Locust Valley “Basket-Brawl” Sees Two Gotti Women Arrested
By Rupert Deedes
Kimberly Gotti, age 55, and Gianna Gotti, age 23, the wife and daughter of John Gotti Jr., were arrested and charged for launching a wild violent brawl at a Locust Valley high school basketball game in February. John Gotti, Jr. is the son of the late notorious Mafia boss John Gotti, Sr., originally from Howard Beach. The Gotti family now lives in Oyster Bay.
According to police, Locust Valley was hosting Oyster Bay High School for a match between the two schools’ boys’ basketball teams. The tense game was accompanied by loud verbal exchanges from fans, especially from a man and a woman supporting Oyster Bay, who turned toward the section where Locust Valley High School students were seating, and shouted profanity and anti-woman and anti-gay slurs at the Locust Valley high school girls.
Finally, a woman in the bleachers asked them to stop.
In response, Kimberly Gotti then ran towards the woman, punched her in the face, and forcefully tore at her head. Kimberly Gotti was then joined by her daughter, Gianna, who joined her mother in punching the woman several times, according to police.
According to the Nassau DA, the woman victim’s hair was pulled so hard by the two Gotti women, that it “felt like my scalp was going to be ripped off.” Gianna tore off the wig off the woman victim - and then bragged about it later.
A third woman – the one who was initially shouting the anti-woman and anti-gay slurs at the Locust Valley students in the bleachers - then joined the two Gotti women in also punching the victim.
Spectators intervened and separated the woman from her three assailants. Police arrived within minutes, but even in the presence of the police, the two Gotti women kept lunging at the victim in an effort to continue to punch her. The prosecution says that the victim suffered deep scratches and bruises to both sides of her face, recurring pain on her scalp, and severe headaches afterwards.
Kimberly and Gianni Gotti were both charged with third-degree assault, and spent a night in jail. After arraignment, they left the court in Hempstead with John Gotti Jr., who defended his wife and daughter.
The Gottis and their attorney maintain that Kimberly and John Gotti’s Jr.’s son – Joe Gotti – was verbally harassed by the woman victim.
According to the Gotti’s, Kimberly said to the woman victim, 'Listen, leave my son alone, stop bothering him. What's wrong with you?", after which the woman victim threw a punch at Kimberly. Gianna Gotti was the leading scorer of the women team at Oyster Bay High School when she was a student there.
At a Court conference last week, the Gotti women rejected a plea deal that would have seen them plead guilty - but avoid jail. The proposed plea would have required the Gotti women to enroll in 12 weeks of anger management and accept a "stay away" Order of Protection from the victim.