New York – A reputed captain in the Gambino crime family was charged with murder Thursday, nearly 13 years after a couple were gunned down in what court papers say was a mob hit possibly involving John A. “Junior” Gotti.
Dominick “Skinny Dom” Pizzonia, 63, was ordered held without bail at his federal court arraignment on murder, conspiracy, extortion and other charges. A call to his attorney was not immediately returned.
The arrest – two days after Gotti’s headline-grabbing mistrial in a racketeering case – renewed questions about whether the son of the late Gambino boss was involved in killing Thomas and Rosemary Uva just six months after he allegedly plotted the botched kidnapping of radio-show host Curtis Sliwa.
The 41-year-old Gotti was never charged in the couple’s slaying, and prosecutors refused to discuss whether he was a suspect. But court papers filed by the government last year in the racketeering case alleged he once credited his family with taking revenge on the Uvas.
“These are old allegations,” said Gotti attorney Jeffrey Lichtman. “There’s absolutely no evidence against John.”
According to prosecutors, angry gangsters blamed the couple for a series of armed robberies at social clubs controlled by the mob, including one operated by Pizzonia. On the morning of Dec. 24, 1992, the victims were each shot multiple times in the head while sitting in a car in Queens.
