Mob Wives: Karen Wants Sit Down with Gottis

Karen asking for a real sit down not a twitter war.

Here's what Karen said on the show: "this is a plot from them, to sway the judge into making a bad decision.” She adds, "Honestly, I'm so over the Gottis -- always pointing the finger; Sammy this, Sammy that. They need to realize and take responsibilty for what their father did." 

In episode 4 Karen Gravano says she is fed up and tired of the Gottis pointing fingers at her father, Sammy Gravano, for what happened years ago. She says, they never take responsibility for what John Gotti did. When Victoria Gotti, Jr. was on Mob Wives, she mentioned the "Sammy Deal" which she described as cooperating for lighter sentence. And recently, when Karen tried to get her father out under a new early release law, Victoria Gotti, Sr. said Sammy should have gotten a life sentence for violating his deal. Karen has wanted to tell the real story of what happened between her father and John Gotti for years. She says she has the facts to back her up. There are FBI tapes to back her up. There are dozens of articles and books about what happened that led up to Sammy Gravano accepting a plea deal. Sammy says he was prepared to go to jail for life, but after hearing the FBI Gotti tapes and thinking about it for a year, he finally agreed to testify. All of this spilled over to Twitter Friday, and here is what happened:

The Tweet that got it started

and Karen's responses

Referring to John Gotti, Jr.

Referring to Victoria Gotti, Jr.

Karen is 100% right, the history between these two families is too long to deal with on social media in small tweet bites. This requires a real sit down. I don't know how many times Karen has said she would love to address these issues and put all the facts on the table. In Sammy Gravano's 1997 interview with Diane Sawyer, he tells her what happened and why he finally decided to cooperate. Diane Sawyer is professional journalist. She did her homework before the interview. I believe that if Sammy said anything that was not based on truth, she certainly would have challenged it. The explanation starts at the 46 minute mark, but the entire historic interview is well worth watching. 

Of course, such a sit down between the daughters of Gravano and Gotti would be epic and every smart television network would probably be in a bidding war for the rights to produce it and air it. Maybe the Gottis should take Karen up on her offer if they believe they are right?  There may be plenty of money to be made for all involved and the truth can finally come out once and for all. Maybe we can even convince Diane Sawyer to come out of retirement to moderate?

UPDATE: This just in, a new tweet from Karen to Victoria Gotti, Jr.  More facts!

Mob Wives: Adding Victoria Gotti, Jr. To Cast

Could Victoria Gotti Ever be in Mob Wives?

Very early on in our blog, one of our readers questioned why Victoria Gotti, Jr. was not included in the cast. And recently, there has even been some discussion that a new mob wife might possibly be added to the cast. So, it seemed like a good question to me and I thought I would address it. Victoria Jr. was, up until the Mob Wives show premiered, the most well known mafia princess of our time. She is the daughter of John Gotti himself, the notorious boss of the Gambino crime family, dubbed the “Teflon Don” for escaping convictions and the “Dapper Don” for the expensive clothes he wore. Victoria Jr. even had her own reality show for a period of time, “Growing Up Gotti.” So why wasn’t she selected for the show?

Well, after watching the show and reading a lot of background information on all the families, it would appear to be impossible for Victoria Gotti Jr. to have even remotely been considered for the show. If you have been reading our blog and other articles, you may have come to this conclusion yourself.

If you recall, in the early episodes, Renee was not happy with Karen’s return to Staten Island because her father was a “rat” and Renee’s father taught her that breaking the code of Omerta and snitching, was the biggest violation of the rules of the mob. Renee was told to cut off all contact with Karen because Sammy “The Bull” became an informant for the FBI against John Gotti. This is true even though Gravano was a member of the Gambino crime family and Anthony Graziano was allegedly a member of the Bonanno crime family according to federal authorities. Being a “rat” transcends family affiliations.

Karen has revealed in interviews that John Gotti was often a guest in her home and, in fact, he was present at her Sweet 16 Party, making the event all the more memorable. So the Gravano family and the Gotti family were not only connected by the same mob family, they also seemed to associate on a personal level as well.

