Curtis's cab driver explains his shooting.
October 21, 2009
For the fourth time on Wednesday, I listened to Joseph D'Angelo explain Curtis's shooting. D'Angelo, who has admitted to driving the taxi from hell, said again that Curtis was not supposed to be shot nor killed. The orders from John Gotti Jr. (which he said, came straight from the boss, John Sr.) were to take Curtis in a stolen taxi (that started with a screwdriver and had no handles on the inside) to a vacant lot near Sliwa's apartment and give him a beating that would put him in the hospital. This was the second time that the Gambino family had tried to send Curtis a message for his anti-Gotti comments on 77WABC, where he hosted the morning show with his ex-wife, Lisa. The plot went awry and resulted in Curtis being shot multiple times with hollow point bullets. Below is the court transcript of D'Angelo's testimony on the subject from Junior's 2005 trial. It was almost verbatim what we heard in court on Wednesday.
Q. Now in this time frame, in 1992, were you ever asked to do anything in connection with an individual named Curtis Sliwa?
A. Yes.
Q. And who first approached you about doing something in connection with Curtis Sliwa?
A. Michael DiLeonardo told me that John, Jr. wanted to see me.
Q. And who is Michael DiLeonardo?
A. A captain in the family.
Q. And what did Michael DiLeonardo tell you about why John Gotti, Jr. wanted to see you?
A. At that point I don't believe he told me why, he just said go to the club and see John.
Q. Did he give you a particular time to go see John Gotti,Jr.?
A. Yes, if it was a Monday, he said 10:00 Monday, John's going to be club, go there and talk to him.
Q. And did you know what club he was referring to?
A. It was a club around the corner from the Bergin, smaller club.
Q. And is that a club that you knew John Gotti, Jr. to be at times?
A. Yes.
Q. And at this time in 1992, did you know who John Gotti, Jr. was?
A. Yes.
Q. Had you met him before?
A. A few times.
Q. And had you spent any time with John Gotti, Jr. prior to 1992?
A. Yes.
Q. Where had you spent time with him?
A. We went out maybe in a bar or something like that, then I was invited to his house in Pennsylvania.
Q. Whose house in Pennsylvania?
A. John Gotti, Jr.'s house.
Q. And when was it in relation to this Curtis Sliwa incident, how long prior to that was it when you went with John Gotti, Jr. to Pennsylvania?
A. I'm not sure exactly, six months, a couple months before, something like that. I'm not a hundred percent sure.
Q. And who was it that invited you to this property in Pennsylvania?
A. Mike told me that John wanted me to come spend the weekend with the fellows.
Q. Michael DiLeonardo told you?
A. Yes.
Q. That John Gotti, Jr. wanted you to spend some time with him?
A. Yes.
Q. Where was this property in Pennsylvania?
A. Milford.
Q. And had you ever been to this property in Milford, Pennsylvania prior to that?
A. No.
Q. And did you go?
A. Yes.
Q. And who did you go with?
A. Ed Garafola.
Q. This is Ed Garafola the soldier in the Gambino family?
A. Yes.
Q. And whether you arrived, who else was there in Milford, Pennsylvania?
A. John and Michael, another guy from the club, maybe somebody else, I don't know.
Q. When you say another guy from the club, what club are you referring to?
A. The Bergin.
Q. Was that a social club?
A. Yes.
Q. And what was this property like in Milford, Pennsylvania? What was there?
A. There was a pool in the yard, inground pool, a handball court. It was a nice piece of property.
Q. What did you and the other guys there do on that weekend trip to Pennsylvania?
A. Some of the guys went to hunt and look at another piece of property, I stayed at the house.
Q. Did you hunt?
A. No.
Q. And during this trip to Pennsylvania, did you have an opportunity to talk to John Gotti, Jr.?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you talk about?
A. Talked about the life.
Q. What do you mean the life?
A. He asked me if I wanted to be a part of the life, if I knew what it meant, stuff like that.
Q. What did you say when you say he asked you if you wanted to be a part of the life, if you knew what it meant?
A. I said I've been living this way since I'm 16 years old, yes, I do want to be a part of it.
Q. At this time when you took this trip to Pennsylvania, were you a made member of the Gambino family?
A. No.
Q. Were you an associate?
A. Yes.
Q. What did John Gotti say to you when you said I have been a part of this since I was 16, I want to be a part of the life?
A. Said okay, we'll see.
Q. Did John Gotti, Jr. explain to you what it meant to be in this life?
A. Meant as far as what?
Q. Did he explain to you, you said you discussed -- he asked you if you knew what it meant to be in the life and you said you did; right?
