Attorneys Get Richer, Judge Orders New Trial for Gotti

Friends of ours: Junior Gotti, John Gotti

A judge on Friday rejected John A. "Junior" Gotti's request to be acquitted of a racketeering charge, clearing the way for a new trial. A jury deadlocked on the charge at trial in September, and U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin declared a mistrial and freed Gotti, 41, on $7 million bond. Scheindlin said Friday that the government was entitled to a new trial, which is scheduled for February 13. Gotti's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said he would appeal.

Gotti is charged with ordering a botched 1992 attempt to abduct Curtis Sliwa, a radio show host and founder of the Guardian Angels crime-fighting group, in retaliation for Sliwa's on-air rants against Gotti's father, the late mob boss John Gotti. Sliwa was shot but recovered and resumed his work on the radio.