. by T. C. WEIR. On March 28, New York City police detectives and DEA agents arrested Johnson, John Gotti and his brother Gene just after 4 a.m. as they played cards at the Bergin Hunt & Fish Social Club. Johnson spent sixteen months in the special section until the pretrial moves were completed. Jackson's group the Five Ways of Joy Gospel . Giacalone replied, The reason is that Mr. Johnson has been an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a period of over fifteen years, including a period up through the present time.. In the mid-1960s, Johnson was convicted of robbery and jailed. Plate had been indicted with Neil Dellacroce in the death of another loan shark. In a few days, he complained he found blood in his urine and needed medication. Sentenced to a 12-year term in federal prison for labor racketeering. The Last Manhunt The Last Manhunt. In fact, a memo placed in his file stated: "He will not testify under any circumstances and would deny he ever cooperated in the event he was ever surfaced. On Aug. 29, 1988 the killers struck. For the grandfather or the son of the British Prime Minister, see, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, International Union of Operating Engineers, "Wilfred 'Willie Boy' Johnson (Part One)", "Man Linked to John Gotti Is Slain on Brooklyn Street", "Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson (Part One)", "Reputed Mobster Guilty In Six Narcotics Murders", "NATION: Reputed Gangster Tells of Killing", List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilfred_Johnson&oldid=1139679612, Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent, American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent, Federal Bureau of Investigation informants, People murdered by the Bonanno crime family, Wikipedia articles with style issues from June 2010, Articles needing additional references from March 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 09:49. It played out like this: as Favara approached his automobile he spotted the men and turned to run. During the trial Gotti went back and forth daily to the courtroom for months with Johnson. Although he was an informant, Johnson customarily was careful about discussing his friend John Gotti. They are provided in a historical . Acquitted in Racketeering Trial. Willie Boy was restricted from meeting his girlfriend who is the daughter of the tribe leader, in 1909. . For 15 years "Willie Boy" Johnson ratted out his mentor John Gotti and other major New York crime family figures to save his own skin and got away with it. Apparently Johnson had also passed on information to the authorities about the son of imprisoned Colombo boss Carmine Persico. His father was a Native American and his mother was Italian-American. The lawyers demanded a hearing to protest the cruel and inhumane treatment, which they said was Giacalones attempt to force Willie Boy to become a witness, and to reapply for bail because his life is not in danger.. The information confirmed that it was Johnson who led the authorities to Gotti when he was hiding after the McBratney murder. Giacalone was said to be a Lily Tomlin look-alike; she was portrayed by Lorraine Bracco in a made-for-television Gotti movie. Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson was a mob guy that other wise guys loved to have around. In a public hearing that year, Federal prosecutor Diane Giacalone revealed that Johnson was working for the FBI, in an attempt to convince him to plea bargain and testify against Gotti. Mr. Rehbock said Mr. Johnson had been working at his construction job six days a week and was never ''in fear something was going to happen to him.''. Far left is Joe Massino. He donated $10,000 to the church and . Football player Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs and wife Tamika Johnson psoe on the red carpet for the Nobelity Project's dinner honoring. We've received your submission. After 30 years on the run, Italy's most . "The lawyers demanded a hearing to protest the 'cruel and inhumane' treatment, which they said was Giacalone's attempt to force Willie Boy to become a witness, and to reapply for bail because 'his life is not in danger.'". Johnson did not tell the district attorney, who arranged for Johnson's indictment to be sealed, that he was already an informer for the FBI, nor did he tell the FBI about his new position with New York's finest. Gotti was about 17 years-old. Johnson brought in money for the family, but he was unable to be "made" due to being of mixed descent. Johnson's code name was "Wahoo.". When Gotti joined the Gambino crew headed by Carmine Fatico in the mid-1960s, he brought Johnson with him. Man Linked to John Gotti Is Slain on Brooklyn Street, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/30/nyregion/man-linked-to-john-gotti-is-slain-on-brooklyn-street.html. No