11/20/01
Feds Want 'Bull' Penned For 20-Yr. Max.
By AL GUART and ANDY GELLER, New York Post

November 2001 -- EXCLUSIVE
NY Post

The feds want a judge to throw the book at mob turncoat Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano and put him away for the maximum of 20 years for running a major "ecstasy" ring, The Post has learned. The stoolie who put mob boss John Gotti behind bars for life faces 12 to 15 years behind bars for operating the ring, which was based in Arizona but got its drugs from the Big Apple.

But Brooklyn federal prosecutor Linda Lacewell says Gravano deserves the max because he failed to take advantage of the sweet deal he got for testifying against the Dapper Don - five years for committing 19 murders. "Gravano received a second chance of a lifetime and squandered it," Lacewell says in a sentencing memo to federal Judge Allyne Ross.

"There could be no surer mark of a hard-core recidivist." If Ross follows the recommendation, Gravano, now 56, will be 76 when he walks out of prison. Last summer, Gravano pleaded guilty in both Phoenix and Brooklyn to running the ring - which raked in profit! s of $500,000 a week - along with his son Gerard, 25, other family members and mobsters.

Since August, he has been secretly held at the Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan. In her memo, Lacewell noted that on Sept. 26, 1994, Gravano was sentenced to five years in the slammer and three years of supervised release in return for testifying against Gotti.

With credit for time served and good behavior, Gravano was a free man in March 1998. "Barely six months later, he decided to take over his son's drug-trafficking operation, which he then transformed into a large-scale wholesale operation and ran as an attempted monopoly," Lacewell charges. "His willingness to commit serious new crimes shortly after receiving this leniency shows that the risk of recidivism is high."

In addition, Lacewell says, Gravano continued running the ring even when he learned the government planned to call him as a key witness in a major jury-tampering case. "Gravano was willing to lead this double! life even when dealing directly with the government, which further shows his lack of respect for the criminal justice system and his boldness in committing crime," she says.

Gravano's lawyer, Lynne Stewart, did not return calls for comment, but defense attorneys are expected to argue Gravano does deserve leniency for his past assistance to the feds. "That's a question I don't think anyone can answer but the judge," one lawyer said.

Hahah, he had his chance and blew it. You know with the Gambino's I respected him for his intelligence in construction and their rackets untill he turned rat. He was a quite a clever guy and managed to keep a low profile for a while even whilst being beside Gotti alot of the time. Now look at him, ratting out, cashing in on books and now stupidly running the ecstasy ring. He deserves this prison time.

Thanks for keeping us informed Eddie

SAMMY THE RAT IS A FUCKIN ****** AND I HATE THAT SON OF A BITCH ALONG WITH THE ****** GOTTI.

LAWYER SAYS MEX MAFIA'S AFTER GRAVANO
New York Daily News; New York, N.Y.; Jan 16, 2002; MIKE CLAFFEY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER;
Abstract:
Gravano "will be jailed under extremely harsh conditions," [Lynne Stewart] told the Daily News. The mob informer helped bring down Gambino boss John Gotti and more than 30 other mobsters.

In a letter filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, Stewart said Arizona jail officials "informed Mr. Gravano that they had information that members of the 'Mexican Mafia' held in their institution had received word that gotti wants sammy dead asap,
Gravanos' attorney is trying to work another deal
for the bull.

that rat basterd,GOOD i hope his ass is either killed on the street or jail. dont matter to me.

In addition to being a rat, he's also a hypocrite. In his book, "Underboss," he never fails to denounce Paul Castellano for being a "racketeer," not a "gangster," which is how he flatteringly describes himself and Gotti. But he also never fails to pass along every single compliment Castellano paid him. According to Da Bull, Gotti was the rat, not him, because Gotti betrayed Cosa Nostra "values." (Despite this self-serving B.S., the book is still worth reading. He supplies some riotous descriptions of Gotti's vanities.)

He deserves a little bit more than prison time...if you ask me.

I will admit his book Underboss is a good read, but as for the man himself he is a F*CKING traitor and he should be shot that's how I see it.

I've always admired John Gotti, even if he isn't exactly the best Boss ever.

1-16-02
Mob Plotted 'Bull Hit. New York Post

January 16, 2002 --

Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano was a sitting duck in an Arizona jail, where fellow inmates with allegiance to the "Mexican Mafia" secretly plotted to kill the mob turncoat on a La Cosa Nostra contract, Gravano's lawyer claims.

The Maricopa County sheriff's office went so far as to warn Gravano, who was locked up for running a major "ecstasy" drug ring with his son Gerard.

Officials "had removed any suspects from his pod in the jail" in August, "but they asked that he exercise caution," Lynn Stewart revealed in a letter to Brooklyn federal Judge Allyne Ross.

