Failed Bloods gang hitman says he wants to work with CHILDREN following release from prison

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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

The Bloods and the Mob alliance in the Zottola murder-for-hire case

Anthony Zottola hired a Bloods street gang member Bushawn ‘Shelz’ Shelton to kill his father Sylvester ‘Sally Daz’ Zottola, 71, an associate of the Bonanno and Lucchese crime families, in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. The murder-for-hire plot represent a rare instance of New York City street gangs working with the Mob.

Here’s what you should know about the criminal enterprises involved in the case.

Lucchese crime family – One of the most powerful of the American mafia’s five families in New York City. Sometimes referred to as ‘Lukes’ the Luchese family was originally entrenched in rackets surrounding the garment industry. It gets its name from its second crime boss Tommy Luchese, who served as a generally peaceful boss from 1951 to 1967. That changed, under the leadership of Victor ‘Little Vic’ Amuso aka ‘The Deadly Don’ and his underboss Anthony ‘Gaspipe’ Caso, who ushered in one of the deadliest periods of organized crime from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. They’re estimated to be responsible for more than 100 hits and even deployed to NYPD cops to carry out some of their rubouts. The mob organization took a serious hit in 2017 when some 17 members were indicted on charges of racketeering, murder, money laundering, illegal gambling, narcotics and selling bootleg cigarettes.

Bonanno crime family – Again named after the criminal enterprise’s second leader, Joseph ‘Joe Bananas’ Bonanno, who earned his title at the age of 26. The family dealt mostly in illegal gambling, loansharking and drugs, but expanded their operations outside of New York into California, Arizona and Canada. The most notorious episodes of the crime family happened in the mid-1970s when FBI agent Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, infiltrated the organization documenting criminal exploits and landing more than 200 indictments and 100 convictions for his work. The operation became a major motion picture starring Johnnie Depp. The elder Zottola has been connected to the family through former Bonanno boss Vincent ‘Vinny Gorgeous’ Basciano, who is currently serving life in prison without parole on various murder and racketeering charges.

The Bloods – The gang began with a black street crew in Los Angeles, California, but has expanded to a lose network across the United States. Bloods distinguish themselves from other street gangs, like the Crips, by wearing red. Their initiation, referred to as a ‘Blood in’ ceremony involves the recruit taking a brutal beating at the hands of current gang members. The East Coast Bloods were formed in Rikers Island jail in the early 1990s as a way to protect black inmates from Hispanic gang members in the Latin Kings or the Netas behind bars. The Bloods general deal in narcotics, but in 2007 the New Jersey Attorney general broke up an illegal gambling, drug and loan sharking ring run in coordination with the Lucchese crime family.

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.