THERE's sure to be at least one TV tuned to

Channel 5 in the Metropolitan Correctional

Center this Friday at 7:30.

That's when Mafia hood-turned-informant

Henry Hili, the model for Nicholas PIleggi's

"Wiseguy" and Martin Scorsese's "Good-

Fellas," wilI tell "A Current Affair's" Rita Jen-

rette what he knows about John Gotti,

Gotti, the reputed Gambino crime family

head who now lists the MCCas his address, Is

on trial for the murder of onetime godfather

Paul Castellano.

Hill, who along with his new wife met Jen-

I

rette In disguise far from where he now lives,

claims to have witnessed a key Incident In the

don's life.

"He said that he was In a bar one night with

one of the guys Involved In the killing of Manny

Gambino, the nephew of Carlo Gambino," Jen-

rette told us. "HIli said Gotti came In and beat

the guy to a pulp, and then he saw him pulling

him out of the door screaming. They found his

body several days later." Emanuel Gambino,

nephew of the original "boss .of bosses," was

By FRANK DiGIACOMO

and JOANNAMOLLOY

murdered In 1972 after a botched kidnapping.

. DurIng the interview, Hill also says Gotti Is

"very violent" and, besides squealers, has

other strong dislikes.. "Gotti always hated

green," the onetime goodfella says. "He never

allowed no one to wear green around him,

never allowed no one to own a green car..

Green Is the color of envy."

Hili tells Jenrette that, though he never mur-

dered anyone himself, he witnessed many kill-

Ings, the first of which, he adds,caused him to

vomit a no-no. "In the Mafia you never show

weakness, you never show pain."

Hili, who has apparently kicked his cocaine

habit, now works as a counselor In a drug

treatment program. But even though he was

kicked out of the federal Witness Protection

Program several years ago for dealing drugs,

the feds stili protect him, his wife and baby,

and move them every. year.

LIfe on the'edgehas Its rewards: Jenrette re-

ports that HIli sold a "MarrIed to the Mob"-type

comedy to-HBO, and a series called, "The LIfe

and Time of John Gotti: New Blood" to CBS.

It also has Its drawbacks. "They live In fem:

everyday of their lives," Jenrette told us. "HIs

wife says that when she hears things at night

she's up and about. The most frightening mo-

ment . . . was when they were out shopping for'

groceries. The FBI met them and said, 'They

found you.' The FBI went In the house and

threw everything they owned' Into garbage

bags. They were never. able to go back to their

home."

Jenrette, who wants the world to know 8he

has no idea where Bill lives, says he only

agreed to be interviewed after weeks of prod-

ding, and after she agreed to fly him and his

family to San Francisco and put them up in

Nob Hili's exclusive Stanford Court Hotel But

even after all the cloak and dagger stuff, Jen-

rette got that unsettling feeling.

"I had just met him In the lobby," she says.

"He was totally disguised. He had on a beard

and moustache and pancake makeup and tou-

pee. We weren't there two minutes when some-

one came up to him and said, 'Excuse me.

Aren't you Henry Hill?' "

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