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A bumbling hitman who tried and failed six times to kill a mob associate and his son would like to work with children when he is released from prison, he told a court in Brooklyn.
Ron Cabey, 32, testified on Wednesday that he had been paid $10,000 by a leader of the Bloods gang, Bushawn Shelton, to murder Salvatore Zottola, 45, and his father Sylvester, known as ‘Sally Daz’.
Sylvester Zottola was shot and killed in October 2018, aged 71, at a McDonald’s drive-through in the Bronx. His son survived all attempts to kill him.
Prosecutors allege that Shelton was in turn contracted by Sylvester Zottola’s son Anthony – brother of Salvatore – who wanted his father and brother dead so he could take over their mafia-connected real estate business.
Cabey, who was arrested in June 2018 and is cooperating with prosecutors in the hope of a reduced sentence, spent Tuesday and Wednesday detailing his lengthy criminal career.

Ron Cabey, 32, is pictured on Wednesday discussing his career as a robber and then a contract killer


Bushawn Shelton (right), a Bloods gang-member, was accused of orchestrating the hit against Sylvester (left) through his associates
Cabey earlier angrily denied Macedonio’s attempt to discredit him as a ‘rat’ who would say anything to bring her client down, and reduce his own sentence.
He then told Elizabeth Macedonio, representing the accused killers, that he wanted to work with children on his release from prison.
‘Do you plan to kidnap those children?’ she asked. ‘Are you going to help them with their homework, sir? Are you going to teach them what homework is, sir?’

Cabey is pictured being cross examined by Elizabeth Macedonio, defense attorney

Sylvester Zottola, who paid dues to the infamous Lucchese and Bonanno mob families, was shot multiple times while at a drive-thru at a McDonald’s in the Bronx in October 2018 – four months after Cabey was arrested. Another hitman, Himan Ross, allegedly pulled the trigger

Pictured: Sylvester Zottola’s car riddled with bullet holes while he was ordering a coffee

Anthony Zottola been charged with murder-for-hire conspiracy, causing death through the use of a firearm and unlawful use and possession of firearms. Pictured: police at the scene shortly after the older Zottola was gunned down in the Bronx
Cabey had been called a rat by another hitman, Himan Ross, who prosecutors say was the one who ultimately killed Sylvester Zottola.
‘You are a rat, right?’
Cabey replied: ‘I’m not a rat. I’m a cooperator.’
On Tuesday, Cabey had detailed his six attempts to murder the father and son.
The Harlem-based career criminal said he was a member of a robbery gang from 2015 to 2018.
‘I became addicted to the actual fast life – females, attention, clout, stuff like that,’ he said.
He was arrested in January 2018 for a Times Square robbery, and was forced out of his crew.
He told his robbery accomplice he wanted to ‘get straight to the point’- meaning become a contract killer – and Cabey was then approached by Shelton, who in turn had been contacted by Anthony Zottola.
Shelton told Cabey he needed to kill the Salvatore Zottola, and gave him a driver, a gun, ‘keys, a pin code, and a detailed itinerary of his schedule.’
The plan, Cabey said, was to murder Salvatore Zottola to lure his father Sylvester out of hiding – so he too could then be killed.
‘He would have to pay for funeral arrangements,’ Cabey said.
Then began his farcical attempts to carry out the murders.
First, Cabey went to Salvatore Zottola’s home in the Locust Point district of the Bronx, beneath Throgs Neck Bridge, but was disturbed by patrolling police.
The second time, Cabey’s driver, ‘Dot’, was arrested before they could even get to the Bronx.
The third time, Cabey put in the wrong padlock pin code while attempting to break into Salvatore Zottola’s home, and was again spotted by police so fled.
Shelton then told Cabey the plan had changed, and he would now target the father, Sylvester Zottola, directly.
Cabey was scared off when a police van set up a patrol post in a park near the aging mobster’s Bronx home.
In June 2018, with a new driver, Himen Ross, they tried again – but Salvatore was at his father’s home, recognized their van, and called the police.
The pair crashed the van and fled.
On the sixth attempt, Sylvester Zottola was armed and fired a warning shot.
Cabey fled, but was arrested.
Ross escaped and allegedly completed the job, murdering the 71-year-old four months later, in October 2018.
In her opening statements on Tuesday, Assistant US Attorney Devon Lash told jurors that Sylvester Zottola, who paid dues to the infamous Lucchese and Bonanno mob families, had spent years dodging attempts at his life by goons who stabbed him and beat him.
Lash said Sylvester was able to survive each would-be assassin until the 2018 shooting, which she said was masterminded by Anthony to seize his father’s assets.
‘The defendant wanted that control,’ Lash said.
Along with his real estate empire, prosecutors said Sylvester ran an illegal poker machine vending operation.