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Reputed Mob Boss' Own Son Accused Of Ordering Hit On Him At McDonald's Drive-Thru
Anthony Zottola, Sr., is accused of being involved in the hit on his dad, Sylvester Zottola, as well as an attempted hit on his brother Salvatore.
The son of an alleged New York City mobster who was shot to death at a McDonald's drive-thru in the Bronx in October is accused of calling a hit on his own dad.
Sylvester Zottola, 71, an alleged Bonanno crime family associate, was found inside his vehicle riddled with gunshots just before 5 p.m. Thursday, according to police. His car was boxed in when a gunman opened fire, sources told The New York Post in the fall. He had reportedly just ordered a coffee when he was shot.
The murder came just months after his son survived an apparent hit. His son Salvatore Zottola survived a shooting in July 2018, as pictured in the image above.
Now, another one of Sylvester Zottola’s sons is accused of being one of the men behind the fatal hit on his dad and one on his own brother.
Anthony Zottola Sr., 41, is among four people arrested last week on murder-for-hire charges in connection with both plots, according to a complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, obtained by Oxygen.com. Five people have previously been charged in connection with the incidents and one other is sought by investigators, WABC reports.
Along with Anthony, Jason Cummings, aka "The Hat" and "Stacks,” Alfred Lopez aka "Aloe" and Julian Snipe, aka "Biz" and "Bizzzy" were arrested last week. The four pleaded not guilty. Anthony is being held on a $1.5 million bond. Branden Peterson, aka "B" and "Mur B," is still being sought.
The five previously charged men were Herman Blanco, aka "Taliban,” Arthur Codner, aka "Feddi "Fetty Boss," and "Scary,” Kalik McFarland aka "Dottkom" and "Dot,” Bushawn Shelton, aka "Shelz,” and Himen Ross, aka "Ace" and "A Boggie.”
The affidavit calls last year's McDonald's drive-through shooting " the culminating event in a series of violent episodes in which he and his older son [...] were targeted over the course of a nearly year-long period."
It claims that Anthony hired Shelton, an alleged Bloods gang member, to kill both his brother and dad. "Shelton, in turn, enlisted, the help of other Bloods gang members, including Cummings, Lopez, Peterson, and Snipe to fulfill the contract."
The complaint shows Anthony and Shelton allegedly exchanging coded text messages between each other discussing hits under the guise of talking about a movie set.
The complaint also references a Dec. 27 2017 incident where Sylvester survived an attack from a knife-wielding assailant who had burglarized his home.
“I saw the actor [i.e., Victim-1] today he looks ready to finish the scene,” Anthony messaged Shelton two days before the attack, referring to his dad as an actor, according to the complaint. “Hopefully everyone is ready tomorrow to wrap it up.”
A motive for the hits has not been disclosed. Prosecutors claim he was committed to his mission to "devastate his family."
The Zottola family have allegedly been associated with Bonanno family boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano, who was jailed for life in 2007 after being convicted of murder.
