Exclusive | Ex-Gambino mobster John Alite who served time for murders and beatdowns now a NJ councilman: Here to redeem my whole life
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...