John "Junior" Gotti: John Alite Reported "Directly To Me"

George Anastasia, Alite and Michelle Sigona, Crime Watch Daily reporter. 


Last month John Alite and George Anastasia appeared on Crime Watch Daily on WPIX, channel 11, aka the CW, a major network in New York City and on Long Island, to promote Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia.

John A. "Junior" Gotti is quoted on the show admitting, essentially, what John Alite has been saying all along since Gotti's Rules was published -- that Alite reported directly to him and also served as his muscle.

John Junior didn't appear or speak on the show, but was quoted, his words posted on the screen for everyone to see.



The fact that no one has written about this story is testament to two things: No one really cares about the mob anymore. Also the New York media selectively covers any kind of John Gotti-related news. They run excerpts from his book, quote him saying how he "gamed" the Fed's at a 302 proffer, but none of them reported on Gotti's proffer 302s when they were available prior to Anastasia's book launch.

Sources also told CNNews that John Gotti's representatives allegedly contacted WPIX to try to dissuade the channel from airing the segment. WPIX hasn't yet responded to requests for comment.

However it is apparent that WPIX didn't succumb to the pressure, airing the segment and allowing John Junior to comment.

Crime Watch Daily is described as a "new one-hour program covering the most compelling aspects of the world of crime, mystery and intrigue." It also asserts that it is the very first daytime crime show in syndication.

Alite, via Crime Watch Daily, spoke from one of his largest forums yet since flipping and departing the mob. He and Anastasia spoke to Crime Watch Daily correspondent Michelle Sigona.

Alite and Anastasia brought Ms. Sigona to Manhattan's Spark Steak House during the broadcast, where Paul Castellano was famously whacked during rush hour in the week before Christmas.

Alite described how he was ordered to carry out a hit:

"I was summoned in to do a murder of a drug dealer that was using the Gotti name, specifically John Gotti Senior at the time, and involving his name in drugs," said Alite, who said he was around 25 years old at the time. "And they asked me to take this guy out."

CWD noted that Alite isn't "happy now to be known as a "snitch," a traitor and a rat for his role as a star witness in the racketeering case against his former mob boss. He believes those terms belong to the Gottis."

Alite said:

"These guys have double standards: When it's OK for them, they rat. John Gotti Sr. sat in a room and talked about crime after crime and blamed them on Sammy Gravano. That's a rat. That's a 'dry snitch,' and in our laws that means that man needs to be killed."

Crime Watch Daily also noted that it had spoken with "John Gotti Junior who admitted that Alite reported directly to him, and was his muscle for the mob."

Junior Gotti "adamantly denies ever being a rat," the show stated, quoting Gotti:

"For someone to call me a rat, it's just not right. It was my mistake talking with the FBI for 30 minutes. No one was ever affected, indicted, subpoenaed, as a result of what was said...other than myself."

Then the qualifier the Gottis always insist on -- though WPIX seems to sense that: note how abruptly the show changes the topic, in the same sentence:

"Alite famously testified at his racketeering trial, but the jury did not consider him a credible witness. He testified in court, saying: "When I went to restaurants, I didn't wait. When I went to shows, I got the best seats. We got treated like celebrities."

Junior departed from his own book's origin story when he spoke to WPIX for the segment.

As noted in a previous story, In a YouTube video posted on his website, "Junior" Gotti blasted the notion that his book, Shadow of My Father, was an immediate response to Gotti's Rules.

Speaking with his lawyer, Charles Carnesi, by his side, ostensibly being interviewed by someone off camera, Gotti relayed the fact that he "actually" had written 375 pages "some four years ago," but "decided to put it on the shelf for peace of mind. To keep my family happy."

"There is always that fear factor that the government would come after me again and harass me," he added. "Don't preen like a peacock, don't be like your father, just pull it back."

The former lead decision maker on a Gambino crime family ruling panel said that he changed his mind about publishing a book when he heard, upon returning from vacation, that a "totally discredited witness" who testified at his fourth RICO trial was writing a book. (Alite is not the author of Gotti's Rules; George Anastasia is. And while Anastasia didn't attempt to interview anyone from the Gotti camp in order to avoid turning the book into a he-said, she-said nightmare scenario, emphasis on nightmare, he did consult his own sources, as well as FBI reports and court documents.)

"Gotti's Rules is Alite's side of the story. Take it or leave it, believe it or not," as Philly.com noted in a recent story called 'Gotti's Rules' tells a Mafia enforcer's story.

