They were in different courtrooms in different counties, but each railed on, trying to put a favorable spin on their involvement with Mafia boss John Gotti and his turncoat underboss, Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano.

In White Plains Federal Court, Cutler charged that prosecutors want him out of a racketeering case involving Gotti's son because they are afraid of him, just as they were in Brooklyn seven years ago when they got Glasser to bounce him from the Dapper Don's racketeering and murder trial.

"My presence here reminds them of different times," said Cutler, referring to the three successes he had defending Gotti (left) between 1986 and 1990.

"I am not blowing my own horn," said Cutler. "I have a unique ability to try a case. People (jurors) like me."

Prosecutor Marjorie Miller, using the same argument that was successfully used against Cutler in Brooklyn, said Cutler should be disqualified because he's a virtual member of Gotti's crime family, essentially functioning as "house counsel."

His high opinion of himself notwithstanding, she said, his court victories for Gotti were tainted by jury tampering and may not have been legitimate.

"I am not now, I never was, and I never would be house counsel to any organized crime group," Cutler shouted. "I don't know what that means. I'm just a tough lawyer fighting very hard for his clients."

Judge Barrington Parker reserved decision on whether Cutler will be able to represent John A. (Junior) Gotti (right) at trial, tentatively scheduled for September.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Glasser fumed as another lawyer  asked the judge to disqualify himself from a wrongful death civil suit against  Gravano because the judge had praised the mob defector as a hero. Even though Gravano admitted taking part in 19 gangland slayings, Glasser sentenced him to five years in prison as a reward for his testimony against his former mob cronies.

Glasser said the press had repeatedly misquoted him. He insisted that at Gravano's 1994 sentencing, the judge had merely been repeating what law enforcement officials had told him about Gravano's courage in testifying.

Glasser's explanation came during a hearing in a suit filed by a daughter of a Gambino associate whom Gravano admitted he helped kill.

Charging that Glasser had "heaped praise upon the man who had

Reading from a transcript, Kuby quoted Glasser (right) as saying, "The characterization of his decision to cooperate with the government by very sophisticated and experienced law enforcement officers as 'the bravest thing I have ever seen' is entirely understandable."

"I didn't say it; they said it. I never said anything of the kind," Glasser said.

Kuby asked Glasser why he thought he was "so badly and repeatedly quoted in that context?. . . Those were the court's specific words. I don't know what the court intended," Kuby persisted.

"Your Honor, all of America interpreted that to mean that the court regarded Mr. Gravano's decision to join Team America one month before his trial as the bravest thing he had ever seen . . . this is certainly the court's opportunity to clear up that record."

Glasser grew visibly angrier, repeating that he had merely  quoted law enforcement, and told Kuby to drop the subject. But the lawyer refused.

"In light of that clarification, on perhaps a scale of one to ten, where does the court regard Mr. Gravano's courage? I say that with all due respect, Your Honor," said Kuby.

"You've made your point," said Glasser, ending the discussion. He reserved a final decision on Kuby's disqualification motion.

A few weeks ago, Gang Land appeared with ABC TV reporter John Miller on Freedom Speaks, a public television panel discussion show hosted by Kerry Brock. "Uncovering The Mob" was the topic. A transcript of the program is available online through the Freedom Speaks web site.

ASK ANDY

Andy -- seen here with "Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti," one of his all-time favorite Mafia books  -- is  preparing a special report about mob doings in New England that should be ready next week. Today, Andy goes north of the U.S. border to answer a query from a Gang Land regular looking for a thumbnail sketch about organized crime in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

It's difficult to sum up decades of organized crime in a few paragraphs, but here goes.

In Montreal, La Cosa Nostra criminals fall under the umbrella of New York's Bonanno Family. However, there has always been a rift of varying degrees between criminals of Italian ancestry whose roots are in Calabria and Sicily.  For many years, Calabrians were dominant due to the prestige and power of Vic Cotroni, a capo in the Bonanno Family -- often called "The Godfather of Montreal." In the 1970's, as Cotroni grew older and his health began to fail him, he tried to anoint a fellow Calabrian, Paulo Violi, to succeed him as the top banana in Montreal. For various reasons, however, things worked out poorly for Cotroni, and worse for Violi.

