Lawyer for Kimberly and Gianna Gotti, wife and daughter of former Gambino crime family boss, wants assault case dropped
By Janon Fisherjanon.fisher@newsday.com
Updated May 15, 2024 5:31 pm

Their lawyer wants the charges to be dropped

John 'Junior' Gotti's wife and daughter face charges in connection with an alleged fight at a high school basketball game in Oyster Bay. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp; Alejandra Villa Loarca
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The misdemeanor assault case against the wife and daughter of John “Junior” Gotti, the former acting head of the Gambino crime family, hit a snag on Wednesday when a Nassau District Court judge questioned whether prosecutors had enough supporting evidence to bring the charges to trial.

Kimberly, 56, and Gianna Gotti, 24, were arrested on Feb. 2 for allegedly attacking a parent at the Locust Valley High School gym during a basketball game against Oyster Bay High School.

Both women were accused of punching, kicking and ripping the wig off Crystal Etienne, whose son was also at the game.

In her deposition, Etienne said that the women were calling the players and fans from Locust Valley homophobic and racially charged names all through the game. When asked to stop, the parent said that both Gotti women attacked her, striking her and knocking her to the ground and ripping her wig off with such force, she said, “I felt my scalp was going to be ripped off.”

Etienne identified her attackers by their clothes, but in depositions read in court on Wednesday, the women were not named until they were both in handcuffs, coming out of the gym.

“Why are the supporting depositions sufficient?” Nassau County District Court Judge David Goodsell asked during a bench conference. “There is no identification.”

Defense lawyer Gerard Marrone said that the notoriety of the Gotti name worked against the women, making them easy targets for the arresting officers.

“It was pointed out by the athletic director, that was John Gotti, and the victim was saying she was attacked by two females,” he said. “So, the name Gotti was thrown around. The Gotti girls, the mom and the daughter, were arrested. The victim only identified my clients once they were arrested walking out of the gym in handcuffs.”

The judge asked Nassau district attorney bureau chief Dana Grossblatt to “nail down the sufficiency of the accusatory instrument.”

“I think it is grounds for a motion,” Goodsell said. Marrone said that he would be asking for both cases to be dropped.

Nassau County district attorney's spokeswoman Nicole Turso said the office “intends to move forward with the case.”

Before questions arose about the case, prosecutors on Wednesday offered a “global settlement” on the case under which they would dismiss the charges against Gianna Gotti if she were not rearrested in the next six months. She would also be required to go to anger management classes. Her mother would have to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault under the deal.

Marrone argued that Kimberly Gotti should not have to plead guilty for her daughter to get her case dismissed.

“Everybody from our side was defending themselves,” Marrone said. “Gianna Gotti was pulling her mother off [the alleged victim.]”

According to the lawyer, both women have maintained that Etienne was the aggresser, as was her son.

“If anything, she started the fight,” Marrone said. “She was ranting and raving at the police. She was cursing my client. Hair being pulled does not rise to the level of an assault.”

At one point during a contentious back and forth between Marrone and Grossblatt during the bench conference, the judge invited the prosecutor and the defense lawyer to “go back out in the hall and arm wrestle if you want to.”

Goodsell gave the defense lawyer until June 4 to file his motion to dismiss.

The Gottis sat in the back of the courtroom until the hearing was over and at one point one of them could be heard saying, “They’re trying to make a federal case out of it.”

John “Junior” Gotti leaves Nassau County District Court in Hempsteadafter...
John “Junior” Gotti leaves Nassau County District Court in Hempsteadafter Wednesday after his wife and daughter made a court appearance on misdemeanor assault charges. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
John "Junior" Gotti, who was sentenced to six years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion in 1999 but was acquitted in four other trials, said that he didn’t want to blame the Gotti name for his trouble.

“I don't want it to do that. It's a crutch and I never used it as a crutch before and I won't use it now. However, pay attention to this case,” he said.

Overall, he said that he felt good about the direction the case was taking.

“We’ll let it all play out,” Junior Gotti said. “We're going to be just fine.”

Etienne did not immediately respond to a call and text message seeking comment.

Wife, daughter of former mob boss John Gotti Jr. reject second plea deal in basketball game fight case
The case will return to court on June 4.

The wife and daughter of former mob boss John ‘Junior’ Gotti shot down another plea deal following assault charges that stemmed from a high school basketball game that spiraled out of control.
An attorney for the Gottis tells News 12 that the deal would have dismissed the charges for Gianni Gotti if her mother, Kimberly Gotti, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

In their first court appearance, their lawyer rejected a deal that would have meant anger management classes.
The mother and daughter were both charged with assault after they were said to have punched a woman in the face at a Locust Valley High School basketball game in February, prosecutors say.

However, the pair's defense attorney says his clients were not the aggressors.

The case will return to court on June 4.
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