certificates have been found for his marriages to any of themhis unknown first wife, Willie B., or Angeline . While at the oasis, the couple soon ran off but were eventually found and separated by their families because their union was considered inappropriate. The cousin in turn gave the assignment to three Bonanno gunmen to carry out. He fell in love with an Indian girl from the Chemehuevi tribe, but her father disapproved of the love affair, because Lolita was only 16. In 1966, he was imprisoned for armed robbery, and Carmine Fatico broke his promise to look after Johnson's wife and children. A true American success story and an outstanding "Gospel Giant", he will be regarded as a legend in the gospel field. Mr. Johnson, who according to his lawyer, Richard A. Rehbock, was an operating engineer at a construction site on Staten Island, walked down the stairs of his house at 7233 Royce Place in a row of attached three-story, red-brick houses and crossed Royce Place to the corner of Royce Street, where his 1988 black Mercury was parked, Captain Casey said. "After waiting for 30 years, justice has been served," Johnson's family said in a statement read by Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn. The information also revealed that Willie Boy had provided information that allowed the FBIs Gambino Squad to build their narcotics case against Gene Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, and the others. In the book, Johnson's FBI handler, Special Agent Martin J. Boland, let his superiors know how valuable an informant Johnson was. The contract was given to Eddie Lino, an ex-Bonanno associate and one of the shooters in the Castellano killing. On Aug. 11, 2020, Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, selected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate. Nickerson bought Giacalone's argument and Willie Boy was carted off to the Metropolitan Correctional Center where he would spend the next two years. by Jason Ankeny. Johnson was a friend of Gambino crime boss John Gotti even though . A glass door to the pen enabled other inmates to taunt him. | Scrapbook, containing printed matter about the family, holograph letters by them or to them, portraits, and holograph. Seven of the ten indicted were soon rounded up and arraigned. John totally conned Willie Boy. Shortly after this Gotti, Ruggiero and Johnson appeared at the Bergin Hunt & Fish Social Club sporting deep suntans. On hearing the first shot, Mr. Johnson tried to run across Royce Street but only got a few feet before being hit. ''They did not believe what the Government said, that he was a major informant, and they were supportive of him and rightfully so,'' Mr. Rehbock said of the other defendants. Based on Gotti's commitment to him, Johnson felt he was out of harm's way. Now you're in fkin' trouble. ''We're investigating everything now,'' he said. Bonanno hitmen Thomas Pitera and Vincent Giattino shot him 19 times at point blank range in the back, thighs, and head. Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson (September 29, 1935 - August 29, 1988) was an American mobster and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant from 1966 to 1985. '[5], This led Johnson to become a Mafia enforcer. She then planned to expose him as an informant thereby forcing him into the Witness Protection Program. His FBI handler, Special Agent Martin Boland, would submit questions from various organized crime squads inside the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). James J. Casey, commander of the 11th Division detectives. Retired Lt. Remo Franceschini of the Queens District Attorney's Squad in his book, When Gotti joined the Gambino crew headed by Carmine Fatico in the mid-1960s, he brought Johnson with him. At 6:05 a.m., as Johnson walked from his Flatland's home in Brooklyn to his car, the gunmen fired 19 rounds at him. However, efforts by Thomas Sheer and James Kossler were turned back by the decision of Eastern District U. S. Attorney Raymond J. Dearie to support Giacalone. Hearing the shooting, Johnson s wife ran out screaming. Its not the first time it happened. The Mob Wife: Mafia Inspired Home Decor and Accessories - January 22, 2023; What Goes Into Crime Scene Cleanups - August 6, 2022; NCS August 31, 2015. previous article. Refused witness protection and, in 1988, was killed in a hail of bullets outside his Brooklyn home. Kelly Preston, Travolta's real-life wife, plays Gotti's wife, Victoria. Founder of the citys five families after murdering his main rival in a Coney Island restaurant in 1931. The two struck up a friendship and when Gotti joined the Gambino Family, he remembered Johnson. William S. Wood's article, called "Bad Indian in the Morongos . The detectives