Sammy the Bull believed Comey knew what 86 meant

FBI turned to 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano to ask whether Comey understood mob meaning of '86'

Federal investigators interviewed one of the most notorious mob turncoats in American history to build their case that former FBI Director James Comey knew exactly what "86" meant when he posted it alongside the number "47", and his own defense team's filing may have handed prosecutors a damaging admission.

A sworn affidavit filed by Comey's defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald reveals that an FBI case agent called Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, the former underboss of the Gambino crime family, on May 8, 2026, to discuss an upcoming interview about Comey's now-deleted Instagram post. During that call, Gravano told the agent he believed Comey "had to know" what the term "86" meant "as it related to killing someone."

Comey faces two federal charges in U.S. District Court in eastern North Carolina: threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. The charges stem from a photo he posted to Instagram in May 2025 showing seashells arranged on a beach to spell out "86 47", a phrase prosecutors say was a reference to killing the 47th president, Donald Trump. The Department of Justice filed the charges in April.

Gravano called the post a 'call for violence', but Fitzgerald filed the affidavit anyway.

In a separate 25-minute recorded interview, Gravano told the FBI that "86" generally means to "get rid of" someone and that to him, as a "gangster," it means "to kill." He went further: Gravano characterized Comey's seashell post as a "call for violence against President Trump," using the blunt phrase "let's kill Trump" to describe what he believed the message conveyed.

The affidavit notes one distinction Gravano drew. He did not claim Comey's post was a statement threatening that Comey would personally kill the president. In Gravano's reading, it was a general incitement, not a direct personal threat.

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