Aug 20, 2003 4:05 pm US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) The brother of late mob boss John Gotti pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges he plotted to kill Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano in a hit that was never carried out.

Peter Gotti, 62, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court. U.S. District Judge Richard Casey did not immediately set a trial date but scheduled another court hearing Sept. 4.

An indictment accuses Gotti of plotting with Gambino crime family associates Edward Garafola and Thomas Carbonaro in 1999 and 2000 to murder Gravano, who was arrested in a drug case before the slaying could be carried out.

The men plotted the hit in exchange for cash and to increase their positions in the mob family, the government alleges.

Gotti, Garafola and Carbonaro are named along with three other men in a broad federal indictment that includes charges of racketeering, extortion and witness tampering, among others. All six pleaded innocent Wednesday.

Gotti, a former sanitation worker, was convicted in March of racketeering and other charges in a separate case in Brooklyn. That case accused him of taking control of the Gambino family after John Gotti's son was jailed.

On Wednesday, Peter Gotti was jovial as he sat in the courtroom before the judge arrived -- even kidding with a radio news reporter that the lights in his prison cell went out before everyone else's in last week's blackout.

Gravano confessed to roles in 19 murders as mob hit man when he agreed to testify against his former boss, John Gotti. The deal resulted in his freedom after serving only five years on racketeering charges.

Last year, Gravano was sentenced to 19 years in Arizona state prison for masterminding an Ecstasy drug ring.

John Gotti, the Gambino boss, died in prison last year.

Also in court Wednesday, Garafola agreed to have lawyer Jean Marie Graziano of Staten Island continue representing him, waiving what is known as a right to conflict-free counsel.

The question arose after the New York Post reported Graziano was using prison meetings with Garafola to carry out a romantic affair with one of the other six indicted men, Frank Fappiano.

The federal prison housing both men sought to bar Graziano, the Post reported. Casey sealed the courtroom to hold a hearing on whether she could be allowed back, but the result was unknown.

The judge closed the hearing despite a verbal objection from a reporter for The New York Times, speaking on behalf of reporters from other newspapers and wire services, including The Associated Press, who were attending the hearing.

Do the indictments say who provided the "leaks" that lead to these arrests? This is always a catch 22 to me, like drug related murders. The drug dealers control the neighborhoods, so if there's a murder no witnesses come forward because they know they're as good as dead. Sammy "the bull" had a bullseye on his forehead because he was a blabber. It's the domino effect. Whoever turns these guys in are as good as dead too I suppose.

Eddie Garafola is sammys brother in-law,they were
partners in the construction business,I would say
that since he is using the same attorney,he(eddie)
is probobly the leak.