"Sammy said he'd keep an eye out," Stewart told The Post, adding that the deadly scheme shows how prison is harder on Sammy the Bull than on your run-of-the-mill crook.

Ross heard Gravano's guilty plea last June in Brooklyn and is expected to sentence him in the near future. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lacewell wants the judge to throw the book at Gravano and give him the maximum 20-year sentence for his role in the! drug ring.

Prosecutors say the turncoat threw away his second chance and a sweetheart deal that allowed him to serve five years in prison for 19 murders after he testified against John Gotti.

Stewart is trying to persuade Ross to stick within the plea agreement guidelines of 12 to 15 years. In court papers Stewart denies Gravano masterminded the plot - saying he only financed it - and calls the ecstasy prosecution "vindictive."

Gravano also pleaded guilty to ecstasy charges in Arizona, where a judge will sentence him following Ross' ruling.

I wont even read the book "Underboss" because his ugly face is on it.

Gravano complains in his book about Gotti seeking publicity, yet he writes a book, has movie, and brags about people coming up to him shaking his hand and asking for his autograph. :rolleyes: According to an article I was reading online, his personality is exactly like John Gotti's. That's interesting! Also he talks about Gotti and the wire tappings, but I was reading another article and it said that in the transcripts from the wire tappings on his phone, he talks about his "business." It says that he talks about the fact that is phone may be "bugged." I have a question, does anyone else think that Gravano testifying against Gotti could have been a conspicacy that Gotti and Gravano came up with? After reading his book, he continously praises Gotti. I just found that strange. Maybe I am just naive.

I take that back I finaly read the book because everyone said it was good and worth reading and it was. But I still dislike the guy very much.

News and Features about Organized Crime, Mafia and La Cosa Nostra taken from National and Local News Sources. In an attempt to get you this type of coverage in a timely manner we can not be responsible for the content of the following material. E-MAILED 4/2002 TO ANEILLO1@hotmail.com

4-4-02
Sammy the Bull to Testify — For Himself.
By JOHN MARZULLI, New York Daily News Staff Writer

Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano returns this week to the courthouse where his testimony put crime boss John Gotti away for life — but this time he'll plead his own case.

The crime world's rat of all rats will try to head off efforts by federal prosecutors to keep him behind bars for up to 20 years for running an Arizona-based Ecstasy drug ring.

The two-day, presentencing hearing begins tomorrow in Brooklyn Federal Court with Gravano expected to take the stand under heavy security on Tuesday.

Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano

"He's very articulate, he's testified many times and his truthful testimony has been relied on in Brooklyn courts," said Larry Hammond, Gravano's Arizona attorney. "Find somebody who has testified for more good effect for the government and I would be very surprised."

Gravano, 56, pleaded guilty last year to Ecstasy-distribution charges here and in Arizona and faces 12 1/2 to 15 years in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

But prosecutors are urging Judge Allyne Ross to add five years to Gravano's sentence because of his extensive criminal record. Gravano admitted to 19 murders during his testimony in the Gotti case, but drew a light five-year sentence because of his government cooperation.

Squandered Chance

Then he returned to a life of crime mere months after his probation ended.

"The fact that Gravano threw away the second chance of a lifetime now shows that he cannot be trusted to abide by the law in the future," Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lacewell said in court papers.

For Gravano, the stiffer sentence would mean getting out when he is 76. He hopes to convince the judge he deserves a lighter sentence than the guidelines suggest.

In her own court argument, Gravano's lawyer, Lynne Stewart, has called the prosecution vindictive. "The U.S. attorney's office feels that Gravano has let them down ... that he tarnished their reputation by returning to criminal activity after being their star witness in one trial after another," she said.

But prosecutors say Gravano and his son, Gerard, who also pleaded guilty in the drug case, have not fully owned up to their roles in the Ecstasy ring.

They say Gravano not only ran the drug operation, but used guns to do it and obstructed justice by destroying evidence and threatening a co-defendant — all obvious factors that could boost his sentence.

Original Publication Date: 4/4/2002

Jesus H. Christ, I hope he gets the maximum sentence. He deserves it. What a tit Gravano is.

That rat is a dumb no good jerk.he has ratted out 1,000's of people.

A tit is a good thing, isn't it??

A tit is a good thing, isn't it?? [/b][/quote]You're right it is and it should be but for some reason over here we use it as an insult. I'm gonna have to go to oxford and get them to update the dictionary......

