Former Mafia hit man Sammy "The Bull" Gravano will be sentenced today in a Maricopa County Superior Court for his role a Tempe-based Ecstasy drug ring.
The trial conclusion comes two and half years after Gravano was arrested in February 2000 in what Attorney General Janet Napolitano called "one of the largest and most successful drug prosecutions in our history."
Gravano pled guilty in June 2001 to 10 criminal counts for his role in the drug ring. He has already been sentenced to 20 years without parole by the U.S. Department of Justice for his role in the drug ring. Today's sentencing will be added to this.
Gravano's history with the court system began in 1992 when he testified as a government witness against his crime boss, John Gotti, meanwhile admitting to killing 19 people as a mafia hit man.
In exchange for his testimony he was sentenced to only five years in federal prison. Upon release, he was placed in the Witness Protection Program and relocated to the Phoenix area.
After several years living under the new name Jimmy Moran and working in construction, he began creeping back into a life of crime. In 1999 he began working with Michael Papa, a New York native, to run an Ecstasy drug distribution ring.
Papa graduated magna cum laude from ASU two years ago with a degree in exercise science and physical education. On Nov. 4, Judge Steven Sheldon, the same official who presided over the Gravano case, will read Papa his fate.
Papa plead guilty to conspiracy, participating in an illegal enterprise, sale of dangerous drugs and attempted possession of a dangerous drug earlier this year.
According to a Maricopa County Superior Court spokesperson, a total of 41 people were involved in the drug ring, including a number of other current and former ASU students, including Brent Tally and Dustin Zanck. Members of Gravano's family, including his son Gerard and wife Debra, are also mentioned as defendants.
Police said the Ecstasy ring began as a small-scale operation originally run by Papa.
Once Gravano became involved, 20,000 to 30,000 pills were sold per week at $20 to $30 a pill. Gravano and Papa together grossed several millions of dollars in only about one year.
Papa was also a part of the Gilbert-based white supremacist group, "the Devil Dogs," which acted as the muscle of Gravano's operation. Papa also managed distribution and worked as Gravano's right-hand man.
To reduce his own sentence for involvement in the Ecstasy ring, Papa testified against Gravano during a hearing in March 2002.
Reach the reporter at andrew.bernick@asu.edu.
