CONCLUSION of the Ravenite Transcript Series: "You wanna challenge the 'administration'? Well, we will meet the challenge!"
Wiseguys know that anytime they chat, there's always a chance that their words could be memorialized forever on wiretaps—which is why they effortlessly speak in code and use copious nicknames and never spell things out entirely. (An ex-wiseguy who spent decades in the life told us recently that he has no idea what John Gotti and the other guys are talking about in our Ravenite Transcript Series. "I can't follow a word of what they're fcking saying.")
In one of the discussions below Gotti obsesses over loose lips and anoints himself the prime offender: “This [is] how we get in trouble—we talk.”
Minutes later, he notes what will happen to anyone who dares to oppose his regime...
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| John Gotti and unidentified man(?) outside Brooklyn federal court. |
In one of the discussions below Gotti obsesses over loose lips and anoints himself the prime offender: “This [is] how we get in trouble—we talk.”
Minutes later, he notes what will happen to anyone who dares to oppose his regime...
This entry marks the conclusion of the Ravenite Transcript Series; our next transcript series will be: The Testimony of Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano.
JANUARY 24, 1990
FILE NUMBER: 183A-3507
PLACE: Apartment above the Ravenite Social Club, located at 247 Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Manhattan
TIME: 7:41 P.M.
PARTICIPANTS: JOHN GOTTI, SALVATORE GRAVANO, FRANK LOCASCIO, JOHN D’AMATO
GOTTI: And from now on, I’m telling you if a guy just so mentions “La,” or if he wants to say, “La, la, la, la.” He just says “La,” the guy, I’m gonna strangle the cocksucker. You know what I mean? He don’t have to say, “Cosa Nostra,” just “La,” and they go. No, you know why (inaudible). Look, I heard other people’s—I heard nine months of tapes of my life. Gambling, I put the guy’s head up his mother’s cunt, and I’ll kill him about this, (inaudible) all that shit. It, er, once in a while you heard “a nice fellow,” something like that. It bothered me, but it didn’t bother me. This actually is fucking bothering me today. I was actually sick and I don’t wanna get sick. Not sick for me—sick for this “thing of ours.” Sick for that—how, how naive we were five years ago. This was ’85. This is fuckin’ April ’85, ah, up until, ah, till May of ’86. And, I’m, I’m sick that we were so fucking naive. Me number one!
D’AMATO: Well, if it makes you feel any better, there was a Vito in this “thing of ours.” (Lowers voice) (Inaudible)
GOTTI: (Inaudible)
D’AMATO: That makes—and that’s the truth. That’s not just we’re buddies.
GOTTI: John, after make me feeling—
D’AMATO: (Inaudible)
GOTTI: Johnny, Johnny—
D’AMATO: (Inaudible) you doing great!
GOTTI: Yeah, but let me give ya an example. I’m telling Angelo, “Hey, you gotta do me a favor,” I tell him. “Don’t make nobody come in. Don’t make nobody talk. This [is] how we get in trouble—we talk. You don’t have to be in this club.” I’m talking about Mike or Jose now (clap sound), naturally. (Coughs) He says, “I know.” We just got through talking, me, Frankie, and “Joe Butch.” What we’re gonna do is, we’re gonna insulate all the disputes from all the guys. We get all the “skippers.” The, the main “skippers.” Then I grab, ah, Jimmy Brown, grab “Frankie Loc,” grab Sam, grab this guy, Lou (inaudible) and they say—right in the mike—and I’m telling, “Don’t forget! Don’t let them bother Joe … er, Frank DeCicco, either. That means the ‘underboss.’ ” Hey! (Inaudible) bother me about. We doing right here, right now. One-two-three, we end it. (Inaudible) in here. (Inaudible) go work next week. But I’m telling you, I’m sort of more guilty than any of you are simply because, I’m telling you, I know better. “Get the fuck out!” I’m supposed to tell them. “I wanna talk to you.” Two blocks up I’m talking to you. Six blocks around I’ll talk (inaudible) (coughs). And this was as much as a couple of months ago. [. . . .]