Sammy, who was the “Underboss” of John Gotti, was eventually was convinced by the FBI, to testify against Gotti, when they allowed him to listen to tapes of Gotti allegedly talking to authorities and implicating Sammy in various crimes. Sammy’s testimony at Gotti’s trial, lead to Gotti’s conviction and life sentence, and Gotti eventually died in prison.  Although Gravano is the one always referred to as a "rat," in his interview with Diane Sawyer, Gravano did make it clear that John Gotti was in fact "snitching" to authorities about him in order to protect himself.  This is what ultimately provoked Sammy to testify against him.

Given the history between Karen’s father, Sammy Gravano, and Victoria Jr.s’ father, John Gotti, it is highly improbable that the two women could ever work together on any project. Even if their families celebrated or socialized at one time, the day Sammy turned on Gotti had to be something the Gotti family could never forgive or forget.

BUT…

What if Victoria joined Mob Wives? What would that episode look like?

Maybe something like this….


Renee’s House (doorbell)

Renee: Hi, Victoria what brings you to Staten Island from Howard Beach?

Victoria: I’m looking for a nice place to live. My neighbors are sick of my kids growing up Gotti there.

Renee: Well I’m surprised you picked this area because you know Karen lives here now.

Victoria: Karen Gravano? Are you f--king kidding me?

Renee: No, why would I kid you about that?

Victoria: Her f--king father ratted on my father!


Carla’s House: Carla on phone with Drita

Carla: Hi Drita, guess what? Renee texted me a minute ago, Victoria Gotti is at her house.

Drita: Yeah? What’s up with that?

Carla: I don’t know, but I’m thinkin’ I should call Karen and tell her to meet me there, and then I won’t show up.

Drita: But Karen ain’t gonna be happy to see Vic there.

Carla: Exactly, there will be a f--king war. That’s payback for Renee invitin’ Karen to her house for dinner and not tellin’ you about it. And pay back for Karen for disrespectin’ you and Lee with her book.  I'll bet she puts Lee D'Avanzo's picture in it!

Drita: Yeah, they did do that. She better NOT put Lee's f--king picture in her book!  Tell me what Karen says because I NEED TO KNOW, and I ain’t talkin’ to that b*tch after all her talk about a f--king timeline, that ain’t my timeline!

Carla: Ok talk to you soon.


Karen’s Apartment (phone rings)

Karen: Hi, Carla, what’s up?

Carla: Renee invited us over for coffee, I told her I was about to call you, so I would let you know. Can you make it?

Karen: What were you calling about?

Carla: Oh, ummm, Drita was telling me she is sorry she overreacted at the restaurant, she was upset about other things, and I wanted to see how you were feelin’ about it. (Damn I a good liar!)

Karen: I don’t know Carla, is Drita going to Renee’s too?

Carla: No, I just got off the phone with her, she has a thing with Aleeya.

Karen: Ok I’ll meet you there in 30 minutes.

Carla: See you there. (Dials Drita’s number)


Drita’s House (phone rings)

Carla: Just got off the phone with Karen, it’s on and poppin’ in 30 minutes.

Drita: I wish I had a f--kin’ front row seat.


Renee’s House (doorbell rings)

Renee: I have no idea who that could be, one minute Victoria.

Renee opens door…Karen walks in.

Renee (surprised): Hi Karen, I kindda have company right now.

Karen: Yeah I know, Carla right?

Renee: No, not Carla, Victoria Gotti. (Victoria enters room, sees Karen)

Victoria: You B*TCH! Your father snitched on my father!

Karen: You don’t know what the hell you are talkin’ about! YOUR father snitched on my father b*tch!

Victoria: He did not, my father would never RAT on anyone. You’re a crazy b*tch!

Karen: Oh really? Well he ratted on my dad to the Feds, and he threw him under the f--kin’ bus to save his ass.

(Renee confessional: “I’m so glad I got a front seat for this, I hope they don’t break anything.”)

Victoria: My father was the one thrown under the bus by YOUR father the RAT! Just look up your father’s name on Google and all you see is “RAT” “SNITCH” “INFORMANT” B*tch! The whole world knows what your father did!

