Word: gotti
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...infamous Mafia code of omerta, or silence, has been taking a beating lately. Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano, a witness against Gambino crime boss John Gotti in a New York City courtroom, is only the latest mobster to testify on the misdeeds of his cronies in exchange for lenient treatment. Last week Mafia gunmen appeared to send a brutal message to all would-be squealers by shooting and gravely wounding the sister of federal informer Peter (Fat Pete) Chiodo...
Chiodo, who began cooperating with prosecutors after surviving an attempted Mob rubout last year, is scheduled to appear at the Gotti trial. Federal officials also regard him as a prime witness against alleged Lucchese crime boss Vittorio Amuso...
Just 20 feet away, a silent John Gotti looked...
...Even if Gotti is acquitted, law-enforcement officials say, his hold on the family leadership has been seriously weakened because the don has caused too many headaches for his Mob colleagues. "He's been a disaster for the Gambino family," says Ronald Goldstock, head of the New York task force. "Even though he knew that he was a target of law-enforcement and electronic surveillance, he was unable to avoid ((arrest))." Though the media have often portrayed Gotti as a new-style yuppie don with a penchant for smart suits, he is also a throwback to the gun-crazy gangland...
...Gambino crime operations could function even with a leadership vacuum at the top. The trouble will start if the family becomes involved in disputes with other Mob families about dividing the take in shared territory, such as construction or private trash carting. Some organized-crime experts predict that Gotti could meet the same fate as Castellano -- a Mob assassination -- if he ever goes free. The same goes for Gravano. By breaking the sacred code of omerta, or silence, he has committed a capital crime in the eyes of his Mafia brothers. "This is a guy who lived and breathed...