ENGLISHTOWN — John Alite, a 63-year-old councilman in Englishtown, New Jersey, was arrested on Friday on charges of extortion, corporate misconduct, usury, and terroristic threats. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the charges in a news release.

Officials allege Alite made loans at interest rates exceeding the maximum legal rate and threatened debtors with violent acts if they did not provide money and property. Prosecutors additionally allege Alite used his business, Straightened-Out Entertainment, Inc., to promote the alleged scheme. Stephen Locrotondo, 67, of Bridgewater, New Jersey, was also charged with usury and conspiracy in connection with the case.

Davenport said, "Our office is dedicated to ensuring that all businesses conduct themselves fairly and lawfully." She added, "These arrests are the result of rigorous investigative work and the strong cooperation between the Division of Criminal Justice and New Jersey State Police, who work tirelessly every day in the pursuit of justice. The conduct alleged in this case was anything but, and we will work to hold those who cheat and steal accountable."

Alite was appointed to the Englishtown council in March 2025 by Mayor Daniel Francisco. Councilwoman Janet Leonardis said, "I absolutely have no idea what that's about, so I can't comment." Francisco said, "Every American is entitled to due process, including John. I will not rush to judgement before the facts are known, and he is entitled to a presumption of innocence while the judicial process unfolds."

Alite is an Albanian-American from Queens and a former top enforcer for the Gambino crime family. He admitted to committing six murders in a 2008 federal racketeering plea and served more than 14 years in prison in the United States and Brazil. Alite was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2011 and released in 2012.

In a 2015 interview, Alite claimed he had committed 15 murders and shot 30 to 40 people. In one instance, he described the act: "While we were in the conversation, I shot him two or three times in the head, then spit on him." He characterized the act as inconsequential, saying, "It was nothing, like going to a baseball game, I went out (afterward) for a cheeseburger, double cheese, Coke and fries." Alite also launched a podcast called "Catch Me On The Run." He testified in 2009 that he made $1 million a year trafficking narcotics for the mob over a 10-year period in the 1980s and 1990s.