A New Jersey council member, who previously admitted to several murders as a mob enforcer, was taken into custody for extortion amid other charges on Friday.
John Alite, 63, an Englishtown, NJ, councilman, was charged with multiple counts of extortion, corporate misconduct, and other offences on Friday, according to a news release from the New Jersey Attorney General.
According to officials, Alite offered loans at rates higher than the maximum permitted rate and then threatened debtors with violence if they did not return money and property. Prosecutors said Alite utilised his business, Straightened-Out Entertainment, Inc., to promote the fraud.
“These arrests are the result of rigorous investigative work and strong collaboration between the Division of Criminal Justice and New Jersey State Police, who work tirelessly every day in the pursuit of justice,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport stated. “Our agency is committed to ensuring that all businesses operate fairly and lawfully. The allegations in this case were everything but, and we will endeavour to hold those who cheat and steal accountable.”
Alite, an Albanian-American from Queens, has long been involved in organised crime, serving as the main enforcer for the infamous Gotti crime family and a longstanding Gambino family member.
In 2015, he spoke with CBS News about his earlier decision to leave the mob. He claimed to have killed 15 people, shot 30 to 40, and beaten over a hundred others with pipes and baseball bats.
He recounted an organised hit, adding, “While we were talking, I shot him two or three times in the head and spat on him. It was nothing like going to a baseball game; afterward, I went out for a cheeseburger, double cheese, Coke, and fries.
Alite spent over 14 years in prison in the United States and Brazil, and following his release, he renounced his criminal links. He went on to establish the popular podcast “Catch Me On The Run”, in which he divulged information about his time with the mob and escaping from the feds.
He published or appeared in many books and documentaries. Alite was appointed to the council by Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco in May 2025. He told the Guardian that he wanted to run to serve the community after his daughter died from a fentanyl overdose. “Plus, I’m no longer a criminal,” he explained at the time. “I’m on a mission to do things the right way.”
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