Ex-Mafia Boss: Gotti Plotted to Kill Me
Tuesday, Apr 19, 2011 | Updated 9:09 AM EDT
AP
Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano
A former head of a New York City organized crime family has testified that the late Gambino boss John Gotti plotted to kill him.
Ex-Bonanno boss Joseph Massino told a Brooklyn jury on Monday that the plot also involved his brother-in-law and protege, Salvatore Vitale.
Massino is the highest-ranking New York City Mafia figure to ever violate the mob's code of silence and testify for the government.
The alleged plot was never carried out because the FBI arrested Gotti in 1990 on racketeering and murder charges.
Massino was testifying at the trial of ex-Bonanno acting boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano.
Basciano could face the death penalty if convicted of racketeering, murder and other charges. He's already serving a life term in a separate case.
