John Junior Gotti Was Back In Queens Court This Week But Not As A Defendant; He Was An Athletic Supporter
UPDATED WITH INTERVIEW
You'd think a guy like John (Junior) Gotti would've had enough of courtrooms to last five lifetimes.
Yet even though he's survived four racketeering trials, as he never fails to remind, each of which ended in a hung jury, and even though he was detained without bail for 30-something months, apparently Junior has not had enough.
The Dapper Don's son/former lead decision maker on a Gambino crime family ruling panel made an appearance at Queens court earlier this week, on Tuesday, to stand tall for an MMA fighter-turned-accused bank robber.
And the MMA fighter in question was NOT Junior's son, John Gotti III, who's also an MMA fighter.
Rather, the accused was Sergio DaSilva, who robbed an Astoria CitiBank in August 2017. Donning a ski mask, leaping over a three-foot glass partition, and allegedly threatening to shoot people, he dashed off with around $45,000. And was promptly arrested.
Cops reportedly identified DaSilva via the telltale fingerprints he left at the scene. The operation certainly didn't cause the NYPD to over-extend its resources -- DaSilva lives right around the corner, literally on the same street as the Astoria CitiBank.
John Junior (not fcking John Gotti Jr., goddamn it -- there is a difference) apparently knew that DaSilva was innocent, however, because DaSilva had trained with Junior's son, John Gotti III.
Never mind that DaSilva was caught on surveillance footage.
Apparently, training with John Gotti III was enough for John Junior to once again bravely sit astride his high horse and cry foul at Uncle Sam. Again.
"My son is an MMA fighter. Sergio is an MMA fighter. They have trained together in the past,’’ as John Junior Gotti told it.
“I believe the kid is innocent."
DaSilva has two preteen kids and, as per Junior, is “a magnificent father” as well as an innocent man. Junior must know about the man's talent at "fathering" -- also because his son and Sergio "trained together in the past." But there's more: “He brings his son with him to the gym all the time,’’ as Junior interjected. (Hopefully Sergio didn't bring his kid on bank jobs, too.)
And yet despite all Junior's rigmarole, DaSilva allegedly is a shitty MMA fighter, his training partner notwithstanding.
DaSilva was dubbed a “lousy MMA fighter” by the New York Post, and his professional record is 6-9.
His last professional fight was a submission loss to Matthew Rizzo at Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva. DaSilva also is "best remembered" for his antics during the official weigh-in, where it appeared he tried to cheat the NYSAC scale.
Junior reportedly made his appearance at court on the jury's second day of deliberations.
Turns out, an MMA fighter can actually train with John Gotti III and actually not be innocent.
DaSilva was found GUILTY today, January 17, of robbing that bank and faces up to seven years behind bars.
The 32-year-old was convicted of third-degree robbery after jurors viewed surveillance footage of him jumping on the counter and demanding cash.
Now he did catch a little bit of a break, but it had nothing to do with training with John Gotti III. DaSilva had faced two felony robbery charges, but because the security footage failed to prove he was packing a gun, he was found not guilty of first-degree robbery, which carried a maximum 25-year prison sentence.
Normally, we'd try to get a comment from Junior to explain this, as inexplicable as it sounds to us. But then we thought, What could we possibly ask him? Nothing came to mind. (And he'd never talk to us, anyway.)
You'd think a guy like John (Junior) Gotti would've had enough of courtrooms to last five lifetimes.
 |
| Junior Gotti, right, and Sergio DaSilva. |
Yet even though he's survived four racketeering trials, as he never fails to remind, each of which ended in a hung jury, and even though he was detained without bail for 30-something months, apparently Junior has not had enough.
The Dapper Don's son/former lead decision maker on a Gambino crime family ruling panel made an appearance at Queens court earlier this week, on Tuesday, to stand tall for an MMA fighter-turned-accused bank robber.
And the MMA fighter in question was NOT Junior's son, John Gotti III, who's also an MMA fighter.
Rather, the accused was Sergio DaSilva, who robbed an Astoria CitiBank in August 2017. Donning a ski mask, leaping over a three-foot glass partition, and allegedly threatening to shoot people, he dashed off with around $45,000. And was promptly arrested.
Cops reportedly identified DaSilva via the telltale fingerprints he left at the scene. The operation certainly didn't cause the NYPD to over-extend its resources -- DaSilva lives right around the corner, literally on the same street as the Astoria CitiBank.
John Junior (not fcking John Gotti Jr., goddamn it -- there is a difference) apparently knew that DaSilva was innocent, however, because DaSilva had trained with Junior's son, John Gotti III.
Never mind that DaSilva was caught on surveillance footage.
