TURN OF EVENTS IN SYLVESTER ZOTOLLA HIT.

When it first happened, or at least as far back as June, when Salvatore Zottola got hit, I thought it perhaps was something involving narcotics.  I've always know that certain mob families in New York and in other cities have ventured out and hired street urchins, and street gang members to carry out certain tasks.  It's common fact.  The fact that the mob today works in various capacities with this groups is vile, and would make old school gangsters spit in embarrassment.  All that being said...

I started pondering a few key items.  The first thing is, how can there be three separate events, and the FBI was unable to do anything for a year yet within 72 hours they make an arrest in the murder of Sylvester Zottola.  The facts, released in part by the Prosecutor, seem a little jaded. I say that because I have a real hard time believing they didn't have information prior to the actual murder itself. 

According to the prosecution, an informant came forward, handed over audio calls, and more.  Okay.  But one day after the murder?  The prosecution says "we know that the alleged shot caller for the hit Bushawn Shelton, was seen, or a car registered in his name was seen 20 times outside or near the victims homes."   If you knew that, or had that info, why wasn't action taken prior?  Something just doesn't smell right, but we will get back to that.

So WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and WHY.?   
The papers can say what they want.  Whether or not Salvatore Zottola or his father Sylvester Zottola were made, not made, on the record, off the record, can't honestly be said for certain.  Yes, we know that Sylvester had business interests with Vincent Basciano.  We have to sort of play a few options here.

1. THE WHO-  ALLEGEDLY THE ALBANIANS
2. THE WHAT- JOKER POKER MACHINES/ROUTES
3. LAST YEAR OR SO
4. BRONX
5. MONEY

Now let's consider a few scenarios.  First, and most important, the Albanians have never really had the balls to take on the Italian mafia.  They are not organized like the Italians.  If they were organized more traditionally like Cosa Nostra, they might be more of a powerhouse rather than a smaller sect of crews.  It's not in any way to downplay the Albanians, it's more to say they are not as sophisticated at the traditional mafia.

Would they act alone?  Yes.  Here is why I think that's the case.  It's obvious the joker poker machines were the prime target.  Zottola had to have refused to give in to the demands of the Albanians.  If the Italians were loosely involved they wouldn't have killed Zottola.  In fact, they would have easily shelved him and took over.  The mob doesn't kill someone in broad daylight at a McDonald's over joker poker machines. It had all the ear markings  of an urban shooting rather than a mob hit.

The Albanians definitely didn't want to push themselves out in the open, so it was easier to hire a shot caller from the Bloods, to formulate the hit for cash.   Why they went to the bloods is likely an outside choice meant to throw off the FBI and the mob.  The problem with it is, it has backfired.  How?  Well, the FBI picked up wiretaps and phone calls from the Balkans, with Albanians inside NYC talking about it.   Additionally, informants have allegedly come forward with audio tapes of Shelton ordering it, handing over the weapon, and somehow they have surveillance of him meeting alleged shooters to discuss the plan.  The next question is, will Shelton rat?  If I had to take a guess, I'd say he sings pretty quick.  Not only is his family in danger, but the fact the FBI found $45,000, audio tapes were handed in, multiple informants, and weapons found in his apartment in Brooklyn, the odds are he's going away for the rest of his life. 

So, what happens next?  The heat is on, and the FBI moved very quick which I sort have a lot of questions about, to be honest.  If the Albanian's moved on two connected guys without permission as I believe is the case, you had better bet retaliation is coming.   Why?  You almost have to.  You cannot allow the Albanian's to get away with it. 

Not only do you have send a strong signal that this is the Italian's city, /but you cannot allow these rouge fringe crews to attempt to muscle in on what it not rightfully theirs.   If there is some outside chance that the mob was in on it, then that's a totally different story, and scenario, but the FBI would have been out busting balls all week over it, and they haven't been.  They straight up came out with the ALBANIANS on like day three.

How did this all happen so quick?  That's what I would like to know.  How in six months of attempted hit after hit, the FBI had nothing.  Prosecution had nothing.  Within like 72 hours of Sylvester getting killed in cold blood all of a sudden they have all this evidence?  It just doesn't add up, and what I am about to speculate is opinion.   The FBI knew it was going to happen. 

They may not have known when, but they knew the players.  They were on it.  The FBI has a tendency to sit back and let things progress because the bottom line is always let's get the bigger fish here.  The problem is, historically you look at some of the shady shit the FBI has done.  Willie Boy Johnson and Diane Giacalone.  She outs him as an informant in the court room.  Seals his fate. He's killed not long after.

The FBI allowed Greg Scarpa to continue to kill on the watch of Lin Del Vecchio and FBI payroll. Scarpa even killed witnesses after being given their names. Disgraced FBI agent John Connolly handed over evidence, residences, fictionalized 302's, tipped Bulger off.   So I'm saying all that to say that the idea the FBI didn't know, would be a big stretch for me to believe at this point.  It takes the Government two years to get enough to indict most mob guys, or murders even with multiple informants.  It took them 3-4 days?  It just doesn't add up at all for me.  Not blaming them for the death, I'm saying they had information and dropped the ball.  You watch, I bet you money an agent gets reprimanded and fired over it.

The argument some will make, and it's a valid one, is that why did he go out into the open, knowing there was someone trying to hurt him?  That's the million dollar question.  He obviously felt safe, or was lulled into feeling safe.  The reason is likely because his son was shot, he probably felt they took a shot and failed and would leave it alone.  That's the only thing that makes sense to me.   We will know more as the case moves forward.  Shelton is due in court for a detention hearing on Friday, and I would assume bail is never gonna happen.  The more the informants keep talking, the worse the scenario will get for Shelton, the Bloods, and the Albanians.  Listen, in this case, a rat is still a rat, don't get me wrong, but it sounds at least from what is coming out that these tough gang members, are all terrified of the mob retaliating and so they are talking fast. 

To Be Continued.