By: Meyer Wolfsheim

In a remarkable shift from his past life as a Gambino crime family enforcer, John Alite has officially stepped into the political arena, being sworn in Wednesday as a councilman in Englishtown, New Jersey, the New York Post has exclusively learned.

“I can really do some good,” Alite, 62, told the New York Post. “I already had a bad past, and I’m here to redeem my whole life. I’d like to go out doing everything in a positive way.”

Alite, who once worked as a top “earner” for infamous mob boss John Gotti and his son, John “Junior” Gotti, believes his experience in the underworld has surprisingly prepared him for politics.

“I understand the Machiavelli stuff, the treachery,” Alite explained to the New York Post. “Every aspect of the street is like the government, so I understand the maneuvering these candidates are doing. I feel I’ll be able to bring my knowledge and past history into politics.”

Alite’s rap sheet includes 14 years in prison on convictions related to six murders, at least 37 shootings, and numerous violent acts as a Gambino enforcer. However, he didn’t need mob tactics to secure his council seat—he was appointed to fill a vacancy through the end of the year after being recruited by Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco and other local leaders impressed by his civic work.

Though there was initial skepticism, including from some on the council, Alite told the New York Post that he 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.”

Alite is set to hold the seat through 2027 unless someone files paperwork by March 21 to challenge him in an election. However, he’s confident in his standing.

“I’ve been told I won’t be challenged because there’s other seats held by people less popular than me,” he told the New York Post. “Everybody knows me, so I’d be hard to beat in a race.”

The former mobster is already eyeing higher office.

“I was asked — I can’t talk about names, but I was already asked to go for a higher position,” Alite revealed. He even hinted at a potential run for Congress and cited Donald Trump as a political role model.

“He’s not your typical politician; he gets the job done; he’s a workaholic,” said Alite, who has met Trump five times and has been a supporter since 2016. Records show he has donated $6,501 to Trump and other Republican candidates since 2020.

Since his release in 2012, four years after serving as a star government witness in a 2008 racketeering case against Junior Gotti, Alite has reinvented himself. He co-authored five books on mob life, runs a podcast, and travels as a motivational speaker, tackling topics like domestic violence, bullying, and the drug epidemic.

However, his relationship with his former associate remains bitter. Gotti, who did not respond to New York Post inquiries, previously said in 2016:

“He is one of the most shameless human beings that God has created . . . He uses the Gotti theme to enhance his career.”

One of Alite’s biggest political priorities is combating illegal drugs—a cause close to his heart after his 30-year-old daughter Chelsea died of a fentanyl overdose three years ago.