Peter Gotti and Michael DiLeonardo

New York Mafia expert Ed Scarpo tells about his relationship with Michael DiLeonardo, aka Mikey Scars, since he went into the witness protection program. DiLeonardo gives very few interviews but he did give this one Ed Scarpo of www.cosanostranews.com.

After the incarceration of John Gotti, the Commission allowed his older brother Peter Gotti to be acting as the Gambino Family boss of the Gambinos. Ed tells us that after Michael DiLeonardo was indicted for labor racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, witness tampering, and the murder of Fred Weiss, the new Gambino boss, Peter Gotti stopped all money going to him. DiLeonardo was told he was suspected of robbing the family. DiLeonardo made some vague threats and reminded the new Gambino boss that he may be home one day. After that, Peter Gotti announced that DiLeonardo was”shelved.”That was the turning point for DiLeonardo, and he told Ed Scarpo that he felt betrayed and how it crushed him. he told Ed that this act of disloyalty caused him to turn witness and go into the witness protection program.

The other story I asked Ed about was the murder of a NYPD undercover police officer named Anthony Venditti and the wounding of his partner,  Kathy Burke.

On January 21, 1986, Officer Anthony Venditti and Kathleen Burke were following a Genovese family member named Federico Giovanelli. the officers became separated and Officer Venditti was shot and killed as Officer Burke approached the scene. She was wounded and would later testify at Giovanelli’s trial. Giovanelli denied she was a witness to the scene. Ms. Burke has written a book about her life as a NYPD cop.

In the first trial in the summer of 1987, the jury ended in a deadlock after Burke was combative and testy under the defense lawyers’ questioning. The second trail ended in deadlock after another major prosecution witness withdrew the part of his testimony in which he had said Mr. Giovanelli was one of the murders.

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