John Alite was arrested on Friday in New Jersey and charged with multiple counts of extortion, corporate misconduct and other charges. New Jersey's Attorney General announced the case after investigators said the allegations involved loans made above the maximum legal rate and threats against debtors.
The filing reaches a sitting Englishtown councilman who, in May 2025, was appointed to the council by Daniel Francisco. Prosecutors said the case also involves Straightened-Out Entertainment, Inc., which they allege was used to promote the scheme.
Jennifer Davenport on the arrests
Jennifer Davenport said in a news release that "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". She added, "Our office is dedicated to ensuring that all businesses conduct themselves fairly and lawfully. The conduct alleged in this case was anything but, and we will work to hold those who cheat and steal accountable."
Officials alleged that Alite made loans outside the maximum legal rate and threatened debtors with violent acts if they did not hand over money and property. In practical terms, that means the case is not limited to lending terms; it also turns on alleged pressure used to collect payment and property.
John Alite and 2015
Alite's council role drew attention because of his past. In 2015, he told CBS News that he had committed 15 murders and said, "While we were in the conversation, I shot him two or three times in the head, then spit on him. It was nothing, like going to a baseball game, I went out (afterward) for a cheeseburger, double cheese, Coke and fries." He also said he shot 30 to 40 people and beat more than one hundred others with pipes and baseball bats.
After more than 14 years in prison in the United States and Brazil, he repudiated his mob ties, launched Catch Me On The Run and told, "Plus, I'm not a criminal any more," and "I'm on a mission to do things the right way." That earlier reinvention now sits beside a fresh criminal case that alleges extortion and unlawful lending.
Englishtown council seat
For Englishtown, the arrest puts a council member under new criminal scrutiny while prosecutors press a case built around alleged loans, threats and property demands. The available information does not give a court date or detail the rest of the counts, so the next procedural step will come from the charging case itself.