A. Yes.
Q. Did John Gotti, Jr. further elaborate as to what it meant to be in the life?
A. Not at that point.
Q. How long did you stay in Pennsylvania on this trip?
A. The weekend.
Q. Now I would like to return to later in 1992 when you said Michael DiLeonardo told you to go see John Gotti, Jr.
A. Yes.
Q. Where did you go to go see John Gotti, Jr. after Michael DiLeonardo gave you these instructions?
A. The club on the side street around the corner a little bit away from the Bergin.
Q. So it's a club near the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you know the name of this other club?
A. No.
Q. Had you been there frequently?
A. No.
Q. Had you been there at all prior to that?
A. Maybe a few times.
Q. Who had you been there with?
A. One time Sammy went to the Bergin and he told me to wait in that club, it was a little further down at that point, and then a couple of times with Michael DiLeonardo.
Q. Now what happened when you went to this club near the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club?
A. I went in there, John was there.
Q. John who?
A. John Gotti, Jr. Said hello, usual pleasantries.
Q. Then what happened?
A. Then we took a ride. He says come on, let's take a ride.
Q. Where did John Gotti take you when he said let's take a ride?
A. I don't know exactly where it was, but it was down 101st Avenue maybe to another neighborhood, maybe the same neighborhood, I'm not a hundred percent sure, and pull over here, we'll go in here, it's Carmine's building.
Q. When you say he told you to go into that building, it's Carmine's building, do you know who he was referring to?
A. His brother-in-law, Carmine Agnello.
Q. Did you know Carmine Agnello, his brother-in-law, to have any association with the Gambino family at that time?
A. At that time I wasn't sure that he was made, but I believe he's a made member now.
Q. Have you since met him as a made member of the family?
A. Yes.
Q. Generally speaking, what area was this in New York where these clubs were and this building was?
A. Queens.
Q. And were you at the time familiar with Queens?
A. No.
Q. What area of New York were you familiar with?
A. Brooklyn.
Q. What happened after John Gotti, Jr. took you to this building that he said was Carmine's?
A. We walked in, went into the basement, in the basement was Nicholas Corozzo, Michael Yannotti, myself and John and another guy, I believe his name is Sal but I'm not a hundred percent sure.
Q. Now you mentioned John Gotti, Jr., do you see him here in the courtroom today?
A. Yes.
Q. And where is he seated?
A. Second on the right by Jeff Lichtman.
MR. KIM: Your Honor, if the record could reflect that he identified the defendant Gotti.
THE COURT: The record will so reflect.
Q. You also mentioned that in the basement of this building was Michael Yannotti?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you see him here in the courtroom today?
A. Yes.
Q. Where is he seated?
A. Seated near Mr. White in the back row.
MR. WHITE: We'll stipulate this is Michael Yannotti.
THE COURT: The record will so reflect.
Q. It's obvious by that that you know several of these lawyers here as well sitting here?
A. Yes.
Q. Now going back to this meeting, you said Nicholas Corozzo was there as well?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you know who Nicholas Corozzo was?
A. He was a captain in the family.
Q. And prior to that meeting in the basement, had you met Nicholas Corozzo before?
A. A few times.
Q. Where had you seen him?
A. Just around the clubs.
Q. What clubs?
A. The Bergin, maybe the Ravenite.
Q. How about Michael Yannotti, had you met him or seen him before that?
A. I think I seen him one time before that.
Q. And do you remember where you saw him before that?
A. No. I think it was somewhere in Brooklyn, I'm not a hundred percent sure.
Q. And who else did you say you believe was at that meeting?
A. A fellow named Sal.
Q. Did you know who Sal was?
A. He was in Nicky's crew, but I don't know if that's actually the guy's name.
Q. Had you seen him before?
A. Yes, I seen him with Nicky out in the club.
Q. But you don't remember his last name?
A. No.
Q. What, if anything, did John Gotti, Jr. say once all of you were gathered together?
A. We got in the basement and John said we got a job for you to do from our boss, he wants you to do this job. And he proceeded to tell us what the job was.
Q. What did he tell you?
A. He said Curtis Sliwa was bad mouthing the family, John, himself, John, Sr., himself and everybody.
Q. Did you know who Curtis Sliwa was at this time?
A. Yes.
Q. Who was Curtis Sliwa?
A. He was a Guardian Angel, like some kind of patrol guy.
Q. And what did John Gotti, Jr. say after he said this job was from the boss and that Curtis Sliwa was bad mouthing the family?
