by B. » Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:28 pm
Anthony Rotondo testimony
On Gotti's role in his father's murder
1 Q. In fact, sir, you blamed Mr. Gotti's father for your own
2 father's murder; isn't that true?
3 A. No, that's not true.
4 Q. Sir, did you meet with the government on July 29th, 2003?
5 A. It's possible.
6 Q. Do you recall telling the government that even though Gotti
7 was responsible for your father's murder; do you recall making
8 that statement?
9 A. No, I don't.
10 Q. You don't remember everything that you told the government
11 in your hundreds of debriefing sessions; do you?
12 A. No, I don't think I do.
13 Q. You don't specifically remember what you told them on
14 July 29th, 2003, two some years ago?
15 A. I don't remember making that statement, no.
2 Q. Let me that take that back from you.
3 So you had a feeling it was the five families; right?
4 A. At one point, yes.
5 Q. Well, you know for certain that the murder was mob related;
6 don't you?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. And you believe the Mafia ruling commission in New York
9 felt your father was too powerful; isn't that true?
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. And you suspect the commission killed them for that reason;
12 don't you?
13 A. It was one the suspicions, yes.
14 Q. Mr. Gotti's father, as then boss of the Gambino family, was
15 a member of the ruling commission; wasn't he?
16 A. Correct.
17 Q. A powerful and influential member; isn't that right?
18 A. Yes, sir.
19 Q. Sir, Rudy Farone was a close friend and confidant of your
20 father; wasn't he?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. John Riggi was boss of the DeCavalcante family when your
23 father was killed?
24 A. He was.
25 Q. To your knowledge, sir, Mr. Farone believed Gotti, Sr.
1 definitely told Mr. Riggi the reason for the killing; isn't
2 that right?
3 A. That was a possibility that we believed that, yes.
4 Q. Well, Farone specifically told you that; didn't he?
5 A. Yes, but that was just his suspicions.
6 Q. By the way, Mr. Rotondo, after your father's murder you
7 went full speed ahead with your life in the Mafia; didn't you,
8 sir?
9 A. Yes, I did.
10 Q. Kept right on stealing and extorting; right?
11 A. Yes.
12 Q. Didn't stop for a moment; did you?
13 A. No.
14 Q. In fact you actually accepted a promotion to the rank of
15 captain; didn't you?
16 A. I did.
17 Q. Captain of your dead father's crew; correct?
18 A. Correct.
19 Q. Sir, even assuming there was no way out of the La Cosa
20 Nostra, as you claimed yesterday, you certainly didn't have to
21 except a promotion; did you?
22 A. I didn't have to.
23 Q. You did that of your own free will; right?
24 No one put a gun to your head?
25 A. No.
On the Gambino family controlling the DeCavalcantes
1 Q. You also told us yesterday that many Gambino members and
2 associates, maybe about 30 to 40, attended your father's wake.
3 Do you recall that testimony?
4 A. 20 to 30, yes.
5 Q. Yet my client, John A. Gotti, wasn't among them; was he,
6 sir?
7 A. John, Jr.?
8 Q. Yes, John, Jr.
9 A. I don't believe so, no.
10 Q. Now Mr. Rotondo, besides blaming the commission, of which
11 John Gotti, Sr. was a member, for killing your father, you
12 believe Gotti, Sr. took over your own DeCavalcante family by
13 force in the late 1980s; agreed?
14 A. There wasn't any force required.
15 Q. Well, you testified previously that the Gambinos came to
16 your father's wake in a show of force; correct?
17 A. Just that show was enough, yes.
18 Q. So there was some force involved?
19 A. Implied, yes.
20 Q. In your view, sir, Gotti, Sr. relegated the DeCavalcantes
21 to a mere satellite of his own Gambino family; isn't that
22 right?
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. He made the DeCavalcantes totally subservient to himself
25 and the Gambinos; isn't that true?
1 A. Yes.
2 Q. He even directed your family to reinduct many of its
3 members; isn't that right?
4 A. Yes, we had to reinduct all of our members.
5 Q. He claimed the original induction ceremonies were
6 unorthodox and invalid; true?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. In fact, you yourself had to go through a second induction
9 ceremony; isn't that right?
