Another trial for Junior Gotti, and another mistrial. That seems to be a consistent trend, and that's what happened on Tuesday for the fourth time running.
U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel declared a mistrial Tuesday at the racketeering trial of John "Junior" Gotti. A jury sent him a message shortly after 3PM Tuesday saying they were hopelessly deadlocked. This is the fourth such occurrence of a hung jury in the racketeering, conspiracy and murder case. Gotti is the son of the notorious Gambino crime family mob boss.
The jurors deliberated for 11 days. In the case, prosecutors accused Gotti of ordering gangland hits to settle scores and of secretly pocketing drug money. This is all despite Junior Gotti's continued insistence that he'd gone straight. This is the case's fourth hung jury in five years.
Shortly after 3 PM on Tuesday, the jury sent S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel a note that read: "Judge Castel, we cannot reach a unanimous decision on any count. We are deadlocked. There is not one member of the jury who believes that we can reach a unanimous verdict on any count."
Castel notified the jury that he was declaring a mistrial. Gotti supporters in the courtroom erupted in applause.
Three previous trials in the exact same Manhattan, New York courthouse, which alleged Junior Gotti, 45, organized a kidnapping and attempted murder plot against Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, ended in hung juries in 2005 and 2006. This time, prosecutors added accusations that Junior followed in the footsteps of the late John J. "Teflon Don" Gotti. John J. Gotti died in prison in 2002 a decade after he was convicted of racketeering.
While Gotti continues to say he has "quit the life," prosecutors allege he has never done so. However, Junior Gotti's defense attorney, Charles Carnesi, continued the same defense Gotti had used to win three previous mistrials, and at least managed a mistrial. His defense is that Gotti left organized crime after he pleaded guilty to separate racketeering charges in 1999.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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