arrested him for attempted bribery and Johnson was soon indicted. Drupal theme by ThemeSnap.com. Joaquin Murrieta, a Mexican bandito of an earlier time, used her boulders and ravines to hide from the law for many months. Now you're in fkin' trouble.'". Died of liver cancer in 1991, shortly after his release from federal prison. After that, he devoted himself to work for the Fulton-Rockaway Boys gang. Gotti, Johnson and the others were found not guilty. During their altercation, Mike was shot through the left eye and died instantly. Lock, stock and barrel.. Don't be fooled by that smooth exterior". Lino reportedly "sublet the contract" to a cousin in the Bonanno Family. Johnson had a curious relationship with Gotti, and at one point remarked to Boland, "Sometimes I love him, and sometimes I hate him". memorial page for Willie Neal "Country Boy" Johnson (25 Aug 1935-10 Jan 2001), Find a Grave Memorial ID . Chicago mayoral candidate, entrepreneur Willie Wilson, greets a supporter Sunday during a campaign stop at Friendly Temple COGIC Church on the South Side. As an informant, Johnson did not seek intervention by the FBI to get criminal charges reduced or dropped, aside from the aforementioned counterfeiting charges. Pitera, suspected in as many as thirty killings, was acquitted, but was later convicted of six other murders. He was referred to as a "half breed" in reference to his mixed Italian-Lenape heritage and Cher's song "Half-Breed". Other capos at the funeral were JoJo Corozzo, the familys consigliere, Joseph Gallo, its reputed Garment Center rackets boss, Vinny Artuso, a reputed Gotti hit man, and Carmello Sciandra, a captain. In the book Underboss, by Peter Maas, Sammy Gravano comments on the relationship between Gotti and Johnson: "Although, on the surface, Willie Boy played the obedient Tonto to Gotti's Lone Ranger, he seemed to take special pleasure in reporting what Gotti was up to. Johnson was also rumored to be dealing in drugs again. These physical traits led him to become an enforcer for the family. Plate walked out of a Miami Beach hotel one August morning and was never seen again. A powerful speech "Inside the NBA" host Ernie Johnson gave in 2019 about how his son Michael was adopted from a Romanian orphanage is being remembered in the wake of Michael's death at 33. They also tapped his daughter's telephone after Angelo blabbed to Johnson how he used it to make telephone calls. In 1992, Bonanno capo Thomas Tommy Karate Pitera and Vincent Kojak Giattino was indicted and tried for the murder of Willie Boy Johnson. Nickerson bought Giacalones argument and Willie Boy was carted off to the Metropolitan Correctional Center where he would spend the next two years. In May 1973, John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, and Ralph Galione were involved in the murder of James McBratney in a Staten Island bar. He also reported on Gotti and his brothers, and in June 1981 gave up a dice game in Little Italy where Frank DeCicco and Anthony Rampino were arrested, and $100,000 confiscated. Giattino was found guilty. (Bracco gained fame playing Karen Hill, the wife of wise guy Henry Hill in the movie Goodfellas, and Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano's psychiatrist in the HBO's hit series "The Sopranos.") In a public hearing, Federal prosecutor, Diane Giacalone (in a failed attempt to convict John Gotti) revealed that Johnson was working for the FBI. In this exclusive photo, Gotti is flanked by traitorous friend Willie Boy Johnson (Chris Kerson from True Detective), who's attempting to make amends after having been an FBI informant for 16 years. January 23, 2003 5:00am. Also there was Gottis brother Richard, who was indicted two weeks ago on various racketeering charges but made bail, Frank Monti, an emissary from the Genovese crime family, and an unknown Colombo family emissary. However, he brought in money as well as anyone else in the family. He proved helpful as a bookmaker, earner and debt collector for the Mafia. He had a hair-trigger temper, that frequently got him into trouble. Hearing the shooting, Johnson's wife ran out screaming. On March 28, New York City police detectives and DEA agents arrested Johnson, John Gotti and his brother Gene just after 4:00 a.m. as they played cards at the Bergin Hunt & Fish Social Club. For nearly one hundred years, theses infamous gangs - which were collectively known as the Five Points Gang - practically ran the city and made New York one of the deadliest places on earth. However, as his FBI handler, Special Agent Martin Boland, noticed, Johnson refused to discuss his background or childhood in any detail. He . Kati Cornell Smith. equestrian stunts (uncredited) . Giacalone asked the grand jury to indict Johnson. Johnson felt the mob was not living up to its obligations. Boss