didn't think it had any dark intentions.

"I actually didn't think of it as political speech by me, but I thought, 'What a clever way to express a political view.' The shells were the same color for each of the letters. … It took a lot of work. 

"Somebody with artistic flair did that, and I have a hard time believing it was anybody with a dark intention, and it certainly was no dark intention on my part or my spouse's part."

Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and a legal representative for Comey for further comment.