Anthony Zottola Sr. , 41, potentially faces a death sentence
...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...for the alleged patricide of reputed Bonanno crime family associate Sylvester "Sally Daz" Zottola, 71, who was bumped off while waiting for a take-out cup of coffee last year.
Anthony’s stunning indictment followed the arrests of several reputed Bloods street gang members, including ex-con Bushawn "Shelz" Shelton, who Anthony is accused of hiring to organize the Oct. 4 rub-out.
Court papers say that Anthony began scheming against his dad more than a year before the liquidation, which capped a "series of violent attacks and attempts on his life" and that of Anthony’s older brother.
Salvatore Zottola, 42, was shot and critically maimed outside the family’s sprawling waterfront compound in Locust Point on July 11, during what the feds have previously described as an attempt to "lure out" his dad.
Anthony was charged with murder-for-hire conspiracy, unlawful use and possession of firearms and causing death through use of a firearm.
Prosecutors allege that text messages Anthony sent Shelton, 35, are proof of his "position at the helm of this sinister plot."
One particularly chilling text shows the two men communicating in movie-style code on Nov. 26, 2017, about 45 minutes after Sylvester narrowly escaped death when his car was forced over by a dark van and a man in a mask got out and pointed a gun at him, the feds said.
Authorities later found the van, with the mask inside, and used DNA testing to tie it to Shelton, court papers say.