Henchman: 'Sammy Bull' Taught Us To Be Wiseguys.
By KATI CORNELL SMITH, New York Post April 2002 An admitted "ecstasy" peddler took the stand at Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano's sentencing hearing yesterday and said his mentor gave him lessons in how to be a mobster while they ran a drug ring in Arizona. Michael Papa, 25, said Gravano - the Mafia stoolie who helped convict John Gotti and Vincent "Chin" Gigante - taught him:

* To use Nextel cell phones because they're hard to tap.
* To use revolvers rather than semiautomatics because they're less likely to jam.
* How to structure their drug ring and keep its books.

Papa's testimony came on the first day of Gravano's two-day sentencing hearing before Brooklyn federal Judge Allyne Ross. Gravano, 56, who has pleaded guilty to buying the club-drug ecstasy in New York and selling it to teens in Arizona, faces serious jail time.

Prosecutors Linda Lacewell and Noah Perlman are asking for a 20-year sentence, although the recommended range under federal guidelines is 121/2 to 15 years. Papa, the major distributor and bookkeeper of the $500,000-a-week operation, testified he and other ring members were "in awe" of Gravano.

When he first met Gravano in 1999, he said, "I was kind of star-struck. I couldn't believe I was in a pool at Sammy the Bull's house and having a conversation."

Papa said Gravano was known to ring members as "the boss" or the "big man." And he described how the one-time Gambino underboss would dig into his safe - which once contained $500,000 - to lend his crew whatever they needed to buy ecstasy.

He recounted how ring members would gather at Gravano's Scottsdale restaurant, Uncle Sal's, where he would regale them with stories - many dealing with murders - from his mob days in New York.

"We were going to use his name to monopolize the ecstasy market in Arizona," said Papa. "People feared Sammy the Bull's name, and they pretty much did what we wanted."

Papa testified Gravano was thinking about forming an Arizona mob that he would head and had already started planning how to extort money from area strip clubs. He said after the ring was busted and he met with government officials to discuss cooperating, he got a call from Gravano's son, Gerard.

"He told me that if I did flip, I would only get a few years off my sentence but I would have to watch my back," Papa testified. Gravano, who is expected to testify today, claims in court papers that Papa was actually the ring's leader.

He contends his only role in the ecstasy operation was in lending Gerard money on a couple of occasions.

Gerard Gravano, 25, who also pleaded guilty to distributing ecstasy, was dropped from the hearing yesterday after he agreed he would not appeal a sentence of 14 years or less.

Gravano actually had some good advice, but he should have listened to his own advice. Like about the cell phones, well he went and talked about "business" on a regular phone that he thought was tapped. In one of the wiretapping transcripts on read in an article, he says that he thinks the phone is tapped, but still he talks about his "business."

'Sammy Bull' Gets Ratted Out.
April/2002 -- Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano chickened out of testifying at his pre-sentencing hearing yesterday after a mob wannabe ratted him out for hatching murder plots - and planning to form his own mob.

Admitted "ecstasy" manufacturer Philip Pascucci, 36, told the court the former Gambino underboss took him under his wing, and was grooming him to be a mob hit man in Arizona. Gravano tried to lure him in by telling the star-struck Pascucci to get a brazen vanity plate taken off his car - as revealed in a note the notorious mobster penned on a copy of his tell-all biography "Underboss."

"Phil, Glad you've moved ‘WISEGUY' off your license plate and into your heart; Your next Boss and Pal, Sammy." "I would be in this family right off the bat, so there would be no initiation for me to come in," Pascucci told Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Perlman.

Defense lawyer Lynne Stewart said Gravano - whose cooperation nailed "Teflon Don" John Gotti - wanted to take the stand at the two-day hearing that wrapped up yesterday. But he couldn't in light of testimony that implicated him in numerous new conspiracies.

"I think he understands that once the name Gravano is invoked, things really are skewed out of proportion," Stewart said. Under normal guidelines, Gravano would face 12 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to ecstasy distribution charges last year. Perlman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lacewell, however, want Brooklyn federal Judge Allyne Ross to give Gravano the max - 20 years - for throwing away a sweetheart deal that allowed him to serve just five years for 19 murders.

No sentencing date has been set. On the stand, Pascucci rattled off several murder plots Gravano allegedly had in the works. There was the 1998 plot against New York lawyer Ronald Kuby, who slapped Gravano with a $50 million suit on behalf of his murder victims' families after "Underboss" was published.

Other murder plots included the girlfriend of Gravano's son, Gerard, who reportedly spat in Bull's face, a Texas drug thug and partner to Pascucci, and the rat who told the feds where Gravano liked to dine every weekend.

Gravano even agreed to do two hits for an Arizona thug if the thug would kill Gravano's brother-in-law in New York.

HA, HA, HA! The Rat got ratted out. But I'm confused about something, since when does Gravano not want to be on the witness stand. I was just wondering.

Well it looks like "The Bull" is fucked.

I think you are right, Don Palentino!