Gurino is the guy the two Tony's hired to take out the casino owner. Interesting that he was also involved in another hit that brought Cutler into the picture.

Boca Victim Had Ties To Mob, Gotti


October 30, 2003|By Robert Eckhart Staff Writer and Staff Writer Neil Santaniello and Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report


The man shot and killed in a deli west of Boca Raton on Tuesday was acquitted in the murder trial that launched mob defense attorney Bruce Cutler's career, and once led a riot at a Brooklyn federal courthouse in support of mafia boss John Gotti.

Detectives won't say whether they suspect organized crime was a factor in the Tuesday morning shooting of John Gurino, 48. He was killed at Corner Deli about 10:15 a.m., before the deli had opened for business. Without providing details, investigators say the shooter, deli owner Ralph Liotta, fired in self-defense.


Gurino was charged with murder in a 1984 mob killing in Queens, N.Y., according to a 1998 New York Times article. His father owned a Howard Beach deli frequented by Gotti's crew, the Times story said.

Gurino's acquittal helped persuade Gotti, longtime head of the Gambino crime family, to make Cutler his top lawyer, the Times said.

Case records were sealed after the acquittal, said the district attorney's office. Sheriff's spokeswoman Diane Carhart confirmed that Gurino had been charged with murder.

The day Gotti was sentenced to life in prison, June 23, 1992, Gurino was one of three men who led a crowd of 1,000 Gotti supporters in a riot at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.

The crowd tore apart police barricades and threw pieces at the police, egged on by Gotti associates who used bullhorns, according to Newsday reporters who witnessed the riot.

People spilled out of tour buses that pulled up to the courthouse, carrying American flags and chanting, "Justice for John."

Seven people were arrested. Gurino was one of three charged with felonies for leading the crowd.

Witnesses said Gurino shouted, "Let's free John. Let's get John outta here," as members of the crowd attempted to storm the courthouse. Also arrested on felony rioting charges that day was Gotti's nephew, Joseph Gotti. He was acquitted, the prosecutor in the case said Wednesday.

Gurino pleaded guilty to a felony riot charge and was sentenced to probation, the Queens district attorney's office said.

Five years later, Gurino's father used the $2.6 million Howard Beach deli as collateral to help pay the bail for Gotti's son, according to an October 1998 New York Times article. More than 30 people chipped in to pay a $10 million bail bond so the younger Gotti could be home with his family while he was on trial, the Times said. The elder Gotti died of cancer in a federal prison medical facility in June 2002.

Gurino, who split time between Howard Beach and Boca Raton for several years, settled in a gated subdivision west of Boca Raton in 2000.

He filed for bankruptcy in 2002, claiming he had lost $29,000 in one year of gambling and was paying his bills with "assistance" from his father and brother, about $3,600 a month, court records show. Debtors claimed he owed them a total of $146,000.

Sheriff's detectives wouldn't describe Liotta's business relationship with Gurino. Liotta was ordered by a Broward County judge to pay $710,000 after a restaurant deal folded last year, court records show. Liotta, who lives west of Delray Beach, was sued by TGI Friday, according to records.


Gurino and Liotta met at the deli at 7158 Beracasa Way about 10 a.m. Tuesday, investigators said. Three other men were in the deli during the meeting but fled after the shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Liotta feared for his life and pulled a gun, shooting Gurino several times, said sheriff's spokeswoman Diane Carhart, who would not release information about specific threats. Gurino died in the deli's doorway, his body lying amid chunks of broken glass.

Detectives questioned Liotta Tuesday for several hours, then let him go. The Sheriff's Office says there is evidence to back up Liotta's claim that the shooting was self-defense, but the investigation continues.

Several of Gurino's family members declined to comment, as did Liotta's attorney.

"I am stunned by this whole thing," said Paul Hugo, one of Liotta's former business partners. "He's the nicest guy in the world, Ralph. He has a great personality. Electric. He's a funny guy. He's kind of liked by everybody.