Exposing the Mafia's "Honorable Men" Myth

By Nick Christophers, from the May issue of Saint Red Magazine.

People look at him and think 'there goes a good looking man with style'. But when they learn about his checkered past, fear sets in. It is a normal reaction and comes with the territory for someone like him. John Alite was John Gotti Jr.'s bodyguard and did what he was told within the world of the mafia. But those days are over as he begins to build a new life.

Coming from an Albanian family the world of crime was not so foreign to him. Albania itself has been pegged as a breeding ground for criminality. Yet not all Albanians follow that lifestyle. John himself attempted to lead a law-abiding life but somehow was side-tracked. He was raised in Jamaica, Queens in the 1970's were it was a strong-hold for the mob.



Eventually he was sucked into that "life" and became close friends to the infamous John Gotti.

The Gotti family lived only a few towns away from Jamacia in Howard Beach. John was soon to been seen all around town with the scion of the Gotti clan. He ran with a small crew that committed all sorts of crimes. From extortion to murder. But John would eventually see the light and remove himself from that life many years later.

His tales have currently been put to the pen when award winning author George Anastasia agreed to work on his biography, "Gotti Rules". While running with the Gotti clan he decided to flee the country to avoid an ensuing indictment. He would travel around the world from Europe to South America finally settling in Brazil.

"I did not care really where I ended up whether it was in Holland or Colombia. I would try to search for the "street people" of that particular city and use them for my purposes."

When it came to which type of country served him the best, he admitted that the Latin countries seemed more fitting for him. John explained that their hospitality and willingness to work with him was a welcome relief. He also spoke Spanish which helped. In addition to that John found they can relate to him being from an improvised country like Albania. They opened their doors to him seeing they had some commonality.

Europeans were less trusting and were slower to befriend him. Hence, the reason why he settled in Brazil. Yet Brazil ended up being the opposite of what he hoped for. It is there that he was captured by the Secret Police and incarcerated in one of the worst prisons in the world, Ary Franco.

John would survive the cruel and inhumane conditions of the Brazilian prison system which was just as corrupt as anywhere else. After returning to the US he would testify in court against the one he once called brother, John Gotti Jr. His decision to became what he dreaded most, a rat, was because while he was locked him his own crew ratted him out. It was a "textbook case of survival".

"I did what I had to do. Not to save my life but to expose the truth of the one's who called themselves "men of honor".

Now John has devoted his experiences to help children deal with bullying that has ran rampant across America. He has decided to take on this task as a keynote speaker to shed light on the misconceptions of being in the mafia and bullying. John is not doing this for redemption but to give back for what he took away. The Gotti's for all intensive purposes were bullies themselves. Using others to do their dirty work whether it was Gotti Sr. or Jr.

John's goal is to expose this myth that the Gotti's were honorable men of the "life" which he does through the book. Even though people do say negative things about him they never say it to his face. He does find it interesting how people become judgmental when there is no ensuing threat. But when he was on the street no one said a word. John, for who he was and who he has become ignores these rants and repeatedly challenges anyone to come forward. Is John a changed man 100 %? Maybe not, but he has turned a new corner by working to help others avoid going down the same unforgiving road he had taken thirty years ago.