James McBratney: Snoope’s Bar Killing and Gotti’s Rise

James “Jimmy” McBratney was a 30-year-old Staten Island armed robber and kidnapper who was shot to death inside a West Brighton bar on May 22, 1973. The James McBratney murder was carried out by John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, and Ralph Galione on orders from the Gambino crime family, most likely in retaliation for a kidnapping ring McBratney had joined that was targeting mob-connected victims for ransom. The killing became the case that launched Gotti’s ascent inside the Gambino family.

Who Jimmy McBratney Was

McBratney was a physically imposing man, six feet three inches tall and 250 pounds, a weightlifter who could bench-press 400 pounds.¹ He lived at 94 Sharpe Avenue in Port Richmond, Staten Island, with his wife and two children.² Before the events that made his name known, he served time for armed robbery at Greenhaven State Prison, where he met a criminal associate named J.J. Maloney. He was known for a fascination with firearms and reportedly kept a machine gun in his car.

The Kidnapping Crew That Targeted the Mob

In October 1972, McBratney joined a gang that made a specialty of kidnapping members and associates of organized crime families, on the theory that such victims would not go to the police. The ring was the idea of Flippo and Ronnie Miano, and its members included McBratney, Maloney, Tommy Genovese (described as a distant relative of Vito Genovese), Warren “Chief” Schurman, and Richie Chaisson.¹

The crew’s first successful target was a Gambino capo known as “Frank the Wop,” who was released for a $150,000 ransom. Three more kidnappings followed. On December 28, 1972, the gang abducted a Gambino-connected loanshark known only as “Junior” and collected $21,000. That one went badly. During Junior’s release, McBratney reportedly fired shots at the man as he escaped.¹

Was McBratney Killed Over Emanuel Gambino?

The story most often told is that McBratney died because he was involved in kidnapping Emanuel Gambino, the 29-year-old nephew of family boss Carlo Gambino. Emanuel was last seen on May 18, 1972, and his body was found by FBI agents on January 26, 1973, buried in a shallow grave near Colts Neck, New Jersey.³

The men actually charged in that kidnapping were Henry Robert Sentner, John Edward Kilcullen, William Solin, and John Harrington.⁴ Sentner, who had worked for Emanuel as a gambling runner, later testified that he had shot and killed him after a quarrel about gambling debts.⁵ McBratney’s name does not appear in the court records or news coverage of the Emanuel Gambino case. At least one detailed account of his criminal career concludes he had no involvement in it, and points instead to his crew’s serial kidnapping of Gambino-linked targets, including the botched Junior job, as the likelier reason the family wanted him dead.¹

The Shooting at Snoope’s Bar

On the night of May 22, 1973, three men walked into Snoope’s Bar and Grill at 1149 Castleton Avenue in West Brighton, Staten Island, where McBratney was having a drink.⁶ They were John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, and Ralph “Ralphie Wigs” Galione, all connected to the Carlo Gambino crime family.⁷

The plan, according to later accounts, was to pose as police officers and walk McBratney out of the bar to shoot him away from witnesses. McBratney demanded to see badges. When the three could not produce any, the ruse fell apart. A struggle broke out, and Galione pulled a gun and shot McBratney three times.⁷⁸ McBratney was found sprawled on the barroom floor in a puddle of blood. Police described the shooting as a “dispute among criminal elements.”²

What Happened to the Three Killers

Galione and Ruggiero, then 33, were arrested on July 30, 1973.² Gotti was not picked up until June 3, 1974.⁹ Before the case could go to trial, Galione was murdered in Brooklyn in December 1973.⁷

With the actual shooter dead, Gotti and Ruggiero were in a stronger position. Each pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter.¹⁰ On August 8, 1975, Gotti was sentenced to four years as part of a plea bargain.⁹ He served roughly two years at Green Haven Correctional Facility, where he reportedly bribed officials and guards to let him leave the prison to meet with other mobsters and visit his home in Queens.¹¹ Ruggiero served a comparable term.

Why the Killing Mattered for Gotti

The McBratney hit was the case that made Gotti’s name inside the Gambino family. After his release on parole in 1977, he rose quickly under the mentorship of underboss Aniello Dellacroce.¹¹ The FBI’s account of Gotti’s career notes that soon after his release from prison for the killing, he became a “made man” in the family. By December 1985, he had orchestrated the assassination of Gambino boss Paul Castellano outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan and taken over the family.¹²

The Family McBratney Left Behind

McBratney’s wife and two young children survived him. His son James J. McBratney was in the seventh grade at IS 51 on Staten Island when his father was killed, and delivered the edition of the Staten Island Advance that carried a photograph of his father’s body on the front page.¹³ When Gotti died in 2002, the New York Post interviewed the younger McBratney about growing up as the son of Gotti’s first known murder victim.⁸

1
Crime Magazine. Jimmy McBratney: A Footnote in Mob History
2
The New York Times. Two Held in Murder in Underworld Feud
3
The New York Times. Body of Emanuel Gambino Believed Found in Jersey
4
The New York Times. Men Charged With Kidnapping of a Nephew of Carlo Gambino
5
The New York Times. Defendant Admits Extortion in Gambino Kidnap Case
6
SILive. Staten Island’s Most Notorious Mob Incidents
7
The Guardian. John Gotti
8
New York Post. First Victim’s Son Knows Pain Don’s Kids Feel Today
9
CBS News. Gotti’s Life by the Numbers
10
The New York Times. Angelo Ruggiero Is Dead at 49
11
Britannica. John Gotti
12
FBI. John Gotti
13
Jimmy Max. Jimmy Max in the UFT News