24 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 29, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Three wiseguys admit to Queens arson and bank robbery: feds
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
A longtime mob veteran, the grandson
of former mafi a kingpin John Gotti and a
friend of theirs all entered guilty pleas in
federal court on Tuesday to their roles in
two violent crimes in Queens, according
to the U.S. Attorney’s offi ce.
Vincent Asaro, 82, of Ozone Park
pleaded guilty to violating the federal
Travel Act for ordering John J. Gotti, 23,
of Howard Beach and Matthew Rullan,
27, to torch a Broad Channel man’s car
over a minor traffi c infraction. Asaro
is a reputed member of the Bonanno
crime family who was previously indicted
for, but ultimately acquitted of, participating
in the infamous 1978 robbery of
the Luft hansa cargo terminal at John F.
Kennedy Airport.
Gotti — the grandson of the late John
Gotti, former head of the Gambino crime
family — also pleaded guilty on June 27
to taking part in the arson and for participating
in the April 18, 2012, robbery
of the Maspeth Federal Savings bank
on 69th Street in Maspeth. Th e younger
Gotti was previously convicted of illegally
dealing prescription painkillers in his
Howard Beach hometown and neighboring
Ozone Park.
Rullan, meanwhile, also entered a guilty
plea to a bank robbery charge for his
role in the April 2012 Maspeth Federal
Savings heist. He also admitted in court
to participating in the vehicular arson.
All three wiseguys — who were
indicted in March of this year with
four other alleged associates — are
scheduled to return to federal court
on Oct. 24 for sentencing, according
Attorney Bridget Rhode.
According to the charges, Asaro
was driving through Howard Beach
in April of 2012 when a man switched
lanes in his vehicle in front of Asaro
at a traffi c light. Prosecutors said the
enraged Asaro then chased the victim’s
it got away.
Reportedly, Asaro later got information
State of New York Mortgage Agency
to a spokesperson for Acting U.S.
car at a high rate of speed before
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about the man’s residence in
Broad Channel and had Gott, Rullan
and an unidentifi ed associate fi nd the
man’s car, douse it with gasoline and
set it on fi re.
Authorities said Gotti, Rullan and
one of the other indicted associates
— Michael Guidici, 22 — robbed
the Maspeth Federal Savings main
branch at 5:45 p.m. on April 18, 2012.
Guidici alleged entered the location
and passed a demand note in which
he claimed to have a bomb. Th e bank
provided him with $5,491 in cash, and
Guidici left the location, entering a vehicle
were Gotti and Rullan were waiting.
Prosecutors said Guidici did not plead
guilty and is awaiting trial, which is
scheduled to start in November.
Prosecutors said Vincent Asaro ordered three associates to torch the car that cut him off while driving on
a Queens street.
Asaro faces a maximum sentence of 20
years in prison and a $250,000 fi ne; Gotti
is looking at up to 20 years in prison and
a $250,000 fi ne; and Rullan faces up to 20
years behind bars. He was also ordered to
Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s offi ce
repay $5,941 to Maspeth Federal Savings,
the amount of money stolen in the heist.
Both Asaro and Gotti are currently
incarcerated, while Rullan is out on $1
million bail.