Son had father killed at McDonald’s drive-thru to take over family business, feds say

Sylvester Zottola — a 71-year-old man accused of having ties to the Mafia — was repeatedly shot and killed while waiting for his cup of coffee at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

The murder was planned by one of his sons, Anthony Zottola, Sr., 44, who is accused of hiring a group of men to carry out the killing of his father and brother, according to federal prosecutors in New York City. Ultimately, the brother, Salvatore Zottola, survived getting shot in the head months before his father’s death in a series of attacks on the pair.

Anthony Zottola is accused of wanting his father and brother dead so he could eliminate their involvement in the family’s multi-million dollar real estate business and take control of it.

Immediately after his father was killed at a McDonald’s in the Bronx in October 2018, Anthony Zottola received texts from a co-conspirator informing him of the successful killing, saying “Can we party today or tomorrow?,” according to prosecutors.

After a six-week-long trial, Anthony Zottola, of Larchmont, New York, and Himen Ross, 36, of the Bronx, who is accused of fatally shooting Sylvester Zottola, were found guilty in connection with murder-for-hire charges on Oct. 19, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced in a news release.

Now both men face mandatory sentences of life in prison.

“Over the course of more than a year, the elderly victim, Sylvester Zottola, was stalked, beaten, and stabbed, never knowing who orchestrated the attacks,” Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

“It was his own son, who was so determined to control the family’s lucrative real estate business that he hired a gang of hit men to murder his father,” Peace added.

Meanwhile, Anthony Zottola’s attorney, Henry E. Mazurek, told McClatchy News in a statement that they will be appealing the jury’s verdict, which left them “extremely disappointed.”

“Anthony Zottola loved his father and always put family first,” Mazurek said. “He never intended harm upon him.”

McClatchy News also contacted Ross’ attorney for comment on Oct. 20 and was awaiting a response.

The case

Sylvester Zottola was in charge of his family’s residential real estate portfolio — worth tens of millions of dollars — when he died, prosecutors say. His sons were also involved, with Anthony Zottola helping manage the business and co-owning a related business, A&S Maintenance, with his brother Salvatore Zottola.

During court proceedings, Salvatore Zottola, the older son, described his late father as a “good guy,” PIX 11 reported.

He acknowledged his father’s connections to the Bonanno organized crime family, specifically mob boss Vincent Basciano, but refuted claims that his dad was in the Mafia, according to the outlet.

“He wasn’t a wiseguy,” Salvatore Zottola also said, referring to a nickname given to Mafia members, according to PIX 11. “He was the best. He did everything for everybody.”

Anthony Zottola is accused of hiring Bushawn Shelton, 38, of Brooklyn, to kill his father and Salvatore Zottola, prosecutors say. As a result, Shelton is accused of recruiting others, including Ross, to help him.

Shelton is a known, “high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang,” according to The New York Times.

McClatchy News contacted Shelton’s lawyer for comment on Oct. 20 and was awaiting a response. Shelton previously pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire charges in August and awaits a sentencing hearing, according to prosecutors.

Anthony Zottola’s lawyer, Mazurek, blamed the Bloods gang for Salvatore Zottola’s killing in his statement to McClatchy News.

“A violent street gang preyed upon Anthony and his family and caused their tragic ruin,” Mazurek said, adding that they are appealing the jury’s verdict to prevent his client from becoming “another victim of the Bloods gang.”

A series of attacks before the murder

After Anthony Zottola hired Shelton to kill his father and brother, a series of violent attacks ensued, according to the attorney’s office and court documents.

On Nov. 26, 2017, Sylvester Zottola was in his car when a dark van pulled up in front of him, and a masked individual wearing gloves got out, pointing a gun at him, court documents state. Ultimately, Zottola was able to drive away.

A month later, three masked individuals entered Sylvester Zottola’s home with guns and knives, attacking and robbing him, according to court documents.

Sylvester Zottola was hit in the head with a gun, stabbed and had his throat slashed, prosecutors say. But he survived.

In July 2018, Salvatore Zottola was shot in the head and his body while outside his home, according to prosecutors. He also survived.

Before Sylvester Zottola was killed on Oct. 4, 2018, a tracking device was put on his car, according to prosecutors.

Ross followed Sylvester Zottola to McDonald’s that day, and repeatedly shot him as he waited for his coffee, the release states.

After the killing, Ross texted Shelton, who then notified Anthony Zottola that his father was dead, according to the attorney’s office.

In response, Anthony Zottola promised Shelton he would get his money for helping kill his father, prosecutors say.

Anthony Zottola also texted Shelton after the murder that it was his son’s birthday, and he was bringing him to McDonald’s, according to the New York Times.

“Zottola had not one, not two, but multiple chances to rethink his deadly intent to murder his own father,” FBI assistant director-in-charge of its New York office, Michael J. Driscoll, said in a statement.

“Instead of living off his father’s millions, his only payday will be federal prison,” Driscoll added.

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