The Mafia with Trevor McDonald (2015)

S1E1 Episode 1

Trevor starts his exploration in Queens, New York, where he encounters John Alite, often referred to as “The Sheriff.” John, a product of the local streets, became a notorious killer in an area infamously dubbed Death Haven. He shares, “There were constant murders, constant rivalries among different guys, different mob families. We could kill almost at will, just as easily as giving someone a beating.” The mafia thrived on fear and intimidation, and for men like John, climbing the ranks required a readiness to follow orders, no matter how brutal. During the 1980s and 1990s, he worked for John Gotti Senior, the feared Godfather of the Gambino crime family. John recalls his first hit: luring a local drug dealer into a car and shooting him in the back of the head. He admits, “I don’t like to say pride, but that’s what I felt. I was determined to do it well. We wanted