Detailed update on lucky mafia hitman/serial killer of 19,Salvatore Gravano,whose tattletaling managed to get him freed after serving just 5 yrs in jail,but he was arrested a few days ago,along w/wife & 2 adult kids,all now facing drug distribution charges
Joe1orbit
Here's some more info on Salvatore Gravano, the serial killing mafia hitman
who was able to work out an INCREDIBLE plea bargain deal, under which he
CONFESSED to PERSONALLY carrying out 19 serial killings, but was FREED after
spending just five years in prison. Sammy did a FINE job of reigning in his
anti-social activities for a FEW years after his release, but just a couple of
days ago, he was arrested & charged with being a major player in an illegal
drug distribution ring, in Arizona.
You would think that having had BETTER luck than just about ANY serial killer
could ever imagine, as far as the judicial system was concerned, Sammy would
have decided to stay on the straight and narrow path, and be grateful for his
good fortune. But that type of thinking is naive. Sammy may have convinced
himself that he was only killing for MONEY, but in reality he possessed an
EMOTIONAL desire/need to harvest humans. And just because he got very lucky and
managed to get freed, that could not be expected to wipe away his True Reality
anti-social rage. So he turned to DRUG dealing. I think this is a way, albeit
not a directly violent way, to CONTINUE killing people. Get them addicted to
toxic drugs, and you SLOWELY destroy their health, and in some cases, they DIE
as a direct result of the addiction and what the drugs do to their bodies and
minds.
We get a few more details on the drug operation, and Sammy was NOT the
PRIMARY ringleader. Sounds like he did use his ambitious and superior business
sense, to greatly INCREASE the profits that were being generated. It was a real
FAMILY affair, with his young adult son actually being MORE involved in the
actual DISTRIBUTION of the drugs, than Sammy was.
Like I said in my post a few days ago, Sammy CAN still dig his way out of
this hole, ESPECIALLY if he was brilliant enough to WITHHOLD a few major mafia
secrets, that he can now use as leverage bargaining chips, in working out
ANOTHER sweet plea deal.
The Arizona Republic newspaper REALLY seems to be focusing HEAVILY on this
case. You can view a BUNCH of photos, of Sammy, his wife, and BOTH his
children, ALL of whom are facing drug charges, and also link to an ARCHIVE of
articles on this case, at the following URL:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/bull/bullindex.shtml
Stay Strong, Sammy!
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
Cops: Gravano a Career Criminal
By MICHELLE RUSHLO
PHOENIX (AP) - Former mob hitman Salvatore ``Sammy the Bull'' Gravano seemed to
have it made.
He escaped the Mafia and any serious prison time for the 19 murders he admitted
to by testifying against New York crime boss John Gotti. Sporting a new name
and a new face, he then started a new life in sunny suburban Arizona.
But authorities say he couldn't resist the lure of fast cash - an Achilles'
heel that again put him in the sights of law enforcement.
Gravano was arrested Thursday and ordered held on $5 million bail for his
alleged role in an ecstasy-peddling ring that authorities said involved his
wife, his son, his daughter and his son-in-law.
Gravano wasn't the first ex-mobster to find day-to-day life a drag after the
exhilaration of what Mafiosi call ``The Life'' - the high-rolling, hard-living
world of mob action.
Henry ``Wiseguy'' Hill, after relocating to Redmond, Wash. (pop 35,800), put it
this way: ``I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.''
That was not Gravano's style, authorities said.
Instead, they say Gravano helped turn a local ecstasy ring into the state's
biggest supplier of the designer stimulant - reaping profits in the
neighborhood of $500,000 a week.
``People are wondering how (Gravano) could do this,'' said Special Agent Jim
Molesa, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Phoenix. ``Look
at this tremendous profit it was reaping. How could he not do it? He already
has a propensity for crime.''
Authorities say the ring started as a small-scale operation run by 23-year-old
Michael Papa, who also was charged Thursday. Once Gravano put his weight behind
it, sales boomed to as much as 30,000 pills a week - at $20 to $30 each -
making the ring responsible for the lion's share of ecstasy sales in Arizona,
Molesa said.
Gravano did not, however, start as the center of the alleged drug operation.