Karen: You don’t know what the f--k you are talking about. Your timeline is off b*tch. Your father talked to the Feds FIRST and they had him on tape. Then the Feds played the tapes of your father snitching on my father for my dad. That’s when my dad decided he had to save himself from your backstabbing, double crossing, snitching, rat of a father. GET YOUR TIMELINE STRAIGHT!

Victoria lunges for Karen and grabs her hair. Karen screams and grabs Victoria’s hair. Renee removes her precious vase from the coffee table so it doesn’t get broken, then runs for cover in her spandex. Renee tweets “Huge fight in my Living Room, minime-mobettes, Karen and Victoria Gotti, hair everywhere!”

Carla reads the tweet says “No, she di-ent!” and calls Drita.


Drita’s House (phone rings)

Carla: Just saw Renee’s tweet, it’s goin’ down at Renee’s!

Drita: (laughs) Payback for Karen and I didn’t even have to take my shoes off!

Renee tweets again: “AJ walked in, saw the fight, filled a bucket with ice cold water and threw it at Karen and Victoria; FIGHT OVER!”

Stay tuned next week for more drama!

That’s how I would script it, if I had my way, in a perfect Mob Wives world! Let me know what you think? Did I get it right? I need to know!

Picture credit: VH1 and New York Daily News


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Mob Wives: 48 Hours Interview With John Gotti’s Family

The December 2010, in an episode entitled “Gotti: Their Father, the Godfather,” three of John Gotti’s children speak about what it was really like growing up Gotti. His two daughters, Victoria Jr. and Angel and his son Peter, talk about their childhood and their father in an open, candid interview with Troy Roberts. I found it very interesting. Victoria’s story sounds very similar to some of things I have heard Renee speak about regarding “the life.” The whole episode is about 40 minutes long filled with photos of the Gotti family through the years. Unfortunately, there was no link to embed it here so I will post the link, below the summary, if you would like to view it in its entirety.

Victoria makes three statements, and I quote: “I loved the man, but I loathed the life.” “Prosecutors say that my father was the biggest crime boss in the nation.” “If you really want to know what John Gotti was like you need to talk to my family. We lived this life.

And after hearing that you get drawn into the rest of the interview…Victoria explains that she realized, at a very young age, that her family was different from other families. Her parents tried to hide everything from their children. She says, “You grow up scared, anxious all the time.”

Peter says that he recalls that when he was a young boy he would wake up and be excited to see that his father was alive. When he heard him snore he was relieved because he knew he made it home. He didn’t know about his father’s life or lifestyle, he was just a son who loved his father.

Victoria says that her father represented what we saw in the movies; he looked the part, he acted the part, he was a real life Godfather. People showed him the highest respect, but she was angry with everyone for lying to her and as she got older and understood more, it was hard to accept his crimes.

Angel says it wasn’t like The Sopranos. They didn’t talk back to their father or ask him if he killed anyone. She now believes her father was the Boss, but she still loves him. Referring to her brother’s problems with the law, both sisters believe the FBI went after him because of their father. Angel says the children should not have to pay for the sins of the father.

Victoria wants to set the record straight. She wants people to know who and what John Gotti was. He was charged with mulitple counts of murder, but Victoria says you don’t want to believe that when you love someone. But, she says her father chose that lifestyle and knew he would have to do certain things and he didn’t care. In her book, “This Family of Mine,” she tells her story to address all the rumors, lies and gossip about her family. She talked to her father about writing a book before he died. He told her to write it as her life and asked her, “not to make me out to be an altar boy, because I wasn’t.”

The children were always protected from knowing anything about the mob. Peter tells the story of when the went to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and all his father could talk about was the roasted chestnuts and how much he loved them. Angela says her father was very funny.

Victoria says she was told that her father worked with a construction crew for a living. They believed what they were told. But she says all her father ever wanted to do was be a mobster. He was one of 11 children, raised in Brooklyn by an abusive father. He went into a life of crime and violence working for local gangsters. He saw how these men were respected and he made up his mind that is what he wanted to do.

