by NYNighthawk » Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:30 am
United States of America v. John A. Gotti, Jr., defendant Page 2 of 5 (04 CR 00690 SAS-1) District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin United States District Court, Southern District of New York New York, N.Y., February 22, 2006 Links to testimony pages 12345Idx Inducted into the Mafia Q. And now I want to direct your attention to a date you mentioned at the beginning of your testimony, Christmas Eve of 1988. Remind us, again, what happened that day. A. I got straightened out. Q. And, how did you first come to learn that that was going to be the day you were going to be inducted as a soldier? A. Jackie told me. Q. What did he say to you. A. He says, oh, put a suit on, you're gonna get straightened out. Q. Did he give you any directions as to where to meet him? A. On Mulberry Street. Q. Did you do as he directed that day? A. Yes. Q. So you put on a suit, and headed over to Mulberry Street. Who did you meet there? A. Jack. Q. And where did you and Jack D'Amico proceed to at that point? A. It was a captain named Joe Butch Corrao. He had a building on Mulberry Street. And we were going to use his building for the ceremony. Q. Sorry. How far from the Ravenite was this? A. Several blocks. Q. And on the way to Joe Butch Corrao's apartment, did Jackie Nose give you any instructions on what to do or expect? A. Yes. He says when they ask you do you know why you're here, say no. Q. Did you know why you were going to Joe Butch Corrao's apartment? A. Yes. Q. Did you have an understanding, at that point in time, why if asked, you would have to falsely claim that you had no idea why you were going there? A. Well, it was supposed to be a secret ceremony; nobody was supposed to know what is going on that day. And it was a breach; but it goes on all of the time. Q. Now, you say that you and D'Amico proceeded to Joe Butch's apartment. Who did you meet when you got there? A. When we first walked in, I seen Bobby Boriello. Q. And who is Bobby Boriello? A. He was a soldier with Gotti, Sr. Q. All right. And when you say with Gotti Sr. what does that term "with" mean? A. He is close with him, he was his driver at the time. Q. Okay. And, after you met Boriello, did you meet any other individuals after that? A. Yes. I went -- Jackie went into one room, separate. And I went to the room, another room, with Bobby. I followed him. Q. Bobby Boriello brought you to another room? A. That's correct. Q. And when Bobby brought you to that other room, who did you meet there? A. Huck Carbonaro. Q. Who has he? A. He was a soldier. Q. So he had already been inducted into the family? A. That's right. Dominick Pizzonia Q. And who else was in that room? A. John Jr., Skinny Dom Pizzonia. Nicky Lasorsa, and other individual, I don't know his name. Q. And John Jr., Skinny Dominick Pizzonia, and Nicky Lasorsa, what rank in the family, if any, did they hold at that moment? A. They were associates. Q. So none of them had yet been straightened out? A. No. Q. And you were an associate at the time, too? A. That's correct. Q. What had happened once you and these other associates were assembled in that room together with Tommy -- I'm sorry, with Bobby Boriello and Huck Carbonaro? A. There came a time when there was a knock on the door. Q. And who was at the door? A. Gene Gotti. Q. And what happened then? A. They called John out. To go into the other room. Q. Okay. When the door opened, could you see into the other room? A. No, they didn't open up that much. Q. Okay. So you say Gene Gotti came and John Gotti, Jr. What happened next? A. Knock again. And Gene at the door again, asking for Dominick Pizzonia. Q. And did Dominick Pizzonia leave the room at that point? A. Yes. Q. Okay. And what happened next? A. Third knock, that was my knock. It was Jackie D'Amico. Q. And what happened to you at that point? A. I went into the room. Q. Jackie Nose brought you into the adjoining room? A. That's correct. Q. Describe for the jury the scene that you encountered when you walked into the other room in Joe Butch Corrao's apartment? A. Yes. There was a long, rectangular table with about ten captains sitting around it. At the head of the table, there was Gravano and Jackie. And at the other end, there was John Jr. and Skinny Dom. And, like I said, there were captains in between. Q. Okay. Around this long table, you say at one end, is Sammy Gravano. What rank in the family did he hold at this point now in December of 1988? A. He was consigliere. Q. And was there another high-ranking member of the family sitting -- A. Yes, that would be Frank Locascio. He was the acting underboss. Q. You said there were a number of captains in the family assembled around this table. Can you remember who some of them were? A. Gene Gotti, Joe Butch, Nicky Corozzo, Tony C., Mario Trainor, Patsy Conti, Josey DeCicco, Louie Vallario. Q. And you mentioned Gene Gotti. What was his relationship, familial relationship, if any, to the defendant, John Gotti, Jr.? A. That was his uncle. Q. You say when you went in, you saw that John Gotti, Jr. was already seated at this table? A. Yes. At the end. Q. Where did you sit? A. I sit at the -- they brought me to the head of the table. Q. And once you were seated at the table, who was next to you? A. Gravano and Lou Casio, and D'Amico. Q. And, again, D'Amico is your captain at this point? A. Yes. Q. Who spoke, once you were seated the table? A. Gravano. Salvatore Gravano Q. What did he say? A. He asked me if I knew why I was there, which I