John Gotti is seen in New York City – Jan 24, 1990 – Photo: MARK CARDWELL/AFP/Getty Images
NEW YORK (AP) – A man reputed to be a former close associate of former Gambino boss John A. Gotti has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder.
Joseph Watts entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday.
The 69-year-old Staten Island resident admitted his role in the 1989 murder of a man who John J. Gotti thought was cooperating with authorities.
The elder Gotti was the head of the family then. He was later convicted of racketeering and sentenced to life in prison, where he died.
Watts also admitted physically assaulting a man who did not return the full amount of money Watts had given him to invest in the stock market.
Watts faces up to 13 years in prison at his April sentencing.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