A. He says the boss wants this guy in the hospital, put him in the hospital, Nicky and his crew have been working on it, they know the guy's routine, and we were going to do it, and proceeded to give us the plan.
Q. And what was the plan that John Gotti, Jr. gave you?
A. We were going to pick him up in a cab that was rigged so that he couldn't get out of the back, and take him in the cab to another destination and put him in the hospital.
Q. And when you said you were going to take him to another destination, did he say where at that time?
A. At that time, no.
Q. And did he say who was going to play what role in this project?
A. I was going to be the driver, Michael Yannotti would be the guy holding him at bay while we got to our destination, and Sal, once we picked him up, Sal was going to slide into the back seat with him to restrain him and start the process of beating him.
BY MR. KIM:
Q. When you say Sal was going to get in the car and help restrain him, who are you referring to as him"?
A. Curtis Sliwa.
Q. Once you took him to this other location, what did John Gotti, Jr. tell you to do?
A. Finish beating him up, leave him there, leave the cab there, leave him there, leave everything there.
Q. When you said John Gotti said put him in the hospital, do you know what that meant?
A. Yes.
Q. What did that mean to you?
A. That means he can't -- wherever we left him, he wouldn't be able to leave unless an ambulance took him away.
Q. Severe beating?
A. Yes.
Q. How long did this meeting last?
A. 10 minutes, 15 minutes at most.
Q. What happened after that meeting?
A. After that meeting Nickey and his guys left first, me and John started to walk out.
Q. By the way at this meeting, who did the talking?
A. John did most of the talking. Nickey gave a little information here and there, but John was running the show.
Q. How about Michael Yannotti?
A. Like me, sat and listened.
Q. What happened after Nicholas Corozzo and Michael Yannotti left with Sal?
A. We were walking out and I asked John why didn't he let his crew handle this or my crew handle this.
Q. What did you mean by that?
A. Either his guys or my guys. I didn't understand why we were mixing crews.
Q. What do you mean by "mixing crews," what didn't you understand?
A. Nickey's crew is from Canarsi. Nickey has a crew. I was in Big Louis's crew. So it was two different crews combined to do one project.
Q. When you said you were in Big Louis's crew, who were you referring to?
A. Big Louis Vallario.
Q. When you asked John Gotti, Jr. why he was mixing crews what did John Gotti, Jr. say?
A. I didn't ask him about mixing crews. I just asked him why didn't we do it with his crew or my crew. And he told me that he gave this job to Nickey and Nickey is a good guy, solid guy, loyal guy and it would insult him to take it away from him.
Q. It would insult who?
A. Nickey Corozzo.
Q. What happened after this conversation you had with John Gotti, Jr.?
A. Then I asked him, I said why don't we just shoot him in the knee? Why do we have to go through this big project of beating the guy up and causing a scene and stuff like that? And he said, No. He goes, I want it to be personal. I want him to know we had our hands on him and we could do this at any time. He is getting personal. I want to get personal.
Q. Who said this?
A. John Gotti, Jr.
Q. What happened after that?
A. We walked outside, we got into my car, he gave me a couple directions and we went to the city, to Manhattan.
Q. Whose car were you in?
A. My car.
Q. Where in Manhattan did you go?
A. Alphabet City.
Q. And who directed you to go for to Alphabet City?
A. John Gotti, Jr.
Q. Who else was with you, if anyone?
A. Just us two.
Q. Where in Alphabet City did John Gotti, Jr. direct you to go?
A. I don't know the exact streets. It was a block across the street from a park. There was a park on one side. And he said, Curtis lives over there. This is where you pick him up.
Q. John Gotti, Jr. said this?
A. Yes.
Q. When he said Curtis lives over there, was he pointing anywhere?
A. I don't know. I was driving. He was pointing -- if he was pointing at a building, I don't know if he knew the exact building, but a block. I took it as a block.
Q. And what else, if anything, did John Gotti point out while he was driving around?
A. We rode around a little bit in the area. He said, Pull over here. Park over here. So we parked. We got out of the car. We walked a couple blocks here and there back and forth. And we came to an empty lot. He said, This is where I want to you take him. Pick him up over here, you drive the cab over here, drive it right up to the back of the lot.
Q. When you say an empty lot, what did it look like?
A. It was two buildings on the side. There must have been a building there at one time. There was no building there. It was an empty lot. Weeds, garbage and stuff.
