In a story that seems ripped from the pages of a Hollywood screenplay, John Alite, a former Gambino crime family enforcer who served 14 years in prison for crimes including murder, has been sworn in as a councilman in the quiet borough of Englishtown, New Jersey.
The move can only be described as on-brand for today’s Republican Party.
The Englishtown GOP appointed Alite, a former Gambino crime family enforcer with a rap sheet longer than a Trump rally guest list, to its borough council.
Alite, who served 14 years in prison for crimes including murder, now joins the ranks of a party that seems to have a soft spot for figures with complicated legal histories.
After all, this is the party that rallied behind Donald Trump, the only convicted criminal ever elected to the White House.
From hush money payments to defrauding charities, Trump’s legal woes read like a mobster’s memoir—fitting, perhaps, for a man who once famously said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”
Now, with Alite’s appointment, the GOP has added another reformed lawbreaker to its roster.
The parallels are almost poetic: Trump, the real estate mogul turned reality TV star turned felonious president, and Alite, the mob enforcer turned motivational speaker turned councilman.
Both men have built careers on notoriety, both have faced the long arm of the law, and both have found favor in the arms of the Republican Party.
Alite, for his part, seems to embrace the comparison. He’s a self-proclaimed Trump supporter, having campaigned for the former president since 2016 and even meeting him five times.
“He’s not your typical politician; he gets the job done,” Alite said of Trump, perhaps unaware of the irony in praising a man whose first presidency was marked by chaos, corruption, and two impeachments and currently seems to be approaching a dictatorship, as the White House keeps pardoning terrorists and pumping out executive orders destroying federal agencies created by law.
But let’s give credit where it’s due: Alite’s appointment is a bold statement from the GOP.
Why settle for boring, law-abiding politicians when you can have a councilman who once ran with the Gambinos? It’s a fitting evolution for a party that has increasingly embraced figures who blur the line between politics and crime.
“I can really do some good. I already had a bad past, and I’m here to redeem my whole life,” Alite, 62, told The New York Post. “I’d like to go out doing everything in a positive way.”
Alite’s journey from mobster to lawmaker is as dramatic as it is improbable. Once a top “earner” for the infamous Gambino crime family, Alite worked under the notorious “Teflon Don,” John Gotti, and his son, John “Junior” Gotti.
His criminal resume includes convictions for six murders, at least 37 shootings, and countless violent assaults. But after cooperating with law enforcement as a star witness in the 2008 racketeering trial against Junior Gotti, Alite began to rebuild his life.
Now, he’s trading in his past for a seat on the Englishtown Borough Council, appointed to fill the vacancy left by Kyle Jewusiak, who resigned after winning re-election in 2024.
Alite’s appointment was championed by Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco and other local leaders, who were impressed by his work as a motivational speaker and his efforts to steer young people away from crime.
“I understand the Machiavelli stuff, the treachery,” Alite said, drawing parallels between his past and the world of politics. “Every aspect of the street is like the government. I understand the maneuvering these candidates are doing, so I feel I’ll be able to bring my knowledge and past history into politics.”
Alite’s appointment was not without its skeptics. Some members of the council initially opposed the move, but Alite’s candidness about his past and his vision for the future won them over. “Yeah, there were people who opposed it—but I don’t run from my past at all,” he said. “I use it as a way to move forward, to influence kids and get them off the street, to turn a negative into a positive.”
The former mobster’s first council meeting tackled issues far removed from his previous life: filling potholes, addressing eyesore fencing, and appointing an acting police chief. Englishtown, a small Monmouth County borough with just over 2,300 residents, is a far cry from the gritty streets of Queens where Alite once operated.
But Alite’s ambitions don’t stop at the borough council. He’s already eyeing higher office, including a potential run against Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester) in next year’s Republican primary. “I was asked—I can’t talk about names, but I was already asked to go for a higher position,” Alite revealed. He cited former President Donald Trump, whom he has campaigned for since 2016, as a political role model.
“He’s not your typical politician; he gets the job done; he’s a workaholic,” Alite said of Trump. “I mean, he’s got so many good qualities.”
Alite’s story is one of redemption, but it’s also a reminder of the complexities of human nature. Once a feared enforcer for one of America’s most notorious crime families, he now speaks out against the dangers of illegal drugs, a cause close to his heart after losing his 30-year-old daughter, Chelsea, to a fentanyl overdose three years ago.
“The drug influence in this county is terrible,” Alite said. “As a kid, I was part of that, and now I have a chance to change that.”
Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco defended Alite’s appointment, emphasizing his potential to contribute to the community. “I can only judge him on what I know,” Francisco said. “John is a guy that is quick to being open and friendly. He has vast experience and connections in the political and business world. He shares a vision for development in our local downtown, and I think he’s going to be instrumental to this effort to redefine our community’s landscape.”
As Alite settles into his new role, the question remains: Can a man with such a dark past truly reinvent himself as a force for good? For the residents of Englishtown, the answer will unfold in the months and years to come.
For now, John Alite is determined to prove that even the most unlikely among us can change. “I’m here to redeem my whole life,” he said. And in the quiet streets of Englishtown, a new chapter begins.