Violi got tangled up in an official inquiry into organized crime in Quebec. In addition, the Sicilian Mafia, then getting into the heroin trade in a big way, was looking for Sicilians in Montreal to deal with. Also working against Violi was the ascension of Carmine Galante, a Sicilian and long time heroin dealer, as boss of the Bonanno family. All these factors worked together to diminish the power of the Calabrians in Montreal and increase that of the Sicilians. It wasn't long before Violi, several brothers and other supporters were killed and the Sicilians were in the leadership position. The Calabrian cause was not helped by the nearly continuous legal troubles of Vic's younger brother Frank. Galante's killing at an outdoor restaurant in Brooklyn in 1979 (right) did not help the clout of Sicilians in Montreal. And over the last two decades, the leading Sicilians in Montreal have also come under intense  pressure from law enforcement. Many have fled, some have been jailed, and a few have been killed.

Needless to say there are many criminals of other nationalities as well.
Montreal has always had its French hoods. These have usually been gangs which would expand and then contract due to legal pressures and internal problems. The Dubois brothers were the most infamous in the 1970's.

The English gangsters are known as the West End Gang. They too have gone
through many members and leaders. They are more loosely structured than Cosa Nostra mobsters, but the West Enders are sophisticated and have been very active in the drug trade. One leader was very successful in corrupting a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) official.

Quebec is also plagued with outlaw bikers. For decades, the various gangs have been fighting and killing each other -- usually in disputes over drug turf.  In the 1970's, dead bodies were strewn all over the city due to internal feuds within the Devil's Disciples. By the end of the decade, the Hell's Angels had taken over the violent Popeyes. Then the Outlaws absorbed Quebec's Satan's Choice chapter and the war was on. During the 1990's, the Rock Machine has engaged the Angels in a bombing and shooting war. Bikers often try to intimidate parole and prison officials to obtain favorable treatment in prison and to ensure control of drug dealings in the prisons. Two prison guards were gunned down and an Angel has been accused of masterminding the hits.

In Ontario, the Calabrians have controlled the western end of the province for decades. There are a number of cells of the Calabrian ‘ndrangheta in the region and they have always showed a great deal of respect to the Cosa Nostra Family of Buffalo, which has always had a number of made members operating in Ontario. Among the more well known mobsters, were Paul Volpe and Johnny Papalia (left). Both were killed in gangland hits, when they fell out of favor in power shifts in the U.S. and Canada.

When Cotroni was on top in Montreal, the Toronto hoods were very respectful toward him and wiretaps indicated that he was in a superior
position even though the Ontario mobsters belonged to another Family.

There was an ebb and flow in the power of the various Calabrian cells in
Ontario. During the 1920's and 30's, a Calabrian named Rocco Pieri  dominated South Western Ontario. Prohibition made him rich but by the 1940's, his power had waned and he was made to disappear. It is likely that hoods associated with the Buffalo Cosa Nostra Family took him out.

In the 1950's and 1960's, mobsters with Buffalo connections, like Papalia, were on top. However, Papalia had a number of brushes with the law that  prevented him from becoming dominant. Fellow Buffalo mobster Volpe began to rise but Volpe was not an intimidator. During this period, various Calabrian cells began to gain strength as the Buffalo boss aged and his Ontario soldiers were preoccupied. Eventually, after the death of the Buffalo Boss in 1974, a split in that Family curtailed its dominance in Ontario.

Also, in 1980, the death of the senior Calabrian 'ndrangheta leader Mike Racco caused a power shift to the 'ndrangheta cell led by the
Commisso brothers, who had strong ties to Italy. Their position was further solidified when Racco's son was killed, thus preventing him from later becoming a rival.

The Sicilian Mafia also has some dealings in Toronto, but rarely do they cross paths or feud with more established Calabrian hoodlums. The Sicilians  limit themselves primarily to drug dealings, and leave the gambling, loansharking and other extortion rackets to the 'ndrangheta hoods. This prevents conflict, but both groups are very wary of each other.
       
To sum up, Toronto has never had one big powerful Italian organized crime gang, like Montreal once did. There were many ethnic groups in Toronto. Jewish hoods were very strong in gambling. The Jamaican, Asian and other ethnic gangs usually steer clear of Italian "territory" and vice versa. Now it's like everywhere else. Everyone is everywhere. No one is dominant.