acknowledged no. He then says, do you know these men? I says, yes. He says, do you respect these men? I said yes. He says we have been watching you for a long time. This is not a club. This is a secret society. There is one way in this society, the way you would come in today, and one way out, on a slab. He says do you want to be a part of us. I acknowledged yes. He says which finger do you shoot with. I put up my index finger. There was a saint, a picture of a saint on a table, which was crumbled up and placed in my hand. I had my hand like, this, cupped. Jackie D'Amico pinches my finger, pricks it, drops some blood on to the saint, whereas then Gravano says, I'm going to light it on fire, and roll it around in your hands, and repeat after me. And, he did so. He says, if I betray the oath omerta, may my sole burn in hell like the saint. Q. When you said there is one way into the life, the way you came in, one way out, out on a slab, what did you understand them to mean by that? A. Death. Q. And after you -- pledged this oath to never betray the secrets of La Cosa Nostra, what did Gravano do, what was the next part of the ceremony? A. He congratulated me and says this is your new family, we come first before your blood family. If we call you, you come in when we call you. Even if you have to kill your own brother, this is what it is. He says, Jackie is now your new father. He told me to go around and kiss all of the captains, congratulations. That is what I did. I went around the table and came back to the head of the table. Q. You went around the table, did you greet John Gotti, Jr.? A. Yes. Q. And after you sat down at the table again, after greeting everyone, what was the next step in the ceremony? A. We were locked in, procedure called "locking in." Everybody stands up, we all hold hands, some words are spoken in Italian to the effect whatever is done here today or discussed here today, stays here. That was supposed to be locking in, keeping the secret. Q. And after you did that, did the ceremony continue? A. Yes. Q. How so? A. I was instructed to go sit at the end of the table where John and Skinny Dominick were. I did so. They then started to tell us about the hierarchy of our family. Q. Just to be clear, what happened to the other associates who had been left behind in the room? A. Excuse me. They called the other two fellows in, the same ceremony, as I sat there, and then they told us about - Q. Just the same ceremony with the pin, the blood, and the saint, fire and the oath? A. Exactly the same. Mafia Family Rules and Hierarchy
Copied from:
https://mafiahistory.us/nw-dileop02.html
Source info:
Hunt, Thomas, "Gambino Family insider: DiLeonardo testimony 2," The American Mafia, mafiahistory.us, last revised 05 May 2021, accessed 8 Jul 2021.
Copyright © 2021, Thomas Hunt
United States of America v. John A. Gotti, Jr., defendant Page 2 of 5 (04 CR 00690 SAS-1) District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin United States District Court, Southern District of New York New York, N.Y., February 22, 2006 Links to testimony pages 12345Idx Inducted into the Mafia Q. And now I want to direct your attention to a date you mentioned at the beginning of your testimony, Christmas Eve of 1988. Remind us, again, what happened that day. A. I got straightened out. Q. And, how did you first come to learn that that was going to be the day you were going to be inducted as a soldier? A. Jackie told me. Q. What did he say to you. A. He says, oh, put a suit on, you're gonna get straightened out. Q. Did he give you any directions as to where to meet him? A. On Mulberry Street. Q. Did you do as he directed that day? A. Yes. Q. So you put on a suit, and headed over to Mulberry Street. Who did you meet there? A. Jack. Q. And where did you and Jack D'Amico proceed to at that point? A. It was a captain named Joe Butch Corrao. He had a building on Mulberry Street. And we were going to use his building for the ceremony. Q. Sorry. How far from the Ravenite was this? A. Several blocks. Q. And on the way to Joe Butch Corrao's apartment, did Jackie Nose give you any instructions on what to do or expect? A. Yes. He says when they ask you do you know why you're here, say no. Q. Did you know why you were going to Joe Butch Corrao's apartment? A. Yes. Q. Did you have an understanding, at that point in time, why if asked, you would have to falsely claim that you had no idea why you were going there? A. Well, it was supposed to be a secret ceremony; nobody was supposed to know what is going on that day. And it was a breach; but it goes on all of the time. Q. Now, you say that you and D'Amico proceeded to Joe Butch's apartment. Who did you meet when you got there? A. When we first walked in, I seen Bobby Boriello. Q. And who is Bobby Boriello? A. He was a soldier with Gotti, Sr. Q. All right. And when you say with Gotti Sr. what does that term "with" mean? A. He is close with him, he was his driver at the time. Q. Okay. And, after you met Boriello, did you meet any other individuals after that? A. Yes. I went -- Jackie went into one room, separate. And I went to the room, another room, with Bobby. I followed him. Q. Bobby Boriello brought you to another room? A. That's correct. Q. And when Bobby brought you to that other room, who did you meet there? A. Huck Carbonaro. Q. Who has he? A. He was a soldier. Q. So he had already been inducted into the family? A. That's right. Dominick Pizzonia Q. And who else was in that room? A. John Jr., Skinny Dom Pizzonia. Nicky Lasorsa, and other individual, I