John E. Alite acknowledged his role as a top Gambino associate and admitted to conspiring to kill several men and trafficking cocaine, among other crimes.The suspected boss of the Gambino crime family's Tampa enterprise has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and acknowledged participating in two murders and a slew of other criminal activities, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.The guilty plea was entered in January but kept sealed until Wednesday. Officials said the plea was unsealed this week because of a U.S. District Court order requiring the government to provide information about prospective witnesses at an upcoming trial in New York.
That trial involves Charles "Charlie Carnig" Carneglia, a suspected Gambino crime family soldier who allegedly committed five murders and is charged with racketeering conspiracy.Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, declined to comment specifically on why the plea had been kept sealed for nearly a year. He said documents are sealed on a routine basis so the government can continue its investigation.Alite was arrested by Brazilian federal police in 2004 and extradited two years later.He is one of several suspected members of the Gambino enterprise to face criminal charges in Tampa. Federal prosecutors have said the group was trying to gain a foothold in the city, which has a history of mob activity dating back to the Prohibition era.Alite and five others were first indicted on conspiracy charges in 2004. Four of the men were convicted and another pleaded guilty shortly before going to trial.Earlier this year, federal prosecutors in Tampa filed charges against John A. "Junior" Gotti and five other men, accusing the son of the late Gambino crime family boss of conspiracy and linking him to three murders and large-scale cocaine trafficking.According to prosecutors, Alite admitted in January to participating in two of the same murders that Gotti has been implicated in: the 1988 killing of George Grosso and the 1991 murder of Bruce John Gotterup. Both men were killed in Queens, New York.In addition, Alite has now acknowledged participating in four other murder conspiracies; shooting at least eight men; and taking part in armed robberies of individuals, businesses and homes in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.Alite's connection to Florida dates back to the early 1980s, when he was a student at the University of Tampa. According to court documents, he began associating with members of the Gambino crime family around 1984 and ran a valet business.As part of his plea, Alite also acknowledged trafficking cocaine and using the proceeds to invest in businesses in three states, including in Tampa, Fla.
Gotti's trial appears to be headed for New York. A federal judge ordered the case moved to New York last month, saying the government left the "unmistakable and disquieting impression" it had shopped for a trial location where it might finally win.Three trials against Gotti in Manhattan have ended in mistrials or hung juries.
Cole said he couldn't comment on whether Alite will testify at Gotti's trial.
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