This witness had zero credibility based on what Gotti said he'd heard from nine jurors who "stood around to answer questions" after the trial was over. (But only one was quoted; possibly a second juror speaking anonymously was also quoted in an AP story widely distributed at the end of the trial.)

Two voted guilty, seven voted not guilty on one of the charges, six voted not guilty on all of the charges. "But two definitely voted guilty." (Gotti was one or two votes away from a prison cell on each charge, no matter how he frames it.)

He added: "All had said he was the most uncredible witness. None of them liked him. They said he was a liar, he lied through his teeth. Now for me to hear that this guy was writing a book."

Alite is "a guy claiming to know it all; to know my family so well."

Gotti then noted the voluminous number of books and television shows about the Gotti name that have already been consumed by the public. Most were primarily focused on John Gotti Senior, jolting Junior to quip: "Me? I'm nothing."

Junior said he finally decided "enough," and told his family members of his decision.

The bottom line, for Junior, was that the thought of Alite writing a book was simply beyond his comprehension. "You want me to pull my pants down? What's next?" he noted.

The interviewer then asked about his relationship to Alite, whom the government described as being Gotti's "right-hand man," which caused Junior to quip: "Didn't they say that about Mikey Scars?"

"How many right hands do I have? I am running out of right hands!"


Was John Gotti Senior a "dry snitch," as Alite claimed? We asked Michael "Mikie Scars" DiLeonardo, and he quite adamantly told us "No, he was not." In a follow-up story we will discuss this in more detail....


Here is an excerpt from Gotti's Rules that includes the text presented in the 302:

"[W]hat follows is a word-for-word replication of the five-page FBI 302 memo of the debriefing of John A. Gott back in January 2005. [John] Alite, who has read it, said it was a typical Gotti attempt to lay blame on others. He said the version of events depicted by Junior, at least the events that Alite has knowledge of, is a blend of fact and fiction. The allegations in the memo are not being presented as fact for the purposes of this story, but merely to show that Gotti met with authorities and, in a very real sense, was willing to throw the names of others -- mobsters, businessmen and elected officials – into his descriptions of the criminal activities of the Gambino crime family. "


          FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

                                                                       
                                                            Date of Transcription 01/16/2006


JOHN A. GOTTI, also known as (aka) JUNIOR  (GOTTI, JR.) (Protect Identity) was present at the united States Attorney’s Office, Southern district of New York (SDNY), 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York on January 18, 2005 for a proffer session. This meeting was arranged at GOTTI, JR.’S request. Also present were GOTTI JR.’S ATTORNEYS, Jeffrey Lichtman, Esq., and MARC FERNICH, Esq., as well as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAS) Robert Buehler, Joon Kim and Jennifer Rodgers, SDNY.

After GOTTI JR. and his attorneys read the proffer agreement and the terms of that agreement were explained to them by the AUSAS, GOTTI JR. signed the agreement. GOTTI JR. thereafter provided the following information.

                                    The Murder of Danny Silva

In the early morning hours of either March 11th or 12th, 1983, GOTTI JR. , along with friends MARK CAPUTO and ANTHONY AMOROSO, were present at the SLIVER FOX bar located on 101stStreet and Liberty Avenue in Queens, New York. At some point, TOMMY Last Name Unknonw (LNU) aka “ELFIE” approached GOTTI, JR., who was seated at the bar with a female friend, DONNA (LNU) . According to GOTTI, JR., ‘ELFIE’ repeatedly bumped into him. Words were exchanged, one thing led to another and GOTTI, JR. ultimately hit ‘ELFIE’ with a broken glass bottle. GOTTI, JR. then stabbed ‘ELFIE’ with a knkife that GOTTI JR. had obtained from AMOROSO.
According to GOTTI JR., a melee ensued involving approximately 30 to 40 of the bar’s patrons. GOTTI JR. recalled that among those involved in the melee wee: DANNY SILVA, JOHN and GREG MASSA, ANGELO CASTELLI, JOEY CURIO, First Name Unknow (FNU) RILEY and JOHN CENNAMO. GOTTI JR. stated that DANNY SILVA was stabbed and killed during the melee.