Q. What time of day or night was this when you and John Gotti, Jr. were walking around Alphabet City in Manhattan?
A. It was late at night.
Q. What did you say while John Gotti, Jr. was giving you these instructions?
A. Really nothing. Just, Okay.
Q. What else happened while you walked around with John Gotti, Jr.?
A. That was basically it.
Q. What did you do next?
A. We got back in the car. I dropped -- we drove back to Queens. I dropped him off at the club and I went home.
Q. You dropped him off at what club?
A. The same club around the corner from the Bergen.
Q. After dropping off John Gotti, Jr. at his club, what did you do?
A. I went home.
Q. After that meeting, did you have any discussions with anyone about this project that John Gotti, Jr. had put you on?
A. I seen Michael the next day. I told him.
Q. Who is Michael?
A. Mike DiLeonardo. I said, I met John last night. He told me what we have to do. I asked him -- you know, I says, Is this crazy? It is almost like beating up a cop.
Q. What did you mean by that?
A. Curtis Sliwa is like neighborhood patrol or something like that. And hitting him wouldn't go over too well was my -- what I expressed to Mike. And he says, I know, but they weren't satisfied with the first time.
Q. And who said this, They weren't satisfied the first time?
A. Mike DiLeonardo.
Q. Did you know what Mike DiLeonardo was talking about?
A. No, I didn't know what he was talking about. I assumed he was talking about they must have beat him up once already and it wasn't good enough.
MR. WHITE: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained as to what he assumed.
Q. Had you heard he had been beaten up?
A. I saw it in the paper. I didn't know it was relating to us.
Q. Any other discussions you had with Michael DiLeonardo about it at that time?
A. No.
Q. Now, at this prior meeting that you had with John Gotti, Jr. and Michael DiLeonardo and Nickey Corozzo, had you John Junior set the date and time that he wanted you to do this?
A. He said we will get in touch with you later on in the week. And then I eventually -- Michael told me go see John. One night I seen Mike and he said, Go see John Gotti.
Q. Do you know what he meant when he said, Go see John tonight?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you understand him to mean?
A. That we were going to do it tonight.
Q. What did you do that night after you were told it was going to be that night?
A. I finished whatever -- he told me during the day. So I whatever business I had for that day, I finished and I went to Queens to see John.
Q. Where did you go in Queens to go see John Gotti, Jr.?
A. Same club.
Q. And what happened when you arrived at John Gotti's club?
A. I got at the club. John wasn't there yet. A couple of the fellows were there and I hung out. I waited for him and after a short while he showed up.
Q. What happened after John Junior showed up?
A. We gave our usual hellos and hows everythings. We hung around a little while later. Then he says, Let's take a ride.
Q. And where did you take a ride to?
A. Down 101st Avenue to another building where he said he had an office, one of his offices.
Q. Had you ever been to this office before?
A. No.
Q. What happened after John Gotti, Jr. took you to this office?
A. We went into the office and he started going through the closet. He turned around he threw me a hat. I put it on. He went to another closet, digging around in there. And he came out with a vest. He says, Try that on. I put it on. He says, Perfect.
Q. What kind of hat did you put on?
A. A pea cap.
Q. What do you mean by a pea cap?
A. Well, it is like a -- I don't know how to explain a pea cap. Like an old-time cap, I guess.
Q. Not a baseball cap?
A. Not a baseball cap.
Q. A hat but not a baseball cap?
A. Yes.
Q. How about the vest, what kind of vest did he give you?
A. I don't remember. I think it was a little puffy vest. Just like a vest jacket.
Q. What was your understanding why you were putting on this vest and a cap?
A. Well, my understanding was I was supposed to look like a cab driver.
Q. What time of day or night was this?
A. This was late at night after 12:00, 1:00. Something like that.
Q. After you put on this vest and a pea cap, where did you and John Gotti, Jr. go?
A. Then we went to -- we got back in the car, we went to another area. I still believe we were in the Queens. John gave me the directions. He said, Pull over here. We pulled up. There was a cab. It was Mike Yannotti, Nicholas Corozzo and Sal. And John shows me the cab. He said, It is all fixed in the cab. Once he is in there, he can't come out. He said, You guys are set.
Q. Where was this where you stopped and saw the cab?
A. I don't know exactly but a side street in Queens somewhere.
Q. It was just in the street?
A. Yes.
Q. And When John showed you the cab and said it had been fixed up, did you look?
A. Yes. I looked in the back.
Q. What did you notice?
A. Through the window I could see the handle from the window was broken off and the nobs to pull up the -- pull up the locks were gone.