don't know his name. Q. And John Jr., Skinny Dominick Pizzonia, and Nicky Lasorsa, what rank in the family, if any, did they hold at that moment? A. They were associates. Q. So none of them had yet been straightened out? A. No. Q. And you were an associate at the time, too? A. That's correct. Q. What had happened once you and these other associates were assembled in that room together with Tommy -- I'm sorry, with Bobby Boriello and Huck Carbonaro? A. There came a time when there was a knock on the door. Q. And who was at the door? A. Gene Gotti. Q. And what happened then? A. They called John out. To go into the other room. Q. Okay. When the door opened, could you see into the other room? A. No, they didn't open up that much. Q. Okay. So you say Gene Gotti came and John Gotti, Jr. What happened next? A. Knock again. And Gene at the door again, asking for Dominick Pizzonia. Q. And did Dominick Pizzonia leave the room at that point? A. Yes. Q. Okay. And what happened next? A. Third knock, that was my knock. It was Jackie D'Amico. Q. And what happened to you at that point? A. I went into the room. Q. Jackie Nose brought you into the adjoining room? A. That's correct. Q. Describe for the jury the scene that you encountered when you walked into the other room in Joe Butch Corrao's apartment? A. Yes. There was a long, rectangular table with about ten captains sitting around it. At the head of the table, there was Gravano and Jackie. And at the other end, there was John Jr. and Skinny Dom. And, like I said, there were captains in between. Q. Okay. Around this long table, you say at one end, is Sammy Gravano. What rank in the family did he hold at this point now in December of 1988? A. He was consigliere. Q. And was there another high-ranking member of the family sitting -- A. Yes, that would be Frank Locascio. He was the acting underboss. Q. You said there were a number of captains in the family assembled around this table. Can you remember who some of them were? A. Gene Gotti, Joe Butch, Nicky Corozzo, Tony C., Mario Trainor, Patsy Conti, Josey DeCicco, Louie Vallario. Q. And you mentioned Gene Gotti. What was his relationship, familial relationship, if any, to the defendant, John Gotti, Jr.? A. That was his uncle. Q. You say when you went in, you saw that John Gotti, Jr. was already seated at this table? A. Yes. At the end. Q. Where did you sit? A. I sit at the -- they brought me to the head of the table. Q. And once you were seated at the table, who was next to you? A. Gravano and Lou Casio, and D'Amico. Q. And, again, D'Amico is your captain at this point? A. Yes. Q. Who spoke, once you were seated the table? A. Gravano. Salvatore Gravano Q. What did he say? A. He asked me if I knew why I was there, which I acknowledged no. He then says, do you know these men? I says, yes. He says, do you respect these men? I said yes. He says we have been watching you for a long time. This is not a club. This is a secret society. There is one way in this society, the way you would come in today, and one way out, on a slab. He says do you want to be a part of us. I acknowledged yes. He says which finger do you shoot with. I put up my index finger. There was a saint, a picture of a saint on a table, which was crumbled up and placed in my hand. I had my hand like, this, cupped. Jackie D'Amico pinches my finger, pricks it, drops some blood on to the saint, whereas then Gravano says, I'm going to light it on fire, and roll it around in your hands, and repeat after me. And, he did so. He says, if I betray the oath omerta, may my sole burn in hell like the saint. Q. When you said there is one way into the life, the way you came in, one way out, out on a slab, what did you understand them to mean by that? A. Death. Q. And after you -- pledged this oath to never betray the secrets of La Cosa Nostra, what did Gravano do, what was the next part of the ceremony? A. He congratulated me and says this is your new family, we come first before your blood family. If we call you, you come in when we call you. Even if you have to kill your own brother, this is what it is. He says, Jackie is now your new father. He told me to go around and kiss all of the captains, congratulations. That is what I did. I went around the table and came back to the head of the table. Q. You went around the table, did you greet John Gotti, Jr.? A. Yes. Q. And after you sat down at the table again, after greeting everyone, what was the next step in the ceremony? A. We were locked in, procedure called "locking in." Everybody stands up, we all hold hands, some words are spoken in Italian to the effect whatever is done here today or discussed here today, stays here. That was supposed to be locking in, keeping the secret. Q. And after you did that, did the ceremony continue? A. Yes. Q. How so? A. I was instructed to go sit at the end of the table where John and Skinny Dominick were. I did so. They then started to tell us about the hierarchy of our family. Q. Just to be clear, what happened to the other associates who had been left behind in the room? A. Excuse me. They called the other two fellows in, the same ceremony, as I sat there, and then they told us about - Q. Just the same ceremony with the pin, the blood, and the saint, fire and the oath? A. Exactly the same. Mafia Family Rules and Hierarchy
Copied from: https://mafiahistory.us/nw-dileop02.html
Source info:
Hunt, Thomas, "Gambino Family insider: DiLeonardo testimony 2," The American Mafia, mafiahistory.us, last revised 05 May 2021, accessed 8 Jul 2021.
Copyright © 2021, Thomas Hunt