Lakewood, NJ – Lakewood residents reported the sighting of a convicted mafia hitman in their city who confessed to at least six murders and dozens of violent assaults.
We confirmed that former mob murderer John Alite was, in fact, in Lakewood. Alite visited the campus of Georgian Court University where he met with Mitch Little, a professor at the university and the retired chief of the Toms River Police Department.
“Chief Little and myself with the students of Georgian University after my address to the class! God bless them the opportunity and the futures of all to a successful future,” Alite posted on Facebook after the visit.
Georgian Court University in Lakewood hosted the unexpected guest speaker, a former enforcer for the notorious Gambino crime family and newly appointed councilman of Englishtown, New Jersey.
Alite, whose past is steeped in violence and organized crime, spoke to students about his journey from a life of crime, brutality, and murder, to one of redemption, drawing a sense of curiosity and apprehension from the young audience.
Alite, 62, is a Queens-born Albanian-American who once served as a feared associate of the Gambino crime family, working closely with infamous mob boss John Gotti and his son, John “Junior” Gotti.
Known as “The Calculator” for his financial acumen in the underworld, Alite was deeply involved in the family’s illicit operations during the 1980s and 1990s. After falling out with the mob and facing federal charges, he turned government witness in 2008, testifying against his former associates, including Junior Gotti. Since his release from prison, Alite has reinvented himself as a motivational speaker, author, and podcaster, using his story to caution others against the path he once took.
Alite’s criminal history is marked by staggering violence.
In interviews and court testimony, he has admitted to involvement in numerous shootings and murders. He estimates he personally killed six people, shot between 30 and 40 others, and beat approximately 100 individuals with a baseball bat during his time as a mob enforcer. His confessions paint a chilling picture of his former life, one he now claims to have left behind.
Alite lived a dark life, but told students who may want to follow in his footsteps of mafia violence, there’s always a way out of dark times.
Alite went to prison—and for a significant stretch.
After fleeing to Brazil in 2004 to evade a federal racketeering probe, he was arrested and spent two years in a brutal Brazilian prison before being extradited to the U.S. in 2006. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges, including two murders, four murder conspiracies, and a litany of shootings and robberies.
For his cooperation with prosecutors, which included testifying against Gambino enforcer Charles Carneglia (now serving life), Alite was sentenced to 10 years in 2011.
He was released on supervised release, having served roughly six years since his extradition, and has since worked to rebuild his life.
Alite’s appearance at Georgian Court comes just weeks after his controversial appointment as a councilman in Englishtown, a small Monmouth County borough of about 2,300 residents.
Sworn in on March 12, by Mayor Daniel Francisco, Alite’s entry into local politics has ignited a firestorm.
His appointment to fill a vacant council seat—backed by local Republicans—prompted the resignation of more than half of Englishtown’s elected officials.
Councilman William Sabin, one of the resignees, cited Mayor Francisco’s push for “yes men” and accused him of consolidating power, while another departing member expressed fear for her safety given Alite’s violent history. “
I can’t serve under these conditions,” Sabin said in a statement. “It compromises my integrity—and frankly, it’s unnerving.”
Georgian Court University has not commented on Alite’s visit to the campus.