Q. And did this cab look like an ordinary New York City cab?
A. Yes.
Q. Was it yellow?
A. Yes.
Q. Was there a divider between the front of the cab and the back of the cab?
A. I don't believe there was one.
Q. And you said Michael Yannotti and Nickey Corozzo and Sal were there?
A. I believe his name to be Sal. Like I said before, I am not a hundred percent sure.
Q. Anyone else?
A. Somebody was driving another car. I didn't see him.
Q. What was this other car?
A. A Lincoln Town Car.
Q. And did anyone tell you what the purpose of the Lincoln Town Car was?
A. That was the car to pick us up when we were done.
Q. Who had told you that?
A. I am not sure who told me that. I am not even sure if anybody told me that. I knew that guy was picking us up.
Q. What was your understanding of what Sal's role was going to be?
A. Sal's role was supposed to be after I picked up Curtis and drove a little bit, he was going to slide -- open the door and slide in the backseat and help restrain him and start the beating.
Q. And just to be clear you said John Gotti, Jr. had been the cab had been fixed so the window and door couldn't be opened?
A. From the inside, yes. Once he got in there he couldn't get out.
Q. Could you still open it from the outside?
A. Yes.
Q. What happened at this location in Queens after you were shown the cab and after you met with these individuals?
A. John and Nickey said, Good luck. And Mike and I got in the car -- the cab and we drove to the city. Sal gave me a token in case I got lost or something happened during the project, mission, whatever you want to call it, I could jump on the train and get home like that.
Q. Who gave you a token?
A. I believe his name is Sal.
Q. And could you tell whether this cab had been stolen or not?
A. Yes.
Q. What could you tell?
A. It was started with a screwdriver. It was pretty much stolen.
Q. You started it with a screwdriver?
A. Yes.
Q. And you drove the cab?
A. Yes.
Q. And where was Michael Yannotti in the cab?
A. When we are driving into the city he was sitting right next to me.
Q. In the front?
A. Yes.
Q. Anyone else in the cab?
A. No.
Q. Where in the city did you drive to?
A. Back to the same place in Alphabet City across the street from the park.
Q. The same place that John Gotti, Jr. had taken you to previously?
A. Yes.
Q. And what did you and Michael Yannotti do after you got to this area in this stolen cab?
A. We pulled over, we waited. I think it was at that time that Mike said Curtis gets a coffee or paper out of this deli over here. We proceeded to wait for him to come.
Q. Did Michael Yannotti tell you how he knew Curtis Sliwa got a coffee or a paper at the store?
A. Not at that time. But eventually he told me he has been waiting on this fuck for a long time -- Watching this fuck for a long time. I hope he actually comes out.
Q. These are Michael Yannotti's words?
A. Yes. He said that -- he also said he was running out of excuses -- I don't know if he was married. Whoever he was going out with she is going to start thinking he was fooling around on her.
Q. Did he say what time of day or night he had been waiting or look, observing Curtis Sliwa?
A. No.
Q. What else, if anything, did Michael Yannotti tell about Curtis Sliwa's habits?
A. That he -- pretty much that was it. He got the paper out of there and came out and he took a cab to the radio show.
Q. What, if anything, did you and Michael Yannotti do while you waited in Alphabet City?
A. As we were waiting there, we were maybe there, I don't know, 20 minutes, half hour. A cop pulled up in one of those little buggies. He told us, You can't park there. So I said. Okay. We pulled out and around the block a couple times. Waited for him to go further down, couldn't see us to we could came back. We came back. Parked again. Waited a little while longer. There wasn't much conversation between Mike and myself. Then we were sitting there and two couples started to get in the cab.
Q. Two couples you said?
A. Yeah. They almost all got in and it would have been a little bit of a problem.
Q. What did you say?
A. Three of them got in. Two girls and guy a guy got in. I said I am off duty. They said, We are only going over here. I said, I don't care. I am off duty. They said all right and they left.
Q. How were they able to leave if the doors had jimmied?
A. They never got all the way in. The last guy didn't close the door.
Q. What happened after that?
A. After that we waited a little while longer. The cop kept passing by so we had to keep going around the corner. We went around the corner again. I looked at the gas and I said, There was no gas in the car.
Q. What did you after that when you learned there was no gas in the cab?
A. We had to go and get some gas. Mike knew a gas station in the area. We went to the gas station. We got gas and then we came back to our position.
