Gotti's nephew, brother plead guilty to murder plot

BY ANTHONY DESTEFANO | anthony.destefano@newsday.com

8:50 PM EDT, June 25, 2008

The brother and nephew of the late Dapper Don John Gotti pleaded guilty yesterday to charges they plotted to kill a Queens man in 2005.

Gotti's brother Vincent, 55, of Cedarhurst and nephew Richard G. Gotti, 40, of Valley Stream, face from eight to 10 years in prison when they are sentenced in October. Both men are considered by investigators to be soldiers in the Gambino crime family.

The Gottis admitted to Magistrate-Judge Robert Levy that they were part of the attempted murder plot as a way of helping an unidentified person increase his own stature in the crime family.

In federal court in Brooklyn, the Gottis only identified the intended target of the murder plot as "John Doe Number Five." But legal sources and news reports stated that the victim was a man who allegedly had an affair with Vincent Gotti's wife. Sources within the Gotti family have denied that there was such a relationship.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the Gottis face a maximum of up to 10 years for the attempted murder charge. They also agreed not to contest the charge on statute of limitations grounds since the crime took place more than five years ago. Both had been indicted in February as part of the massive 62-defendant Gambino crime family case. With the two pleas by the Gottis, a total of 51 defendants have accepted deals from the government.

Yesterday's guilty plea was the second time Richard Gotti has run into trouble with federal investigators. In 2003 he was convicted along with his uncle Peter, the reputed Gambino boss, in a labor racketeering case and received a year in prison.

Vincent Gotti is being monitored on a yearly basis for potential throat cancer, a condition which also afflicted his late brother John, said defense attorney Mark Wasserman.

Still, Vincent Gotti managed to jest a bit about his predicament. When he was leaving the courtroom he was overheard telling the attorneys to bring a beer for him if they came back.