Zottola Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Hit of His Father

Dad Gunned Down in McDonald’s Drive-Thru by Gunmen Hired by Zottola, Jury Finds 

Anthony Zottola, Sr. was found guilty in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his father. 

NEW YORK - A jury found Anthony Zottola, Sr. and Himen Ross guilty of a murder-for-hire plot to rub out Zottola’s own father. Sylvester Zottola was gunned down while he sat in his car at a McDonald’s drive thru waiting for his coffee. 

Prosecutors said Zottola had his father killed and tried to have his brother murdered in an attempt to take over his father’s multi-million dollar residential real estate properties as well as the maintenance company he ran with his brother Salvatore Zottola- A&S Maintenance.

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

Sylvester Zottola was gunned down while he sat in his car at a McDonald’s drive thru waiting for his coffee. 

“For sentencing his father to a violent death, Anthony Zottola and his co-defendant will spend the rest of their lives in prison where they belong as a result of today’s verdict,” Peace said. “I thank our prosecutors, the FBI Special Agents and NYPD detectives for their tremendous investigative work solving this cold-blooded crime and bringing the defendants to justice.” 

“Proven by evidence and testimony during trial, Zottola had not one, not two, but multiple chances to rethink his deadly intent to murder his own father. He and the others he recruited chose to continue with their savage plot and succeeded. Now, instead of living off his father's millions, his only payday will be federal prison,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

As proven at trial, Anthony Zottola hired co-conspirator Bushawn Shelton to kill his father and his brother, Salvatore.  

Shelton recruited others to commit the murders, and together they engaged in a year-long conspiracy to carry out a series of violent attacks against Sylvester and Salvatore Zottola.  

Salvatore, who testified at trial, endured several violent attacks on his life.  

On November 26, 2017, Sylvester Zottola was menaced at gunpoint by a masked individual. On December 27, 2017, three men invaded Sylvester Zottola’s residence, struck him on the head with a gun, stabbed him multiple times, and slashed his throat. Zottola survived the attack. Then on July 11, 2018, a gunman shot Salvatore Zottola in the head, chest, and hand in front of his residence. Zottola survived the shooting.

A tracking device was placed on Sylvester Zottola’s car, allowing Ross to track him to the McDonald’s restaurant on Webster Avenue where Ross fatally shot the victim multiple times.  

Ross and Shelton exchanged texts immediately after the hit, and then Shelton and Anthony Zottola exchanged texts, in which Anthony was informed that his father had just been murdered.   

Shelton texted Anthony Zottola: “Can we party today or tomorrow?”  

Anthony Zottola assured Shelton that he would have Shelton’s payment for carrying out the murder ready soon: “I have the cases of water in a day or so.”  

A photograph later recovered from one of Shelton’s cellular telephones depicts a cardboard box of bottled water, as well as over $200,000 in banded currency.  Shelton pleaded guilty in August 2022 to murder-for-hire conspiracy and murder-for-hire.  He is awaiting sentencing.

“Today’s convictions underscore the unwavering commitment of the NYPD, and its law enforcement partners, to deliver meaningful consequences for violent crimes – in this case against those who carried out a sustained plot to commit murder,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “For their effort to build a strong prosecution, I want to thank and commend our NYPD investigators, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, the New York Field Office of the FBI, and everyone who worked to see this case through to a successful outcome.”