Only in the last nine months was the former underboss in the Gambino crime
family brought in by his son, who had been friends with Papa, Molesa said.
Most of the people arrested had no idea they were dealing with the Gravanos,
authorities said. Only Papa, his 44-year-old mother, Maryann, and friend
20-year-old Jovan Isailovic knew they were involved with Sammy the Bull, Molesa
said.
A woman who answered the phone at the Papas' house Friday said she had no
comment and hung up.
Isailovic's sister, Jovanka Isailovic, said her brother was friends with Papa
and Gravano's 24-year-old son, Gerard, but they were not dealing ecstasy. She
said in recent months, strangers had been approaching her brother asking if he
had ecstasy and that he thought it was odd.
Jovanka Isailovic said she met Sammy the Bull and the younger Gravano and that
both were pleasant men.
``Sammy's not the monster that everyone made him out to be,'' the 18-year-old
woman said. ``It wasn't like 'Oh my God, Sammy the Bull.' He was very
approachable. He was not this mean guy. He was very polite.''
The confessed serial hitman crippled New York's Gambino crime family by
agreeing to testify against boss John Gotti, who was sentenced to life in
prison in 1992, and other former Mafia cronies.
In exchange, he served just five years in prison on a racketeering charge. He
was released in 1995 and given a new name through the witness protection
program.
By early 1997, he had left the program. A book he co-authored about his
exploits entitled ``Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the
Mafia'' was published that December and later became a made-for-TV movie.
Neighbors said he had been living in his Tempe, Ariz., apartment since June
1998. Last year, Gravano told The Arizona Republic that he was rebuilding his
life as a legitimate businessman.
Molesa, however, said the companies operated by Gravano, Phoenix-based Creative
Pools and Marathon Development, only built a couple of swimming pools.
They may have started out legitimate, he said, but ``definitely, drug money was
funneling through there.''
AP-NY-02-26-00
-------------------------------------------------------------
The following two news articles both appear courtesy of the 2/25/00 online
edition of The Arizona Republic newspaper:
'Sammy the Bull' faces drug charges in Valley
By Dennis Wagner
and Pat Flannery
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 25, 2000
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, the former Mafia underboss and turncoat,
was arrested Thursday and accused of being the brains, bankroller and boss of
an Arizona crime syndicate dealing in the designer drug known as Ecstasy.
Investigators said Gravano oversaw a vast organization that included not only
family members but members of an East Valley White power group who treated him
with reverence.
By Thursday night, 36 people had been arrested and about two dozen others were
being sought.
Gravano, a government witness who murdered 19 people while in the Gambino crime
family in New York, turned on mob boss John Gotti 10 years ago and provided key
testimony to put Gotti and others in prison.
Phoenix Police Chief Harold Hurtt described Gravano as the director of
Arizona's largest distribution ring for Ecstasy.
Authorities also say Gravano's chief lieutenant, Michael Papa, was co-founder
of a Gilbert hate group that evolved into the gang now known as Devil Dogs.
One officer involved with the case said Gravano served as a mentor to young
toughs, who became more savvy and dangerous after meetings with him.
"They were well-schooled," the officer said. "You'd see the whole attitude
change. Suddenly, they were armed. And they'd come out with an (operating plan)
like a Police Department would use."
The officer said Devil Dogs members used Gravano's name to intimidate rivals,
and sometimes provided muscle for the syndicate.
Authorities were unable to explain how Gravano could become the leader of a
drug syndicate and mentor to thugs even as he made weekly calls to federal law
enforcement in New York. He has claimed to be in regular contact with the FBI
and U.S. Marshals Service.
Gravano, who declined to comment, was arrested at his Tempe apartment and
booked into a Maricopa County jail. A cash-only bond of $5 million was set.
Investigators also arrested Gravano's wife, Debra, 46; the couple's two
children, Gerard, 24, and Karen, 27; Karen's live-in boyfriend David Seabrook,
32; Michael Dahling, 25, of Scottsdale; Jovan Isailovic, 20, of Gilbert; and
Dominick Sirico, 30, of Mesa.
Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano said all the defendants are charged
with narcotics trafficking. Additional felony charges are pending a review of
evidence.
Referring to Salvatore Gravano, Napolitano added, "His prior testimony against
the mob was not a free pass to peddle drugs to Arizona's youth."
