Chris Kasparoza The following is an interview Nick Dimitratos gave to Peter Jennings for ABC News/The Peter Jennings Show in 1992 about his good friend John Gotti Sr., and his then ongoing federal murder-racketeering trial.
Dimitratos was the respected Greek owner of the E&N Coffee Shop across the street from Gotti’s headquarters in Ozone Park, Queens, the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club. He provided his thoughts on John Gotti as a person, and the government’s use of criminals turned lying informants who were testifying “to save their necks,” Dimitratos said. Including Sammy Gravano, who testified that he was Gotti’s underboss in the Gambino family.
The video is property of ABC. It was posted on YouTube and embedded here for educational and journalistic purposes, as well as for the Dimitratos family. A transcript of the interview is below.
RIP Nick.
Jennings: “So, have you been following news of the John Gotti trial?”
Dimitratos: “Yes I do.”
Jennings: “Yes? What do you, what do you think of what’s going on there?”
Dimitratos: “I don’t know. It’s a lot of bullshit coming around.”
Jennings: “A lot of bullshit. We can’t use the word bullshit on the air I don’t think.”
Dimitratos: “Alright, eh, (says an equivalent to ‘bullshit’ in Greek).”
Jennings: “What, what do you, what do you, what do you think of the trial, and what’s going on?”
Dimitratos: “Well, the only thing I believe– they try to– to nail him. That’s all.”
Jennings: “They try to?”
Dimitratos: “To nail him.”
Jennings: “To nail him. You have a sign, supporting John, right?”
Dimitratos: “Yes.”
Jennings: “Good luck, John. Why, why do you have the sign in the window, other than the fact that he hangs out across the street?”
Dimitratos: “Well, since I’m here, he was coming every day my place with his family. They have lunch, breakfast, they most of the times. They were becoming good friends. He was a good customer. And everybody was around here. Not just only–“
Jennings: “So you think he’s a pretty good guy?”
Dimitratos: “To me, yes. Not, any reason to say it’s a bad guy now. The things that are going on with him– I can’t understand what’s going on.”
Jennings: “You don’t believe what they say about him then?”
Dimitratos: “How I’m gonna believe, when you have, killed 20 people, and then you become, a rat? And you say, ‘I don’t know nothing.'”
Jennings: “But, but–“
Dimitratos: “You try, you try to save your head. All these people they talking about, against him, these are criminals. They’re criminals. They’re not, eh, you never went to say, yourself or me or him, that, ‘I saw John Gotti to do this or to do that.’ It’s people which they have lifetime sentence, and they wanna save their necks, and they go to testify against him.”
Jennings: “You’re talking, uh, in effect, you’re talking about Gravano.”
Dimitratos: “I’m not talking specific for anybody, but all these people, which they go and testify against him, they all, try to save their necks.”
Jennings: “But the, the federal government, uh, the FBI says, uh, Gotti is a killer, he’s a thug, he’s a criminal.”
Dimitratos: “Well, eh, if the FBI and the federal government has that proof, they don’t need these people to come instead. Now, if I’m a Policeman, and I grab you to break into a house, I don’t need anybody else to testify. I got you. It’s a, I’m the government. And I grab you like that. So why they have these people to talking about you?”
Jennings: “So they’re turning against John to save their own skin?”
Dimitratos: “That’s all they do.”
Jennings: “What, how, how would you describe Mr. Gotti’s, personality? What kind of person?”
Dimitratos: “Perfect person.”
Jennings: “Pardon?”
Dimitratos: “A perfect, person. A good to family man. A good friend.”
Jennings: “Big tipper here?”
Dimitratos: “Well, I’m not talking about money, I never looked at money. Same way like the other customers that was coming, now you give me a quarter, he’s give a dollar. What’s the difference?”
Jennings: “Okay, okay. And uh, you know you’re talking about people who are, who are testifying, or plan to testify against Mr. Gotti. In particular, Mr. Gravano. Has he been a customer here too?”
Dimitratos: “Well, he was coming here sometimes.”
Jennings: “Are you surprised at what has happened?”
Dimitratos: “I don’t know.”
Jennings: “Not your business, huh?”
Dimitratos: “It’s not because it’s not my business, but, I never hear anything else, now, when the thing’s going on with the trial. They talk about that, he was, uh, the, the government was blame him that, he was killing 19 people. And all of the sudden he’s coming testify against somebody else. It’s, he try to save his neck. If he was an angel, how come he was arrested?”
Jennings: “Mr. Gotti has, survived three, big trials, you think he’s going to survive this one, also?”
Dimitratos: “Probably. Because, so far, they don’t have nothing to prove. Except people which they lie. And like I said before. If the government, you ask me any question about the government, and the FBI. If the FB, FBI was catch him doing something wrong, they don’t need these people to go on the witness stand and testify against him.”
Jennings: “Yeah. If the FBI had the evidence they wouldn’t have to deal with Gravano and people like that.”
Dimitratos: “No. Or, the government. If it has, if the government has, some things, holding against him, why they need you or me to go over there and say, ‘Oh, this guy do this, and do that.’ Like you pass a red light, you go with your car and you pass a red light. And the Police follow you and say, ‘Hey Mr., you pass a red light.’ Do they need any witnesses? To prove in a court that you passed the red light? It’s a, it’s the government, it’s the Police, so. If the government has any, proof, they don’t need all these people to lie over there to save their necks.”
Jennings: “I thank you very much for talking with us.”
Dimitratos: “You’re welcome.”