from 1963 to 1978. Boss of all Bosses while at the helm of own crime family. Johnson was hit once in each thigh, twice in the back, and at least six times in the head. Federal agents, who had spent the last week staked out openly in front of the Papavero Funeral Home in Maspeth, Queens, were set up a block away. They were working on their own "fool proof' case and were upset when they learned that Giacalone was threatening to reveal Johnson's informant status. The Mob Wife Stands for high-quality home decor and accessories such as sculptures, umbrellas, and backpacks in the medium price range. Hearing the shooting, Johnson's wife ran out screaming. Willie Boy asked John to swear on his dead son's head, and John did. January 15, 2001. [citation needed]. With the $50,000 donated to the police pension fund, Johnson began work for the New York Police Department. Johnson had a volcanic temper that frequently got him into trouble. Mr. Johnson's lawyer, Mr. Rehbock, said yesterday that his client had never been an informant. Johnson was the last to be arraigned. Abbott advised Johnson that his best bet was to take a plea, testify, and go into the Witness Protection Program. The "TE" stood for "Top Echelon," and the "BQ" meant "Brooklyn-Queens." In 1966, Johnson was imprisoned for armed robbery. He adamantly denied the Giacalones statements. Wilfred Johnson was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York City in 1935 to a father of partial Lenape Native American descent and a mother of Italian descent . During his 16 years as an informant, Johnson provided information on all the different mob families that he worked with and the FBI used that information to make many arrests. In late 1984 Assistant U. S. Attorney Diane Giacalone was preparing her RICO case against John Gotti and others. She also persuaded the judge to revoke his bail. When his lawyers visited, he was led to them in leg shackles. He became a household . In the late 1970s Johnson reported on the murders of several Gambino associates, including Tommy DeSimone, a minor mob figure made famous by Joe Pesci's fictionalized portrayal of him in the movie Goodfellas. He said the Government and prosecution in the Gotti case had isolated Mr. Johnson, who was never granted bail, in prison for 19 months in an effort to make him cooperate and discredit him with his co-defendants. On March 18, 1985, Abbott and his boss met with Giacalone to turn over the "Source Wahoo" files. The Dapper Dons son John A. On March 25, 1985 Johnsons name appeared on an indictment along with John and Gene Gotti, Neil Dellacroce and his son Armond, Charles and John Carneglia, Anthony Rampino, Nicholas Corozzo, and Leonard DiMaria. print | [61] leaves : 1 ill., ports (2 col.) ; 31 cm. On Easter Sunday, his wife, who had sent messages from Wahoo to the FBI many times, was denied visitation. She cradled his head in her lap, but Willie Boy had been died instantly. Leroy Johnson . Although banned from the Bergin, Johnson was back living in the old neighborhood with his wife and children and working at a construction job. He told the officers to take the money because if his parole officer found out about it he would be sent back to prison. On Christmas Eve, Gotti's son, John A. Gotti, Jr . The officials said the slaying was meant to send a message to other informants. Cops identified his killers as Gambino members John Carneglia, Charles' brother, Gene Gotti, Wilfred (Willie Boy) Johnson, Anthony Rampino and Richard (Redbird) Gomes. Giacalone told Judge Eugene Nickerson that Willie Boy, now the lone defendant in the courtroom, should be jailed because "no conditions of bail would secure his appearance.". In 1957, Johnson met John Gotti for the first time. John Gotti was granted his final wish yesterday, to be laid to rest alongside his late son, Frank, in a five-story crypt in what is mockingly refered to in the Catholic Church as Gods Holy Acre, the Queens graveyard that is a whos who of deceased underworld figures. In discussing the murder plans with Gravano, Gotti was concerned about the hit team failing and forcing Johnson into government protection where he could give up even more incriminating information. Mike's wife, Maria, did not report the murder until the morning. Willie Boy, represented by lawyer Richard Rehbock, sat near John at the defense table as Gottis attorneys, Bruce Cutler and Barry Slotnik, ripped apart the prosecutions turncoat witnesses James Cardinali, Salvatore Polisi, and Matthew Traynor. Those attending Gottis funeral read like a Whos Who of La Cosa Nostra. Wife Movies. Bud, as he is known to all, has been asked a zillion times about his last game for Scotland - Peru in the 1978 World Cup - and the drugs, although I want to hear about the first of his 22 caps . As a result, Johnson sustained head injuries that would plague him with persistent headaches for the rest of his life. "John told Willie Boy, 'You did a bad thing for all them years. He'd then be no different than Willie Boy Johnson. Chemehuevi Indians - Ethnography & Ethnohistory The Willie Boy Story The Willie Boy Story. Willie Nelson is a country music icon still going strong at the age of 88! Giattino was found guilty. The hit team then dropped jack-like spikes on the street to prevent the possibility of pursuit. 