Story With a Twist: This Ex-Mob Associate DIDN'T Flip

Stephen Newell was a low-level mob associate. He was born and bred in Bushwick, Brooklyn. From the age of 10 he lived in Queens and much later moved to Staten Island. His uncle, Saverio "Sammy" Galosso, was a member of the Genovese crime family under Vincent "The Chin" Gigante. He died in 1986.
Stevie Newell

Stevie, earlier in his life, worked under John Gotti's son-in-law, Carmine Agnello, after Carmine became a member of the Gambino crime family. (Carmine is living somewhere in Ohio today, we've heard.) Agnello was married to Victoria Gotti at the time.


Newell does not fit the cliched definition of the opportunistic street guy as is usually portrayed in movies, books and newspapers.

He was arrested, held without bail and formally charged with the murder of Bruce Gotterup, who himself had been convicted by the mob of not using common sense and repeatedly disrupting the business of a Mafia-connected bar in Queens. In 1991, Gotterup was shot five times in the back of his head while taking a leak on the boardwalk in the Rockaway Peninsula, aka The Rockaways or Rockaway, in Queens, New York.

In  1995, Newell took a gamble not many "lowly" associates probably would take, we'd wager. 

The feds were more than ready, willing and able to hand him a get-out-of-jail-free card, if only he'd roll and wear a wire, not against anyone in particular. They wanted him to wear a wire on the entire mob, everyone with whom he spoke on a daily basis, a retinue that included but was in no way limited to Carmine Agnello, Ronald Joseph Trucchio -- aka Ronnie One-Arm, the Johns (Burke, Gebert, Alite and Junior Gotti), Charles Carneglia and others.

"No one knows you're here," he was told. "You can walk right out the door...."

The noted Walter Mack was in the room for part of the meeting. Maybe he thought they were reeling in a big fish. 


They wanted him to wear a wire on the entire mob...


Our source was a former criminal cohort of Newell's. He was willing to speak with us provided we kept his name out of this.

Flashback to 1994. Stevie was the object of a tug of war -- with John Junior Gotti and Carmine Agnello on one side, and John "The Sheriff" Alite (his then-nickname) on the other. Newell didn't get to choose who his boss was. (Newell once he was really rocking and rolling in the drug business working out of a bar called  Jagermeister was easily pocketing around $3,000 to $4,000 a week -- close to $16 grand a month -- not bad for a "lowly associate.")

Stevie thought everything was cool that day when Carmine told him: "You're with me now and the Sheriff isn't gonna be bothering you no more."

Two months passed.

Turns out, things weren't so cool after all. For Stevie Newell, things were decidedly uncool. He was talking on a payphone when John Alite shot him in the leg.

Newell, strangely not bleeding from his wound, hobbled to a friend's house. "I gotta use your bathroom." Behind a closed door he examined his wound, the bullet had gone through and fell out of his inner thigh. It's a good thing Alite hadn't gotten too close and personal or Newell would've lost his nuts.

Not long afterward, Agnello had a proposition for Newell. He asked the wounded street guy if he'd like to take out The Sheriff. Kill him. Shoot him in the head with a large caliber bullet.

Said our source: "Newell was suppose to be the shooter in retaliation for Alite shooting him but Carmine also had an ongoing dispute with Alite."

Newell wasn't interested, in either case and told Agnello as much.

Agnello didn't give up so easily. Soon he was offering Newell cash, his own business to run, etc.

"If Stevie were to accept, I can tell you he wouldn't be doing that kind of work for any kind of money," said our source.

Apparently things were left dangling when, quite suddenly, it was known that a couple of FBI agents had paid Alite a visit to warn him that some people had talked about certain potential actions, etcetera, that would not be beneficial to him.

Law enforcement had learned about the "planned hit," though technically it was more like a series of enthusiastic discussions not necessarily terminating with a specific arrangement.

One of the guys was wired. Not Newell. Still Stevie was Carmine's suspect, or at least one of them.

"I know Stevie voluntarily stripped for Carmine to show he wasn't wearing a wire."

Newell just kept his head down and followed orders -- unless he didn't. "Then he'd just tell you: No."

Then he was pinched for the 1991 Gotterup hit.

"Brucey didn't fucking listen," our source said. "Stevie and him were friends, and Stevie tried warning Brucey. He told him to cut the crap and reel it in."

Walter Mack and the rest of them were ultimately disappointed because Newell told them he wouldn't wear a wire. When they pressured him, showing him papers of him supposedly talking about others, he said: "Call my lawyer."

They threatened to release the paperwork on him.

"Get my lawyer," he answered again.

Newell was held without bail for two years. He went to trial and was found not guilty.

"He came home after facing 25 to 50. The feds used every trick in the book to get him to flip. And he didn't."

Newell found himself faced with the silent treatment from none other than Carmine Agnello, his boss.

"This guy Ricky Red started calling Stevie a rat for some reason. Ricky Red, as I recall, was a stone-cold junkie."

Still, Newell had to drive to the Bronx a couple of times to talk about this Ricky Red situation. Agnello wasn't around so his brother Mike told Stevie he had to whack Ricky Red.

"He just beat a murder charge at trial. He gets home. Now he's gotta kill this Ricky Red. He's driving to the Bronx and they're telling him he's got to kill Ricky Red...."

Two weeks later, it was called off. Ricky Red, it was later learned, was wearing the wire. He brought Carmine down, ultimately.