GOTTI, JR. described a meeting which occurred a hort time after the incident at the SLIVER FOX, between ANGELO RUGGIERO, SR., AND New York City Police Department (NYPD)  Detective, JOHN DALY. GOTTI ,JR.  drove RUGGIERO to the meeting, which took place at the Sherwood Dinier located near the Five Towns, on the Queens-Nassau County border. Before the meeting GOTTI JR. and RUGGIERO discussed the purpose of the meeting. According to GOTTI , JR. , RUGGIERO was carrying a brown paper bag containing $25,000 in cash. GOTTI, JR. observed RUGGIERO sit in the rear of the diner and meet with DALY and an unknown white male. RUGGIERO advised GOTTI JR. that the $25,000 cash payment was made to DALY to get his (GOTTI JR.’S) name out of the SILVER FOX murder investigation. While GOTTI, JR., did not directly meet DALY, DALY did acknowledge GOTTI, JR.on his way out of the diner, as GOTTI, JR. sat waiting in the car.

Following this meeting with RUGGIERO and  DALY, GOTTI, JR. was instructed by his father, JOHN J. GOTTI, (GOTTI, SR.) TO LEAVE New York for a while until things “colled down.” GOTTI, JR. left  New York for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, whee he remained for some time. At some time GOTTI, SR. joined him in F.orida  and the two eventually returned to New York.

Upon GOTTI, JR.’S return to New York, he learned that JOHN CENNAMO , one of  DANNY SILVA’S friends who was present that the SILVER FOX the night SILVA was stabbed and killed, was dead, apparently having hung himself..

GOTT JR. provided the following as background:

ANGELO RUGGIERO was ‘put on the shelf”  by GOTTI, SR. after the murder of JIMMY HYDELL in 1986. HYDELL was tortured and killed by members of the Luchese  Organized Crime Family because he (HYDELL) and others had shot and tried to kill ANTHONY ‘GASPIPE’ CASSO. The Luchese Family learned that RUGGIERO was behind the attempt to kill CASSO and demanded that RUGGIERO himself be killed. GOTTI, SR., who was very close to RUGGIERO, did not have RUGGIERO killed. Instead, RUGGIERO was “put on the shelf.”

Prior to HYDELL’S murder, members of the Luchese Family summoned Gambino Family members JIMMY “BROWN”FAILLA and JOE ‘BUTCH’ CORRAO to the location where HYDELL was being held. According to GOTTI, JR., faille AND corraoa wee summoned to that location so that they would be present when HYDELL admitted his and RUGGIERO’S involvement in the attempted murder of CASSO. Prior to the Luchese Family killing HYDELL, FAILLA and CORRAO obtained Gambino Family member DANNY MARINO’S approval to kill  HYDELL., because, according to GOTTI, JR., HYDELL was MARINO’S nephew.

Even though RUGGIERO had been “put on the shelf,” GOTTI, JR., continued to meet with him in violation of mafia protocol.  GOTTI’S father, (GOTTI SR.) reprimanded him on occasion for meeting with RUGGIERO. GOTTI, JR. learned from RUGGIERO that in the weeks and months after SILVA was killed at the SILVER FOZ, CENNAMO ut continued pressure on the police department to investigate  his (SILVA’S)   murder. RUGGIERO told GOTTI, JR. that CENNAMO “pressed” his 9GOTTI’S) name in the investigation and his (GOTTI, JR.’S) role in the bar fight that led to SILVA’S murder. RUGGIERO told GOTTI, JR. that he (RUGGIERO) and others had obtained NYPD DD5S [official police department reports] of the SILVA murer investigation from DALY. RUGGIERO then advised GOTTI, JR. that CENNAMO’S death , which appeared to be a suicide, was in fact a murder and that he  (RUGGIERO), JOE WATTS and WILLIE BOY JOHNSON had killed CENNAMO on GOTTI SR.’S orders. RUGGIERO told GOTTI JR. that DETECTIVE JOHN DALY provided background information regarding CENNAMO which the Gambino family used to locate him.

Several years later, after GOTTI JR. was arrested on unrelated charges, an additional cash payment was made to DALY when GOTTI  JR.’S name resurfaced in the SILVA murder investigation.  

GOTTI JR. stated that after his father was arrested and remanded to prison [December 1990] , GOTTI JR. frequently met with JOE WATTS, who was a close associate of GOTTI SR. At one meeting with WATTS at the Lum  Chin Chinese restaurant,, WATTS admitted his involvement in the murder of CENNAMO. Wattsa also told GOTTI JR. that the first “piece of work” he (WATTS) was involved in was the murder of VITO BORELLI in approximately 1980, which he committed with GOTTI SR.