Apparently, training with John Gotti III was enough for John Junior to once again bravely sit astride his high horse and cry foul at Uncle Sam. Again.
 |
| DaSilva wearing ski mask making "withdrawal" in August 2017. Musta been hot under there. |
"My son is an MMA fighter. Sergio is an MMA fighter. They have trained together in the past,’’ as John Junior Gotti told it.
“I believe the kid is innocent."
DaSilva has two preteen kids and, as per Junior, is “a magnificent father” as well as an innocent man. Junior must know about the man's talent at "fathering" -- also because his son and Sergio "trained together in the past." But there's more: “He brings his son with him to the gym all the time,’’ as Junior interjected. (Hopefully Sergio didn't bring his kid on bank jobs, too.)
And yet despite all Junior's rigmarole, DaSilva allegedly is a shitty MMA fighter, his training partner notwithstanding.
 |
| Do I have to write a caption for this? Well, I'm not.... |
DaSilva was dubbed a “lousy MMA fighter” by the New York Post, and his professional record is 6-9.
His last professional fight was a submission loss to Matthew Rizzo at Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva. DaSilva also is "best remembered" for his antics during the official weigh-in, where it appeared he tried to cheat the NYSAC scale.
It looks like the NYSAC learned its lesson from "Towelgate." Check this out from today's Bellator 180 weigh-ins: https://t.co/IBvAEHUZ5Q pic.twitter.com/q6C6Jl0svH— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 23, 2017
Junior reportedly made his appearance at court on the jury's second day of deliberations.
Turns out, an MMA fighter can actually train with John Gotti III and actually not be innocent.
DaSilva was found GUILTY today, January 17, of robbing that bank and faces up to seven years behind bars.
The 32-year-old was convicted of third-degree robbery after jurors viewed surveillance footage of him jumping on the counter and demanding cash.
Now he did catch a little bit of a break, but it had nothing to do with training with John Gotti III. DaSilva had faced two felony robbery charges, but because the security footage failed to prove he was packing a gun, he was found not guilty of first-degree robbery, which carried a maximum 25-year prison sentence.
Normally, we'd try to get a comment from Junior to explain this, as inexplicable as it sounds to us. But then we thought, What could we possibly ask him? Nothing came to mind. (And he'd never talk to us, anyway.)
So instead we thought we'd talk to the guy who Junior told Angelo Prisco was his right-hand man, Michael (Mikie Scars) DiLeonardo.
"What kind of guidance, advice does Junior give his sister's kid, he gets arrested, his brother's kid gets arrested and is a drug addict, his protege's kid gets arrested, he (Junior) gets stabbed. Being around the Gotti name has its 'benefits?'”
"I guess Junior’s presence did not intimidate the jurors. If Junior really cared, he should have intervened before the kid became a bank robber."
"What kind of guidance, advice does Junior give his sister's kid, he gets arrested, his brother's kid gets arrested and is a drug addict, his protege's kid gets arrested, he (Junior) gets stabbed. Being around the Gotti name has its 'benefits?'”
"I guess Junior’s presence did not intimidate the jurors. If Junior really cared, he should have intervened before the kid became a bank robber."
Mikie Scars did see one bright side: "The kid will have plenty of time to hone his MMA skills upstate."
DaSilva's sentencing is set for February 28.
Meanwhile, Junior, as is his wont, reminisced about old times while in court this week.
“My first trial was in this building in 1987. I was acquitted in an assault case,’’ Junior recalled.
Last March, in Brooklyn federal court, Junior also took to reminiscing aloud near reporters covering the proceeding.
DaSilva's sentencing is set for February 28.
Meanwhile, Junior, as is his wont, reminisced about old times while in court this week.
“My first trial was in this building in 1987. I was acquitted in an assault case,’’ Junior recalled.
Last March, in Brooklyn federal court, Junior also took to reminiscing aloud near reporters covering the proceeding.
He reportedly embraced a court sketch artist, displaying "genuine affection and telling his younger relatives that the woman had not only covered his trials (plural) but also “grandpa’s.”
Back then, Junior's nephew, John J. Gotti, the grandson and namesake of the one-time Gambino crime family boss, was sentenced to five years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to torching the car of a man who who’d had the temerity to cut off Bonnano capo Vincent Asaro on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens.
Back then, Junior's nephew, John J. Gotti, the grandson and namesake of the one-time Gambino crime family boss, was sentenced to five years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to torching the car of a man who who’d had the temerity to cut off Bonnano capo Vincent Asaro on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens.
There's no word yet on whether the story of John Junior supporting an MMA fighter who's not his son on trial for bank robbery will be filmed for the big screen....
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