Now flash forward to 2009:

Five Families of New York City: Witness: Brother-in-law got Gotti's OK for hit: "A former drug dealer called as a defense witness by John "Junior" Gotti distanced the Gambino family mob heir from one murder but, unexpectedly, tied him more closely to a different murder conspiracy in testimony Thursday in federal court in Manhattan.

The witness, Stephen Newell, a former associate in the Queens drug-peddling ring of star prosecution informant John Alite, provided helpful testimony to Gotti on the murder of Bruce John Gotterup, a Queens man killed in 1991 after making trouble at a mob-connected bar."....


Comments

  1. very good story I new this guy stevie well

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  2. y he didn't end up with the chins side ill never know

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  3. hes been thru a lot more than what this article reads

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  4. how did you know ed,,yea an auto theft ring he was charged as being the head of it and supplying stolen auto parts to many junk yards and auto body shops around Brooklyn and queens they did what you called giveups chop up cars before there reported stolen

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  5. Because I haven't talked to him yet to learn enough but I know things. A couple of bodies found on Staten Island.....

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  6. Good story Ed. Thanks for moving on from the gotti and alite stuff. 2 lowlife liars, if u want my opinion. Probably don't though

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  7. LOL! Was hoping someone would say that!!!

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  8. I think everyone deserves a right to express their opinion. And I did deliberately downplay Alite. In other words, I suppressed information from my readers. My source and Alite offered more insight and detail that I ignored ... that's really NOT what I'm supposed to do.

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  9. FACT.....thanks Ed

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  10. Good story Ed keep them coming enjoy reading them

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  11. Ed, nice article. Stand up guy with old time values, we need more like him.

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  12. any other news you have on him ed ?

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  13. Nada. Unless he'll give me an interview.....you know him? Do you know if he saw this??

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  14. I been in touch with stevie he thanks you ed and the rest of you

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  15. Anybody can give a Reg. No. here's mine 18261-053 (you know I'm kiddin ya).

    But you know me... if a person steals even so much as a cup of coffee from me... they're fair game. "Loyalty" is not a term in my vocabulary when somebody has crossed me. Just look at that poor Bonanno jerkoff sitting in his lovely Manhattan cell. He could have come out of that easily as his cohorts have. He crossed the wrong person. They won't be making no movie about that POS this time, will they?

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  16. For some reason my response didn't post, so here it is, You went to jail, big deal! Am I supposed to say WOW? C'mon guy, get real! You say you did some "work" and you're posting it on a board, lol..Yeah ok, lol, You're actually funny! By the way, What was it, "yard work"??? I have to be blunt here, my man, you must realize how ridiculous you sound? Nobody could be that oblivious! I'll leave it at that, I'm not interested in playing, Let's see who could type the toughest.

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  17. i like the way people are always saying, "this person or that person or I went to prison because of a Rat or I meet alot [sic] of friends who aint coming home because of rats." Nobody ever says, "I went to prison because I'm a criminal and I broke the law."


    I suppose it's easier (for some) to blame others for the way their life turned out rather than accept the fact that only they can make their life what it is.

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  18. maybe! I gotta build some suspense....Can you get him to talk to me?

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  19. ill ask him about 430 pm today

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  20. spoke to stevie said he ll talk with you and only you give him a day or 2

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  21. Stand up guy. Some guys don't flip and move on with their lives.

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  22. Because if your not 100% Italian, or Jewish, the Chin didn't want you around, nor did his underlings. Chin earned well with Jew's.

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  23. WOW! A real life celebrity; Johnny Joe Tonche...LOL Yea, as if... Sorry Ed, his post just struck me as funny.

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  24. I spoke to Stevie on the record finally. He's a difficult guy to get a hold of. This guy testified on Junior's behalf. John Alite shot him. He's got some interesting stuff to say. I'm just backed up storywise but it'll be up by Thursday - Friday....

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  25. just to let everyone know--steve was upset with me at first for doing his story with ed- but now hes more relaxed about it he said who cares who knows what these days he said its all pen and computer treachery now

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  26. not so sure about that JD

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  27. I have to correct you Ed, they give the wife back, so technically they just borrow them....Nice people hah? Don't get me started on thus subject!

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  28. Just the facts Ed.

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  29. Great article Ed, Obviously anticipating your follow up. Back in 09 I read an article on another site pertaining this guys testimony and it stated that he did in fact testify that John Jr had nothing to do with the Gotterup hit and John JR did not have knowledge of Alites drug operation but also testified that he sought permission from Agnello to hit Alite and that he was present when Agnello asked Jr if he could whack Alite and the permission was given to Agnello with Jr stating to Agnello get it done he testified the year was 94 or 95. The article stated he was present at Agnellos junkyard when this occurred but was not part of the conversation btw the two. Any truth to this?

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  30. No. He said Agnello wanted Alite hit. Stevie didn't ask Carmine for permission; he in fact turned down Carmine's request to kill Alite, which is why Carmine offered him money, his own business etc cetera. I know some newspapers got a few things wrong, including the above Newsday article. Yes, this is in my follow-up, which I'll write after I finish another story.

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  31. lots of truth to it

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  32. ed steve said he is free tomorrow all day

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  33. steves gumbata was a made man with the chins family took stevie everywhere and introduced him to some others stevie got into to much trouble so his uncle put him to work for a while-legit

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  34. ed I heard you spoke with Stephen(stevie)newell you posted it on another stories blog on here whats the scoop was I right ?

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