In 1977, when he helped elect Richard Caliguiri as mayor of Pittsburgh, he collected significant political cachet that propelled him into intradepartmental promotions and eventually the chairmanship of the city's 19th Ward (South Hills) from 1983 to 1989.
In exchange for cash and a paid trip to Disney World, Gigliotti applied his influence to the Alcosan board and other state government agencies.
[5] In December 1999, a federal grand jury handed down a 27-count indictment for soliciting and accepting bribes from government contractors.
[6] As part of a plea bargain,[5] Gigliotti pled guilty to extortion, mail fraud and filing a false income tax return in April 2000.
At Gigliotti's request, Representatives W. Curtis Thomas and Edward P. Wojnaroski Sr. wrote to Judge Gustave Diamond to speak of Gigliotti's "honesty and integrity" and to call him a "fine character", respectively; they were joined in this effort by former Pennsylvania representatives Christopher K. McNally and Greg Fajt.
On June 21, 2000, Gigliotti was instead sentenced by Judge Diamond to 46 months in US federal prison and a fine of $6,000 (equivalent to $10,616 in 2023); Diamond explained the longer sentence, saying that "Gigliotti treated his political power and influence as a commodity to be sold for personal profit, which he did without restraint or regret".