GRAVANO: Johnny Gambino— (Clears throat) Mr. Gambino, what happened, he’s now, Tommy grabs me when he walks in. So he says, “I got a message.” “From who?” “Johnny Gambino.” He says, “They understand that you were reaching out for him. He’s almost under, like, a house arrest,” he says. “I got in touch with him. He’d like to make an appointment. If youse wanna see him, in the lawyer’s office.” So, I says, “Well, Joey was looking to make the arrangements with his son.” Says, “I know.” Whatever which way you wanna do it (inaudible) which way I wanna do it. When he comes, I’ll, I’ll see what, what you want him. You want me to meet him in the lawyer’s office, I’ll meet him Wednesday.
GOTTI: (Clears throat)
GRAVANO: I don’t know what position, you know, how you felt, ya know?
GOTTI: No, I’m willing to sit. But when I hear, I heard it again today—
GRAVANO: (Clears throat)
GOTTI: I heard this guy that’s ratting over there is a “friend” from over there. He was the “mixologist.” He’s a “friend.” They just “turned” another guy, another “friend” ratted. Two “friends of ours,” from over there. An old-timer and the guy about our age, he’s like, he’s a forty-seven bracket, and an old-timer. I don’t know what they mean, er, by an “old-timer.” They’re bringing the both of them over here. And they got depositions and/or tapes. They got a video surveillance caught with “a minchia.” (Lowers voice) (Inaudible) over here in the corner and he’s (inaudible). (Tap sound)
GRAVANO: Not only that—
GOTTI: (Coughs)
GRAVANO: —I understand we have a forewarning when they hear you. Some fucking thing in Italy. Your people … Italian people. That’s gonna come out. They got “friends” are in Italy, and here, back and forth.
GOTTI: Ya know, ya know what we gotta do—
GRAVANO: I wouldn’t be surprised if this fucking kid—
GOTTI: —but if true … if it’s him—
GRAVANO: He’s gotta—
GOTTI: —the liaison, the liaison guy’s getting “whacked.” Because—
GRAVANO: (Clears throat)
GOTTI: —that’s not, that don’t belong to us. That’s their fucking “crew.” And he’s gotta get “whacked”! Because he’s getting the same, for the same reason that “Jelly Belly’s” getting it. ' And you’re “going,” you motherfucker! You wanna, you wanna challenge the “administration”? Well, we will meet the challenge!"
JANUARY 24, 1990
FILE NUMBER: 183A-3507
PLACE: Apartment above the Ravenite Social Club, located at 247 Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Manhattan
TIME: 7:41 P.M.
PARTICIPANTS: JOHN GOTTI, SALVATORE GRAVANO, FRANK LOCASCIO, JOHN D’AMATO
GOTTI: And from now on, I’m telling you if a guy just so mentions “La,” or if he wants to say, “La, la, la, la.” He just says “La,” the guy, I’m gonna strangle the cocksucker. You know what I mean? He don’t have to say, “Cosa Nostra,” just “La,” and they go. No, you know why (inaudible). Look, I heard other people’s—I heard nine months of tapes of my life. Gambling, I put the guy’s head up his mother’s cunt, and I’ll kill him about this, (inaudible) all that shit. It, er, once in a while you heard “a nice fellow,” something like that. It bothered me, but it didn’t bother me. This actually is fucking bothering me today. I was actually sick and I don’t wanna get sick. Not sick for me—sick for this “thing of ours.” Sick for that—how, how naive we were five years ago. This was ’85. This is fuckin’ April ’85, ah, up until, ah, till May of ’86. And, I’m, I’m sick that we were so fucking naive. Me number one!
D’AMATO: Well, if it makes you feel any better, there was a Vito in this “thing of ours.” (Lowers voice) (Inaudible)
GOTTI: (Inaudible)
D’AMATO: That makes—and that’s the truth. That’s not just we’re buddies.
