Mobster’s son behind dad’s murder at McDonald’s drive-thru: feds
A wiseguy’s son had him whacked in a McDonald’s drive-thru in the Bronx — and was behind the botched hit on his own brother, federal authorities in Brooklyn said Tuesday.
Anthony Zottola Sr. was named in a Brooklyn federal indictment that charges him with murder-for-hire conspiracy, unlawful use and possession of firearms and causing death through use of a firearm.
Zottola’s father, Sylvester “Sally Daz†Zottola, was gunned down on Oct. 4 as he sat in an Acura SUV that was boxed in by other vehicles outside the fast-food eatery at Webster Avenue and Belmont Street.
The elder Zottola, 71, had ordered a medium coffee shortly before being shot in the head, chest and shoulder, law enforcement sources have said.
The reputed Bonanno crime family associate is suspected to have run an illegal gambling operation involving “Joker Poker†video games.
“As alleged, Zottola Sr. set in motion a deadly plot to kill his father and brother, with Bloods gang members carrying out extreme acts of violence to collect a payoff for the hits,†said US Attorney Richard Donoghue.
“Zottola Sr. and Shelton referred to the planned murders as ‘filming’ a movie, but thanks to the outstanding work of law enforcement, the ending of their plot will take place in a federal courthouse.â€
And FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said, “There is apparently no love lost between Mr. Zottola and his family members, so much so he allegedly hired members of the Bloods gang to kill his brother and father. After several botched attempts on both men’s lives, sadly his father did not survive the last attack.â€
“It looks like it was over the family business — the Joker Poker machines — and the son was looking to take over,†a source said Tuesday.
Investigators initially suspected the hit was ordered by rival Albanian gangsters who wanted to muscle in on the racket.
The killing followed an earlier shooting in which another Zottola son, Salvatore Zottola, was critically wounded outside his family’s waterfront compound of three homes in the Locust Point section of the Bronx.
The July 11 attack was intended to “lure out†the elder Zottola so he could be killed, according to the feds.
Anthony Zottola and eight alleged co-conspirators — several of whom were arrested previously — were awaiting arraignment Tuesday afternoon.
