John Alite continued his testimony today at the racketeering trial of reputed Gambino hitman Charles Carneglia, and he stated that after years of paying $1 million a month from his Queens-based prostitution and drug rackets to Junior Gotti he planned in 1993 to whack the mob scion:
During his bombshell testimony this afternoon, Alite said he and Carneglia had once planned to put a hit on Gotti in 1993. Alite said that he had become disillusioned with Gotti's leadership. "I didn't like how John was talking to me," he said. Although the hit never went beyond mere chatter, Alite said he "didn't trust" Gotti - and eventually decided to help the feds prosecute the former Gambino acting boss in 2007. "When you have a bad marriage, you stay married. That was me and John," he said. "There was no divorce."
Last month federal prosecutors disclosed in court papers opposing Junior Gotti's bid for release from jail on bail that a murder contract against Alite contract circulated among reputed Latin King members in a Florida prison after Junior's August 2008 indictment:
The note written on a rag was addressed to the "Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation" and added, "the [terminate on sight] is in lockdown now. How iz u gunna get to him now?! We know hes locked up in Pine County. Pep in da street is payin good to get the job done. So finish that [terminate on sight] ASAP."
Authorities long have believed that some Latin Kings members have had ties to the Gambino crime family:
In a 2003 jailhouse chat intercepted by the feds, Gotti said he had become so tired of mob life that he wished he was a member of the notorious Hispanic street gang. "I'm ashamed of who I am," Gotti said. "I'd rather be a Latin King."
Although prosecutors concede they cannot tie Gotti to ordering the hit on Alite, "they raised it in asking a judge to reject Gotti's efforts to be freed on bail awaiting trial":
"The government mentions the contract here simply to show the Gambino crime family has many loyal followers and supporters who are willing to use extreme measures to protect Gotti and others from prosecution. Throughout his life in the Mafia, a simple word from Gotti has been enough to order the commission of crimes, including violent attacks and murder. The same is true now."
At today's trial Mama Gotti appeared in order to stare down Alite who yesterday claimed to have slept with her daughter Victoria:
Earlier in the day, Victoria Gotti Sr. stared Alite down as he testified in the most bizarre moment of the Carneglia trial. Gotti did not sit down when she entered the courtroom. Instead, she stood near the door and glared at Alite. The matriarch's dramatic appearance came a day after Alite testified that he had an affair with Gotti's daughter Victoria. "He's an insect," she told reporters during a break. Gotti also called Alite a "liar and a serial killer." "My daughter would never go near [him]," she added.
"I didn't like how John was talking to me," said Alite, who revealed he planned the hit on Junior with Charles Carneglia, an accused hit man on trial in Brooklyn federal court, and Nicholas Corozzo, a rival crew leader. Carneglia "told me to take care of that half a Jew," said Alite, alluding to a rumor on the street that Junior's mother was half-Jewish, and testified that he was even given a machine gun to carry out the hit. He eventually handed the high-powered gun back to Carneglia, and the plot was dropped.
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