 In 1958 he met Victoria DiGeorgio. They had a daughter Angel and in 1962 they got married. John Gotti was earning much money at all, they were struggling. Later in 1962 Victoria was born. The hospital told him he could pick up his wife and daughter when he had the money to pay the bill. They had no money. So Gotti went back at night, scooped up baby Victoria and helped his wife down the stairs and for the 13 block walk back to their apartment. It was freezing out and they had no money for a cab or even a bus. Two years later John Jr. was born, and then Frankie. Gotti spent most of his time out of the house and still there was no money. Victoria recalls that her mother and father fought a lot of the time. Her mother always feared the uncertainty.

In 1968, John Gotti was prosecuted for a hijacking at JFK airport and was sent to prison for 3 years. The kids never knew their father was in prison even when they went to visit him. Their uncle was in the same prison. Their mother told the kids he was working. Angel remembers driving to Pennsylvania to the prison and asking her mother about the big, giant wall. Her mother would say, “oh he built that wall” and Angel was so impressed that her father built that wall. She asked if her uncle Angelo helped build it. Her mother answered, “yeah him too.”

When she was 7 years old, Victoria realized she was not like the other kids. She remembers having to write an essay about who her hero was, and like most kids, she chose to write about her father. She wrote, “My dad is a construction worker and he builds tall buildings.” Then she went to the front of the room to read her essay when it was her turn. A young girl in the back of the class called out, “Her father is not a construction worker, he’s a jailbird, he’s in jail.” Victoria was taken aback and didn’t understand what the girl was talking about, yet at the same time it made sense. She remembers all the kids laughing at her. She got so upset and nervous she peed on the floor and she said she will never forget how the teacher made her get on her hands and knees to clean up the mess.

Victoria went home and asked her mother for the truth, was her father in jail. Her mother told her sometimes people do bad things and they have to pay for the things they do. Victoria asked her, “Where is my father?” Her mother looked at her and said, “he is in jail.” Those words haunted her for a very long time. The secret was out. She cried a lot worrying about her father and whether he would come home or get killed.

In 1973 Gotti was convicted of attempted murder and went to prison again. By the time Victoria reached her early teens, her father had been in prison for half her life. When he was released in 1977, Gotti became a “made man” in the mafia. He had earned it and rose up the ranks. He spent more time out of the house and on the town. His wife didn’t like it. Angel says that one time she had his armoire sent to his club. But when they weren’t fighting, they were enjoying the money he was making and living comfortably in Howard Beach, Queens.

 When Angel was 18, she was dating a guy from Ozone Park and he said to her, your father is really feared. She didn’t understand it, none of the kids saw that side of him. They all discovered their father’s reputation in their own “moments.”

Peter says he was 12 years old and had a crush for a girl at school. He asked her out. She said, “I would love to go with you, but my father said I am not allowed, your family are very bad people.” When he got home he started to cry. His mother told him “Your father loves you more than life. Forget everything else.”

In March, 1980, their 12 year old brother Frankie, was hit by a car while riding a mini bike. “Frankie Boy” as he was called by Gotti, died later that night. Victoria said her father came home later and just held his head in his hands and lost it. The driver of the car was Gotti’s neighbor, John Favara, who was very upset about the accident. Victoria claims he was driving erratically, it was no accident. She told her father, but he didn’t want to believe it and said she was wrong. She wanted revenge. Her mother went into a suicidal depression and made three attempts to kill herself after her son’s death. She was in bed for a year. In July, Gotti took the family to Florida, hoping to heal and help his wife. Three days after they left John Favara disappeared. He was abducted from work; hit over the head and thrown in a van never to be seen again. Victoria is positive her father had nothing to do with that. He may have had associates who took it upon themselves to get revenge. Angel said the thought did cross her mind that her father may have had something to do with it. The body was never found and there were no arrests.

On December 16, 1985 Gambino Boss, Paul Castellano, was killed at Sparks Steak House in Manhattan along with his number 2 man Bilotti. Gotti planned the execution along with Sammy Gravano. Within days Gotti was the new Gambino boss. The family didn’t believe what they were reading in the newspapers, that Gotti was the new boss of the Gambino crime family. They all started laughing, Angel said.

 Peter tells the story of when he was in the fifth grade and the class was discussing current events. All his friends paraded up to the front of the room to talk about his dad. They were all reporting on the articles they had read that Gotti was the new Godfather. Peter went home and cut out the article and still has it.