Q. When you say you came back to your position, where was that position?
A. It was right across the street from the park, park on the opposite side of the park.
Q. Is this near where John Gotti, Jr. told you this is where Sliwa lives?
A. John just pointed to the block. If he did, I don't know where Curtis lived.
Q. And by the way, while all of this was going on, why is Michael Yannotti sitting in the cab?
A. He is sitting down like on the floor of the passenger front seat. Passenger side of the front seat. He is he sitting on the floor leaning on the front seat just waiting.
Q. What do you mean sitting on the floor? Not on the seat?
A. Not on the seat. Where your feet go. He was sitting where your feet go.
Q. Why was he sitting where the feet go?
A. If somebody seen two guys in the front the cab, they probably wouldn't have gotten in. I don't know.
MR. WHITE: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
Q. He was hiding himself?
A. Yes.
Q. How much longer did you and Michael Yannotti wait?
A. We waited a while longer and then I says, What time does he come out? And he said, He should have been out already. We will wait another 15 minutes or so and then we will call it a night.
Q. Did you wait a little longer?
A. We waited a little longer and we were just about to pull out -- I looked at him and I said, How much longer? And we were both discussing it ready to leave. So we were pulling out, put the car in drive and ready to go and the back door opens and Curtis jumps in the car.
Q. What did Curtis Sliwa say once you jumped in the cab?
A. He gave me an address.
Q. Do you remember the address?
A. No, I don't remember the address.
Q. What did you do?
A. We were all -- I was ready to call it off so I relaxed a little now he jumped and he caught me off guard a little bit. So he jumps in and he says, Go over here. Go to this place. I went like this, partly to hide my face and to make him be quiet.
Q. For the record, when you say you went like this, what gesture were you doing?
A. I got you. I know.
THE COURT: The record should reflect you raised your right hand and kind of waived it.
THE WITNESS: Yes. Do I have to say that?
THE COURT: No. I said it.
Q. What time of the morning was it or day do you remember what time it was about?
A. It was early -- depends if you are coming home at night or going out in the morning. It was early in the morning or late at night.
THE COURT: What time was it?
THE WITNESS: 4:00 or somewhere around there.
THE COURT: 4:00 a.m.?
THE WITNESS: Somewhere around 4:00. I didn't have a watch on. I believe.
Q. But it was just the time after Yannotti had told you he is usually out by now?
A. Yes.
Q. After you made that gesture, which direction did you drive?
A. I drove straight. I looked for the kid Sal. I didn't see him. He could have been there. He could have not been there. Maybe I missed him by his jumping in the car.
Q. Can you stop right there. What did you mean you looked for the kid Sal. Why were you looking for the kid Sal?
A. Once Curtis got in the car, I was supposed to drive up a little bit maybe to the corner. And Sal was going to open the door and slide in and restrain him and start to beat him up.
Q. What did you do?
A. I didn't see Sal. He could have been there. I could have missed him because I got caught off guard while by him jumping in the car when we were ready to leave. So I just drove. As soon -- then he said, Hey, buddy, you are going the wrong way.
Q. Who said this?
A. Curtis Sliwa. I gave him the wave again and Mike jumped up.
Q. Mike Yannotti?
A. Mike Yannotti jumped up. He was crouched under the seat and he jumps up with a gun and a mask on and he says, Give me your wallet. Give me your fucking wallet.
Q. Then what?
A. Then Curtis turns around and he is, Okay. Okay. Take it easy. Take it easy. He has a newspaper in his hand and what I think is a walkie-talkie and he starts slapping at the gun.
Q. Then what happens?
A. Mike shot him.
Q. Mike Yannotti shot at him?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you hear the shots?
A. I heard the first one.
Q. Then what were you doing while Mike Yannotti shot him?
A. Once he shot -- I figured I have to get out if this area if anybody heard it or say the flash so I made a turn.
Q. Then what?
A. Then Mike was wrestling with him. Mike is in the front. He is pointing at him.
Q. Pointing what at him?
A. Pointing the gun at him.
Q. You said he had a mask on. What did Mike Yannotti have on when he looked over?
A. Like a handkerchief, ------.
Q. Covering his face?
A. Yeah. Covering from here down.
Q. By "here," you are mean your nose down?
A. Right below the eyes and down.
Q. And what happened next?
A. Then we are driving. Curtis is jumping around in the back. Mike is following him. Couple more shots. Curtis starts calling out, calling over what I believe to be a radio giving our position up saying we are on the corner. Angel needs help. Whatever he was saying. Some kind of distress call. We are on such and such avenue. As soon as he said that, I would make a turn to get out of the area. If he gave up our position, I would change it.