According to GOTTI JR. JOHN DALY was assigned to the 106thPrecinct during the time he received the payoffs from the Gambino Family and provided information to the Gambino Family about the SILVA murder investigation. GOTTI JR.  added that DALY later went to work for the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

                                    Oak Point Garbage Dump

At some point in late 1980’s GOTTI JR and others wanted to develop approximately 28 acres of land located on the Bronx side of the Triboro Bridge. This tract of land was known as Oak Point and at that time was being used by New York City as a garbage dump. GOTTI, JR. and his associates wanted to build modular homes on the property through a company known as Brite Star Homes. In addition to the housing development GOTTI JR. wanted to get involved in the construction of the Bronx House of Detention on that site. GOTTI JR. had received assurances that he would be able to sell the prison to the City of New York for twenty million dollars.

According to GOTTI  JR., DAVID NORKIN, a partner of GOTTI, JR.’S in this venture purchased the property. GOTTI JR. advised that bribes were paid to at least two city politicians in order to secure certain city permits required for the development of the project. JOE ZINGARO, a captain in the Gambino Family, had a close association with Bronx politician, EFRAIM ‘EFFIE’ GONZALEZ. GOTTI  JR. gave $20,000.00 in cash to ZINGARO  for ZINGARO to give to GONZALEZ.  According to ZINGARO, GONZALEZ accepted the $20,000.00 GOTTI JR., using the alias JOHN RUSSO, met GONZALEZ at a function they both attended at Alex and Henry’s Catering Hall in the Bronx.

According to GOTTI , JR., additional bribe money was paid to FERNANDO FERRER through NORKIN. NORKIN suggested making the payments to FERRER. According to GOTTI, JR. on at least two different occasions, he (GOTTI, JR.) gave $25,000.00 in cash to NORKIN for NORKIN to give to FERRER.  GOTTI, JR.’S  close associate MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN, delivered the money. GOTTI, JR. again using the alias JOHN RUSSO, also met directly with FERRER at NORKIN’S  office. According to GOTTI, JR. the bribes paid to FERRER did secure whatever permit (s) GOTTI, JR. and his associates needed to obtain for their project.

In addition to the payments described above, GOTTI, JR. paid an additional $100,000.00 to $125,000.00 in cash to various city politicians through NORKIN and the las firm DAVIDOFF MILITO in order to ‘grease the skids” in the development of the housing project and detention center.

After NORKIN purchase Oak Pint, GOTTI, JR. and his associates continued to operate the garbage dump from approximately January 1989 through late  August 1989. GOTTI, JR.S “guys,” including McLAUGHLIN, worked at the dump. GOTTI, JR. stated that investigators with the Department of Investigation (DOI) or another New York City investigative agency photographed GOTTI, JR. at the garbage dump on several occasions. Once this photographic evidence of GOTTI, JR.’S connection to the property surfaced, his (GOTTI, JR.’S) investors and business associates no longer wanted to be involved and the project was never completed.

In approximately the spring of 1990, GOTTI, JR. and other Gambino Family members pursued another project involving a garbage dump. This dump was located in Matamoras, Pennsylvania. GOTTI, JR.  attended a ‘sit -down”  with other members of the Gambino Family, as well as high-ranking members of the Luchese Family concerning this project. On behalf of the Gambino Family (which GOTTI, JR. continually referred to as “our family”)  GOTTI, JR., his (GOTTI, JR.’S) uncle , PETE GOTTI, and SALVATORE “SAMMY THE BULL” GRAVANO met with representatives of the Luchese Family, AL D’ARCO, ANTHONY “GAS PIPE” CASSO and PATTY MASSELLI.  According to GOTTI, JR., the deal to purchase and operate this garbage dump fell through.

                        Queen’s District Attorney’s Office

GOTTI, JR.  also stated that Gambino Family member ANTHONY “TONY LEE” GUERRIERI and his relationship with local politician, SAL REALE, the Gambino Family had “influence” with the Queens District Attorney’s (DA) Office while JOHN SANTUCCI was the District Attorney. GOTTI, JR. identified MIKE CURRO as the Gambino Family’s “go to guy.” GOTTI, JR. also advised that after GUERRIERI died, the Gambino Family lost most of their influence with the Queens DA’s Office.

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