John Jr. was already in the family business, but it was a secret even his mother did not know. He became a made man in December 1988. Victoria thinks it was a way for her brother to get his father’s approval or make him proud. In the 1980’s the Gambinos were allegedly making 500 million a year, with Gotti allegedly getting a big cut. Victoria says the family never saw it, they never moved from their house to a mansion. But, Gotti was wearing silk custom made suits, cashmere coats, ate at the best restaurants and he loved to gamble.

Gotti kept his family life separate from his work life. In his first 5 years as boss, Gotti went to trial 3 times, but they couldn’t convict him. They allege he bribed a juror, threatened a witness and had a crooked cop on the inside, which helped he avoid prison.

He became a celebrity and the most notorious mobster since Al Capone. He also became the target of the FBI. He did all his talking “outdoors” because he suspected he was being bugged. Yet despite his precautions, the FBI got hundreds of hours of conversation on mob business. Thos tapes lead to Gotti’s arrest in 1990; there were many charges including the murder of Paul Castellano. The evidence was all in his own voice and on top of that, the FBI had the cooperation of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, who cut a deal and testified against Gotti. He told of how he and Gotti planned the execution of Paul Castellano and that he and Gotti were there when is happened. Victoria says that her father never planned Castellano’s murder, no one is that powerful. In her book she says it was planned by mafia bosses. She doesn’t deny that he had input, but she does not believe he did it alone.

On April 2, 1992, Gotti was found guilty on all counts and he was the only one ever tried and convicted for Paul Castellano’s murder. He received life in prison. Victoria knew she had lost her father, it was like he died. Peter knew he would never see his father again. His father had to eat 6,000 meals alone. He believes his father shielded him from the mob and his brother John protected him even more. He never got involved. John Jr. became acting mob boss when he father went to prison.

Angel didn’t know her brother was in the mob until he was arrested in 1998 for extortion, loan sharking, and gambling. He had been in the mob 10 years and his mother never knew it. His mother, Victoria Sr., believe her husband had put her son at risk and wasn’t speaking to him for a while. John Jr. was facing 20 years in prison and was considering accepting a plea. He went to ask his father’s permission to take a plea and also to leave the mob. Victoria Sr. went to see her husband and told him either he releases their son or she will never speak to him or see him again.

John Gotti spent his last days in a prison hospital with his son Peter. He never admitted anything. To his family he was a “fallen hero,” to the public he was “the last Don,” to the Gambinos he was a disaster. The family was very much weakened by Gotti’s reign. John left the mob to be with his family and raise his children. Both he and Victoria do not want their children involved in “the life.” The grandchildren want to remember Gotti as their grandfather, not as a Godfather.

This interview, in my opinion, is well worth watching if you have any interest in the Gotti family. It was very interesting to get the family’s perspective of what was going on in their lives and how they viewed their father.


48 Hours Interview: "Gotti: Their Father, the Godfather"

Mob Wives: Victoria Gotti, Sr. - A Mob Wife With Class, Part 2

Victoria Gotti is the traditional mob wife. She takes care of the house, raises the kids, cooks the meals and doesn’t ask questions. She doesn’t want to know her husband’s business or where the money comes from. She strikes me as being an older version of Carmela Soprano. She continues part two of her interview with Pablo Guzman by discussing her reaction to learning the news that her son, John Gotti Jr., had a contract out on him

She was confused. It was her understanding that mobsters don’t hurt each other’s sons, so she could not grasp why her son would be in this kind of danger. It just made absolutely no sense to her. She could not imagine that a person, who had some kind of vendetta against her husband, would be taking it out on her son…unless her son was in the mob! The pieces started to fall in place. After questioning her husband and son, and getting so many denials, the truth finally came out. She was extremely upset and she says she “tortured” her son to get out of the mob. They had many arguments over it. She didn’t want to have to bury her son one day. She lived that “life” with her husband and she didn’t want it for her son. John Gotti, Jr. didn’t listen to his mother, but one day realized she was right, he didn’t want that lifestyle any more.

