John Alite- Ravenite Surveillance Tapes

[Browniety86]

What does everyone think of the Ravenite FBI tapes Alote showed on his podcast clearly showing him there and being greeted by several made guys? I think Alite is full of shit at times, but some of his claims clearly are true...

[Amershire_Ed]

Yeah Alite and Hootie are 2 guys that (rightfully so in most cases) get bashed on here frequently. But one mistake I think people make is assuming everything they’ve ever said is a lie. Hootie was on an indictment with a handful of Gambino heavyweights, and he was facing 20+ years for trafficking in multi kilogram quantities of weed and coke. But people on here make him out to be a guy who was selling dime bags that didn’t really know Al and Roc. The guy is clearly a drug addicted mess and lied about a bunch of stuff, specifically regarding his proposal for membership and his cooperation. But at one point in time, he made a lot of money running with a Gambino crew that made a lot of money. All those things can be true at the same time.

Same with Alite. Alite’s lies about being close to the Castellano and Gotti inner circles and being part of big heroin deals in the 70s and having knowledge of the Castellano hit beforehand are truly hysterical fiction. But he *did* participate in a lot of violence, he *was* feared by actual wiseguys, he *did* make millions of dollars.

[gaspipe]

Alite was really that good of an earner? I know he had something of a business mind but I've never got the impression he was raking it in.

[Tonyd621]

He's mostly outside. I mean I'm not saying it's not credible. But we all know he was a bodyguard for Junior Gotti. He goes in to take a piss and comes out, so what. I don't like the guy.

[Amershire_Ed]

He's mostly outside. I mean I'm not saying it's not credible. But we all know he was a bodyguard for Junior Gotti. He goes in to take a piss and comes out, so what. I don't like the guy.

See this is kinda what I’m talking about. You might not like Alite (and I can’t say I blame you), but that doesn’t make his story 100% false. Read Ronnie Trucchio’s opening statement and how he talks about Alite. Read some of the newspaper articles and documents surrounding his arrest and cooperation. Don’t get me wrong he’s not Jimmy Burke or anything, but he also wasn’t some chump that was riding Junior Gotti’s coattail.

Again I don’t blame people for just assuming everything he says is a lie....that’s on Alite. You lie as grossly and hysterically as he does, you lose the benefit of the doubt. Plus he’s an unlikeable douche. But its clear he participated in violence (including murders), sold drugs, made millions, and ran with notable wiseguys.

[Browniety86]

He's mostly outside. I mean I'm not saying it's not credible. But we all know he was a bodyguard for Junior Gotti. He goes in to take a piss and comes out, so what. I don't like the guy.

See this is kinda what I’m talking about. You might not like Alite (and I can’t say I blame you), but that doesn’t make his story 100% false. Read Ronnie Trucchio’s opening statement and how he talks about Alite. Read some of the newspaper articles and documents surrounding his arrest and cooperation. Don’t get me wrong he’s not Jimmy Burke or anything, but he also wasn’t some chump that was riding Junior Gotti’s coattail.

Again I don’t blame people for just assuming everything he says is a lie....that’s on Alite. You lie as grossly and hysterically as he does, you lose the benefit of the doubt. Plus he’s an unlikeable douche. But its clear he participated in violence (including murders), sold drugs, made millions, and ran with notable wiseguys.

Ed, would you consider One Arm Ronnie a dry snitch for putting Alite in his opening remarks....Granted the guys doin life without but?

[Wiseguy]

Yeah Alite and Hootie are 2 guys that (rightfully so in most cases) get bashed on here frequently. But one mistake I think people make is assuming everything they’ve ever said is a lie. Hootie was on an indictment with a handful of Gambino heavyweights, and he was facing 20+ years for trafficking in multi kilogram quantities of weed and coke. But people on here make him out to be a guy who was selling dime bags that didn’t really know Al and Roc. The guy is clearly a drug addicted mess and lied about a bunch of stuff, specifically regarding his proposal for membership and his cooperation. But at one point in time, he made a lot of money running with a Gambino crew that made a lot of money. All those things can be true at the same time.

Same with Alite. Alite’s lies about being close to the Castellano and Gotti inner circles and being part of big heroin deals in the 70s and having knowledge of the Castellano hit beforehand are truly hysterical fiction. But he *did* participate in a lot of violence, he *was* feared by actual wiseguys, he *did* make millions of dollars.

