Ex-Gambino mobster John Alite — who served time for murders, beatdowns — now a NJ councilman: ‘Here to redeem my whole life'

Yahoo

15-03-2025

He's gone from lawbreaker to lawmaker.
John Alite, a former Gambino crime family enforcer-turned-mob turncoat, was sworn in Wednesday as a councilman representing the sleepy New Jersey borough of Englishtown.
'You know what? I can really do some good. I already had a bad past, and I'm here to redeem my whole life, and I would like to go out doing everything in a positive way,' Alite, 62, told The Post.
His work in the 1980s and 1990s as a top 'earner' for the 'Teflon Don,' Gambino boss John Gotti, and son John 'Junior' Gotti, will serve him well in politics, he explained.
'I understand the Machiavelli stuff, the treachery,' said Alite.
'I mean every aspect of the street is like the government, so I understand the maneuvering these candidates are doing, so I feel I'll be able to bring my knowledge and past history into politics.'
Alite said he spent 14 years in prison on convictions that include six murders, at least 37 shootings and countless beatdowns while working as a Gambino henchman.
But he didn't have to put any rivals in cement boots to score his council seat.
He was appointed to fill a vacancy through the end of the year after being recruited by Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco and other local leaders impressed by his civic work helping youths.
At first there were skeptics – including some members of the Council — but Alite eventually convinced them he was someone they couldn't refuse.
'Yeah, there were people who opposed it — but I don't run from my past at all,' he said. 'I use it as a way to move forward, to influence kids and get them off the street, to turn a negative into a positive.'
The ex-mobster will hold the seat for an additional two years through 2027 — unless someone dares file paperwork by March 21 to challenge him in an election.
'I've been told I won't be challenged because there's other seats held by people less popular than me, and obviously I'm in the public eye and do lots of media and [motivational] talks around [Monmouth] County,' he said. 'Everybody knows me, so I'd be hard to beat in a race.'
The former wiseguy said he's more qualified than any lefty Democrat currently holding higher office.
'You hear some of these people like [Texas Democratic Rep.] Jasmine Crockett talk, and they don't sound educated,' added Alite, who graduated Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn and went to University of Tampa on a baseball scholarship only to drop out a few years later after blowing out his arm.
And he's already looking at his next move.
'I was asked — I can't talk about names, but I was already asked to go for a higher position,' said Alite, who confided he's eyeing someday running for Congress, and aims to model himself after President Trump, whom he's campaigned for since 2016 and personally met five times.
'He's not your typical politician; he gets the job done; he's a workaholic. I mean he's got so many good qualities,' said Alite, who records show has donated $6,501 to Trump and other Republican candidates since 2020.
The Queens-born goodfella reinvented himself since becoming a free man in 2012 — four years after becoming the star government witness in a 2008 racketeering case against his one-time best friend Junior Gotti.
The trial ended in a hung jury.
Alite said he wants to mend fences with Junior, but he's not holding his breath.
Gotti did not return messages. However, he told The Post in 2016 that he's a 'forgiving guy' — but not when it comes to Alite.
'He is one of the most shameless human beings that God has created . . . He uses the Gotti theme to enhance his career,' Gotti said.
Alite co-authored five books about mob life, is a prolific podcaster and also earns a paycheck as a traveling motivational speaker who tackles topics like domestic violence, bullying and the nation's drug epidemic.
He makes a good enough living that he waived the modest $3,500-a-year borough council salary, but admitted it's a far cry from the 'millions of dollars' he earned 'during a good year' in the mob, when his portfolio included owning four NYC nightclubs and a dozen homes along the East Coast.
At the top of Alite's political platform is speaking out against the dangers of illegal drugs. His 30-year-old daughter Chelsea died three years ago of a fentanyl overdose. The tragedy led him move to Englishtown.
Alite — who could never rise to being a made man in the Italian mob because he's 100% Albanian — said he wants to make sure there are enough after-school programs to keep 'kids off the street' and away from drugs.
'The drug influence in this county is terrible,' said Alite, whose one-time employer was notorious for trafficking cocaine. 'As a kid I was part of that, and now I have a chance to change that.'
Alite, who is divorced and has four sons, was surrounded by his mother and other family members when he was sworn in Wednesday at Englishtown Borough Hall. Afterwards, he participated in his first Council meeting.
On the agenda for the tiny Central Jersey community with a little over 2,300 residents: filling potholes, Christmas lights, eyesore fencing, and appointing an acting police chief.
Francisco, Englishtown's mayor, said Alite deserves a chance.
'I can only judge him on what I know,' he said. 'John is a guy that is quick to being open and friendly. He has vast experience and connections in the political and business world.'
'I know he does a lot of outreach work,' the mayor added. 'He shares a vision for development in our local downtown, and I think he's going to be instrumental to this effort to redefine our community's landscape.'