State senator Mark Grisanti and his wife were both beaten up in an altercation at a black tie affair held at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel Friday night.
Grisanti told The Buffalo News that after the event, he retired to the casino floor and ordered glasses of wine for his family, when he noticed two men in their 30's in a heated argument. "Guys, guys, guys," he recalled saying. "This was a great event. You guys are here with dates, and let's not start a scene." Grisanti identified himself as a state senator, but the men were unmoved. "He looked at me and said, 'You haven't done [blank] for the Senecas,' and then he punched me in the ribs," Grisanti said.
When Grisanti's wife, Maria, tried to break up the fight, she was allegedly thrown to the ground, kicked and punched by the men's dates. "Mark was a victim, and his wife was a bigger victim," a source said. "I thought I had a great relationship with the Senecas," Grisanti noted. "When I ran, they supported me and gave me their highest rating."
The AP reports that Grisanti's wife suffered a concussion and possibly a broken nose. “At this time the Niagara Falls Police Department is reviewing the situation and investigating any and all facts to determine what exactly took place,” a police representative said in a statement.
The event was the seventh annual Seneca Diabetes Foundation Chairman's Ball, and Grisanti's daughter performed with a Las Vegas variety act as part of the entertainment. Grisanti was one of four Republican state senators to vote for the passage of same-sex marriage last year.
"I would hope for better behavior and conduct from everyone at such an event as this, although it transpired sometime after the gala ended," Seneca Nation of Indians President Robert Odawi Porter said. "I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Sen. Grisanti, his wife Maria and their family."