10 A. That's correct.
11 Q. Even though you were already a captain; right?
12 A. Yes, that's true.
13 Q. All, to your mind, at John Gotti, Sr.'s direction?
14 A. Yes.
15 Q. Mr. Rotondo, you also believed Gotti, Sr. and the Gambinos
16 muscled in on at least two lucrative businesses that you and/or
17 the DeCavalcantes were shaking down; correct?
18 A. There were sit downs and we lost.
19 Q. Interstate Industrial Corp?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. South Shore Country club?
22 A. That's correct.
23 Q. And in your opinion, sir, Gotti, Sr. also installed John
24 D'Amato as his own hand-picked underboss of the DeCavalcante
25 family; isn't that right?
1 A. Yes, he did.
2 Q. Indeed, as you told us yesterday, he actually made D'Amato
3 report to him three times a week as well; right?
4 A. Two or three times a week.
5 Q. Sir, you also believed Gotti, Sr. was behind D'Amato's push
6 to appoint himself acting boss, take over the DeCavalcante
7 family and reduce you to a rank outsider; isn't that correct?
8 A. We were told that, yes.
9 Q. That's what you believed; right?
10 A. We were told that, I believed it, yes.
11 Q. Sir, the DeCavalcantes were a proud crime family; weren't
12 they?
13 A. At one time.
14 Q. Well, they were the oldest Mafia family in the country;
15 yes?
16 A. Yes.
17 Q. So as a high-ranking member of the family, all the actions
18 that you ascribed to Mr. Gotti's father humiliated and upset
19 you; fair statement?
20 A. A lot of members, yes.
21 Q. How about you?
22 A. Myself, yes.
23 Q. In fact, as you told us earlier, they made you so angry
24 that you actually killed D'Amato; correct?
25 A. As far as him taking over as boss and robbing money from
1 the other families, yes.
2 Q. Despite killing him -- I should say despite or because of
3 the fact that he was basically Gotti, Sr.'s puppet; correct?
4 A. That wasn't the reason.
5 Q. Well, you killed him even though he was Gotti, Sr.'s
6 puppet; right?
7 A. Yes.
Anthony Rotondo testimony
[b]On Gotti's role in his father's murder[/b]
1 Q. In fact, sir, you blamed Mr. Gotti's father for your own
2 father's murder; isn't that true?
3 A. No, that's not true.
4 Q. Sir, did you meet with the government on July 29th, 2003?
5 A. It's possible.
6 Q. Do you recall telling the government that even though Gotti
7 was responsible for your father's murder; do you recall making
8 that statement?
9 A. No, I don't.
10 Q. You don't remember everything that you told the government
11 in your hundreds of debriefing sessions; do you?
12 A. No, I don't think I do.
13 Q. You don't specifically remember what you told them on
14 July 29th, 2003, two some years ago?
15 A. I don't remember making that statement, no.
2 Q. Let me that take that back from you.
3 So you had a feeling it was the five families; right?
4 A. At one point, yes.
5 Q. Well, you know for certain that the murder was mob related;
6 don't you?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. And you believe the Mafia ruling commission in New York
9 felt your father was too powerful; isn't that true?
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. And you suspect the commission killed them for that reason;
12 don't you?
13 A. It was one the suspicions, yes.
14 Q. Mr. Gotti's father, as then boss of the Gambino family, was
15 a member of the ruling commission; wasn't he?
16 A. Correct.
17 Q. A powerful and influential member; isn't that right?
18 A. Yes, sir.
19 Q. Sir, Rudy Farone was a close friend and confidant of your
20 father; wasn't he?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. John Riggi was boss of the DeCavalcante family when your
23 father was killed?
24 A. He was.
25 Q. To your knowledge, sir, Mr. Farone believed Gotti, Sr.
1 definitely told Mr. Riggi the reason for the killing; isn't
2 that right?
3 A. That was a possibility that we believed that, yes.
4 Q. Well, Farone specifically told you that; didn't he?
5 A. Yes, but that was just his suspicions.
6 Q. By the way, Mr. Rotondo, after your father's murder you
7 went full speed ahead with your life in the Mafia; didn't you,
8 sir?
