Welcome Back Gotti! Junior's Trial Moved to NY
John Gotti was charged last year with crimes involving three gangland slayings
Wednesday, Dec 3, 2008 | Updated 7:48 AM EDT
AP
John Gotti Jr., seen smiling after his third trial ended in a mistrial, has reason to grin again: a federal judge ordered his fourth trial to be held in a Manhattan courtroom.
John A. "Junior" Gotti could be heading back to New York soon for a mob trial.
Federal Judge Steven Merryday ordered the transfer Tuesday in a written ruling in Tampa, Fla.
Merryday said prosecutors were creating unwarranted inconvenience by asking Gotti to stand trial in Florida rather than New York.
He wrote that the government's decision to charge Gotti in Florida created the "unmistakable and disquieting impression of forum shopping."
Merryday said the U.S. attorney in Florida "oddly" chose to charge a crime of RICO conspiracy that allegedly occurred largely outside that state.
Gotti was charged last year with crimes involving three gangland slayings. He has denied wrongdoing.
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