Gravano's lawyer, Larry Hammond, said he knows nothing about the criminal case,
but has been associated with the ex-mobster for five years and regards him as
"a model citizen."
Hammond said he was "offended and disappointed" that law enforcement officials
conducted a news conference "to indict and try and convict" a defendant without
due process.
An anonymous law enforcement official, quoted in the New York Times, also was
skeptical of the charges.
"I'm sure when the actual facts come out, it'll show he's not stupid enough to
have gotten involved in this," the official said.
Police said Gravano oversaw the Ecstasy network with Papa, 23, and Isailovic,
founding members of White Power/Devil Dogs.
Both men were arrested Thursday along with Papa's mother, Maryann, 44, who
faces money-laundering charges. Authorities said the Papa and Gravano families,
both from New York, are closely associated.
Thursday's raids were conducted by Phoenix and Gilbert police, the state
Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S.
Customs officers. Investigators said Ecstasy, also called MDMA, is a euphoric
stimulant popularized by the rave culture. It was smuggled into Phoenix from
Europe and distributed throughout Arizona and other states.
Investigators do not know how long the Ecstasy enterprise was in operation, but
Police Chief Hurtt estimated sales during recent months at 20,000 to 30,000
pills a week.
The pills, some laced with heroin and methamphetamine, resemble candy and are
stamped with Nike swooshes, candy canes and other symbols. They're known by
such names as Blue Panda and Pink Triangles.
Authorities said the syndicate purchased them for $6 or $8 each and sold them
for $25 or more.
Ken Tims, commander of the Phoenix police Drug Enforcement Bureau, said
authorities began an investigation into the use of designer drugs among high
school kids in July, focusing on raves, where teens and young adults dance
trancelike for hours to loud music.
Tims said detectives soon learned that Mike Papa was dealing the drug. He said
surveillance led investigators to Salvatore Gravano, who employed Papa at a
Phoenix construction company.
Undercover police attended all-night raves and concluded that up to 90 percent
of the participants were on Ecstasy.
Court records indicate the elder Gravano "controls the profit margin and other
operational activities" in return for a share of profits.
Gerard Gravano was described as "part of the controlling hierarchy," while
Seabrook was said to be an organizational leader who sometimes peddled the
pills himself.
Gravano, wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt, was ushered into his initial
hearing under heavy security. He did not have an attorney. A court spokeswoman
said Gravano told Judge Ronald Reinstein, "I've never run from a case in my
life."
Later, Gerard Gravano, Seabrook, Papa, Dahling, Isailovic and Sirico were led
into the courtroom in handcuffs and chains, all protesting their arrests. The
younger Gravano complained that he hadn't been allowed to call a lawyer or seek
a reduction in bond.
"You might as well line us up and shoot us in the head," he said.
The judge set bonds of $15,000 for Isailovic, $100,000 for Gerard Gravano,
$250,000 for Seabrook and $1 million for Papa.
In addition to seizing an estimated 23,000 Ecstasy pills, Phoenix police say
investigators recovered 23 firearms, including three from Salvatore Gravano's
home. They also seized about $90,000 in cash and quantities of marijuana,
steroids and methamphetamine.
Many of the suspects have previous records, from marijuana violations to
assault to attempted murder and gambling.
But the most notorious defendant is Sammy the Bull. As a mobster, he cut a plea
deal after being charged with loan sharking, illegal gambling, murder and other
crimes.
Gravano was released from a federal prison in 1995. He quickly capitalized on
infamy by helping Peter Maas write Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of
Life in the Mafia, which became a made for TV movie.
In the Valley with his family, Gravano dodged a contract on his life and
multimillion-dollar lawsuits. Using the pseudonym Jimmy Moran, he started a
construction company.
Gravano chafed at constraints imposed by the Witness Protection Program,
especially on family contact. He resigned from it two years ago and had minor
cosmetic surgery.
In July, his Valley life was disclosed in an Arizona Republic report published
over the objection of top FBI agents in New York and Phoenix.
At the time, Gravano owned and operated an east Phoenix company, Marathon
Development, which bore the same name as the New York business he used in
numerous criminal enterprises.
