It never occurred to me that the Gotti girls dodged a legal bullet.
Kimberly and Gianna Gotti pleaded not guilty again Tuesday in a Long Island courtroom to assault charges during a rowdy youth basketball game that allegedly devolved into a slur-filled gang-like brawl.
Mafia kingpins remained quiet during the second indictment hearing in the case because of a dispute over the indictment, but the same could not be said for John “Junior” Gotti, who was outside the courtroom.
Mr Gotti, the son of notorious “Dapper Don” Mafia mobster John Gotti, husband to Kimberly, 55, and father to Gianna, 23, got into a heated argument with a Newsday reporter over the paper’s reporting on a February brawl.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened to me,” he said, lashing out at the reporter. “How dare you go out of your way to make false reports. Stop it.”
“I’ve always had success with the press, but not with you.”
The Mafia scion was apparently unhappy with reports of what happened during a basketball game at Locust Valley High School on February 8th.
According to court records, Kimberly Gotti was upset with a woman who was yelling insults at her son, Joe, who played on a visiting team at Oyster Bay High School.
She and Gianna ended up charging at the woman, punching her, ripping off her wig and calling players on the opposing team “fat and f******,” sources told The Post and Newsday. report.
Kimberly Gotti is the stepdaughter of the late “Dapper Don,” and her daughter, Gianna Gotti, is a professional basketball player who played at Brooklyn College. Signed with Portuguese team.
After the mother-daughter duo was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, their lawyers spent months attacking the woman’s credibility, arguing that she only identified herself when she saw them being handcuffed.
The lawyers argued that the case should be dismissed because the Mafia family’s name was used against them.
The Gottis also missed an opportunity to change their tune, rejecting a plea deal in March that would have allowed them to control their anger in exchange for settling the charges.
Judge David Goodsell in May ordered prosecutors to disclose how the alleged victims identified the Gottis, leading to a new indictment and a second guilty plea.
The Gottis are scheduled to appear in court again on September 10.
Gianna Gotti’s lawyer, Gerard Mattone, continued to argue after the hearing that the victim has credibility issues, including a past arrest record.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think there’s a good chance the lawsuit will be dismissed,” he said.
“If the defendant’s last name wasn’t Gotti, it never would have gotten to this point,” said Steve Christiansen, who represents Kimberly Gotti.
