James Comey told his book agent the case would be fine if it sold copies.
Now a Gambino hitman is telling the FBI that Comey knew exactly what he meant.
Prosecutors just found the one detail that proves Comey planned this from the start.
Sammy the Bull Gravano and the Gambino Family Comey Cannot Explain Away
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano – the former Gambino underboss whom Comey's own defense team says was involved in at least 19 murders – told the FBI in a recorded May 2026 interview that James Comey "had to know" what the term "86" meant as it related to killing someone.
This matters because Comey served as lead prosecutor in the 1990s Gambino family case that first put him in Gravano's orbit.
His defense now rests entirely on the claim that he found seashells arranged by a stranger on a beach, thought the pattern was artistically clever, and posted it – never once connecting "86" to the mob slang from his own prosecution.
This is the same James Comey who signed off on FISA warrant applications to spy on the Trump campaign in 2016.
Sen. Josh Hawley says Comey "has been before me under oath and lied about leaking classified information."
Sammy the Bull isn't buying Comey's excuse.
Neither is the FBI, which is why agents tracked down a convicted killer to get it on the record.
How Comey's FDR Drive Novel Became Evidence in the 86 47 Seashell Case
Five days before the seashell post, Comey published a crime thriller called FDR Drive.
The novel's central figure is a right-wing podcaster who incites his followers to eliminate his political enemies through coded online messages.
Federal prosecutors filed that book in court this week and asked a judge to see the obvious parallel.
Comey wrote the villain's playbook, published it five days before the post, and then ran the exact same move himself.
And then there's the text to his agent – confirmed in court filings – where Comey said the attention was "not my intention, but I'll be OK if it sells books."
His own words.
A man claiming total ignorance was already counting the royalty checks.
What the Sammy the Bull Interview Means for Comey's October Trial
Comey goes to trial October 21 in New Bern, North Carolina, and the government now has a mob cooperator on record saying Comey knew exactly what "86" meant, plus Comey's own novel, plus his own text message treating the fallout as a marketing opportunity – three pieces of evidence that turn his "innocent beach walk" defense into something closer to a confession.
Sources:
- Robert McGreevy, "FBI asked 'Sammy the Bull' if ex-Gambino mob prosecutor Comey knew meaning of '86': court filing," Fox News, August 22, 2026.
- Andrew Goudsward, "DOJ argues Comey novel shows he knew '86 47' post was a threat against Trump," Reuters via Hawaii Tribune-Herald, August 20, 2026.
- "DOJ cites Comey's novel in urging judge not to toss '86 47' seashells threat to Trump case," CNBC, August 19, 2026.
- "Book him: Prosecutors using James Comey's novel against him in seashells case," NBC News, August 19, 2026.
- "Relative Blasted Comey Over '86 47' Seashell Message, Calling it 'a Call For Violence,'" American Greatness, August 21, 2026.
- "DOJ indicts James Comey again amid probe tied to '86 47,'" Fox News, April 29, 2026.
