Surviving the Mob - Dennis Griffin [98]
Government prosecutors allegedly had information that Nick had assisted the younger Gotti in his plan to kill Sliwa by providing the triggerman, Mike Yannotti, to carry out the hit. The feds also believed that in January 1996, Yannotti gunned down two men on a Brooklyn street over a drug dispute and that Nick Corozzo authorized the killings. The two dead men were Andrew’s friend Robert Arena and Thomas Maranga.
Corozzo’s attorney responded to the reports by denying that his client had anything to do with drugs or the murders.
But it turned out that the government wasn’t ready to move against Nick Corozzo at that time. He was released from prison in June and returned to the position of capo in the Gambino family.
In July 2004, John Gotti, Jr. and three others were indicted on racketeering charges. The underlying crimes included murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, extortion, and illegal gambling. The kidnapping and attempted murder allegations had to do with the 1992 attack on Curtis Sliwa.
Gotti’s co-defendants were alleged Gambino crime-family soldiers Joseph “Little Joey” D’Angelo and Michael “Mikey Y” Yannotti and family associate Louis “Louie Black” Mariani.
Andrew followed these stories with great interest. Cases were moving forward and he would most likely have to appear in court as a government witness in the not-too-distant future.
24
The Junior Gotti and Mike Yannotti Trial
On August 8, 2005, the trial of John Gotti, Jr., and Mike Yannotti began in U.S. District Court in Manhattan with Judge Shira Scheindlin presiding. In his opening statement, Gotti’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, made clear what he thought of several of the names on the government’s witness list. He described them as turncoats and violent manipulative creeps. One of the witnesses he was referring to was Andrew DiDonato.
Andrew was flown back to New York and took the stand on August 11. For the first time in years, he would be eyeball to eyeball with Mike Yannotti. It was a time he’ll never forget.
“The day I landed in New York, I was immediately taken to the United States Attorney’s office where I met with prosecutors. They informed me I’d be called to testify in a matter of hours. Needless to say, I was immediately tense. I knew my testimony would take many hours—I was actually on the stand for three days—and those hours would feel like an eternity. My whole life was going to be an open book for the world to see. My entire criminal history would be put under the microscope for the defense attorneys to pick apart like vultures.
“When I entered the courtroom for the first time, it was dead quiet. After being sworn in, I sat in the witness chair and was face to face with Junior Gotti and Mike Yannotti. It had been a long time since me and Mike had been that close. Our eyes locked on each other and I sensed he held a glimmer of hope that I would remember all those years we were in the trenches together and find a way to hold back what I knew—to spare him. But it was much too late for that. And as I looked at Junior, it wasn’t hope that I saw in his eyes. It was fear.
“The entire first day I spent on the stand was under direct questioning from the prosecutor. We pretty much touched on my entire crime history, my relationships within the Gambino family, and my crimes with Yannotti and the Corozzo crew. That day opened up many old wounds. As the prosecutor walked me down memory lane, he brought out all the devastation I had caused over the years, the harm I’d done for my own personal gain, and for the benefit of the Gambino crime family.
“As I recounted crime after crime, I saw Mike squirming in his chair like a school kid waiting for the recess bell to ring so he could run from the classroom.