Q. This is while you were driving the cab?
A. Yes.
Q. What happened next?
A. Then we were driving going a little fast, swerving in and out of cars and missing holes, garbage in the street, cars in the street.
Q. Why were you serving?
A. Maybe -- I don't remember exactly why I swerved. Maybe it was pot hole, garbage, double parked car or car parked on the other side.
Q. How fast were you driving?
A. It felt like 25, 30 miles an hour. I didn't check the speedometer.
Q. What happened next?
A. Then couple more shots. As we are doing all this the shooting is going on.
Q. Do you remember exactly how many shots were fired?
A. No.
Q. What happened?
A. Then I checked my rear view mirror and made sure the police weren't following us. I looked in the rear view mirror. I saw the Lincoln following us. So I felt a little safer.
Q. What do you mean by the Lincoln?
A. The Lincoln that was supposed to pick us up after the job was done. He is right behind us. So I checked the mirror, side view mirror, I see the Lincoln and then I look over and Curtis is half way out the window and halfway in the car and Mike has got him -- he jumped over Mike's shoulder and out the window and Mike is holding him.
Q. Curtis Sliwa is out which window?
A. Passenger side front window.
Q. Front window?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you see how Curtis Sliwa got from the back of the cab to the front passenger window?
A. No.
Q. When you looked over you saw him hanging out of the window?
A. Yes.
Q. So what happened next?
A. Then I just said, Throw him out the fucking window. Throw him out the window.
Q. Is that what you said?
A. Yes.
Q. Then what happened?
A. I don't know if he threw him or he got out on his own, but he went out the window.
Q. Then what did you do?
A. I made a couple more turns and I came to a wide street where the cars were backed into the curb and I parked like everybody else. I shut the car off and I got into the Lincoln.
Q. When you say you parked on a wide street, what do you mean?
A. It was -- you know, it wasn't a regular side street. It was extra wide.
Q. How did you park?
A. I backed into the curb.
Q. And after you backed into the curb, what did you do?
A. I shut the car off and I went into the Lincoln.
Q. This is the Lincoln that had been following you?
A. Yes.
Q. And did you take anything from the cab yourself?
A. I don't think so. I might have took the screwdriver, but I might have left it. I am not a hundred percent sure.
Q. How about Michael Yannotti?
A. Mike came with a black thing that was covering around his arm.
Q. What do you mean by the black thing that was covering him?
A. I don't know if it was a sheet or big jacket or something. Black blanket. He had it wrapped around his arm and he got in the Lincoln also.
Q. What had Michael Yannotti been using this black sheet or blanket for?
A. When he was ducked down on the seat, he would put that over him so if the guy looked -- anybody looked into the front of the cab, it would look empty.
Q. That was something he had been using to cover himself?
A. Yes.
Q. Did both you and Michael Yannotti get into the Lincoln?
A. Yes.
Q. Who was driving?
A. I don't know who was driving. I don't know the guy's name.
Q. Was it someone you had seen before?
A. No.
Q. And where did he take you?
A. We -- to a neighborhood in Mill Basin or Brooklyn or Carnarsi. One of those two neighborhoods.
Q. What, if anything, did you and Mike Yannotti talk about while you were in this car?
A. When I first got in the car, Mike got in the car, I turned around and said, What did he think slapping at the gun? What is the matter with him? Mike said, I can't believe it. I can't believe that guy. I can't even understand it. And then I stopped talking because I didn't know if the car was stolen or if it was a person's car. So it could been bugged or something. I didn't say too much more.
Q. You said you were took to an area in Mill Basin or Canarsi?
A. Yeah. I am not sure what neighborhood we were in.
Q. Are those neighborhoods that you know well?
A. Not well.
Q. What type of place were you taken to in Canarsi or Mill Basin?
A. A house or apartment of a house or something like that.
Q. What happened when you arrived there?
A. Mike got there, Mike took his clothes off. There were a couple fellows already there. Mike said, I am taking a shower. He took his clothes off, put them in a pile. He went into the shower. I stayed there. I looked into the kitchen and Nickey Corozzo was in the kitchen.
Q. This is the same Nickey Corozzo who had been at the prior planning meetings?
A. Yes.
Q. And what if anything, did Nickey Corozzo say to you?
A. I went in the kitchen. He asked me what happened. He didn't really ask me what happened. He told me, You better hope that fucking guy don't die. You better hope he don't guy.
