Kriti Mehrotra
While John Gotti either committed or sanctioned countless heinous crimes across New York in the 1970s and 1980s, the first case against him that went to trial was for an alleged assault. The victim was Romual Piecyk, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Get Gotti’ and CBS’ ‘FBI True: Last Shot at the Teflon Don,’ but things changed once the mobster went from a captain to the boss of the Gambino crime family. So now, if you simply wish to learn more about the same — with a particular focus on the events to have transpired as well as this incidental target’s ultimate fate — we’ve got the details for you.
Romual Piecyk’s Legal Battle Against John Gotti is Infamous
It was on September 11, 1984, when 35-year-old refrigerator repairman Romual Piecyk’s entire world turned upside down as he made his way home in Queens following a long, hard day of work. According to reports, a double-parked car blocked his path just outside Cozy Corner Bar in the Maspeth area, prompting him to really lay on his horn until the owner of the other vehicle appeared. The owner was reportedly mafia associate Frank Colletta, but the former had no idea, so he fought back after allegedly getting smacked in the face and losing his weekly pay of $325 from his shirt pocket.
That’s when John Gotti allegedly stepped out of the bar and punched Romual too, only to then finish things with a motion to withdraw something from his waistband alongside a verbal warning. Nevertheless, believing the men were mere street hoods, the latter just stepped away to flag down some local police officers, resulting in their arrest for felony assault and theft minutes later. He even testified before a grand jury to confirm these charges, but allegedly began fearing for his life once Gotti became a true boss within weeks of the hit on Paul Castellano in December 1985.
Yet even prior to this, Romual was allegedly being intimidated through threatening phone calls as well as the brakes of his van being tampered with, resulting in him buying a firearm for safety. The serviceman also moved out of his known addresses alongside then-pregnant wife Jeanette and changed his contacts, as per ‘Get Gotti,’ making it difficult for even officials to get in touch with him. He absolutely didn’t wish to testify anymore by the time his case’s trial rolled around in early 1986, so he didn’t even show up to court on the day he was scheduled to take the stand on March 20.
It turns out he’d had an elective surgery performed on his right shoulder at the Mercy Hospital in Rockville Center Village, Nassau County, Long Island, believing he could really avoid having to testify. But alas, it didn’t pan out, and he was in front of the jury on March 24, just to have “lost his memory” — although he recalled having been robbed 18 months prior, he couldn’t remember anything beyond, aka the assault. Moreover, upon being asked if he saw the men who’d assaulted him in the room, he looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to ignore those sitting at the defense table before simply stating, “I do not.”
Romual Piecyk Likely Died of Natural Causes
As a result of Romual’s statements (or the lack thereof), the felony charges against Frank Colletta and John Gotti were dismissed, but prosecutors maintained he was just scared and hadn’t actually lost his memory. The mob boss could have received 15 years in prison if convicted, yet he allegedly walked away laughing. Then, his alleged assault victim supported him throughout his August 1986 RICO trial, too.
Romual later decided to move away from the limelight for good, albeit reports suggest he continued residing in New York alongside his loved ones. That is, until he sadly passed away on October 7, 2011, at the age of 62. The cause of his death has never been publicly revealed, making it likely he died of natural causes.
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