Gravano's wife owned and ran Uncle Sal's Italian Restorante on North Hayden
Road in Scottsdale.
During the interview, Gravano insisted that his Arizona life was boring except
for the pleasure he got from advising young people, and from wheeling and
dealing. He claimed to be a legitimate businessman and said his activities were
monitored by the government.
Asked whether his values changed after prison and testifying against Gotti, he
said no.
"You can't change what you are inside," he said. "A leopard can't change his
spots."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Most neighbors say family 'nice'
By Christina Leonard
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 25, 2000
Neighbors say it was no secret that a mobster's family lived in their upscale
Tempe community.
Some laughed about living near "Sammy the Bull" Gravano's- wife and daughter.
Others worried.
Yet almost everybody was intrigued, and most had read Salvatore Gravano's book:
Underboss, Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia.
On Thursday, neighbors gathered outside the home as news spread that Debra
Gravano; daughter, Karen, 27; her fiance, David Seabrook, 32; and 33 others,
including a co-founder of the White supremacist Devil Dogs gang, were arrested
on suspicion of operating a statewide designer-drug ring.
Some watched as investigators rammed both the front wooden door and back glass
door of the 4,400-square-foot mauve house near Elliot Road and McClintock
Drive.
Investigators spent most of the day rummaging through the estimated 1.5 acre
estate that includes a stable, three-car garage and pool complete with a
waterfall. Police impounded two cars - a white and a mint green Lexus - and a
boat.
One undercover investigator carried out a plastic baggie filled with money, and
others removed boxes of evidence.
Neighbors said Salvatore Gravano never lived in the house, but frequented the
neighborhood. Most never caught a glimpse of him, but those who got to know the
Mafia turncoat described him as "nice" and "wise."
Neighbor Vince Zajdzinski said he remodeled the home for Gravano about three
years ago, and guessed its worth at $750,000.
He said during the year-and-a-half project, he met the man who went by the
alias "Jimmy Moran" several times.
And although he recognized him immediately, Zajdzinski said they never
discussed the Mafia. He described the family as nice, and said Gravano is "one
of the smartest guys I ever met."
Zajdzinski said he's skeptical about the charges against Gravano family because
the former underboss expressed such a strong belief in family in his book.
"I'd be really surprised," Zajdzinski said. "I read his book, and if you read
his book, you'll see he is the most family oriented man there is. It's a real
shame what's going on. I can't believe it."
Neighbor Alana Gonzales also defended the family.
She said she spoke often with the Gravano family over their shared fence, and
she described Gravano as "real knowledgeable" and "very wise."
He even carried her into her house after a horse accident last year, and also
helped the family build their barn. She said she spoke with Karen Gravano
often, and Seabrook would help them wash their cars.
"They never gave us any reason to be worried, or not to trust them," she said.
Other neighbors said that although the Gravanos never caused problems, they
worried about a man who has admitted gunning down 19 people.
One neighbor said her child wouldn't trick-or-treat at the house. Others said
they just wanted to keep to themselves.
Kay Gianopulos, who lives a few doors down from the Gravano home, said the
situation angers her.
"It's very offensive if it's true," she said. "I'm very pleased the police are
going after these people."
The other searches conducted Thursday included:
Gravano's business, which is listed as Marathon Development, near 45th Street
and University Drive in Phoenix.
Gary Hicks, a supervisor at nearby A-1 Plumbing Contractors, said he saw police
handcuff every one of the employees inside the building early Thursday.
Investigators lined them up, questioned them, and let some go. Police arrested
others, he said.
They also took out computer equipment and boxes from the building.
Hicks said he had no idea that Gravano was connected to the business.
Many residents of the middle-class neighborhood near Rural and Ray roads said
they never met Gerard Gravano. Some said they had seen some unusual activity
around the home -- cars parked outside the residence, late-night visitors
dropping by and blacked-out windows -- but nothing that would prompt them to
call police.
Salvatore Gravano's Park Tree Rental Community apartment in Tempe, in the 1300
block of West University Drive, where neighbors were awakened by police banging
and rummaging through cupboards during a 20-minute search.
One neighbor, who lived above Gravano, described him as a "regular Joe."
"He could have been your grandfather," said the neighbor who declined to give
his name. "He was never loud, never rude."