Q. He said that to you?
A. Yes.
Q. Who did you understand him to mean?
A. That Curtis Sliwa shouldn't have die. He didn't want him to die. It wasn't supposed to happen that way.
Q. What did you say, if anything, in response?
A. I didn't say anything.
Q. Then what happened? Did Nickey Corozzo say anything else to you?
A. He said do we have to go back? Is the cab clean? Do we have to go back and burn the cab? I said, I had my gloves on the whole time. I think it should be clean. Mike did, too.
Q. What happened after that?
A. After that I walked back into the other room. I was thinking, Why is this guy yelling at me telling me? I better hope the guy didn't die, I didn't shoot him. This guy shot him. I was just the driver. I didn't see Nickey no more. I don't know if he left or he went to another area of the house or the apartment. Mike came out of the shower. I said, Mike, get one of these guys to drive me home. He said, We will call you a cab. I says, No. I don't want to take a cab. Let one of them drive me home. And he told one of them to drive me home and they drove me back to my neighborhood by my house.
Q. Did you know these other guys that you saw at this home?
A. No.
Q. And what neighborhood did they drive you back to?
A. 18th Avenue, Brooklyn.
Q. That is where you were living?
A. I was living in Staten Island at that time.
Q. But what did you do once you got to 18th Avenue in Brooklyn?
A. I didn't want the kid to drive me to my house in case something. So I said, Drop me off here. I walked to the corner. I made a phone call. I told my friend I need his car. I walked to his house. He threw down the keys and I went home.
Q. What do you meant you didn't want this kid to drive you to your house in case something. What do you mean by that?
A. I didn't -- I don't want to make it easy for anybody to know where I live.
Q. Why is that?
A. Just force of habit, I guess.
Q. After that did there come a time when you spoke to Mike DiLeonardo about what happened?
A. The next day I came back to Brooklyn. I was on the avenue. I seen Mike. He asked me what happened. He said, I heard it on the news. I told him. I explained to him everything that happened. He said, Okay. Everybody is okay? Nobody got hurt? Nobody is in trouble? I says, We are okay. He said, Okay. Don't tell nobody and go about your business.
Q. Did there come a time after that when you spoke to John Gotti, Jr. about the incident?
A. Yes.
Q. How long after the incident?
A. I think it was a week or so after that that I was at an affair at a catering hall at El Carib.
Q. What the El Carib?
A. It is a catering hall in Brooklyn.
Q. Do you know if that catering hall is with anyone in the Gambino Family?
A. I don't know who it is with, but I believe it is with our family.
Q. Had you been to a lot of affairs and functions there?
A. I had my own wedding there.
Q. What happened about a week later when you went to this function at El Carib?
A. Mike said John was out back by the pool and he wanted to speak to me.
Q. John who?
A. John Gotti, Jr.
Q. After Michael DiLeonardo told you that, what did you do?
A. I went back there and talked to him.
Q. And what did you talk to him about?
A. I told him everything that happened.
Q. You told everything?
A. John Junior everything that happened. He asked me what happened and I told him everything that happened.
Q. What did John Gotti, Jr. say?
A. He turned around and said he didn't want that to happen, it wasn't supposed to happen like that. He seemed a little upset. He didn't say I am upset, but he seemed upset. He said, Everybody is okay. That is my major concern. That is my major concern. You are guys are all okay. Nobody got in trouble. Take care of yourselves. And then he did something that I thought a little strange.
Q. What did he do?
A. He says I am going to send you $5,000.
Q. John Junior said I will send you $5,000.
A. Yes.
Q. Did he say for what?
A. Well, it was in the conversation of talking about what happened so it was for the work done.
Q. What did you say?
A. I said, I didn't do it for money. Keep your money. I don't want it.
Q. Why did you say that?
A. Because it could have been two things. You are not supposed to take money for that. You would just be hired help. I wanted to be part of it, not hired help. If it was a test to see where my loyalty laid, to the dollar or to him, I don't want the dollar.
Q. Sometime after this Curtis Sliwa incident, did you become a made member of the Gambino Family?
A. Yes.
Q. About when was that when you became a made member?
A. Not exactly sure. Maybe '94, '95. Something like that.
Q. A few years after?
A. Yes.
Q. And what does it mean to be a made member of the Gambino Family?
A. It means you do what you want, where you want, when you want basically.
Q. What are made members of the Gambino Family called?
A. Wise guy, straightened out, made man.