She explains that when a person is in prison, they are helpless. There are things going on at home that they can’t be there for. She, herself, had to deal with the children’s illnesses, some of them life threatening, while her husband was in prison. One of her children had spinal meningitis and her daughter Victoria had a heart condition. She was flying all over with Victoria to see doctors, alone. And she says, when the husband isn’t there, it becomes a very hard burden on mother. Her husband, John, who is a very good father, would panic at the thought of anything being wrong with the children. And that is what finally made her son agree to give up the mob life. He wants to be there for his kids and walk his daughters down the aisle.

John Gotti, Jr. was released from prison the day before this interview. People were out on the street cheering his release like it was a victory. She says they didn’t “win” anything, “we just survived brokenly.” She said she had a year of hell. All of the family has been affected by this lifestyle. She always feels apprehensive.

At the end of her interview they discuss her art. Victoria Gotti has quite a big collection of work that she has created. Art is like therapy for her and there are canvases all over her house. She laughs. She loves it. It helps her to get out her aggression and frustration and she finds it calming. She shares that every painting she has made has meaning behind it. There is something or someone behind it.

I am going to study some of Victoria’s art work and blog about it soon. Based on what she says, it is sure to reveal more about this very interesting woman.

Video credit: CBS Broadcasting Co.

Mob Wives: Sammy Gravano’s 1997 Interview With Diane Sawyer

On April 16,1997, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC Primetime. The interview was conducted at an inn, in an undisclosed location, in California. The title of the interview was: “Sammy The Bull: The Man Who Brought Down John Gotti.” I found a transcript of most of the interview online and will blog about the highlights here.

Sammy compares himself to a soldier in Vietnam, who killed many people. He was a soldier too, of La Cosa Nostra. Sammy is the single most important informant against the mob. Diane asks if he is a “rat.?” Sammy explains that he feels he was betrayed by Gotti, so he in turn betrayed Gotti. “John`s a double-crosser. I’m a master double-crosser. We played chess, and he lost.”

Sammy worked very closely with Gotti and was so trusted that, on FBI surveillance tapes, Gotti was recorded saying, “This is my wishes that if – if I’m in the f------ can, this Family is going to be run by Sammy. I’m still the boss. If I get 50 years, I know what I’ve got to do. But when I’m in the can, Sammy’s in charge.” They were talking about the Gambino crime family.

Diane comments about a book that compares Sammy’s cavalier attitude about committing murder as like “pulling open a tab on a can of beer.” Sammy just says he was good at being a hit man. He admits to being involved in 19 murders, including that of his brother-in-law, Nicholas Scibetta. But, even though he agrees that the mob is worse than serial killers, he justifies it by saying, they only kill each other, not the general public. Then he goes on to say, that the boss (Gotti) gives the orders, so ultimately he is responsible for all the murders. Gravano says, that before he cooperated with authorities, the media treated him like a hero, they treated Gotti like a hero. When he began an informant, a “rat”, a “snitch” then he became “the worst scum of the earth to them.”

Gravano admits to making a couple of million a year and says that Gotti made anywhere from 5 to 20 million a year.

Gravano had worked as an associate for the mob for 8 years before becoming a “made man” at the age of 31. At that time Paul Castellano was the boss of the Gambino crime family. He describes his initiation into the mob and the oath they are required to take. And then he says the words that we hear Renee repeat each week on the show: “There’s honor. There’s respect. There’s integrity. There’s loyalty.” That’s what he believed the mob was all about. But after 14 years, he turned on the mob. Even though that made him a marked man, he refuses to live in fear.

Sammy is the son of Italian immigrants from Sicily. He admits to Diane that his father’s heart would have be broken to learn that he was an active member of the Mafia. Just like Sammy says it would break his heart to know his son had joined the mob, because he is aware of the lifestyle and what it involves.

How did Sammy get his nickname “the bull?” Some kids robbed his bike one day and he fought like hell to get it back. Some guy, from the mafia hangout across the street, watched the fight and then went over and rubbed Sammy’s head, saying, “Look at him, he’s like a little bull. Sammy the Bull” The name stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Sammy had trouble in school. He said he has dyslexia and had trouble learning, had trouble with teachers, authority and school in general. Kids would tease him until, “I gave a few of them a beating.” But he didn’t join the mob because of his problems at school, he says he joined for the money, it was all about greed. Then a judge sent him into the army, instead of prison. But, when he got home, he went straight back to the old neighborhood and back to “loansharking, stealing cars, burglaries, break an arm here, break a leg there.” By the time he was 24, the mob bosses started asking him to do more and Sammy added murder to his list of crimes.

