Peter Gotti Drops Bruce Cutler

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July 4, 2002

By Jerry Capeci

Peter Gotti Drops Bruce Cutler

Peter Gotti jumped at the chance to take over the family business – his dying brother's crime family – but he had second thoughts about the Dapper Don's outspoken and often outrageous mouthpiece, Bruce Cutler. (right)

A week after John Gotti was buried, Cutler – who won three major cases for the late crime boss and one for Peter – got the news during a strategy session at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Peter Gotti, who has been detained without bail since he was indicted for labor racketeering a few days before his brother died, has retained Gerald Shargel, a top notch lawyer well known to Gang Land regulars.

"We had a heart-to-heart talk in the MDC and Pete said he wanted new counsel," said Cutler, adding that his former client has his blessing and support.

Cutler said he was "disappointed" by the move but did not feel betrayed by

Gotti, for whom he won an acquittal on labor racketeering charges in 1991.

"Certainly I am disappointed, because I always appreciate a good fight, said Cutler. "But there will be other good fights. Sometimes, however, change is a good thing. I understand that. Pete wants his own identity."

"He's mourned the loss of his brother," added Shargel." Now it's on to U.S. vs. Peter Gotti." (left)

The first order of business for Shargel, who was co-counsel with Cutler in a 1990 assault trial against John Gotti and joined with Cutler to represent Junior Gotti on racketeering charges in 1999, is to try and win Peter Gotti's release on bail next week.

"In a case like this – Peter is charged with money laundering and no acts of violence, not even extortion – the bail statutes favor release over detention," said Shargel, who named several Mafia leaders, including Genovese boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante and Bonanno consigliere Anthony Spero as two who were released on bail while awaiting trial for racketeering and murder charges.

Editor's Note: Most readers know Gotti died a day before Gang Land left New York for an international conference on crime in London that was sponsored by John Jay College, the FBI and New Scotland Yard. Many others, judging from the scores of emails we received on the subject, apparently missed the notice, so we mention it again here.

Before departing, at the request of The New York Times, yours truly and Gene Mustain, my co-author of two books about John Gotti – "Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti," and "Gotti: Rise & Fall" – wrote an op-ed column about the Queens gangster who rose from street thug to the cover of Time Magazine.

The piece ran June 13. Anyone interested can check it out, through this link. Unfortunately, The New York Times charges to view its archived stories and it will cost you $2.95.

Gotti's Passing Triggers
A Newsroom Ambush

There were no back up shooters and no crash car, but in the usually tame and timid world of journalism, it could have passed for a classic hit.

On June 10, as cops and FBI agents looked for signs of gangland violence in the wake of the Dapper Don's passing, all hell broke loose between two mob reporters with close ties to the Gotti family.

The scene was outside the men's room in the city room of The New York Post a few hours after John Gotti's death.

Victoria Gotti The erstwhile combatants were Murray Weiss, the paper's Criminal Justice Editor who normally works out of Police Headquarters downtown, and Al Guart, a former teacher and sometimes amateur horn player who works at the paper's main office.

Weiss is friendly with Gotti's daughter, Victoria, and helped smooth her way into the newspaper as a Sunday columnist. He received a warm personal note

from Gottis widow, also named Victoria, that he readily published after John's death.

Guart made his bones with the Gotti crowd four years ago by, among other things, getting a federal prosecutor bounced from the Junior Gotti (right) case by accusing him of being a source for a rival news reporter.

Colleagues and rival reporters say Weiss and Guart hate each other with a passion and are fierce competitors who bad mouth each other's work to anyone who will listen. Neither reporter would talk to Gang Land about the events of June 10.

But according to published reports and eyewitness accounts from Gang Land sources, Guart launched a desperate sneak attack on his rival.

As Weiss shuffled into the newsroom that day to coordinate the paper's Gotti

coverage, Guart, in the words of Newsday columnist Len Levitt, "ambushed him with a machine-gun-like riposte."

"That should be easy," said Guart. "Read my clips for the past year."

Weiss squeezed off a long shot of Poland Spring from his water bottle and the little squirt battle began, with both participants quickly separated.

Hours later, the action got fast and furious after Guart spotted Weiss heading for the men's room and positioned himself outside with a deadly container of water.

Splash! Splat. Weiss, who had left his water bottle at his desk, went after Guart with his fists. After a few punches, biting insults, broken headlocks and ripped shirts, the men were pulled apart. By all accounts, they still hate each other.

So beware. Crime reporters have long memories and are known for their violent vendettas.

Not Really For Idiots
Whether you're a Gang Land regular or an occasional visitor, you'll enjoy "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Mafia," a book I wrote for Alpha Books that was published in December. It's filled with real stuff about real wiseguys and insight about the ways that mobsters make their money. It's 343 pages of true stories of life and death, honor and betrayal. Get it at your local book store, or at Gang Land's favorite, Amazon.com, where the powers that be have knocked the price down to $13.27, so low I am concerned that the Godfather of online booksellers has forgotten about my end.

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	Jerry Capeci P.O. Box 863 Long Beach, NY 11561 Copyright, 2002- All Rights Reserved