Gravano had lived in the complex, which charged rent from $600 to $675, for
about two years.
Debra Gravano's Scottsdale restaurant in a strip mall on the southwest corner
of Hayden and Osborne roads. The restaurant's logo: "The best kept secret in
Scottsdale."
On Thursday, glass littered the sidewalk and a hand-written note on a
boarded-up window told customers that Uncle Sal's Italian Ristorante would be
closed for the day.
Glenys Lowy, who runs a nearby travel agency, said Debra Gravano spent a lot of
time at the restaurant.
"I see her every day," Lowy said. "She waves at me. She is a very nice lady."
In April 1999, Debra Gravano and a man visited the travel agency to inquire
about a trip. The man was Jimmy Moran, Salvatore Gravano's pseudonym.
They joked with one another and seemed happy, she said.
Republic reporters Monica Davis, Peter Ortiz and Bruno Navarro contributed to
this article.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 2/26/00 online edition of The Arizona
Republic newspaper:
Investigation in Gravano case is widening
By Pat Flannery
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 26, 2000
Authorities will file detailed charges Monday against former mob killer
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano and members of an alleged drug ring
dismantled Thursday in a series of morning raids.
And federal investigators are probing international supply routes that spilled
thousands of illegal Ecstasy tablets onto Valley streets.
Gravano, 54, jailed on a $5 million cash-only bond, remained behind bars Friday
on the fourth floor of the Madison Street Jail. He was snared Thursday in raids
that netted 36 arrests in connection with what authorities are calling a drug
conspiracy.
Gravano's key associates also remained behind bars. Among them were his son,
Gerard, 23, and Michael Papa, also 23, who police say headed the distribution
ring that sold the designer drug at Valley youth dance clubs.
Only Gravano's wife, Debra, 46, and daughter, Karen, 27, both of Tempe, had
been released from jail as of late Friday.
In New York, meanwhile, the attorney for one-time Gambino crime family boss
John Gotti said he would use Gravano's arrest and evidence of his illegal
activities to seek a new trial for Gotti.
Gotti was convicted of racketeering and murder on the strength of Gravano's
1992 testimony against him. Gravano had been an underboss in the family. Gotti
is serving out a life term in an Illinois prison.
"He's incapable of being a truth-teller," Bruce Cutler, Gotti's lawyer, said of
Gravano. Cutler derided the deal in which Gravano received a short sentence and
enrolled in the federal witness protection program after sending the "Dapper
Don" to prison.
Gravano relocated to Phoenix with the help of federal agents but dropped out of
the protection program in 1995.
"When they embrace these sordid individuals and give them absolution, then
expect them to return to the communities . . . it's wrong," Cutler said.
Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano said additional drug arrests are
likely over the next few weeks as investigators clean up loose ends in the
case.
"The remainder are what I would call low-level," Napolitano said Friday.
Agent James Molesa of the Drug Enforcement Administration said investigators
also are trying to trace the path of large shipments of Ecstasy tablets that
arrived in several U.S. cities from abroad. The pills eventually made their way
to the Valley for distribution here and in nearby states.
Agents are thought to be focusing on Las Vegas, Chicago and New York
connections for European Ecstasy suppliers.
During Thursday's raids, Phoenix police seized more than $230,000 in cash, as
well as 23 guns and 23,000 Ecstasy pills, Phoenix police Sgt. Jeff Halstead
said.
"In the Gravanos' little spread, there were a few guns and $13,000 cash" and
some pills, Halstead said.
The drug organization, thought to be less than a year old, was run by Papa,
with Gravano helping manage the money.
Halstead said Gravano was believed to be acting as Papa's mentor, teaching him
how to organize the enterprise.
"He was being trained in how to run this kind of operation," Halstead said.
It quickly became the dominant Ecstasy supplier in the state, Halsted said,
using Gravano's reputation as a former mob hit man to drive out competitors. It
is not thought to have other mob ties, however.
On Monday, detailed criminal complaints laying out specific charges against
Gravano and the other 35 individuals arrested Thursday will be placed before
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Ronald Reinstein.
"Thereafter," Napolitano said, "we'll have to proceed either to a preliminary
hearing or a grand jury."
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