36:11. And then an assistant U.S. attorney, in a turf battle with the FBI, deliberately blew his cover - and his chances for staying alive. She argued before Judge Nickerson that due to Gottis role in the Piecyk assault case he should have his bail revoked on the RICO indictment. A long-time friend of John Gotti, Johnson served the Dapper Don in many capacities including driver, bodyguard, and gunman. Still on probation after having served less than four years of a 10-year sentence for armed robbery, Johnson got scared. Johnson spent 16 months in the special section until the pretrial moves were completed. Capeci identifies eight crew members - Angelo Ruggiero, Willie Boy Johnson, Gene Gotti, John and Charles Carneglia, Anthony Rampino, Richard Gomes and Iggy Alogna - as having played a role in the abduction and slaying. His deep, gravelly vocals soared mightily over his haunted, burning slide guitar, creating a hard-hitting spiritual experience which remains unparalleled. Behind Johnson stands Sal Ruggiero, a Gambino associate and huge drug trafficker. But nothing will happen to you. Willie Boy asked John to swear on his dead sons head, and John did. Plate worked for Neil Dellacroce in a loan-sharking operation in Miami. Dozens of mobsters said farewell to John Gotti yesterday, packing a small chapel inside St. John Cemetery to say goodbye to their former crime boss. The judge agreed and Gotti was placed in the Metropolitan Correctional Center that also housed Willie Boy Johnson. Now investigators . Placido Rizzotto: Assassinated On This Day in 1948, The Cars of the Most Famous Gang Leaders and Mafia Bosses. Kim Kennaugh's first and third husbands were shot dead. In addition, Johnsons mother would periodically desert her husband and children but would always come back. Giattino was found guilty. Willie Boy Johnson had been an informant from 1966 up until 1985, he was 53 at the time of the shooting. Johnson decided to become an FBI informant, and he told the FBI about Paul Cicero's avoidance of FBI wiretaps and bugs. Willie Boy, represented by lawyer Richard Rehbock, sat near John at the defense table as Gotti's attorneys, Bruce Cutler and Barry Slotnik, ripped apart the prosecution's turncoat witnesses James Cardinali, Salvatore Polisi, and Matthew Traynor, who had been associates of Gotti. An Interview with Philip A. Genovese you might also like. The information also revealed that Willie Boy had provided information that allowed the FBI's Gambino Squad to build its narcotics case against Gene Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, and the others. Although not sure of his new handler, James M. Abbott, Johnson agreed to continue with the same stipulation that "he never be compromised or told to testify." There, ironically, he would share time with his good friend Willie Boy Johnson, who was serving time for armed robbery. On this episode, John Alite & Gene Borrello talk about "Willie Boy" Johnson, as well as what it was like to go out with the legendary mobster, John Gotti Sr. The Gospel Keynotes . In 1985, his career as an informant came to an end when a federal prosecutor revealed his FBI informant status in an attempt to get him to testify against John Gotti in a plea bargain. In 1957, Johnson met John Gotti for the first time. Top FBI officials, fearful of losing one of their top informants and destroying the confidence of other informants about the FBI's ability to keep a bargain, fought back. He was the type of guy who, if he got shot, he would almost try to rip the bullets out of his own chest and then get really pissed off. Copyright The National Crime Syndicate 2014 - 2023. Visiting at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Wednesday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. until religious service at 11 a.m., conducted by the Rev. here before being deported to Italy, where he died of a heart attack in 1962. frankshanks. He could never . [7], In 1991, Pitera had accused Johnson of the 1980 murder of John Favara, the man who accidentally struck and killed Gottis 12-year-old son with his car. Blind Willie Johnson combined the passion of gospel music with the intensity of the blues unlike any other artist. A year after the arrests Giacalone won headlines by getting Gotti jailed on a RICO indictment. Johnson