GOTTI: John, after make me feeling—
D’AMATO: (Inaudible)
GOTTI: Johnny, Johnny—
D’AMATO: (Inaudible) you doing great!
GOTTI: Yeah, but let me give ya an example. I’m telling Angelo, “Hey, you gotta do me a favor,” I tell him. “Don’t make nobody come in. Don’t make nobody talk. This [is] how we get in trouble—we talk. You don’t have to be in this club.” I’m talking about Mike or Jose now (clap sound), naturally. (Coughs) He says, “I know.” We just got through talking, me, Frankie, and “Joe Butch.” What we’re gonna do is, we’re gonna insulate all the disputes from all the guys. We get all the “skippers.” The, the main “skippers.” Then I grab, ah, Jimmy Brown, grab “Frankie Loc,” grab Sam, grab this guy, Lou (inaudible) and they say—right in the mike—and I’m telling, “Don’t forget! Don’t let them bother Joe … er, Frank DeCicco, either. That means the ‘underboss.’ ” Hey! (Inaudible) bother me about. We doing right here, right now. One-two-three, we end it. (Inaudible) in here. (Inaudible) go work next week. But I’m telling you, I’m sort of more guilty than any of you are simply because, I’m telling you, I know better. “Get the fuck out!” I’m supposed to tell them. “I wanna talk to you.” Two blocks up I’m talking to you. Six blocks around I’ll talk (inaudible) (coughs). And this was as much as a couple of months ago. [. . . .]
GRAVANO: Johnny Gambino— (Clears throat) Mr. Gambino, what happened, he’s now, Tommy grabs me when he walks in. So he says, “I got a message.” “From who?” “Johnny Gambino.” He says, “They understand that you were reaching out for him. He’s almost under, like, a house arrest,” he says. “I got in touch with him. He’d like to make an appointment. If youse wanna see him, in the lawyer’s office.” So, I says, “Well, Joey was looking to make the arrangements with his son.” Says, “I know.” Whatever which way you wanna do it (inaudible) which way I wanna do it. When he comes, I’ll, I’ll see what, what you want him. You want me to meet him in the lawyer’s office, I’ll meet him Wednesday.
GOTTI: (Clears throat)
GRAVANO: I don’t know what position, you know, how you felt, ya know?
GOTTI: No, I’m willing to sit. But when I hear, I heard it again today—
GRAVANO: (Clears throat)
GOTTI: I heard this guy that’s ratting over there is a “friend” from over there. He was the “mixologist.” He’s a “friend.” They just “turned” another guy, another “friend” ratted. Two “friends of ours,” from over there. An old-timer and the guy about our age, he’s like, he’s a forty-seven bracket, and an old-timer. I don’t know what they mean, er, by an “old-timer.” They’re bringing the both of them over here. And they got depositions and/or tapes. They got a video surveillance caught with “a minchia.” (Lowers voice) (Inaudible) over here in the corner and he’s (inaudible). (Tap sound)
GRAVANO: Not only that—
GOTTI: (Coughs)
GRAVANO: —I understand we have a forewarning when they hear you. Some fucking thing in Italy. Your people … Italian people. That’s gonna come out. They got “friends” are in Italy, and here, back and forth.
GOTTI: Ya know, ya know what we gotta do—
GRAVANO: I wouldn’t be surprised if this fucking kid—
GOTTI: —but if true … if it’s him—
GRAVANO: He’s gotta—
GOTTI: —the liaison, the liaison guy’s getting “whacked.” Because—
GRAVANO: (Clears throat)
GOTTI: —that’s not, that don’t belong to us. That’s their fucking “crew.” And he’s gotta get “whacked”! Because he’s getting the same, for the same reason that “Jelly Belly’s” getting it. ' And you’re “going,” you motherfucker! You wanna, you wanna challenge the “administration”? Well, we will meet the challenge!"
Review the rest of the Ravenite Transcripts Series...
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