That's pretty much it. Alite starts with the truth, establishes some credibility, and then can't help but eventually delve into fantasy. Much of the more blatantly false stuff he doesn't bother to claim in his book, which is a red flag. Yes, he showed up outside the Ravenite but A) a LOT of people showed up outside the Ravenite, and B) it was because he was in the crew run by the guy who was the boss' son. Being connected to Junior was Alite's ticket. If he would just stick with the facts, which did include making some good money and violence, and not start with the bullshit like so many turncoats eventually do.

As for Hootie, I've listened to a couple interviews/podcasts he was in and that was enough for me. Not that I don't believe he was involved in moving a lot of drugs but that's pretty much where it begins and ends with him. And he can just be annoying to listen to.

[Nick Prango]

John Alite was destroyed on the witness stand with numerous lies, inconsistencies and falsehoods. The jury almost fully reject his testimony. US government did not use him in subsequent trials. He was not helpful in putting others away.

[Nick Prango]

Alite keeps exaggerating his dealings with Gotti Senior. He said he was waiting by the phone for the Paul Castellano hit. LOL.

[Browniety86]

Alite keeps exaggerating his dealings with Gotti Senior. He said he was waiting by the phone for the Paul Castellano hit. LOL.

I think Angel Gotti said Alite was "a rat who never even spoke to my father..."

[Shellackhead]

That surveillance tape video was interesting, funny how these made guys were around associates very often, I wonder what wise guys spoke about when they were amongst themselves & what changed when associates were around.

[Tonyd621]

He's mostly outside. I mean I'm not saying it's not credible. But we all know he was a bodyguard for Junior Gotti. He goes in to take a piss and comes out, so what. I don't like the guy.

See this is kinda what I’m talking about. You might not like Alite (and I can’t say I blame you), but that doesn’t make his story 100% false. Read Ronnie Trucchio’s opening statement and how he talks about Alite. Read some of the newspaper articles and documents surrounding his arrest and cooperation. Don’t get me wrong he’s not Jimmy Burke or anything, but he also wasn’t some chump that was riding Junior Gotti’s coattail.

Again I don’t blame people for just assuming everything he says is a lie....that’s on Alite. You lie as grossly and hysterically as he does, you lose the benefit of the doubt. Plus he’s an unlikeable douche. But its clear he participated in violence (including murders), sold drugs, made millions, and ran with notable wiseguys.

I heard that opening statement had more to do with his defense than actually being scared of Alite. And I believe that then Alites take. Obviously, Alite knows no one can dispute his claim. And I have a hard time believing that a man not afraid of doing life is going to ruin his reputation like that.

[Nick Prango]

Alite keeps exaggerating his dealings with Gotti Senior. He said he was waiting by the phone for the Paul Castellano hit. LOL.

I think Angel Gotti said Alite was "a rat who never even spoke to my father..."

Alite has a habit of insinuating himself into high profile mafia politics there was no way he was involved in. FBI has thousands of pics of Gotti Senior everywhere, and everyone close around him.. Yet not ONE of them include Alite.

[Nick Prango]

It seems like the general consensus is that Alite is a liar.

[Amershire_Ed]

Alite keeps exaggerating his dealings with Gotti Senior. He said he was waiting by the phone for the Paul Castellano hit. LOL.

Right, but again, more than one thing can be true at the same time. This is how life actually works. Alite can lie about a million things—his stature as an associate in the Gambino Family, his proximity to Gotti Sr, his dealings with Angelo Ruggerio—while at the same time being telling the truth about other stuff. I think that is why Alite is so comfortable exaggerating and adding on BS to his life story. He had an actual base to build from.

I’d also say the majority of Alite’s lies and exaggerations have come since he started doing podcasts. And that George Anastasia found him credible enough to write a book about him. The same George Anastasia that a few years before had looked into doing Frank Sheerhan’s story but ultimately found him lacking credibility after personally meeting with Sheerhan and doing some initial research. I have my own qualms with GA about stuff but he was more plugged in back then and he’s not the kinda guy to write a story on someone whose life is 100% fiction.

Again, Alite only has himself to blame for why everyone hates him and thinks he’s a lying scumbag. He legit tries to portray himself as the Albanian Jimmy Burke. It’s absurd. That being said, he did do some of the stuff he thumps his chest about. The guy was an earner who was capable of violence. That kinda guy wasn’t exactly uncommon in the 80s and 90s, though either, so he’s nothing special in that regard. But I’m not gonna say he didn’t do those things just because he told several other ridiculous tales about Gotti Sr, Castellano, etc.