Lawyer says his client quit the Gambino crime family
An FBI surveillance photo of suspected mobsters Thomas "Tommy Sneakers" Cacciopoli, John "Junior" Gotti and John Cavallo
A longtime Gambino associate went on trial Tuesday for two Queens murders that a government witness has previously claimed were sanctioned by John A. "Junior" Gotti.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitman Knapp did not mention Gotti’s name in his opening statement in John Burke’s racketeering and murder trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, but the cooperating witnesses expected to testify will have a lot to say about the infamous mob scion.
Burke is charged with the murders of small-time drug dealers Bruce Gotterup in November 1991 and John Gebert in July 1996. Rat John Alite has testified that Gotti Jr. approved both hits.
Gotti was only charged with the Gotterup murder, and that trial ended with a hung jury in 2009.
Burke, 51, is also charged with the August 1982 shotgun slaying of Daniel Zahn in retaliation for Zahn’s shooting Burke months earlier, the prosecutor said.
Defense lawyer Richard Jasper argued that Burke is being falsely accused of the killings by the government snitches, and also used a defense strategy that worked like a charm for Gotti in four mistrials — claiming his client had quit the mob a long time ago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitman Knapp did not mention Gotti’s name in his opening statement in John Burke’s racketeering and murder trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, but the cooperating witnesses expected to testify will have a lot to say about the infamous mob scion.
Burke is charged with the murders of small-time drug dealers Bruce Gotterup in November 1991 and John Gebert in July 1996. Rat John Alite has testified that Gotti Jr. approved both hits.
Gotti was only charged with the Gotterup murder, and that trial ended with a hung jury in 2009.
Burke, 51, is also charged with the August 1982 shotgun slaying of Daniel Zahn in retaliation for Zahn’s shooting Burke months earlier, the prosecutor said.
Defense lawyer Richard Jasper argued that Burke is being falsely accused of the killings by the government snitches, and also used a defense strategy that worked like a charm for Gotti in four mistrials — claiming his client had quit the mob a long time ago.
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