FORMER MOB HIT MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ROLE IN ECSTASY RING

Crime: 'Sammy The Bull' Gravano Gets 20 Years In Arizona Case Involving 46
Defendants.

DENVER--Former Mafia hit man and turncoat Salvatore "Sammy the Bull"
Gravano, who had pledged to federal authorities to go straight and
live a quiet life in the Witness Protection Program, pleaded guilty
Friday to state drug and racketeering charges in Phoenix for his role
as mastermind of Arizona's largest ecstasy drug ring.

Gravano, 56, the former underboss of New York's Gambino crime family,
pleaded guilty to 10 felony counts, including drug dealing, money
laundering, participating in a criminal syndicate and weapon
violations. He was sentenced to 20 years without parole.

Dressed in black-and-white striped prison-issue clothes, the5-foot-6
Gravano simply answered "guilty" when Judge Steven Sheldon asked him
to enter a plea. His somber demeanor in court was in stark contrast to
the loquacious Gravano, whose sizzling testimony brought down mob boss
John Gotti.

Prosecutors dismissed lesser charges in the plea bargain and agreed
that he could serve his state prison sentence concurrent with his
federal sentence. Gravano pleaded guilty a month ago to federal drug
charges stemming from the Arizona case, which could bring up to 15
years in prison.

His lucrative Arizona criminal enterprise was a family affair: His
wife and two adult children were also involved and made plea
agreements in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Gravano's son Gerard, 25, pleaded guilty on two drug-related counts
and faces nine years in prison, along with a federal sentence. Gravano
and his son are to be sentenced Sept. 28. Gravano's wife, Debra, 48,
and daughter, Karen, 29, each pleaded guilty to one felony count,
which could bring them probation or possible jail time. Their
sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

The Gravanos are the last of 46 defendants who were indicted in March
in a massive multi-agency drug bust. Extensive wiretaps were used
during the investigation, and authorities intercepted about 16,000
calls, which indicated that Gravano's syndicate was putting as many as
30,000 pills a week onto the street.

Arizona Atty. Gen. Janet Napolitano said 37 of the defendants involved
in the drug ring have pleaded guilty. "It's one of the largest and
most successful drug prosecutions in our history," Napolitano said.

She said that officials have not yet determined where Gravano will
serve his time.

Gravano admitted to committing 19 murders while working for the
Gambino crime family. It was his sensational testimony in a 1992 trial
that allowed federal officials to finally convict mobster Gotti, who
in three previous trials had gained acquittals and had gained the
nickname "The Teflon Don."

Gravano cut a dashing if somewhat brutal figure and managed to charm
many in law enforcement. In return for his testimony, Gravano made a
deal with prosecutors that allowed him to serve just five years in
prison for racketeering. During his sentencing, the federal judge
noted positive comments from federal officials regarding Gravano's
cooperation and concluded that the former hit man had "irrevocably
broken with his past."

Gravano was relocated to the Phoenix suburb of Tempe as part of his
involvement in the FBI's Witness Protection Program. He was given the
name Jimmy Moran, a new face via plastic surgery and a new profession,
construction contractor. But he voluntarily left the program in the
late 1990s.

Gravano also had an Italian restaurant, Uncle Sal's, in Scottsdale,
which was run by his wife. Daughter Karen and son Gerard worked at the
family's pool-building business, Creative Pools.

According to authorities, it was Gerard Gravano who introduced his
father to Michael Papa, a former New Yorker who was already running an
ecstasy ring. Gravano eventually took over the operation, enlarging it
and making it more profitable. The drug ring brought in as much as
$500,000 a week, fueled by Phoenix's burgeoning rave scene.

Gravano told about his days as a hit man in "Underboss: Sammy the Bull
Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia," chronicling his real-life rise in
the Mafia, murders he said he had no remorse over and the reason he
ultimately turned against Gotti.