9 A. Yes, I did.
10 Q. Kept right on stealing and extorting; right?
11 A. Yes.
12 Q. Didn't stop for a moment; did you?
13 A. No.
14 Q. In fact you actually accepted a promotion to the rank of
15 captain; didn't you?
16 A. I did.
17 Q. Captain of your dead father's crew; correct?
18 A. Correct.
19 Q. Sir, even assuming there was no way out of the La Cosa
20 Nostra, as you claimed yesterday, you certainly didn't have to
21 except a promotion; did you?
22 A. I didn't have to.
23 Q. You did that of your own free will; right?
24 No one put a gun to your head?
25 A. No.
[b]On the Gambino family controlling the DeCavalcantes[/b]
1 Q. You also told us yesterday that many Gambino members and
2 associates, maybe about 30 to 40, attended your father's wake.
3 Do you recall that testimony?
4 A. 20 to 30, yes.
5 Q. Yet my client, John A. Gotti, wasn't among them; was he,
6 sir?
7 A. John, Jr.?
8 Q. Yes, John, Jr.
9 A. I don't believe so, no.
10 Q. Now Mr. Rotondo, besides blaming the commission, of which
11 John Gotti, Sr. was a member, for killing your father, you
12 believe Gotti, Sr. took over your own DeCavalcante family by
13 force in the late 1980s; agreed?
14 A. There wasn't any force required.
15 Q. Well, you testified previously that the Gambinos came to
16 your father's wake in a show of force; correct?
17 A. Just that show was enough, yes.
18 Q. So there was some force involved?
19 A. Implied, yes.
20 Q. In your view, sir, Gotti, Sr. relegated the DeCavalcantes
21 to a mere satellite of his own Gambino family; isn't that
22 right?
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. He made the DeCavalcantes totally subservient to himself
25 and the Gambinos; isn't that true?
1 A. Yes.
2 Q. He even directed your family to reinduct many of its
3 members; isn't that right?
4 A. Yes, we had to reinduct all of our members.
5 Q. He claimed the original induction ceremonies were
6 unorthodox and invalid; true?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. In fact, you yourself had to go through a second induction
9 ceremony; isn't that right?
10 A. That's correct.
11 Q. Even though you were already a captain; right?
12 A. Yes, that's true.
13 Q. All, to your mind, at John Gotti, Sr.'s direction?
14 A. Yes.
15 Q. Mr. Rotondo, you also believed Gotti, Sr. and the Gambinos
16 muscled in on at least two lucrative businesses that you and/or
17 the DeCavalcantes were shaking down; correct?
18 A. There were sit downs and we lost.
19 Q. Interstate Industrial Corp?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. South Shore Country club?
22 A. That's correct.
23 Q. And in your opinion, sir, Gotti, Sr. also installed John
24 D'Amato as his own hand-picked underboss of the DeCavalcante
25 family; isn't that right?
1 A. Yes, he did.
2 Q. Indeed, as you told us yesterday, he actually made D'Amato
3 report to him three times a week as well; right?
4 A. Two or three times a week.
5 Q. Sir, you also believed Gotti, Sr. was behind D'Amato's push
6 to appoint himself acting boss, take over the DeCavalcante
7 family and reduce you to a rank outsider; isn't that correct?
8 A. We were told that, yes.
9 Q. That's what you believed; right?
10 A. We were told that, I believed it, yes.
11 Q. Sir, the DeCavalcantes were a proud crime family; weren't
12 they?
13 A. At one time.
14 Q. Well, they were the oldest Mafia family in the country;
15 yes?
16 A. Yes.
17 Q. So as a high-ranking member of the family, all the actions
18 that you ascribed to Mr. Gotti's father humiliated and upset
19 you; fair statement?
20 A. A lot of members, yes.
21 Q. How about you?
22 A. Myself, yes.
23 Q. In fact, as you told us earlier, they made you so angry
24 that you actually killed D'Amato; correct?
25 A. As far as him taking over as boss and robbing money from
1 the other families, yes.
2 Q. Despite killing him -- I should say despite or because of
3 the fact that he was basically Gotti, Sr.'s puppet; correct?
4 A. That wasn't the reason.
5 Q. Well, you killed him even though he was Gotti, Sr.'s
6 puppet; right?
7 A. Yes.