They discus how they lure their “target” into a false sense of security by inviting them to dinner. That’s how he killed is friend, Joe Colucci, a bricklayer. They had a good night of eating and drinking. Then they get into their cars to drive away and Sammy shoots him twice in the head. The family didn’t find out until 22 years later that Sammy, Joe’s friend, was the one who killed him. And Sammy discovered something too. After he killed Joe, he was not sorry, he had no remorse, just an adrenaline rush from the power, “like an animal going after its prey.”

Another victim, Louis Milito, was Sammy’s best friend. They were literally partners in crime. Louis disappeared one day and his daughter went to Sammy for help. "Uncle Sammy, I haven’t talked to my father in two days, and he didn’t go to work. There’s something wrong.” Sammy said, "Why do you say that, princess?" She said, "Because that’s not my father." Sammy said, "And there’s something wrong. Don’t worry, I’ll find your father. Don’t worry about a thing.” Sammy had killed her father two night before, but he looked her right in the eyes and lied. He had put two bullets in his head and the body had disappeared, never to be found. Sammy says he did what he had to do, the guy double crossed the mob.

They discuss the case of Nick Scibetta, Sammy’s brother in-law. The order to have him killed came from Paul Castellano, there was nothing Sammy could do. He admits to participating in the murder and then went home and faced his wife and in-laws as though nothing happened. He claims he did not know Nick’s body would be cut up. He tells Diane, if he had interfered in anyway with the execution of the murder, he would have been killed too.

Sammy ran the concrete and construction business of the Gambino crime family.
Sammy says: “I literally marvel at the sight of Manhattan when I see it, because I controlled it. I literally controlled Manhattan. When I see it at night -- those lights and everything about it -- I think of Donald Trump and Tishman and everybody else who couldn’t build a building if I didn’t want them to build it. That got me off. Plus, I made a lot of money with it.”

On to the discussion about the “hit” on Paul Castellano, the family boss. Gotti and Sammy conspired to plan Castellano’s murder. The family wasn’t too happy with Castellano, but the incident that really set the wheels in motion for his murder was when Gotti’s crew got indicted for drug trafficking, and Castellano was very angry that they broke the “no drug rule” and were caught. Gotti was afraid that Castellano would take “action” against him so he decided to make the first move and called on Sammy for help. This plan broke every rule and oath that Sammy and Gotti swore to uphold. The hit itself took seven months to plan.
It was set for December 16^th, 1985 outside of Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan. Eleven mobsters showed up wearing white trench coats and black Russian hats. Castellano had to be killed, then and there, even if it meant the mobsters themselves would be killed. As soon as Castellano’s car pulled up and he got out, he was shot dead on the spot. And, in January 1986, Gotti was made the new head of the Gambino crime family. After that, the Gambino crime family virtually had a hand in everything that was going on in the city.

Sammy goes on to describe all the ways the family made money. And while he and Gotti did not get involved in drugs, they looked the other way when family members did. Gotti was flashy and loved the attention of the media and the public. He was called the “Teflon Don” because no charges would stick and he was getting off in trials. But, it was Sammy who was bribing jurors behind the scenes, to vote not guilty. By 1987, Sammy was appointed Gotti’s consigliore. Yet, Sammy could not convince Gotti that all this attention and being in the spotlight was putting everyone in the family at risk. He would conduct mob meetings at a club in Manhattan every week, with the FBI outside doing surveillance.

This is where the online transcript ends, however, FBI agents eventually allow Sammy to hear taped conversations of Gotti, implying that Sammy was guilty of several murders. It was clear that Gotti was setting up Sammy to take the fall. Sammy thought about what he had heard. It was clear that Gotti was double crossing him, so he cut a plea deal with the FBI. In exchange for his cooperation, Sammy would get 5 years in prison for his involvement in 19 murders and other crimes. Sammy’s testimony ended up getting Gotti life in prison, where he died.

Link to Interview Transcript: http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=509533