was born as one of five children in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She cradled his head in her lap, but Willie Boy was dead. It was Johnson who let the FBI know that Angelo believed he was a "dead man" when he realized Paul Castellano and Neil Dellacroce, his uncle, were going to find out about his role in dealing narcotics from the FBI recordings. . His parents had settled in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Wilfred Johnson was raised with his brothers and sisters. Wilfred's mother was an Italian-American housewife. Based on Gottis commitment to him, Johnson felt he was out of harms way. He was 65 and was survived by his wife, three sons, five daughters and his mother, Luretia. Willie Boy was used as an errand boy and to collect overdue loans. Mr. Rehbock said his client had moved into the neighborhood with his wife less than a year ago, after his acquittal in the racketeering trial. In 1978, Johnson informed Boland about the whereabouts of Lucchese crime family capo, Paul Vario's, hijacking headquarters, which at the time was operating out of a scrapyard owned by Clyde Brooks. His assassins ran toward Avenue N, where a car was parked, Sergeant Clifford said. Please note: images depicting historical events may contain themes, or have descriptions, that do not reflect current understanding. In 1992 after Sammy Gravano had turned informant Pitera and Giattino were indicted for the murder of Willie Boy Johnson, Pitera got away with it bit Giattino was found guilty. Willie Boy was used as an errand boy and to collect overdue loans. Died in prison, at age 71, in 1969. For turning in his boss, Johnson was paid $600. Johnson felt the mob was not living up to its obligations. Sammy commented in his book Underboss about Camille Colucci being drop dead gorgeous with great legs. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year, but since he had already served more than that much time awaiting the RICO trial, he was set free. The Shapiro Brothers vs Murder Incorporated, The History of The Marlborough Diamond Chapter 1. They were working on their own fool proof case and were upset when they learned that Giacalone was threatening to reveal Johnsons informant status. On Easter Sunday, his wife, who had sent messages from Wahoo to the FBI many times, was denied visitation. WILLIE JOHNSON OBITUARY. A 52-year-old man described as an associate of John Gotti was killed early yesterday in a fusillade as he walked to his car in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. Gottis affection and respect for Dellacroce led him to keep a drawing of the late underboss next to one of himself at the familys hangout, the Ravenite Social Club. In the late 1960s, Johnson would turn against the Gambino family. Size twenty-one neck, gravel voice. The FBI's Gambino Squad headed by Bruce Mouw was less than thrilled about Giacalone's case. Johnson helped draw a layout of Angelo Ruggiero's home so agents could plant listening devices in the area where he held his meetings. Johnson's wife, who remained loyal to Johnson throughout all his prison terms, was forced to go on welfare. A stone for Willie Neal Johnson will be placed in the Half Mile of History heritage trail. After his release from prison, the FBI approached him about becoming an informant. Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson (September 29, 1935 - August 29, 1988) was an American mobster and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant from 1966 to 1985. . Underlying Johnson's bitterness was apparent resentment over his continuing lowly status in Carmine Fatico's crew, a state of permanent inferiority, despite Johnson's loyal service. Willie Boy Johnson - He was a longtime close friend of John Gotti, but Willie Boy Johnson had been . In discussing the murder plans with Gravano, Gotti was concerned about the hit team failing and forcing Johnson into government protection where he could give up even more incriminating information. During the trial Gotti went back and forth daily to the courtroom for months with Johnson. Plate's murder helped Dellacroce win an acquittal in his case. Pitera had carried out the hit as a favor to John Gotti as the FBI were trying to get Willie Boy to . He provided the FBI, who code-named him "Wahoo" because of his Native American heritage,[1][2] with information relating to John Gotti and other members of the Gambino crime family.[3]. In Mob Star, Jerry Capeci describes Johnson's existence: "Willie Boy was confined in his cell 23 hours a day. He provided the FBI, who code-named him "Wahoo" because of his Native American heritage, [1] [2] with information relating to John Gotti and other members of the Gambino family . The trial ended on March 13, 1987. 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